Pierogi Party

Dinner is served!

My beautiful wife has been craving Pierogis for several weeks now, she even threatened to buy cheap freezer ones from the grocery store. In order to satiate her craving I turned to my street food cookbook and made two variations on classic Pierogis. For option one I added bacon and substituted cheddar for the traditional twarog cheese. Option number two had mushrooms, herb de province and cheddar. Both tasted great but the bacon option one out as the superior pierogi. Katie really enjoyed them and said she was glad she held out and did not buy the grocery store ones!

Bacon Cheddar Pierogi

2 Slices cooked bacon, chopped

70 g Cheddar Cheese

1 Medium Baking potato, cooked and mashed

½ onion, chopped and cooked in oil

 

Mix together all ingredients in bowl and reserve.

 

Mushroom Cheddar Pierogi

2 Medium porcini mushrooms, chopped

1 clove Garlic, minced

¼ tsp Herb de Provence

70 g Cheddar Cheese

1 Medium Baking potato, cooked and mashed

½ onion, chopped and cooked in oil

 

Mix together all ingredients in bowl and reserve.

 

The 2 fillings ready to be transformed into pierogis!

 

Dough

4 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

 

All wrapped up and resting

 

Mix together all ingredients and knead for approximately 10 minutes. Add more water as needed until you have a smooth, elastic dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest at room temp for 30 min.

Roll out dough until 2-3 mm thick. Use a cookie cutter to cut out 3-4 cm circles. Spoon in 1 tsp of filling, fold over and seal by pressing together sides with fingers.

To cook, place pierogi in simmering water for 3-4 minutes. They are done when they float to the top.

Fry in oil on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until brown on both sides.

To serve, plate pierogi with a dallop of sour cream and a side salad.

Angle Change

 

 

My Very Own Ravioli

The Right Tools

 Mom gave me a ravioli maker for Christmas this year, and this weekend I finally got around to breaking it out and concocting a ravioli recipe I made. I was looking for something different than the typical ricotta and spinach mixture that is most predominant in the store. A quick search through the fridge highlighted the fact that we had some leftover bacon, so I was going to make this the centre point of the ravioli filling. Thinking I would make a basic basil tomato sauce, I tried to incorporate other ingredients that would pair well with this. The dinner ended up delicious and a big thanks goes out to Mom for getting me the great gift!
 

Balsamic Mushroom & Bacon Ravioli

 Pasta Dough
200g Flour

2 eggs

Filling

4 slices of bacon, chopped

1 Cup finely chopped mushrooms
1 Cup Chopped Spinach
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
¼ cup chopped Chives
Pepper to taste

Egg Wash for assembly

Basil Tomato Pasta Sauce

1 Can Tomatoes

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 sprigs basil, leaves removed stalks finely chopped

1 Onion, diced

Method

Heat a pan over medium heat and cook bacon until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set bacon aside and discard all but 1 tbsp bacon drippings. Return pan to medium heat and add mushrooms. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add garlic, cooking for a further minute. Add spinach to mixture and cook until wilted. Add balsamic vinegar and cook until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat, and add to bacon. Stir in Parmesan and Chives. Allow to cool.

 

The bacon mushroom filling

 

For pasta, in a food processor mix together eggs and flour. Place mixture into bowl and knead until a smooth ball forms. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Take pasta out of fridge divide into 2 sections and using a pasta machine roll out each ball until desired thickness. Place 1 sheet over ravioli mould, pressing pasta sheet into divets. Fill each section with reserved filling, brush with egg wash and place second sheet over top, using a roller to combine the 2 sheets. Flip over mould and separate ravioli.

 

All seperated and ready to cook

For sauce, cook onions on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add garlic and basil stalks, cooking for 1 minute. Add tomates and simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add basil leaves and stir. Using immersion blender blend sauce until smooth.

 

Cook ravioli in salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes and serve with tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Dinner is served!