Barb has been bugging me for a few months to make her pierogi and I keep telling her I will. But for some reason I just kept forgetting and ever time she came over for dinner I would just end up making her lentils . I make lentils for people when I care about them because lentils are perfect and I always figure she could use the nutrients. But finally, FINALLY, I remembered and figured it was about time. Time for Barb to get her pierogi. I got the ingredients, made up a plan, and went about making them thinking she was coming over for dinner. But guess what. She didn't come over. After all that, she decided it was better for her to go to her classes and then go to her shift at work, that it was not a good idea to skip out on all that just because I decided to finally make her pierogi. Well whatever I guess.
And full disclouse, I don’t think I made actual plans with her for the particular day that I made these pieorgi. I might have just assumed she was coming over…. So maybe my bad. Good thing these things can be made ahead and cooked whenever. So I saved her half for whenever she does come over (today I think). I did make them for her after all.
Anyway. Pierogi. Pretty much a stuffed ravioli I filled these with the potato, chickpea, and onion mixture, tossed a little dill in for the hell of it, and there they were. The mr got the first half, covered in cashew cream. But I bet these would be equally fantastic with marinara sauce. Or ketchup? I could see that if you are into that sort of thing. Ha.
Also have to note. I keep wanting to write pierogies but I think that is wrong. Pierogi is the plural for pierog.. I think.
To the pierogi.
The stuff. Flour, oil, salt and pepper. Cooked chickpeas, a couple russet potatoes, a big onion, some dried dill (optional), warm water, soaked cashews, and a little red wine vinegar.
First make the dough. Flout, salt, water, and oil get mixed together until la shaggy dough is formed. Dump onto a floured surface ans give ut a good knead for a minute until lit comes together into a nice ball. Place dough back into the bowl (clean it out), cover it with a towel, and set aside to let the dough have little rest.
Meanwhile get the potatoes boiling. You are more then welcome to peel your potatoes but I don’t. Chop the potatoes into small pieces, dump into a pot of cold water and cook them (boil until fork tender)
And cook the onions too. Chop the onion into small little bits and place in a skillet with a couple slashes of olive oil. Medium heat and a good stir until they are nice and golden brown.
Cooked onions and cooked ans drained potatoes.
Now to make the filling. Add the potatoes, onions, chickpeas, and ill to a bowl. Sprinkle in salt ans pepper
Mash it all together, small chunks are ok, but not big.
Taste and season with more salt and or pepper if needed. And stop eating all the filling, you need it.
Wen the filling is made, grab the dough, rolling pin, and a large biscuit cutter or a cup.
Roll out dough, then cut out circles.
And to make a pierogi, grab a dough disk, add a mound of filling, then fold in half and pinch closed. Simple. IF the dough doesn’t want to seal, run a wet finger around the edge of the dough. That will do the trick.
Pierogi production.
All made, and not perfect by any means but perfect to me. Once you have made them, they need a little rest before cooking. Just a half hour or so. Enough time to clean up the mess that you just made and ge ta pot of water boiling on the stove. This is also a good time to prepare some to save for freezing. Any that you do not plan on eating in the next few days, place on a lightly floured baking sheet and stick in freezer. Once frozen, remove from sheet and place in an airtight container or freezer bag and stash away for another day. They can also go I the fridge for 3-4 days without being frozen, just make sure that you give each one a good dusting of flour so they don’t stick to each other.
Oh, and before you finish cooking the pierogi, make a the cashew cream. Place soaked cashews into blender with the vinegar and a splash of hot water. Blend into creamy and smooth. Season with salt and pepper and that is that.
Now to cook those pierogies. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Once boiling, drop (gently) the pierogies one by one into water. A few at a time as to not over crowed, boil until they start to float to the top, which should take 4-5 minutes. Once cooked, scoop them out and place them on a plate or pan while you boil more (if you are indeed cooking more)
After the pieogies had a boil, they then need a little crispness (you can skip this step if you don’t want them crispy). Use the frying pan you cooked the onions in and add a splash more oil. Heat on medium and when pan is hot, add in the boiled (not sopping wet) pierogies. Cook each side for 3-5 minutes or until nice and and browned then flip and cook the other side.
And then all is left is eating. layered on a bed of cabbage carrot slaw and dolloped with a good dollop of the cashew cream. Done and done and ready to for the face.
I don’t know. Maybe Barb should have skipped school and work for dinner.. Just saying
-C
Potato Chickpea and Onion Pierogies
makes about 25
For the dough
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour plus more for dusting
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
For the Filling
1 large sweet or vidilla onion
2 medium sized russet potatoes
1 cup cooked chick peas
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dill (optional)
salt and pepper
For the Cashew Cream (Optional for serving)
1/2 cup soaked cashews (soaked for at least 1/2 hour)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons hot water
salt and pepper
First off, make the dough. Mix the flour with salt then add in oil and water. Mix together until a shaggy dough forms then dump out onto a lightly flour surface and knead a few times to form a uniform ball. Place dough back into (cleaned) bowl and cover. Set aside to rest.
Once dough is made, chop onion into small little pieces and place in a large skillet with 2-3 teaspoons of oil. Stick on medium heat and cook until tender and browned. Also cook the potatoes. Chop the potatoes into small pieces (peel if you want but you don’t need to) and place into a pot of cold water. Bring potatoes to a boil and cook until they are fork tender, almost falling apart.
Once potatoes are cooked, strain from water and place in a big bowl. Add in the cooked onion and the chickpeas. Sprinkle in dill if you are using and season with salt and pepper. Grab a potato masher or a fork and mash the mixture together. It can be a little chunky, but you don’t want really big chunks. Taste and season if it needs it.
Filling is done so now grab the rested dough. Place dough on a lightly floured surface, cut in half, place one half back in bowl and roll the other out about 1/8 inch thin. Take a large biscuit cutter or a large cup and cut out circles. Gather remaining dough and re roll out. Do this until you can’t. Repeat with second half of dough.
Once the circles are cut out, place about a tablespoon of filling into the center of each. Fold the dough in half and pinch closed. If the dough has dried out to much, brush a little water on the edge of circle to help it seal. Place the pierogi on a floured surface (so they don’t stick) And don’t worry if you have a little extra filling.. Just eat it.
When all the pierogi are made, let them rest for about 1/2 an hour. There are a good amount of pierogi here so if you want, stick some in a container and in the fridge to have in the next few days. Just make sure to flour them so they don’t stick together. Or if you prefer, place however many you to want to save on a lightly floured baking sheet and stick in the freezer until frozen. Once frozen, place into a freezer safe bag or container. They will keep for a few months.
Also, before you finish cooking, make the cashew cream (if you want it) Just add soaked cashews to a blender with vinegar and the water. Blend until smooth and creamy then season with salt and pepper to taste. If the mixture seems to thick, just add a splash more water until it is a desired thickness.
To cook the pierogi, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place pierogi, one at a time, into pot. 5-7 at a time as to not crowd them, and cook until they start to float. Remove the cooked ones with a slotted spoon and stick on a plate. Boil as many as you are going to eat. Grab a skillet and add a few teaspoons of olive oil. Heat to a medium heat and place the pirogies into pan. Cook each side for 4-5 minutes or until browned and crispy. Flip and cook the other side.
Remove form pan, place on a plate, dollop with cashew cream (if desired) and eat.
Cake Stuff. Flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt whisked together in a bowl. Butter, a little oil, vanilla, eggs and buttermilk. Then of course we have strawberries cause it wouldn't be a strawberry cake with out them.
First things first. Wash, trim and dice up the strawberries. Stick them into a pot and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of sugar. Heat on low and let the strawberries cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until they turn into a thick syrup. 
The sugar and the butter get beaten together until light and fluffy. Then goes in the oil, eggs, and vanilla. The milk is then added to the strawberry mixture. Add half the dry mixture to the wet, mix, then mix in half the strawberry mixture to that. Mix the rest of the dry in and finish off with the strawberry mixture.
Cake gets pulled from the oven and set on a rack to cool.
Tomato can cutout. (I couldn't find my biscuit cutters) A biscuit or cookie cutter would probably work a little better.. The cakes kept getting stuck in the can. 
Frost the cake!! Place frosting into a piping bag or a big plastic zip lock with the tip cut off. 2 rounds to a cake. A squeeze of frosting goes on one, topped with another and given a little smoosh. A nice big dollop of frosting on top then….
I am so happy its Friday, but like whoa, this week has flown by so fast. I think I need to make a pie to slow things down a bit.
Crusty Stuff. Flour, a stick of frozen butter (or a stick of frozen Earth Balance, which I have used and it turns out much the same) a bit of sugar, some salt, ice water, and apple cider vinegar*. 
Dump the dough onto a lightly flour surface and kind of squish, smoosh dough into a pile. The dough is all clumpy and weird looking, Well thats what it is support to look like, so your good. 
Once the dough is gathered into a ball, place onto a piece of wax paper and wrap. Now is the most satisfying part..Smoosh the wrapped dough into a disk but applying pressure. Aaahh, kind of looked like pie crust. Now Stick it in the fridge for a least a hour (Don't skip this or your crust will be blah)
Simple lemon cake stuff. Flour, baking powder and salt whisked together, Sugar and soft butter in a bowl. An egg, some vanilla, milk, and of course, the lemon. 
Frozen bites ready for the chocolate coating… Bittersweet chocolate chips and a little bit of coconut oil. Melted together all nice and shiny smooth.
Now dip and slather those bites in the melted chocolate. 
Fully coated and placed on a rack for the chocolate to harden. I ended up sticking the rack in the freezer for 10 minutes…They harder really fast in there.