Pierogi Fillings

• Poles love pierogi with Meat Filling or Potato Filling and garnished with finely chopped fresh parsley and sour cream.
• Fruit fillings like: strawberries, blueberries, bilberries, plums, cherries, etc. All fruit fillings must be washed and pitted (if applicable), cut out in smaller pieces and coated with flour.
• Poles also love pierogi with Plain Cottage Cheese Filling or Sweet Cottage Cheese Filling.
• For the traditional barszch cooks make a special kind of tiny pierogi called Uszka. 
• The jumbo-sized pierogi served in the Suwaki region are usually stuffed with a filling made of locally found mushroom. 
• In the Maopolska region you will find a variety called Russian pierogi. They are filled with cottage cheese, mashed potatoes and chopped onion.

To Garnish:
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup of sour cream

To Prepare Meat Filling:
In a sauté pan, cook the ground beef for 4 to 5 minutes. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Remove from the pan and drain off all the fat. In a food processor or mixing bowl, combine the cheese, ground beef, minced shallots and garlic, chopped green onions and ham and whole egg. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle of dough and fold over. Press and seal into half-moon shapes. Use a little water to seal pierogi. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pierogi for about 7 to 8 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the water and drain. In a heavy sauté pan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and sear the pierogi for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden brown. Remove from the pan. The pierogi will need to be sautéed in batches. Arrange the pierogi on a platter. Garnish with finely chopped parsley and serve with sour cream.

To Prepare Potato Filling:
Sauté chopped onions in butter until soft and transparent (for about 4 to 5 minutes on medium heat), do not brown the the onions. Combine onions with warm (not hot) mashed potatoes and farmers cheese. Stir in salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle of dough and fold over. Press and seal into half-moon shapes. Use a little water to seal pierogi. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pierogi for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the water and drain. Place them in serving dish with melted butter, garnish with bacon crumbs, finely chopped fresh parsley leaves or finely chopped fresh chives (if desired) and serve with sour cream.

NOTE: If you use very dry cottage cheese, mix it with couple tablespoons of sour cream to get soft, easy mixable cheese mixture. 

Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle of dough and fold over. Press and seal into half-moon shapes. Use a little water to seal each pierogi. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pierogi for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the water and drain. Place them in serving dish with melted butter and serve warm.

Place about 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of each circle of dough and fold over. Press and seal into half-moon shapes. Use a little water to seal the pierogi. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pierogi for about 4 to 5 minutes, or until they float. Remove from the water and drain. Place them in serving dish with melted butter and serve warm.

NOTE: If you don't like the raisins, you could use dried cranberries or blueberries or any other dried fruits instead.