I'm Polish and I've eaten pierogi thousands of times but I've never made my own. This year I'm hosting a chrismas eve dinner and I just decided to make pierogi following chef John's recipe.
In case the dough won't come out perfectly (happens to the best, trust me)- last minute tip to save the Christmas Eve dinner: instead of pierogi dough make thin, unsweetened pancakes, fill them with pierogi stuffing and fry them till brown. Few years ago this little trick saved my dinner (and TBQH I like pancakes with pierogi stuffing more than the original recipe) :D
My maternal grandparents immigrated from Poland to Winnipeg. Somewhere along the line, between 1910 and 1955, the cheese component switched to orange cheddar, nice old tangy orange cheddar. And by the time I was ready to receive the recipe, the dough was "enough flour to use up your filling, made with as many eggs as you can afford. add some oil and milk, or water if that's all you have." The freshly boiled perogies would come out of the pot and be tossed in a bowl with either sauteed bacon and onion or melted butter. The first helping was eaten like that with sour cream. They weren't fried until breakfast the next morning. I don't make them much since my brother died, and I miss them almost as much as I miss him, and it's been 20 years now.
Ukrainians in Winnipeg do the same thing with cheddar. It must be a Winnipeg thing. Always freshly boiled then coated in butter like you said. Next morning your fry them up with the kielbasa and eggs.
Can confirm, cheddar-potato filling is the way to go in my Ukrainian family as well (also Winnipeggers). We are of the non-egg dough sect (it does seem to be a bit of a contentious issue amongst pierogi-lovers) - just flour, water and salt. And I eat them fried (in a mix of vegetable oil and butter) to a nice medium-brown...less healthy, but more tasty. These days, I'll get together with my mother every year or two and crank out like...300-400 pierogi over the course of a few days. These go straight into the freezer (frozen dusted with flour in single layers on parchment-lined baking sheets before being bagged in resealable freezer bags)...I take a bunch of them home and leave a bunch for my parents, and then whenever anyone's in the mood for pierogi, they can be boiled up straight from frozen, and subsequently fried if desired. I have made a notable personal alteration that I'm sure has my grandmother turning over in her grave - I like to add a good amount of diced jalapeño peppers to the filling, along with a bit of Chinese chili oil, just enough to give them some heat but not take away from the other flavours. I usually make a few dozen like this, just for my own personal consumption (my parents are not a fan of spicy things).
Thank you for sharing! I will make it a la your family next week, and I'll be sending good vibes your way while cooking and eating the yummies :D Greetings from Germany
Nailed it from every possible angle and that comes from a Polish domestic chef. Loved everything about your recipe, all the way to final presentation. I tip my hat to you good Sir.
Whats a mum? I dont speak American. Isn't that a plant? Also if you're going to use quotes in a comment you have to use exactly as he said or it's illegal called libel. Do you have money for a lawyer to defend from libel? Since the evidence on this video that you would fail that....
@@bumblebee623 you seem like a very unhappy person! no one gets the quote exactly right! and who would get her in trouble for messing up the words? you need to calm down
Best comfort food in the world. I live in Poland with my huge Polish family and twice a year we make an enormous batch together - one is everyday potato and cheese and the other is the Christmas batch - mushroom filling, mushroom and sauerkraut, and pure sauerkraut. Oh, and the traditional "Ushka" (little ears), a special Christmas Eve type of dumpling with mushrooms, it's tiny and cute and it's eaten with clear red beetroot soup. Looks like a work of art, tastes like heaven. I'm so happy to see Polish cuisine represented, we don't have many fancy snacks, but we have plenty of feel-good hearty meal recipes to enjoy with the family. You all should definitely come visit and have a taste!
Oh yeah, my mom and I are gearing up to make uszka for the barszcz for Christmas this year. The best part of Christmas IMO. I could drink a gallon of barszcz i swear.
Thanks for all of your videos. They always inspire. The crimping gave me a new twist. Being Italian, we have the "Seven Fishes" Christmas but also traditionally have Potato pierogi and Sauerkraut pierogi. We cut squares with the dough and fold side to side to make rectangles for the potato and fold cross-corner to make triangles for the kraut. The Polish lady my Mom learned from SWORE by Velveeta Cheese for the potato, so that is what we use.
My (late) paternal, immigrant grandmother was half Polish and half Ukrainian. She taught me how to make pierogies when I was a child. She used all purpose flour, a pinch of salt, an egg, corn oil and water in her pierogi dough. There were two fillings. Cottage cheese and mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut and onion. They were really good. Butter and onions, as well as sour cream are obligatory on pierogies. I also had them fried in butter until they were golden brown. Those pierogies sure look good. In Alberta, we know all about pierogies, because we have a very large Ukrainian population. The town of Glendon, has the world's largest pierogi. It's a sculpture. Cheers, Chef John!
One more (Ukrainian) version: pierogi with the frozen cherry, (without frying) with sour cream and sugar, this dish is very popular in the West of Ukraine especially during wintertime
Sour cherry or blueberry varenyky (Ukrainian term for them) or pierogi are awesome for a desert! I love making them with potatoes and forest mushrooms.
@@discontinuuity I'm dead 😂😂 (If this a serious question tho no OP does not mean Tiffany Pollard they mean Chef John's grandma that he mentioned watching from heaven while he was putting the onions on the pierogi)
Brought tears to my eyes, John. Grandma Birdie was a German born in Warsaw and raised in Cleveland. Her and her sister had a small cafe on the near east side before working at Cleveland Twist Drill to support the war effort and raising a family. I came along in the 60's and live nextdoor. Spent days with Grandma in the kitchen learning cooking, German and a little Polish (kielbasa & sour kraut). Pierogi was one of my favorites to make AND eat. Potato and onion are my favorite, but the sour kraut pierogi we're also good. Thanks for the memories, kind sir.
You can use large curd cottage cheese squeezed dry as a replacement. My aunt and uncle used it when in a pinch. After moving from Brooklyn farmers cheese wasn’t always available. They also twisted the edges like an empanada and called it the Kowalski twist. My aunt also had a special cup called “the pierogi” cup to make the circular cuts. Thanks for sharing the traditional recipe.
Growing up on the northwest side of Chicago in a predominantly Polish neighborhood, we had an awesome Polish deli that was across the alley from us. My brother and I would go there and get all kinds of goodies with just a few bucks. They had homemade pierogis, smoked sausage and fish, this spongey cheese cake. This video brings back memories.
My grandma made a similar dumpling called vrennika that used farmer's cheese and egg. after frying golden brown, I add maple syrup. It may be sacrilege but it's soooo good!
You did a great job with these pierogies. The big secret is to get the dough thin which was great on your part. The reason I say this is because I am from Poland and traditional pierogies should be light and small. The one thing I don’t understand in this country is why everyone fries them. In Poland, fried pierogies are leftovers. If you go to any restaurant in Poland or home, they will never be fried if they are fresh. Also one little tip, the potatoes and cheese, farmers only , should be traditionally grinded together or just put them in a mixer. The lighter the batch the better. You did a great job. Oh, and one more thing definitely, no sour cream if You are going the traditional route. Love your show
I'm from Poland and your grandmother knew what she was doing. You can add a little twist by adding some finely chopped and fried bacon and a little bit of grated horseradish. But the ones from your recipe are already amazing ;)
My husband's family is Polish and Ukranian. I had the good fortune of knowing his Polish grandmother who made wonderful food. My favorites were the blueberry perogies that she made in the summer.
This looks great. No offense, but I think everyone's mom or grandma makes the best pierogi in the world. My mom's are :) !! She usually makes her potatoes the night before to give them the chance to cool down, but she also does 10-20 lbs. of potatoes worth of pierogi and that much potato takes a little while to cool. She also will only use Colby Longhorn cheese. The one other difference with hers is that she browns the butter before sautéing the onions. Adding that extra bit of nuttiness is wonderful. One good thing about living where I grew up (Western PA, Eastern OH) is that there are plenty of pierogi restaurants since now in her late 70's mom doesn't make them as frequently. She had only ever eaten the potato/cheese ones, but I have had MANY different fillings in the local shops. Thank you for doing this great food homage through the wonderful videos that you make. You are truly a treasure and I enjoy all of your recipes immensely!!!
This is basically our family recipe, too, but we always used potato and sharp cheddar cheese filling and/or sauerkraut and mushroom filling. For holidays, it was always pierogies, golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls), and poodle dogs, which was a very rich deep dish casserole of bite size potato dumplings drowned in grated sharp and mild cheddar cheese and sauteed onions in butter. Not a calorie in the carload. Haha! We also always had babka, Christopsomo, honey poppy seed bread, horseradish beet relish and all manner of other goodies.
I'm going to have to try these. I used to help my Ukrainian grandmother make perogies a couple of times a year when I was little. She just rolled out the dough and cut it into squares. Easy to make perfect triangular ones with less dough rolling of scraps. I made them o nice when I grew up but my dough was too thick and they were chewy. But I will try your recipe maybe for Ukrainian Christmas... oh we always enjoyed the first batch just boiled with the sour cream and buttery onions on top. The next day was when she pan fried the leftover perogies! Thank you for sharing this recipe Chef John. You alway manage to inspire me to get cooking again! Merry Christmas!
I grew up in Detroit and actually lived in Hamtramck as a kid (which at one point was the largest concentration of Polish immigrants in America), so I ate a lot of these. Made this recipe, and they turned out great!❤️❤️❤️
You can always spot a true teacher of the cooking arts and one that really wants you to enjoy what your cooking and eating when they are sharing family dishes and how to make them. Thank you so much.
My Polish grandmother used to make these all the time, and she usually browned them pretty good. I knew you were the real deal when you took them from the boil and then to the pan to brown 👍 She passed last year, unfortunately but this will be the perfect tribute for me to follow this recipe. Thanks a lot Jon, you're awesome!
@@lesfleurs9781 I am Polish, born and raised in Poland and can confirm these are usually done both ways. Some people fry, some don't. My family always fried them.
This is how most polish grandmas would make pierogi, they look picture perfect in my opinion. My grandma also puts a bit of boiled potato in the dough which makes it more fluffy kinda like gnocchi and also makes it brown better. I also love the addition of dill into the potato filling. When I comes to the most traditional Christmas iteration I would say it's the cabbage, mushrooms and golden onion filling. Give them a try as well!!
Pierogies are a favorite of mine, and a real comfort. My Nan used to make them for me. She was the best. I am also obsessed with sour cream. I add it to pretty much everything I make.
Hi Chef John, i just want to share my comments: - yes, recipe is 100% correct, we call them "pierogi ruskie", but it doesn't stand for Russia, but for eastern part of legacy Polish territory -Ruthenia - I'd say having grains of cheese visible in the filling is a plus - typically served with fried onion and/or smoked bacon, to balance the dryness of the filling - when served first time - only boiled, pan is used for re-heating - those are very popular in Poland even nowdays, can be found in most restaurants - those are eaten across the year, more typical Christmas pierogi are the one with cabbage (sauerkraut) and mushrooms (PL: pierogi z kapustą i grzybami)
My family comes from Podkarpacie (lower east part of Poland) and the other kind of traditional christmas pierogi (served as the last meal on christmas eve's dinner) is pierogi with sweet prunes. I really love those and no christmas eve dinner can exist without them. Have a good one!
@@junichiroyamashita If you like to add mushrooms to the stuffing then I would suggest to fry them first, chop to smaller chunks, similar to the size of onion in the video and mix it with other ingredients. In general, pierogi give you limitless ideas for stuffing. Strawberries, blackberries, sweet cottage cheese(like for cheesecake), also mix of cheese and fruits, meat, broad beans, also mixed with buckwheat groats, and so on...
I've been making your old recipe for years! My husband is polish and for him to tell me that they taste like the ones his grandma used to make is the highest praise. I'll give this New recipe a go this Christmas :)
My mother used to make pierogies!! Loved them growing up. My mother died a few years ago and I eat them and remember her love. I’m crying writing this. Thank you Chef John for this video. It’s amazing how a meal can mean so much to people. God bless you this Christmas season.
This is beautiful. I am a new mother and I think your comment just inspired me to try making pierogies this Christmas as a new tradition, in hopes that someday my son will have the same memories. ❤
THIS is comfort food. When it comes to cheese, quark is the best choice, however it works with cream cheese, but the texture will be completely different. And yes, sour cream is obligatory, especially if you add a LOT of ground pepper into the filling which I highly recommend. Thank you Chef for sharing this Polish classic!
Little Pierogi and Crepe Shop in Wyandotte Mi. Started a few years back by a young 20 year old local. She and her team now crank out a few thousand hand made every day. Best tasting this side of eastern Europe. Nice success story.
I used 3 russet potatoes and I had so much extra potato that I decided to add more cheese and make more dough and I ended up getting about 70 pierogi with 3 potatoes. Seriously a money saver! Also this dough is a dream to work with and it was a pleasure to make each pierogi. Sometimes dough is difficult and frustrating but not this dough. I had a wonderful day yesterday just watching my favorite shows and making pierogi. Now my freezer is full of pierogi!
As a half polish nothing has ever brought me memories so nostalgic in my life like a pierogi my Nanna conquered it without hassle everytime. It's a Nanna or grandma thing in most traditions/countries no matter how hard you try you can never get that smell that taste from the authenticity and knowledge of the food that you remember eating. Thanks chef
My aunt's Ukrainian mother-in-law was the creator of the most delicious pierogis I've ever eaten. These look like they are just the way she made them, and I can't wait to try to make them for myself.
I grew up outside of Cleveland; there're are tons of Poles historically there, and local women would sell pierogis in the big West Side Market w/ little chunks of Velveeta Cheese (don't be a snob!) mixed in the potato pierogis which melted when you boiled them, and they were seriously the best things ever.
My boyfriend's grandma lived in Monroe Michigan and made great Polish food. She always made me eat too much because she said I was too skinny. Great pirogies!
My grandmother cooked diced salt pork with the onions. She rolled the dough out into a rectangle cut it into straps then crosswise into squares. Filled them and folded them over into triangles. No re rolling of dough. Some were filled with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Others with dry cottage cheese. Served with sour cream. Loved them
Chef John, I’ve been watching you since I was a teenager :) probably 10 years now! I’ve not once commented or tried a recipe ahaha. Today I thought why not let you know that you’ve been on my list of “things to do on bad days” to help manage my depression. Thank you, truly 🙏🏻
After making so many of Your recipes i just now discover You have polish roots! Great! Greetings from Gorlice Poland. Although - where i am from the traditional Christmas pierogi are ones with mushrooms - porcinis especially, sour cabbage and mushrooms or - as a dessert - pierogi with dried, smoked plums with butter and sugar. 😁 Merry Christmas /Wesołych Świąt!
@@katrussell6819 Yeah they are delicious, but you have to prepare the plums beforehand. They have to be soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften up. Also a litle bit of sugar or honey gives them a nice touch. But those are dried and smoked small plums. They do not resemble the big, soft, sweet "Californian plums". I don't think they will be easy to find in the US.
Wow! I don't remember when i smiled for 13 minutes straight watching a video on RUclips. Chef Jon, that's how my mom used to make them, brings a tear of joy to my eye. These just never get boring, so simple, so delicious. i have so many great memories making them with my friends, so much fun. I never really thought about my last meal but i have to agree with you! My culinary adventure started by going away from my country's cuisine, but as i get older i tend to get back to them. Geez, so many emotions. Thank you for that video!
Never heard of these until I was 50. 50 years of missing out on heavenly delights. Making up for lost time though! Will make these as soon as I find proper ingredients!
You too!? I was around 49/50 'till I got a chance to try them too, they just weren't a big thing in the UK. I now make my own & like Chef John they're one of my favourite things.
Wow! Thank you Chef John for sharing a part of your soul with the world. I have lived in Eastern Europe and had one aunty make these for me and my friends for breakfast (we were pretty hungover). Brings back a flood of memories.
I have these regularly because I'm Ukrainian and my mom also makes them from scratch all the time but I prefer other people's pierogi recipes over hers, so right now I can only imagine how delicious Chef John's pierogi recipe must taste. Probably next level delicious.
My husband's grand parents were polish and she taught me her pierogie recipe with beef, porcini mushrooms and sauerkraut. Absolutely my fav. But I will definitely try your recipe as well
Chef John, I am an American who moved to Poland in 2009 when I met my wife here as an ex-pat. She makes the best pierogi and I am happy to say your's are nearly identical. I am amazed that your dough is the same as so many people over complicate it. This is perfect. Thanks for making it true to the cuisine of Poland.
My favorite pierogi filling that my grandma made combines farmers cheese (or processed dry cottage cheese), lemon, sugar, salt, and eggs. Slightly sweet and so delicious. The other one she made has reconstituted prunes. Also, if it was a “good” year we would use sour cream instead of water in the dough.
Wow! Chef John thank you for this video. I thought pirogi were getting to be pretty much of a lost art. My godmother was polish, but she didn't learn how to make pirogi, however her mother, who lived with her, would make them on special occasions. She would do the potato and cheese and she would also do sauerkraut filling. They would always send over a nice dish of both to us. We are not of Polish descent, so we really appreciated them. I believe unless you've had homemade pirogi, you have no idea how wonderful they are. The dough is the thing, so tender the pirogi just melts in your mouth and of course the little crunch from sauteing them and the onion flavor just wonderful. I've been buying them from the polish store in my area, which has them with a variety of fillings and they're almost like homemade. Right now I have 18 frozen potato and cheese pirogi in my freezer. But I will definitely try your recipe. Oh, and yes serving with onion butter and sour cream is the way to go.
My wife is from Binghamton, N.Y. and she introduced me to Peirogis. I absolutely love them but have never taken the time to make them from scratch. Thank you so much for sharing this family recipe 😊
Thank you for sharing your beloved family recipe with us!❤️ I made this for my Polish boyfriend and he loved it and said it reminded him of happy memories with his grandfather🥰 also very fun to make, thanks again
As a Pole, It brings me joy to finally see an authentic recipe from non-Polish channel. The main difference is the cheese. You cannot use mozarella or any kind of melty cheese for that. I mean you can, but its completely different. The secret is what we call 'Twaróg', which is hard to get outside of Poland, unless you are in UK, Ireland or Germany with large populations of Poles and lots of Polish shops around. A great equivalent is Farmers cheese used here. And yes, it's very traditional to fry them before eating and top them with fried/carmelised onions. I just had few of those pierogis for Christmas! They are the best!
Wow, you got Polish heritage! Do you know Gołąbki (Go-whomb-kee)? Stuffed cabbage leaves. Aparat from Bigos which you did an awesome Polish dish. As for Pierogi, there is also a sauerkraut stuffed version, very chrismassy thing.
@@lesfleurs9781 There are places in Poland called Pierogarnia restaurant and they serve pierogies with 50 different fillings!!! My daughter was visiting Poland few years ago and she loved it.She was simply in heaven and still talking about it.
Golabki is pronounced go-lab-chi. They are usually stuffed with ground meat & tomato sauce. If you are of Polish origin the tomato sauce is usually more sweet & sour ( sugar + lemon juice according to taste). Some throw in a handful of raisins too. They are really delicious. Pierogi with potato +farmer cheese is the real deal. Beautiful thin dough Chef John.
I'm Slovak and where I grew up there were two types of pierogi: mashed potato and prune. I never liked the prune but man are the potato ones good. Most of my life I've eaten either Mrs. T's or Aldi's own brand of potato pierogis, and they're quite good. I'll definitely try this recipe, although I think I'll stick with a potato/cheddar/onion mix.
Yup. We're potato/cheddar fans, too. We also always had sauerkraut/mushroom ones, which were very good, but the cheddar ones were always gone long before the sauerkraut ones. Haha! I don't make them from scratch very often anymore because, as you say, Mrs. T's are really good and at hand for a quick delicious meal. A lot easier on Mom after a long day or a long week. :-)
My family in Russia usually don't add cheese to feeling, just fried onion. And we not boil pirogi, because boiled pirogi is a separate dish "vareniki". Also when my grandmother cook pirogi in the pan, like John, mother always bake them.
This is so much like my late mom’s recipe except she used dry cottage cheese in hers. The dough circles were cut out with a beer glass then stretched out a little. This is the time of year when we would make dozens for Christmas, first the potatoes and cheese then some sauerkraut ones. If any dough was left she would make noodles out of it. Lots of memories! Thanks Chef John.
@@the_light_writer Yes, they do where I live -Saskatchewan, Canada. Someone posted to rinse the whey off of cottage cheese to use it, that’s the same thing.
Thank you Chef John, you just saved Christmas for me. A batch of these are going to be my dad’s gift, he loves potatoes, cheese and onions. Also, your recipes are enjoyed by three generations in my family. I found you first and now my teen daughter’s “signature recipe” is your holiday mashed potatoes. Then I recommended you to my dad and he loves many of your recipes too. Can’t wait to see what you show us next.
My fiance is polish and I have been trying to perfect pierogi's for awhile now. Thank you for this recipe. Easy to follow and your tips were so helpful. They came out amazing!
I love Pierogi, especially fried like that at the end. I sometimes take a leaf from the Japanese & make a slurry of corn/potato starch & water which I pour over in the frying pan to create a "Hanetsuki" or crispy skirt. Just adds another layer of texture. Funny you add cayenne to so many dishes, I have a reputation of adding fresh nutmeg or all-spice to a lot of mine, either works really well in the potato & cheese mixture here. Then served with sour cream, some braised or pickled cabbage & some good sausages.🤤[Guess I know what I'm making this weekend now, many thanks for the reminder, I haven't made them in a while.]
I picked up the "nutmeg in mashed potato" thing while getting really into German cuisine and I love it, rarely make a mash without it these days. Allspice is also great for many savoury or sweet dishes, although adding too much can be disastrous (same with the nutmeg, I've found that a little goes a long way!).
@@sixstringedthing Have you tried using different pepper too? White pepper goes really well with potatoes, especially mashed [not just for colour as it hides better]. It has a... difficult to put a description to it, funky, gamy, animal smell & goes well with nutmeg or allspice. You're very right though, a little goes a long way with nutmeg & allspice. especially if freshly grated.
There have never really been pierogi in my home of central Iowa, at least nowhere we ever went when I was growing up. But they had it everywhere in Pennsylvania where I went to grad school and, indeed, I have developed a real love for them.
What a beautiful tribute to your family. These look tender and luscious, and soothing. When you said “otherworldly”, I thought you were going to say, “Heavenly”. I’m sure that’s what our Polish grandmothers will greet us with when our turn comes.
thank you for sharing your family’s recipe. i never had pierogi until moving to new york five years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite foods. definitely going to make this soon!
Chef John, has anyone ever told you that you have impeccable timing? We just had pierogies for dinner and I said out loud "I HAVE to see if Chef John has a video on pierogies!" I can't wait to make these, thank you for sharing. ♡
Polish Christmas dumplings are filled with sauerkraut stewed with forest mushrooms. Delicious! :) Potato&Cheese are called "ruskie" in relation to geographic region not nation ('rus' do not confuse with 'russian') and I never had them or even saw them during Christmas in 30years
It might just be that his family ate them as a Christmas tradition. Like my Mexican family always makes Tamales for Christmas, even though they aren't only a Christmas item. Its just something we save for the holidays because they require a lot of work to make a bunch of them
I make these every year for Christmas. I use my husband’s grandma/grandpa’s recipe. They were from Poland. Potatoes/grated onion/S&P/farmer’s cheese and sausage. Boiled and pan fried in butter topped with sour cream.
My mother taught me how to make them with different fillings and each filling had a different shape so we could tell them apart after frying. The 2 methods you showed us plus also taking the corners and connecting them together to create a circle. My favorite are cabbage (not sauerkraut) & onions and also meat filling. My aunt made cherry filling that were awesome but I haven't them since she pasted many years ago. BTW: since my parents were from Russia, we call them vareniki...
Had a lot of Polish friends, loved going to weddings, Pierogis for days with every kind of filling imaginable, those women must have spent days preparing them. So delicious!
When Grandma , Mom , and Aunts got together and made these there would be several fillings . Grandma was in charge of closing them because she had a code of her pinches , so she could tell what filling was in each one . I like them boiled on day one , pan fried the boiled ones on day two . Thanks again for waking up my memories .
Definitely last meal worthy , hangover worthy, snowstorm stuck inside worthy, fighting the flu ultimate comfort food worthy 🙌 Polish perogie are the ultimate nostalgia for me :)
My mouth is watering!!!!! Chef?,,, I have a grandma Sophie in heaven toooooo ,, yet NO ONE HAS EVER made better pierogies as good as hers,,, we can’t locate her recipeee ,, I literally mourn that fact,, yet yours looked fantastic 👍,,, TNK YOU for your succinctness when Sharing your recipes 🥰
A Canadian pierogi-lover here, Chef John. My responsibility is to make the dough and it takes 30 - 45 minutes of kneading for my wife to be satisfied. Will try the fridge trick to cut on the effort, never done it. Also, her filling is potatoes, onion, cream cheese and cheddar.
I was born and raised in Detroit and these were a staple in our family. A town called Hamtrammck has a Polish Festival that will blow your pierogi mind!
My mum was born in Berlin in 1927 with the radical consequences but the most gallant wonderful person who found my Dad in Toronto Canada. The one thing she didn't make was peroghi there was a kiosk across from a church and those crescents literally floated on air .... my favorites included porcini duxelle mushrooms and creme fraiche I'm serious still dream about them my mum could do anything but those memories such a delight. Thank you for such an extraordinary memory brought back! I think a kind of cottage cheese called quark might approximate your recipe am going to try in memory of Eva a wonderful gallant brave and wonderful mum. Tx so much.
I'm Polish and I've eaten pierogi thousands of times but I've never made my own. This year I'm hosting a chrismas eve dinner and I just decided to make pierogi following chef John's recipe.
In case the dough won't come out perfectly (happens to the best, trust me)- last minute tip to save the Christmas Eve dinner: instead of pierogi dough make thin, unsweetened pancakes, fill them with pierogi stuffing and fry them till brown.
Few years ago this little trick saved my dinner (and TBQH I like pancakes with pierogi stuffing more than the original recipe) :D
You'll be everyone's favorite after that, I guarantee it!
I want to suggest making it before Christmas to test it out. You should always make the dish once or even twice before making it for a big crowd.
Crepe-rogies?
@@zbob7411 Pieleśniki?
My maternal grandparents immigrated from Poland to Winnipeg. Somewhere along the line, between 1910 and 1955, the cheese component switched to orange cheddar, nice old tangy orange cheddar. And by the time I was ready to receive the recipe, the dough was "enough flour to use up your filling, made with as many eggs as you can afford. add some oil and milk, or water if that's all you have." The freshly boiled perogies would come out of the pot and be tossed in a bowl with either sauteed bacon and onion or melted butter. The first helping was eaten like that with sour cream. They weren't fried until breakfast the next morning. I don't make them much since my brother died, and I miss them almost as much as I miss him, and it's been 20 years now.
Hugs to you. Thank you for sharing your precious memories here! ♥️
Ukrainians in Winnipeg do the same thing with cheddar. It must be a Winnipeg thing. Always freshly boiled then coated in butter like you said. Next morning your fry them up with the kielbasa and eggs.
Make some this year to make new memories. Your brother wants you to be happy!
Can confirm, cheddar-potato filling is the way to go in my Ukrainian family as well (also Winnipeggers). We are of the non-egg dough sect (it does seem to be a bit of a contentious issue amongst pierogi-lovers) - just flour, water and salt. And I eat them fried (in a mix of vegetable oil and butter) to a nice medium-brown...less healthy, but more tasty. These days, I'll get together with my mother every year or two and crank out like...300-400 pierogi over the course of a few days. These go straight into the freezer (frozen dusted with flour in single layers on parchment-lined baking sheets before being bagged in resealable freezer bags)...I take a bunch of them home and leave a bunch for my parents, and then whenever anyone's in the mood for pierogi, they can be boiled up straight from frozen, and subsequently fried if desired.
I have made a notable personal alteration that I'm sure has my grandmother turning over in her grave - I like to add a good amount of diced jalapeño peppers to the filling, along with a bit of Chinese chili oil, just enough to give them some heat but not take away from the other flavours. I usually make a few dozen like this, just for my own personal consumption (my parents are not a fan of spicy things).
Thank you for sharing! I will make it a la your family next week, and I'll be sending good vibes your way while cooking and eating the yummies :D
Greetings from Germany
Nailed it from every possible angle and that comes from a Polish domestic chef. Loved everything about your recipe, all the way to final presentation. I tip my hat to you good Sir.
'My grandmother made it this way...' , 'but because her grandson is a chef...' and 'this is how my mum made it...' - a perfect recipe a love! 💕💕
Whats a mum? I dont speak American. Isn't that a plant? Also if you're going to use quotes in a comment you have to use exactly as he said or it's illegal called libel. Do you have money for a lawyer to defend from libel? Since the evidence on this video that you would fail that....
@@bumblebee623 , if I may answer for Dee Cee, a 'mum' is English for 'mom'.
@@bumblebee623 you seem like a very unhappy person! no one gets the quote exactly right! and who would get her in trouble for messing up the words? you need to calm down
@@bumblebee623 "mum" isn't American, it's British English.
Best comfort food in the world. I live in Poland with my huge Polish family and twice a year we make an enormous batch together - one is everyday potato and cheese and the other is the Christmas batch - mushroom filling, mushroom and sauerkraut, and pure sauerkraut. Oh, and the traditional "Ushka" (little ears), a special Christmas Eve type of dumpling with mushrooms, it's tiny and cute and it's eaten with clear red beetroot soup. Looks like a work of art, tastes like heaven. I'm so happy to see Polish cuisine represented, we don't have many fancy snacks, but we have plenty of feel-good hearty meal recipes to enjoy with the family. You all should definitely come visit and have a taste!
Could you share mushroom recipe? My mouth is drolling
Oh yeah, my mom and I are gearing up to make uszka for the barszcz for Christmas this year. The best part of Christmas IMO. I could drink a gallon of barszcz i swear.
@@SteelJM1 qaqàkmmmmnmmmkmllllll
@@fatbunny5720 just fry some mushroom with onions- salt and pepper to taste. blend it to chunky paste and chill before filling dough. simples :)
uszka w barszczu to jest rozpierdol kurwa
Thanks for all of your videos. They always inspire.
The crimping gave me a new twist.
Being Italian, we have the "Seven Fishes" Christmas but also traditionally have Potato pierogi and Sauerkraut pierogi.
We cut squares with the dough and fold side to side to make rectangles for the potato and fold cross-corner to make triangles for the kraut.
The Polish lady my Mom learned from SWORE by Velveeta Cheese for the potato, so that is what we use.
My (late) paternal, immigrant grandmother was half Polish and half Ukrainian. She taught me how to make pierogies when I was a child. She used all purpose flour, a pinch of salt, an egg, corn oil and water in her pierogi dough. There were two fillings. Cottage cheese and mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut and onion. They were really good. Butter and onions, as well as sour cream are obligatory on pierogies. I also had them fried in butter until they were golden brown. Those pierogies sure look good. In Alberta, we know all about pierogies, because we have a very large Ukrainian population. The town of Glendon, has the world's largest pierogi. It's a sculpture. Cheers, Chef John!
@@AJNoon Sounds awesome. Cheers!
@@AJNoon My mother loves lekvar filling. It's prunes. Pronounced leckwar.
Such simple ingredients but incredible taste
One more (Ukrainian) version: pierogi with the frozen cherry, (without frying) with sour cream and sugar, this dish is very popular in the West of Ukraine especially during wintertime
Sour cherry or blueberry varenyky (Ukrainian term for them) or pierogi are awesome for a desert! I love making them with potatoes and forest mushrooms.
Chef john getting me in my feels, talking about "Grandma New York" watching from heaven
Wait I thought that Tiffany Pollard was still alive? And she's only 39, I didn't think she had any grandkids.
@@discontinuuity I'm dead 😂😂 (If this a serious question tho no OP does not mean Tiffany Pollard they mean Chef John's grandma that he mentioned watching from heaven while he was putting the onions on the pierogi)
Brought tears to my eyes, John. Grandma Birdie was a German born in Warsaw and raised in Cleveland. Her and her sister had a small cafe on the near east side before working at Cleveland Twist Drill to support the war effort and raising a family. I came along in the 60's and live nextdoor. Spent days with Grandma in the kitchen learning cooking, German and a little Polish (kielbasa & sour kraut). Pierogi was one of my favorites to make AND eat. Potato and onion are my favorite, but the sour kraut pierogi we're also good. Thanks for the memories, kind sir.
My eyes welled up too... And I've never had em! Have to make these soon
You’re welcome
You can use large curd cottage cheese squeezed dry as a replacement. My aunt and uncle used it when in a pinch. After moving from Brooklyn farmers cheese wasn’t always available. They also twisted the edges like an empanada and called it the Kowalski twist. My aunt also had a special cup called “the pierogi” cup to make the circular cuts. Thanks for sharing the traditional recipe.
Growing up on the northwest side of Chicago in a predominantly Polish neighborhood, we had an awesome Polish deli that was across the alley from us. My brother and I would go there and get all kinds of goodies with just a few bucks. They had homemade pierogis, smoked sausage and fish, this spongey cheese cake. This video brings back memories.
My grandma made a similar dumpling called vrennika that used farmer's cheese and egg. after frying golden brown, I add maple syrup. It may be sacrilege but it's soooo good!
You did a great job with these pierogies. The big secret is to get the dough thin which was great on your part. The reason I say this is because I am from Poland and traditional pierogies should be light and small. The one thing I don’t understand in this country is why everyone fries them. In Poland, fried pierogies are leftovers. If you go to any restaurant in Poland or home, they will never be fried if they are fresh. Also one little tip, the potatoes and cheese, farmers only , should be traditionally grinded together or just put them in a mixer. The lighter the batch the better. You did a great job. Oh, and one more thing definitely, no sour cream if You are going the traditional route. Love your show
I'm from Poland and your grandmother knew what she was doing.
You can add a little twist by adding some finely chopped and fried bacon and a little bit of grated horseradish. But the ones from your recipe are already amazing ;)
Thank you to Grandma Sofie and Momma Pauline for passing this on to our Chef John!
I didn’t realize you were Polish Chef John. My Polish wife watched your video and she said you nailed it.
My husband's family is Polish and Ukranian. I had the good fortune of knowing his Polish grandmother who made wonderful food. My favorites were the blueberry perogies that she made in the summer.
This looks great. No offense, but I think everyone's mom or grandma makes the best pierogi in the world. My mom's are :) !! She usually makes her potatoes the night before to give them the chance to cool down, but she also does 10-20 lbs. of potatoes worth of pierogi and that much potato takes a little while to cool. She also will only use Colby Longhorn cheese. The one other difference with hers is that she browns the butter before sautéing the onions. Adding that extra bit of nuttiness is wonderful. One good thing about living where I grew up (Western PA, Eastern OH) is that there are plenty of pierogi restaurants since now in her late 70's mom doesn't make them as frequently. She had only ever eaten the potato/cheese ones, but I have had MANY different fillings in the local shops. Thank you for doing this great food homage through the wonderful videos that you make. You are truly a treasure and I enjoy all of your recipes immensely!!!
This is basically our family recipe, too, but we always used potato and sharp cheddar cheese filling and/or sauerkraut and mushroom filling. For holidays, it was always pierogies, golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls), and poodle dogs, which was a very rich deep dish casserole of bite size potato dumplings drowned in grated sharp and mild cheddar cheese and sauteed onions in butter. Not a calorie in the carload. Haha!
We also always had babka, Christopsomo, honey poppy seed bread, horseradish beet relish and all manner of other goodies.
I'm going to have to try these. I used to help my Ukrainian grandmother make perogies a couple of times a year when I was little. She just rolled out the dough and cut it into squares. Easy to make perfect triangular ones with less dough rolling of scraps. I made them o nice when I grew up but my dough was too thick and they were chewy. But I will try your recipe maybe for Ukrainian Christmas... oh we always enjoyed the first batch just boiled with the sour cream and buttery onions on top. The next day was when she pan fried the leftover perogies! Thank you for sharing this recipe Chef John. You alway manage to inspire me to get cooking again! Merry Christmas!
I grew up in Detroit and actually lived in Hamtramck as a kid (which at one point was the largest concentration of Polish immigrants in America), so I ate a lot of these. Made this recipe, and they turned out great!❤️❤️❤️
You can always spot a true teacher of the cooking arts and one that really wants you to enjoy what your cooking and eating when they are sharing family dishes and how to make them. Thank you so much.
My Polish grandmother used to make these all the time, and she usually browned them pretty good. I knew you were the real deal when you took them from the boil and then to the pan to brown 👍
She passed last year, unfortunately but this will be the perfect tribute for me to follow this recipe. Thanks a lot Jon, you're awesome!
Traditional pierogies in Poland are not fried, only if they are leftovers.
@@lesfleurs9781 I am Polish, born and raised in Poland and can confirm these are usually done both ways. Some people fry, some don't. My family always fried them.
@@lesfleurs9781
Fun Fact: Your family's traditions are not every family's traditions.
This is how most polish grandmas would make pierogi, they look picture perfect in my opinion. My grandma also puts a bit of boiled potato in the dough which makes it more fluffy kinda like gnocchi and also makes it brown better. I also love the addition of dill into the potato filling. When I comes to the most traditional Christmas iteration I would say it's the cabbage, mushrooms and golden onion filling. Give them a try as well!!
My grandma is really into modern tricks and she started adding fizzy water as well as an egg. I prefer the classic dough though :)
My grandma used cooled water that the potatoes were cooked in.
@@ohnoyce That's interesting. I'm sure the starch in the water had some effect on the dough.
"
@@sheimi91 jj
Pierogies are a favorite of mine, and a real comfort. My Nan used to make them for me. She was the best. I am also obsessed with sour cream. I add it to pretty much everything I make.
Sour cream is a magical ingredient!
Same here! I still think of my Polish grandma and miss her all the time
XrisXø's favorite food, dumplings😋
Yum me, too, although I'm not polish, I am german czech croatian and hungarian... Close enough eh?
Lol your comment cuts off at "I'm also obese"
Hi Chef John, i just want to share my comments:
- yes, recipe is 100% correct, we call them "pierogi ruskie", but it doesn't stand for Russia, but for eastern part of legacy Polish territory -Ruthenia
- I'd say having grains of cheese visible in the filling is a plus
- typically served with fried onion and/or smoked bacon, to balance the dryness of the filling
- when served first time - only boiled, pan is used for re-heating
- those are very popular in Poland even nowdays, can be found in most restaurants
- those are eaten across the year, more typical Christmas pierogi are the one with cabbage (sauerkraut) and mushrooms (PL: pierogi z kapustą i grzybami)
👍
My family comes from Podkarpacie (lower east part of Poland) and the other kind of traditional christmas pierogi (served as the last meal on christmas eve's dinner) is pierogi with sweet prunes. I really love those and no christmas eve dinner can exist without them. Have a good one!
If i wanted to add mushrooms to this,should i fry them with the onion,or chopping and turning them in to a cream would be better?
@@junichiroyamashita If you like to add mushrooms to the stuffing then I would suggest to fry them first, chop to smaller chunks, similar to the size of onion in the video and mix it with other ingredients.
In general, pierogi give you limitless ideas for stuffing. Strawberries, blackberries, sweet cottage cheese(like for cheesecake), also mix of cheese and fruits, meat, broad beans, also mixed with buckwheat groats, and so on...
What is traditional to eat with the Pierogi?
I've been making your old recipe for years! My husband is polish and for him to tell me that they taste like the ones his grandma used to make is the highest praise. I'll give this New recipe a go this Christmas :)
Your voice is so distinctive, thank you for sharing your family recipe.
My mother used to make pierogies!! Loved them growing up. My mother died a few years ago and I eat them and remember her love. I’m crying writing this. Thank you Chef John for this video. It’s amazing how a meal can mean so much to people. God bless you this Christmas season.
This is beautiful. I am a new mother and I think your comment just inspired me to try making pierogies this Christmas as a new tradition, in hopes that someday my son will have the same memories. ❤
THIS is comfort food. When it comes to cheese, quark is the best choice, however it works with cream cheese, but the texture will be completely different.
And yes, sour cream is obligatory, especially if you add a LOT of ground pepper into the filling which I highly recommend. Thank you Chef for sharing this Polish classic!
Little Pierogi and Crepe Shop in Wyandotte Mi. Started a few years back by a young 20 year old local. She and her team now crank out a few thousand hand made every day. Best tasting this side of eastern Europe. Nice success story.
I used 3 russet potatoes and I had so much extra potato that I decided to add more cheese and make more dough and I ended up getting about 70 pierogi with 3 potatoes. Seriously a money saver! Also this dough is a dream to work with and it was a pleasure to make each pierogi. Sometimes dough is difficult and frustrating but not this dough. I had a wonderful day yesterday just watching my favorite shows and making pierogi. Now my freezer is full of pierogi!
As a half polish nothing has ever brought me memories so nostalgic in my life like a pierogi my Nanna conquered it without hassle everytime.
It's a Nanna or grandma thing in most traditions/countries no matter how hard you try you can never get that smell that taste from the authenticity and knowledge of the food that you remember eating.
Thanks chef
My aunt's Ukrainian mother-in-law was the creator of the most delicious pierogis I've ever eaten. These look like they are just the way she made them, and I can't wait to try to make them for myself.
I grew up outside of Cleveland; there're are tons of Poles historically there, and local women would sell pierogis in the big West Side Market
w/ little chunks of Velveeta Cheese (don't be a snob!) mixed in the potato pierogis which melted when you boiled them, and they were seriously the best things ever.
That's how I grew up eating them and the way I still make them today!
My boyfriend's grandma lived in Monroe Michigan and made great Polish food. She always made me eat too much because she said I was too skinny. Great pirogies!
As someone of Polish background I can appreciate these perogies.
They look amazing. The golden butter onions are a nice touch.
My Grandma who is a Polish immigrant used to make these all the time for us! I miss the way she made them so much
My grandmother cooked diced salt pork with the onions. She rolled the dough out into a rectangle cut it into straps then crosswise into squares. Filled them and folded them over into triangles. No re rolling of dough. Some were filled with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. Others with dry cottage cheese. Served with sour cream. Loved them
I married into a Polish family. We always add diced bacon with those onions on top and OMG. Delish.
As a Polish person I do approve. These are proper Polish pierogi. Respect.
Chef John, I’ve been watching you since I was a teenager :) probably 10 years now! I’ve not once commented or tried a recipe ahaha.
Today I thought why not let you know that you’ve been on my list of “things to do on bad days” to help manage my depression. Thank you, truly 🙏🏻
After making so many of Your recipes i just now discover You have polish roots! Great! Greetings from Gorlice Poland. Although - where i am from the traditional Christmas pierogi are ones with mushrooms - porcinis especially, sour cabbage and mushrooms or - as a dessert - pierogi with dried, smoked plums with butter and sugar. 😁 Merry Christmas /Wesołych Świąt!
Smoked plums. Wow. Will look for those.
@@katrussell6819 Yeah they are delicious, but you have to prepare the plums beforehand. They have to be soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften up. Also a litle bit of sugar or honey gives them a nice touch. But those are dried and smoked small plums. They do not resemble the big, soft, sweet "Californian plums". I don't think they will be easy to find in the US.
Q
Pork chops and pierogi is my son's absolute favorite supper. I haven't made them from scratch in forever! I will have to do this over the holidays.
I got a husband making these. Watch out! lol
I love dumplings of any sort and have never thought of them as a side dish.
Greetings from Wrocław, Poland! Love your channel
I'm Polish, and I approve this message - these are some OG pierogi.
Wow! I don't remember when i smiled for 13 minutes straight watching a video on RUclips. Chef Jon, that's how my mom used to make them, brings a tear of joy to my eye. These just never get boring, so simple, so delicious. i have so many great memories making them with my friends, so much fun. I never really thought about my last meal but i have to agree with you! My culinary adventure started by going away from my country's cuisine, but as i get older i tend to get back to them. Geez, so many emotions. Thank you for that video!
Never heard of these until I was 50. 50 years of missing out on heavenly delights. Making up for lost time though! Will make these as soon as I find proper ingredients!
You too!? I was around 49/50 'till I got a chance to try them too, they just weren't a big thing in the UK. I now make my own & like Chef John they're one of my favourite things.
I'm German Canadian at 66 years old, and growing up in Canada, my Mom made them back as far as I remember, and they were to die for!
Don't worry, I'm over 40 and I live in Poland and I've seen them, but I never tried them.
the very best recipe for "Ruskie" I've seen from an american. Grandma Zofia is proud. I'm sure of it.
Wow! Thank you Chef John for sharing a part of your soul with the world. I have lived in Eastern Europe and had one aunty make these for me and my friends for breakfast (we were pretty hungover). Brings back a flood of memories.
I have these regularly because I'm Ukrainian and my mom also makes them from scratch all the time but I prefer other people's pierogi recipes over hers, so right now I can only imagine how delicious Chef John's pierogi recipe must taste. Probably next level delicious.
Can I come over and have some? 🤣👍
My husband's grand parents were polish and she taught me her pierogie recipe with beef, porcini mushrooms and sauerkraut. Absolutely my fav. But I will definitely try your recipe as well
Chef John, I am an American who moved to Poland in 2009 when I met my wife here as an ex-pat. She makes the best pierogi and I am happy to say your's are nearly identical. I am amazed that your dough is the same as so many people over complicate it. This is perfect. Thanks for making it true to the cuisine of Poland.
Pierogi są niesamowite! Och jak bardzo tęsknię za domowym polskim jedzeniem od mamy i babci!!wygląda pysznie!
My favorite pierogi filling that my grandma made combines farmers cheese (or processed dry cottage cheese), lemon, sugar, salt, and eggs. Slightly sweet and so delicious. The other one she made has reconstituted prunes. Also, if it was a “good” year we would use sour cream instead of water in the dough.
Wow! Chef John thank you for this video. I thought pirogi were getting to be pretty much of a lost art. My godmother was polish, but she didn't learn how to make pirogi, however her mother, who lived with her, would make them on special occasions.
She would do the potato and cheese and she would also do sauerkraut filling. They would always send over a nice dish of both to us. We are not of Polish descent, so we really appreciated them. I believe unless you've had homemade pirogi, you have no idea how wonderful they are. The dough is the thing, so tender the pirogi just melts in your mouth and of course the little crunch
from sauteing them and the onion flavor just wonderful. I've been buying them from the polish store in my area, which has them with a variety of fillings and they're almost like homemade. Right now I have 18 frozen potato and cheese pirogi in my freezer.
But I will definitely try your recipe. Oh, and yes serving with onion butter and sour cream is the way to go.
My wife is from Binghamton, N.Y. and she introduced me to Peirogis. I absolutely love them but have never taken the time to make them from scratch. Thank you so much for sharing this family recipe 😊
Thank you for sharing your beloved family recipe with us!❤️ I made this for my Polish boyfriend and he loved it and said it reminded him of happy memories with his grandfather🥰 also very fun to make, thanks again
As a Pole, It brings me joy to finally see an authentic recipe from non-Polish channel. The main difference is the cheese. You cannot use mozarella or any kind of melty cheese for that. I mean you can, but its completely different. The secret is what we call 'Twaróg', which is hard to get outside of Poland, unless you are in UK, Ireland or Germany with large populations of Poles and lots of Polish shops around. A great equivalent is Farmers cheese used here. And yes, it's very traditional to fry them before eating and top them with fried/carmelised onions. I just had few of those pierogis for Christmas! They are the best!
Wow, you got Polish heritage! Do you know Gołąbki (Go-whomb-kee)? Stuffed cabbage leaves. Aparat from Bigos which you did an awesome Polish dish. As for Pierogi, there is also a sauerkraut stuffed version, very chrismassy thing.
Haluski
There are at least 10 different fillings for pierogies.
@@lesfleurs9781 There are places in Poland called Pierogarnia restaurant and they serve pierogies with 50 different fillings!!!
My daughter was visiting Poland few years ago and she loved it.She was simply in heaven and still talking about it.
Golabki is pronounced go-lab-chi. They are usually stuffed with ground meat & tomato sauce. If you are of Polish origin the tomato sauce is usually more sweet & sour ( sugar + lemon juice according to taste). Some throw in a handful of raisins too. They are really delicious.
Pierogi with potato +farmer cheese is the real deal. Beautiful thin dough Chef John.
Sorry, I have to correct the Polish pronunciation. I can hear my mother now - Ho- lub- chkas.
I'm Slovak and where I grew up there were two types of pierogi: mashed potato and prune. I never liked the prune but man are the potato ones good. Most of my life I've eaten either Mrs. T's or Aldi's own brand of potato pierogis, and they're quite good. I'll definitely try this recipe, although I think I'll stick with a potato/cheddar/onion mix.
Yup. We're potato/cheddar fans, too. We also always had sauerkraut/mushroom ones, which were very good, but the cheddar ones were always gone long before the sauerkraut ones. Haha! I don't make them from scratch very often anymore because, as you say, Mrs. T's are really good and at hand for a quick delicious meal. A lot easier on Mom after a long day or a long week. :-)
There are at least 10 varieties of fillings for pierogies.
Love prune version too
never thought i would find someone who could admit their love for sour cream, but Im glad it was another polish person
Chef John you just keep getting better and better, thank you for sharing your wonderful family recipe with all the pointers about folding too! ❤️
My family in Russia usually don't add cheese to feeling, just fried onion.
And we not boil pirogi, because boiled pirogi is a separate dish "vareniki".
Also when my grandmother cook pirogi in the pan, like John, mother always bake them.
Wonderful simple ingredients, especially the dough! Love the practical ingredients ❤
This is so much like my late mom’s recipe except she used dry cottage cheese in hers. The dough circles were cut out with a beer glass then stretched out a little. This is the time of year when we would make dozens for Christmas, first the potatoes and cheese then some sauerkraut ones. If any dough was left she would make noodles out of it. Lots of memories! Thanks Chef John.
Never heard of "dry" cottage cheese until today. Do regular grocery stores even sell that?
@@the_light_writer Yes, they do where I live -Saskatchewan, Canada. Someone posted to rinse the whey off of cottage cheese to use it, that’s the same thing.
@@the_light_writer We call it cheese curds in Michigan. Yes, some stores have it.
Thanks Chef John, I wanted to make this for Christmas dish with kielbasa, as well as a Puerto Rican/Cuban dish to honor my grandparents.
Thank you Chef John, you just saved Christmas for me. A batch of these are going to be my dad’s gift, he loves potatoes, cheese and onions. Also, your recipes are enjoyed by three generations in my family. I found you first and now my teen daughter’s “signature recipe” is your holiday mashed potatoes. Then I recommended you to my dad and he loves many of your recipes too. Can’t wait to see what you show us next.
Thank you Chef! I can tell this recipe was near and dear to you and i greatly appreciate it and will make it always with that in mind.
My fiance is polish and I have been trying to perfect pierogi's for awhile now. Thank you for this recipe. Easy to follow and your tips were so helpful. They came out amazing!
I LOVE pierogies and can’t believe you haven’t already made a video for this iconic dish! I’m excited to try your recipe.
Actually, Chef John made a video called Cheater Pierogi. This is much better.
I love Pierogi, especially fried like that at the end. I sometimes take a leaf from the Japanese & make a slurry of corn/potato starch & water which I pour over in the frying pan to create a "Hanetsuki" or crispy skirt. Just adds another layer of texture.
Funny you add cayenne to so many dishes, I have a reputation of adding fresh nutmeg or all-spice to a lot of mine, either works really well in the potato & cheese mixture here. Then served with sour cream, some braised or pickled cabbage & some good sausages.🤤[Guess I know what I'm making this weekend now, many thanks for the reminder, I haven't made them in a while.]
I picked up the "nutmeg in mashed potato" thing while getting really into German cuisine and I love it, rarely make a mash without it these days. Allspice is also great for many savoury or sweet dishes, although adding too much can be disastrous (same with the nutmeg, I've found that a little goes a long way!).
@@sixstringedthing Have you tried using different pepper too? White pepper goes really well with potatoes, especially mashed [not just for colour as it hides better]. It has a... difficult to put a description to it, funky, gamy, animal smell & goes well with nutmeg or allspice.
You're very right though, a little goes a long way with nutmeg & allspice. especially if freshly grated.
Nutmeg in potato dishes is severely underrated, and catches a lot of people by surprise because it's a spice mostly associated with dessert foods.
I love that slurry in Japanese potstickers- good idea to try it in the pierogis.
I was having a bad day and needed a dose of food wishes! Thank you 🙏🏼
There have never really been pierogi in my home of central Iowa, at least nowhere we ever went when I was growing up. But they had it everywhere in Pennsylvania where I went to grad school and, indeed, I have developed a real love for them.
What a beautiful tribute to your family. These look tender and luscious, and soothing. When you said “otherworldly”, I thought you were going to say, “Heavenly”. I’m sure that’s what our Polish grandmothers will greet us with when our turn comes.
thank you for sharing your family’s recipe. i never had pierogi until moving to new york five years ago, and it quickly became one of my favorite foods. definitely going to make this soon!
I knew there was a reason I liked most of your videos and it's because your part Polish! Wesołych Świąt!
Chef John, has anyone ever told you that you have impeccable timing? We just had pierogies for dinner and I said out loud "I HAVE to see if Chef John has a video on pierogies!" I can't wait to make these, thank you for sharing. ♡
Polish Christmas dumplings are filled with sauerkraut stewed with forest mushrooms. Delicious! :) Potato&Cheese are called "ruskie" in relation to geographic region not nation ('rus' do not confuse with 'russian') and I never had them or even saw them during Christmas in 30years
We always have them as one of the Christmas Eve dinner dishes, alongside cabbage and mushrooms pierogi and onion and mushrooms uszka.
we always have variety of different pierogi on the table 🤷♀️
It might just be that his family ate them as a Christmas tradition. Like my Mexican family always makes Tamales for Christmas, even though they aren't only a Christmas item. Its just something we save for the holidays because they require a lot of work to make a bunch of them
same with me, we always had sauerkraut stewed with forest mushrooms
I love chef John. I missed binging these videos. This is a beautiful recipe. I think I will make it.
I make these every year for Christmas. I use my husband’s grandma/grandpa’s recipe. They were from Poland. Potatoes/grated onion/S&P/farmer’s cheese and sausage. Boiled and pan fried in butter topped with sour cream.
Christmas Dumplings is cabbage and mushrooms every christmas dinner
Mmmm. The sausage addition sounds delicious!
Dear Chef John, I really like how you are doing more Eastern European foods. Please keep it up!!
Polska to europa środkowa a nie wschodnia🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️europa wschodnia to Ukraina Rosja i Białoruś
My mother taught me how to make them with different fillings and each filling had a different shape so we could tell them apart after frying. The 2 methods you showed us plus also taking the corners and connecting them together to create a circle. My favorite are cabbage (not sauerkraut) & onions and also meat filling. My aunt made cherry filling that were awesome but I haven't them since she pasted many years ago. BTW: since my parents were from Russia, we call them vareniki...
I was completely hypnotized by this recipe. Those look fantastic. Another fantastic job Chef John.
This was well-timed, as I’m leaving today for a trip to Poland 🇵🇱 and will definitely seek out pierogi.
Hey man, where are you going, if you need any help finding some good food, write me!
Had a lot of Polish friends, loved going to weddings, Pierogis for days with every kind of filling imaginable, those women must have spent days preparing them. So delicious!
Chef John bringing the multigenerational family love!!!
Also a recipe for good polish chilled beet soup- please! I always enjoy your demonstrations as well as tickle of laughter! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!
When Grandma , Mom , and Aunts got together and made these there would be several fillings . Grandma was in charge of closing them because she had a code of her pinches , so she could tell what filling was in each one . I like them boiled on day one , pan fried the boiled ones on day two . Thanks again for waking up my memories .
Full love from Poland. We love your channel!
Definitely last meal worthy , hangover worthy, snowstorm stuck inside worthy, fighting the flu ultimate comfort food worthy 🙌 Polish perogie are the ultimate nostalgia for me :)
My mouth is watering!!!!! Chef?,,, I have a grandma Sophie in heaven toooooo ,, yet NO ONE HAS EVER made better pierogies as good as hers,,, we can’t locate her recipeee ,, I literally mourn that fact,, yet yours looked fantastic 👍,,, TNK YOU for your succinctness when Sharing your recipes 🥰
Fresh chopped mint is sometimes also added to the filling, believe me it takes these to the next level!
A Canadian pierogi-lover here, Chef John. My responsibility is to make the dough and it takes 30 - 45 minutes of kneading for my wife to be satisfied. Will try the fridge trick to cut on the effort, never done it. Also, her filling is potatoes, onion, cream cheese and cheddar.
I was born and raised in Detroit and these were a staple in our family. A town called Hamtrammck has a Polish Festival that will blow your pierogi mind!
Hi! I remember Hamtramck excellent polish dishes & restaurants/bakeries.
All the kids grew up healthy & smart!
Thank you and stay safe this holiday season Chef
I have been waiting for this. Thanks for sharing this. We will keep the recipe tradition alive.
Oh my, just by the thumbnail alone looks absolutely delicious!
Add some bacon to that too, mmm!
My mum was born in Berlin in 1927 with the radical consequences but the most gallant wonderful person who found my Dad in Toronto Canada. The one thing she didn't make was peroghi there was a kiosk across from a church and those crescents literally floated on air .... my favorites included porcini duxelle mushrooms and creme fraiche I'm serious still dream about them my mum could do anything but those memories such a delight. Thank you for such an extraordinary memory brought back! I think a kind of cottage cheese called quark might approximate your recipe am going to try in memory of Eva a wonderful gallant brave and wonderful mum. Tx so much.
Oh dang these look incredible!! 😋 thank you for sharing your family recipe
I'd love to see a sauerkraut filling for these pierogi. Thank you for sharing your grandmother's recipe!!!