Pierogies

Tomorrow should be an awesome experience. We will have six 2-3 year olds and their mamas trying to put pierogies together. It should be interesting to see the attention span of these little ones in addition to their attention to detail. I am thinking they will have some fun making circles and maybe putting the filling in, but the mamas will probably have to take over to finish everything up! We shall see though. I will update with pics (if I remember to take them. In the meantime...here is the recipe for you to check out!

Potato and Cheese Pierogies


Dough:   2 c flour;  1/2 t salt;   2 egg yolks;   2 t oil;   1/2 - 3/4 c hot water
Filling:   Prepared mashed potatoes; 1 c cheddar cheese


To make the dough:

1. Put the flour in a mountain shape on your counter. Sprinkle the salt on top of flour, then make a well in center. Add the egg yolks and oil in the center of the well. Stir in circular motion using your fingers, working from middle of flour out. Add water a little at a time, as you go. The dough should be slightly sticky. Roll into a ball.

2. Knead dough 20 - 25 times or until soft and elastic. (or simply put in the stand mixer with the kneading bit for a few minutes until elastic) Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 1 hour or overnight.

To Fill:
1. To fill pierogies, divide dough into 3 - 4 pieces. Using hands, shape into logs about 1" in diameter. Slice each log into pieces 1-inch wide. Dust lightly with flour. Press each piece into a thin round circle. Add 1t of filling in center. Then, gently pull dough over filling to form half-moon shape. Carefully, pinch edges together to seal. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

To cook:

1. Bring a big pot of water to a hard boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Add perogies, one at a time. (be careful not to over crowd the pan) Cook uncovered, 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pierogies from water or drain.

2. In a saute pan, melt 1-2 T butter. Saute pierogies on each side until lightly brown. Serve with sour cream.

Cooking from the Couch: Croatian Style Goulash

If you are not used to eating sauerkraut, this recipe may scare you a bit. Yet, if you put it in the food processor it will chop it down nicely and add a great texture to this goulash. It is also not sour (pickled tasted) because you you drain and wash the sauerkraut. So, try it out...it really is yummy!

Croatian Style Goulash:

1.5 lbs Beef (I used pot roast)
2 T Olive Oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 T paprika (hot or mild)
1 (15oz) can diced (or crushed) tomatoes
1 t sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 (15oz) can sauerkraut
3/4 c sour cream

1 pkg egg noodles

1. Trim fat from meat and cut into 3/4" cubes.
2. In a med. pot, saute onions in olive oil until translucent. Then, stir in garlic and saute for 1 minute (or until fragrant). Remove pan from heat, add paprika and swish around to combine. Return to heat and add meat and brown until it releases most of its juices. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt/pepper. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.
3. Remove sauerkraut from jar. Rinse in water and squeeze to remove the excess of the water. Put in a food processor or chop until it is in smaller pieces. Add to beef and simmer for 40 minutes or until tender. (Add additional water as needed)
4. Stir in sour cream and allow to thicken. While thickening, boil water and cook pasta as directed.
5. Serve over egg noodles (or polenta, rice, mashed potatoes)

Pork and Sauerkraut Bake

For this recipe you can use almost any type of pork. I bought pork ribs on sale, so, that is what we are having for dinner. I had my hubbie brown them in the pot. This was funny because he kept bringing the pot over to the couch to show me...is this right? Are they done yet?

Anywho...the next part can be done in the slow cooker if you want to have for dinner and are not going to be home all day. This is how we did it because otherwise we would have eaten dinner at 9pm. Usually, I would mix everything and place in a Pyrex dish, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 2-3 hours or until meat is soft.

So, here is how you put it together...

Drain the sauerkraut, but do not rinse! Put 1/2 bag of sauerkraut in the bottom of the slow cooker. Then, place the browned pork on top. Put the remaining kraut on top. Then, season generously with salt, pepper and paprika. Fill the dish with water, pan should be about half full with water. Turn on high and cook for 3 hours. Voila dinner is served!

Croatian Cooking Contest

I am just finishing up the January meal calendar and it hit me today that it is the 2nd of February already. So, I started planning my meal plan for this month. I needed to get it out ASAP. As I was looking around for recipes, I found this!



To say I was ecstatic was a vast understatement. I immediately showed my husband, he told me I should enter my Sarma (stuffed cabbage) recipe. For those of you that don't know, My husbands family is from Croatia. We raise our son in a bilingual home steeped in Croatian cuisine. I love Croatian cuisine!




So, I thought if I was going to enter, the least I could do is post the recipe for you as well. It is a bit challenging the first few times if you have not made stuffed cabbage before, but after a few times you will get the hang of it. This recipe is my husband's mom's recipe. I have included as many tips as I could to help you learn how to make this dish. Many of my tips have come after lots of trial and error. But, please do not let this recipe scare you. It is a time consuming, but oh so delicious! Par it with a nice crusty bread and a side of mashed potatoes and you will magically be transported over the Adriatic sea to the heart of Zagreb!



Sarma (Stuffed Cabbage)

1 medium head of cabbage
2t salt
1t oil
1 small onion minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground veal
1 cup rice (not the instant type)
1T paprika
1T vegeta
Salt and Pepper
2 bags Sauerkraut
1 can tomato soup
2T oil
2T flour
water

1. Start a large pot of water boiling. The pot must be large enough to fit an entire head of cabbage. While the water is warming up, cut the core out of the head of cabbage and add about 2 t of salt to the hole where you removed the core. Once the water is boiling, add the cabbage carefully so as not to burn yourself. Boil a medium head of cabbage for about 8 minutes. I usually peel the top few leaves off as it cooks.

*Tip: Once the cabbage has boiled, carefully remove (without burning your fingers)the outer most leaves. They should come off very carefully without shredding. Put these removed leaves in cool water. SAVE the hot water for the inner most leaves which will still be tough.

2. Saute the minced onion and garlic in a bit of oil. Cook simply until translucent, do not brown!

3. Mix your meats. (I have used a veal/pork/beef combo and other times I only use pork and beef. Both are really good!) This is the part where you are going to get dirty! Combine the meat, garlic and onions, rice, paprika, salt and pepper, vegeta, and 2 nice hand fulls of sauerkraut. Let it squish between your fingers!

*Tip: Always use the bagged sauerkraut, NOT the stuff in the can! Also, when you put the sauerkraut in the meat do NOT rinse it. You do not need to add any extra juice, just the sauerkraut.

4. Now stuff! Take a small handful of meat and place it at the top 1/3rd of the leaf. Fold over the top of the cabbage to cover the meat and then tuck in the sides (like when wrapping a present). Continue to roll it down until all of the leaf is rolled. Repeat this process with all the leaves and meat.

*Tip: If you hit the inner leaves and are having difficult rolling them you can do one of two things. 1. Put those leaves back in the hot water you orig. boiled the cabbage in. Or, 2. Stick it in the micro for 10 second batches until soft enough to roll.

5. Prepare the pot. In a large stock pot, make a roux by adding 2T oil and 2T flour. Mix and cook until four turns a light golden brown. Watch carefully so you do not burn the flour. (If you do carefully dump out and start again. Once brown, add 1 can of tomato soup, 1/2 a bag of sauerkraut, (You want to drain this bag of sauerkraut. Do NOT rinse just simply drain!) and a few cans of water. Next, start layering in the cabbage rolls. Do a layer of cabbage and then a layer sauerkraut until all are gone. Then, add enough water to submerge the cabbage rolls. Cover and cook on a slow simmer for 2 hours.

*Tip: RESIST the urge to stir! Instead carefully shake the pot every once in a while. Taste the soup, if too salty, add a bit more water. If bland, add more vegeta.

Serve with mashed potatoes and warm crusty bread. It's even better the next day when the seasonings have had a chance to meld together!



Dobar Tek!