I have been experimenting with our KitchenAid® pasta maker accessories and having lots of fun. I decided to make Raviolis but I didn't have the KitchenAid® accessory for that so I made them manually from sheets of pasta dough from the pasta roller accessory.

It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped so I went searching the Internet for the Ravioli accessory, only to find that the cheapest price was $133 plus shipping. Not good! That device is significantly overpriced and though it attaches to the front accessory port of the mixer it is completely manual in use, i.e. all done by hand cranking with no mixer power used at all. It is stupid to pay that much money for a manual device.

I went looking for other devices available via the Internet that would be less expensive. The best items I found make pierogies or raviolis or a variety of other filled dough foods, like pot stickers. I bought the devices in two sizes, large and small, and the total cost plus shipping was $45. They are made in Canada.

Well, it turns out that I love pot stickers, pierogies, blintzes, etc., so I will be using my new purchases first to make pierogies, then other related but unique foods.

The recipe provided immediately below is from the Internet from a guy in Pittsburgh, PA. It looks to be a very traditional recipe and we are anxious to try it … And so we will when our ordered pierogie maker devices arrive.

Following the initial recipe I have included a variety of other filling recipes, savory and sweet, along with some dough recipe variations, especially for the sweet pierogies or blintzes.

I will report back with our results later. I will then weigh 300 pounds!!!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup of sour cream, plus extra to serve with the pierogi
• 1/4 cup of butter, softened and cut into small pieces
• butter and onions for sauteing
• ingredients for filling of your choice (potato & cheese filling recipe below)

Directions:

Pierogi Dough:

To prepare the pierogi dough, mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a food processor with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size.

Making the Pierogies:

Roll the pierogi dough on a floured board or countertop until 1/8" thick. Cut circles of dough (2" for small pierogies and 3-3 1/2" for large pierogies) with a cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place a small ball of filling (about a tablespoon) on each dough round and fold the dough over, forming a semi-circle. Press the edges together with the tines of a fork.

Boil the perogies a few at a time in a large pot of water. They are done when they float to the top (about 8-10 minutes). Rinse in cool water and let dry.

Saute chopped onions in butter in a large pan until onions are soft. Then add pierogies and pan fry until lightly crispy. Serve with a side of sour cream for a true Pittsburgh pierogi meal.

Homemade Pierogi Tips:

• If you are having a hard time getting the edges to stick together, you may have too much flour in the dough. Add a little water to help get a good seal.
• If you don't want to cook all of the pierogies right away, you can refrigerate them (uncooked) for several days or freeze them for up to several months.
• You can fill pierogies with pretty much anything you want, though potato and cheese is the most common (recipe below). Sweet pierogies are often filled with a prune mixture.

Pierogi Filling Recipes:

Potato, Cheese & Onion Filling:

Peel and boil 5 large potatoes until soft. Red potatoes are especially good for this. While the potatoes are boiling, finely chop 1 large onion and saute in butter until soft and translucent. Mash the potatoes with the sauted onions and 4-8oz of grated cheddar cheese (depending on how cheesy you want your pierogies), adding salt and pepper to taste. You can also add some fresh parsley, bacon bits, chives, or other enhancements if you desire. Let the potato mixture cool and then form into 1" balls.

Meat Filling:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound of ground beef
• 1/2 pound of ground veal
• 1/2 pound of ground lamb
• 2 cups of grated onion
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 teaspoon of marjoram
• 3/4 teaspoon of basil
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1/3 cup of fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons of beef stock, or more as necessary

Directions:

In a large skillet, fry ground meats and onion until meat is cooked and onion is tender. Drain.

Transfer meat-onion mixture to a large bowl and add seasonings and bread crumbs. Add just enough beef stock for meat to hold together. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Smoked Sausage Filling:

Ingredients:

• 10 ounces of fully cooked, smoked Polish sausage, skinned and chopped
• 1/2 cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup of fine dry bread crumbs
• 1 large egg, beaten

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Use immediately.

Cabbage and Mushroom Filling:

Ingredients:

• 1 (1-pound) head of green cabbage, shredded
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced
• 1 (4-ounce) can of mushrooms (stems and pieces), drained
• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 1 teaspoon of salt or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 finely chopped hard-cooked eggs (optional)

Directions:

In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine cabbage, water, onion, mushrooms and butter. When cabbage collapses to half its volume, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water, if necessary.

Drain. When cool enough to handle, chop finely. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. At this point, mixture can be refrigerated until ready to use. Just before filling, add hard-cooked eggs, if using, and mix well.

Blueberry Filling for Blintzes or Pierogies:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of diced lemon zest(optional)
• 1 1/4 pounds of washed, stemmed blueberries

Directions:

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest (if using), and blueberries. Toss and place over medium heat. Allow it to come to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool completely.

When filling pierogi, use a slotted spoon to place 3 to 4 blueberries on each piece of dough for pierogi. Use more berries for nalesniki. Use the reserved sauce to garnish the cooked, plated dumplings or crepes.

Here is Georgia’s Pierogi Dough recipe, very suitable for all types of pierogies, regular or sweet.

Ingredients:

• 2 large eggs
• 5 tablespoons of sour cream
• 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 3/4 cup of chicken broth
• 4 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine eggs, sour cream oil, salt and chicken broth until well mixed. Add flour and knead by hand or in a stand mixer until the dough is smooth. Wrap with plastic and let rest at least 10 minutes. Fill with your favorite pierogi filling.

Nalesniki dough recipe to make sweet blintzes:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup of milk
• 1/4 cup of lukewarm water
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
• A pinch of salt

Directions:

In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes so the liquid can be absorbed by the flour.

Using a 2-ounce ladle, portion out batter into a nonstick crepe pan or small skillet that has been lightly coated with butter. Rotate pan and swirl batter until it covers the entire bottom of pan. Cook until lightly brown or spotted brown on the underside. Turn and cook second side until light brown.

Remove to waxed paper or parchment paper and repeat with remaining batter and butter. Serve immediately or wrap and freeze up to 1 month.

Use the savory nalesniki recipe for savory fillings and the sweet nalesniki recipe for sweet fillings. Place 2 heaping tablespoons filling on each nalesniki and fold the sides in first and then bottom, rolling away from yourself, as for an eggroll or burrito.

Filled nalesniki may be panfried in butter or baked in a buttered casserole dish until the filling is set. Some prefer to dip their nalesniki in beaten egg and then in fine, dry bread crumbs. They are then fried in butter or a small amount of hot oil until golden on all sides.

Nalesniki Sweet Cheese Filling:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of farmers cheese or ricotta
• 3 ounces of cream cheese, softened
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Place cheese in bowl of a food processor and puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and process until fluffy.

Divide filling among 12 crepes and roll. Saute in small amount of butter and serve with fruit sauce, like fresh blueberry sauce, if desired.

Fruit Filling:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of pitted cherries, peeled and chopped apples, or stemmed blueberries
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon or cardamom (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice (optional)
• 2 to 4 tablespoons of fine dry bread crumbs

Directions:

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine fruit, water and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 to 10 minutes or until fruit is tender and water is almost evaporated. Remove from heat.

Mash fruit slightly and add spice of choice and lemon juice. Return to heat and cook over low heat until mixture is thick.

If mixture is not thick enough, stir in enough bread crumbs so fruit is not liquidy.