This recipe is adapted from an original article at Polska Foods. We highly recommend you check out their line of organic Pierogis. You can read their origins story at http://www.polskafoods.com/about-polska-foods.
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Many people ask me how to serve pierogi — for a family dinner, a small dinner party, or for a major event. There are countless pierogi recipes, it all depends if you are serving a pierogi appetizer, a pierogi side dish, or making pierogi your main meal. But, if you had to just pick one pierogi recipe that works for almost any occasion, I decided to pick the following as a simple, no fail pierogi dish.
The key to the following pierogi recipe is to boil the pierogi first then let them cool on a plate with olive oil (so they don’t stick together). You can set them aside for later, or keep them in the fridge over night to sauté the next day. If you are bringing pierogi to an event, you can also put the boiled, cooled pierogi in a storage container and warm them up right before you serve the pierogi platter at your final location. If you have no option to reheat the pierogi, I recommend to make this entire dish and serve it warm, even at room temperature, since this pierogi dish still tastes good at room temperature.
Lastly, if you bring these pierogi to a party and want to just keep them warm, no added cooking, you could arrange the pierogi on an oven-safe oiled platter, add onion topping, cover and keep warm in oven on very low heat, such as 150 degrees F. Serve pierogi with sour cream on side.
Recipe:
1-2 Packages of frozen pierogi (of course made from the scratch would be the best, but if you do not have time – this is the quicker option)
Salty boiling water
Olive oil & 2-3 tablespoons butter
1 diced yellow onion
3-4 chopped garlic cloves
3-4 slices of chopped bacon (optional)
1-2 garlic cloves
1. If you are not sure about which flavor to serve, I would serve Potato Cheese Pierogi since it is loved by all ages and by even the most picky eaters!
2. Boil a large pot of salty water. When at a full boil, carefully place just enough frozen pierogi in the pot (feel free to lower them with a spoon and stir). Make sure to not add too many so they do not touch when they float to the top of the pot. Immediately stir so they do not stick to the bottom of the pot and break. Let water come to a gentle boil again, and as soon as it starts to boil, turn water down to a low simmer, stirring occasionally. When pierogi rise to the surface, cook an extra 3-5 minutes till tender. (On a very slow simmer, it takes a good five minutes.)
3. Remove pierogi from pot by using a slotted spoon to take them out individually and rest on a plate with olive oil so they do not stick together. Repeat until all pierogi are cooked.
4. While pierogi are cooling on a plate (best to cover the plate and they will steam a little), heat a large, non-stick pan and add chopped bacon with a little butter and olive oil. If you are using bacon that has quite a bit of fat, you may not need to add the oil. If you use a leaner bacon like turkey bacon, you may need to add the oil and butter. Cook bacon till tender, but not crispy. If you do not want to use bacon, simply add the butter and oil, heat, and then onions (step 5).
5. Add chopped onions, sauté till brown on medium heat. Turn down heat and add garlic. Garlic is added last so you don’t accidentally burn it. Cook garlic on low till done.
6. At this point, you can stop and store everything in the fridge for later, when you are ready to serve…or keep going!
7. Add pierogi to the frying pan on medium heat, with your toppings.
8. Let the pierogi cook for 3-5 minutes or until desired surface texture is reached. Make sure to stir the bacon and onions around as well, so they don’t burn and the pierogies absorb the flavor.
9. Flip pierogies and let both sides brown, again till desired crispiness.
Put pierogies on a plate with bacon and onion mixture.
Serve pierogies with sour cream on the side (or in a dish in the middle). Sprinkle sour cream with chives for added color and presentation. You can also serve hot sauce on the side for the few who like a “spicy” pierogi.
Smacznego!
Do następnego razu… (Till next time…)
