At the end of 2021, I had every intention of being completely obsessed with Eastern European food throughout 2022, especially after the past few years of perfecting some of my favorite Asian recipes. When the war started in Ukraine, I felt like maybe I should not try to profit off of Ukrainian food or culture so I shifted my focus back to Asian food, which I still love. Then I realized that no one pays me to do this, and I’m not profiting at all, so why not publish some of my favorite recipes from that part of the world? My hope is that someone might read this and be inspired to support actual Ukrainians, thereby preserving their food culture.
That being said, if you’d like to support some of my favorite Ukrainian foodies, below are some links to books they’ve authored:
For this recipe, I must say I haven’t had any Eastern European person taste it and provide feedback. I also can’t say where in Eastern Europe these pierogi might be most recognizable - I certainly have no authority to say that they are similar in any way to typical Ukrainian dumplings, since I’ve never been there. What I can promise, however, is that these pierogi taste just like those I had in Krakow, so I’m hoping I’m not wrong in saying that these are basically representative of some kind of ubiquitous Polish pierogi. I’ve had many pierogi varieties throughout Poland, the Baltics, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, etc… and this filling is the one I prefer the most.
The best part of this recipe is the cabbage, for sure - It’s sweet and just very slightly spicy, and pairs so so well with the onions throughout the dish. It also soaks up the butter and makes everything generally less greasy, but without sacrificing on flavor. The scant crunch of the cabbage and the crisp of the fried onions work together with the chew of the dough to impart a really interesting overall texture. The fried onions give a sweet and salty kick, almost similar to bacon, which would also be an amazing addition to this dish. To me, the pan frying is a crucial step - You can eat these after simply boiling them, but this dough is very similar in texture to a Chinese dumpling dough, when boiled. The pan fry really differentiates it and brings out different flavors, especially since it’s done in butter. The butter is another thing to talk about. - There is a lot of it, and that’s the way I like it. Everything is lightened and balanced by some fresh notes from the sour cream and the cornichons. If you’re interested in buttery indulgence, I hope I’ve made it clear that this is the dish for you.
Butter Count: Something like 1 stick
INGREDIENTS:
1 large napa cabbage
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cups flour
1 egg
1 1/3 cups warm water
1/2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp salted butter
1 sweet onion, diced
More butter for frying
Big dollops of sour cream for serving
Whole cornichons for serving
INSTRUCTIONS:
Remove all of the leaves from the cabbage and thoroughly wash them, using your fingers to wipe them clean under running water to ensure that there are no small pieces of dirt or rock left. As you get closer to the core, the leaves will become too small, and you can just throw the core out at that point.
Chop the washed cabbage finely and add it to a pot. Cover the cabbage in water and bring it to a boil, cooking until soft.
When the cabbage is soft, pour it into a colander and press the moisture out. It will be hot, so use a few folds of paper towel between your hand and the cabbage.
Add the canola oil to a pan over medium-low heat.
Add the onions to the oil and let them sit without stirring until they caramelize. They should be nicely browned, but not burnt or crispy. Remove them from the heat and pour them into the cabbage, mixing well.
NOTE: I caramelize the onions in batches. It takes a lot longer, but it ensures even caramelization when the pan is not overcrowded.
Add the flour, egg, oil, and salt into a bowl and use a fork to completely mix in the wet ingredients until a very dry dough forms, with lots of extra flour.
Slowly add the water, 1/3 cup at a time, and mix it in thoroughly before adding more. When the dough becomes too difficult to continue mixing with a fork, knead the water in with your hands until all of the water is incorporated, and there are no lumps.
Cut the dough in half and wrap the halves in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature about 20 minutes before using.
While the dough is resting, place the butter and diced sweet onion in a pan over medium-low heat. Cook until the onions are browned and caramelized. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook briefly until the onions are crispy. Transfer the cooked onions to a bowl and set aside.
NOTE: If the onions are taking forever to crisp, turn the heat up slightly, but keep an eye on it because the butter can burn easily.
On a clean, pretty heavily flowered surface, roll out one of the dough portions to about 1/4-inch thickness. Use a 3-inch circular cookie cutter to cut out as many discs as you can. Place the dough discs onto a floured baking tray, and sprinkle the tops of the discs with flour as well.
NOTE: It may seem like you’re using too much flour, but this dough can get very sticky as it rests, so don’t be afraid. You can always brush off excess flour later.
Place about 1 Tbsp cabbage filling into each dough disc, leaving about half inch boarder . Dip your finger into a bowl of water and wet the edges of the disc. Fold the dough over the filling to make half moons and pinch them shut tightly. The dough will squeeze together and create an irregular shape, so place the folded pierogi onto a floured surface and use the circular cookie cutter from before to round the edges again. Transfer the sealed pierogi to another floured baking tray.
Repeat step 10 with the remaining dough discs, and then repeat steps 9 and 10 with the remaining dough portion and filling.
Bring a large pot of boiling water to a boil. Add a splash of oil to the water to prevent the pierogi from sticking to each other.
Lower the heat to medium-high so that the water is still boiling, but not as violently. Add about 20-25 pierogies at a time. When they float, wait about 2 minutes with the water still boiling. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pierogi to a non-floured baking tray, in a single layer.
Add 20-25 more pierogie to the boiling water. While they’re cooking, add 2 Tbsp butter to a pan over medium heat. When the butter melts, add as many pierogi to the pan as you can in a single layer (I sometimes use two pans for this step). Cook the pierogi about 1 minute until browned, then flip them and cook until the other side is browned too. Transfer the cooked pierogi to a serving dish.
Repeat steps 14 and 15 with the rest of the pierogi.
NOTE: When the butter starts browning too much, wipe it out into the sink with a paper towel and add a new 2 Tbsp of butter to the pan.
When you finish cooking the last batch of dumplings, pour their cooking butter into the serving dish with them.
Toss the cooked pierogi in the fried onions.
Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve with sour cream and cornichons.