Linda Voorhis - Veganification

Potato Cheese Pierogi – The Quest To Get It Just Right!

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Ingredients

For The Dough:
• 3 cups flour, preferably all-purpose
• ½ teaspoon Himalyan sea salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4-5 ounces vegan cream cheese, at room temperature (preferably Miyoko’s Kitchen or Kite Hill)
• Water to make soft dough
For The Filling:
• 1-1/2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced, cut into small chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt

Instructions

Make The Dough:
1. Combine flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
2. Using a pastry blender (or my favorite utensil, my own fingers), cut the olive oil and cream cheese into the flour until it is combined. It will make the flour coarse, but there’s not enough cream cheese to make pea-sized balls as you would expect when making a pie dough.
3. Starting with 3 tablespoons water, and adding in additional one tablespoon at a time, work water into the dough until it is soft, smooth, and elastic.
4. On a floured work surface, knead dough 3 or 4 minutes or until elastic.
5. Cover dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Make The Filling:
6. Place potatoes in pot and cover with water to 1” above the top of the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, approximately 15-18 minutes. Drain, and return to pot.
7. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot, and mash until smooth (but don’t overmash..you want to avoid them becoming like wallpaper paste)
8. Set aside to cool.
Make the Pierogis:
9. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
10. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and very lightly dust with bench flour. Set aside.
11. Have a small bowl of water by your work station for sealing the pierogies.
12. Working in batches (keeping the parked dough under a damp towel) and using a pasta machine or rolling pin, roll the dough to 1/16” thickness. (This dough is very easy to work with, so I prefer using my cast iron enameled French rolling pin.) If using a rolling pin, scantly dust your work area with bench flour.
13. Using a 3” cookie cutter, cut out dough rounds. Reserve trimming on the side, keeping them under the damp towel.
14. Lightly dampen the edges of the round.
15. Dollop a heaping tablespoon of filling into the center of a round. (My favorite tool for this is a one tablespoon ice cream scoop.)
16. Fold in half, and seal the edges by crimping. Make sure the edges are sealed well so the filling doesn’t come out.
17. Place completed pierogis on the cookie sheet. Cover with clean dusted towel.
18. Gently lower the pierogis into the boiling water using a slotted spoon. Do not overcrowd, so boil 4-6 at a time.
19. When they come to the top and float, they are done. It should take approximately 4-6 minutes. Remove them with the slotted spoon and cover to keep them warm.
20. Here’s where you now have some options, however, my Godmother used to sauté onions until translucent in butter to make a sauce. Just before serving, she would place the pierogis in a large bowl, then pour the onion sauce over them and sprinkle some minced parsley.
21. Make a double batch. Boiled pierogis freeze like a charm. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lie the pierogis in a single layer, not touching each other on the sheet. Freeze until frozen, at least 4 hours. Store in the freezer in a sealed plastic bag. When ready to use, you can defrost and then heat to serve. Or, drop into boiling water; and when they rise to the top, they are done.