Pierogies for Christmas Eve {Pot Cheese and Potato Cheese}

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Pierogies are a traditional Polish, Ukrainian, and Eastern European comfort food. This is a recipe for homemade Pot Cheese Pierogies and Potato Cheese Pierogies.

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I’m excited for #SundaySupper this week, because we are celebrating family, heritage, and traditions. For my family and I, that is exactly what Christmas Eve is all about. And a big part of that heritage and tradition includes pierogies!!!

My family is mainly Polish and Ukranian, and we are Byzantine Catholic. I mentioned this once a long time ago, but basically, it is exactly like the Roman Catholic Church. This is what most people refer to when they say “Catholic”, in beliefs, but some of the rituals and traditions are different. One unique tradition is that Christmas Eve was originally a day where meat and dairy were not eaten.

Yes, I know, vegan. But this was in the days before “vegan” was a word, and before there were tons of vegan recipes in typical American culture. As time has grown, dairy has been reintroduced, but still no meat. And my family has never been big on many kinds of seafood, so anything resembling the Feast of the Seven Fishes isn’t happening. Though we have lost some of the very traditional dishes, our menu evolved from this traditional practice.

It is always interesting the first year a new person joins us, when the dishes start rolling out. We start with shrimp cocktail while everyone is gathering and chatting. Then we sit down for a mushroom and brown rice soup, flavored with vinegar. This turns out either really delicious or really awful. At some point, my mom and I will have to write down how we make it, to start to ensure some consistency, because when it is good, it is soooo good.

Dinner really revolves around the pierogies.

Sure, we have some mashed potatoes with red gravy (this is the weirdest stuff ever – basically tomato sauce thickened with zaproshka – aka Ukranian roux. I am not a fan), corn pudding, green beans & mushrooms, and fried shrimp and flounder (yeah, we buy those. We are not huge seafood people, nor are we a people that really knows what to do with a deep fryer). But really, you could take it all away and just leave us with the pierogies, and we would be happy campers.

As I told you yesterday, dessert is just Christmas cookies. Because, you know, we clearly haven’t yet consumed enough carbs.

Some “outsiders” like the tradition. My aunt from Costa Rica has actually grown to really enjoy our Christmas Eve dinner. Or she has been faking it really well for the last 25 years. Some aren’t sure what to think. The pierogies, though, are always a hit. We have two of the most traditional varieties.

Potato cheese is simply a mixture of boiled potatoes mashed with cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper. Pot cheese is just a farmers cheese, similar to a dry ricotta or cottage cheese. You should be able to find it in most grocery stores. This is my family’s favorite. The dough is similar to a pasta dough, but with sour cream in it. This makes the pierogies super tender.

The best way to cook up pierogies is in a pan with some butter (and onions, if you like). Or, if you have to serve a lot of them, just put them in a baking pan with butter, and throw them in the oven. We like to serve them with sour cream, and, on Christmas Eve, the aforementioned red gravy. Some people say you can deep fry pierogies. OK, fine, if you are using those chewy, frozen ones from the grocery store. But to do that to a delicate, homemade pierogi is akin to a crime in my family.

When the dough is kneaded well and rolled very thin, and the pierogies are gently heated through in a lovely pool of butter, you should be able to cut them with a fork. And truthfully, I think if you tossed them into hot oil, the dough might be so thin that they would explode, they are that delicate. Why, oh why would you ever destroy this perfect texture by turning it into a hard, crunchy “chip”? Honestly, I would be offended if you did that to my pierogies.

My grandma always used to order them from a local church, where the old Polish ladies used to crank out dozens upon dozens in no time. Then one year, she forgot to order the pot cheese!! We searched high and low for somewhere to get pot cheese pierogies. Even most of the little Polish delis and shops you can find tend to make the sweeter variety of pot cheese pierogies, whereas we like the savory ones. So, The Hubby and I scoured the web for just the right recipe, rolled up our sleeves, and got to work.

And we haven’t looked back since. Making them when I was pregnant, when we had a 9 month old, when our kitchen was half torn apart and our counters were pieces of plywood covered in plastic tablecloths. We have persevered! And that first year, well, they were probably closer to the grocery store frozen variety. But with some practice, confidence, and, well, a little help from the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment (which I highly recommend, though a rolling pin or any pasta roller will do), we have gotten pretty good. We can now roll the dough super thin, and pack in the fillings without fearing a major explosion of potatoes and cheese during the boiling process. I wish my grandma were still here to see how far we have come.

Even this batch of pierogies, which I slightly overcooked, still cut with a fork.

These are a fair amount of work, but sooooo worth it! And clearly, The Bug totally approved. He is gonna be a good little Polish boy.

This week’s Sunday Supper Event is hosted by Beate from Galactopdx. Check out the links below to learn more about our families, heritage and traditions.

Let me know if you make this pierogies recipe for Christmas Eve!

5 from 1 vote

Pot Cheese & Potato Cheese Pierogies

The classic Polish dish of tender pasta-like pockets filled with potatoes and cheddar cheese or a farmers cheese.

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Ingredients

For the potato cheese filling (makes enough for about 4 dozen):

• 2 lbs russet potatoes
• 8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese shredded
• salt & pepper

For the pot cheese filling (makes enough for about 3 dozen):

• About 1 lb farmers cheese I use two 7.5 oz. packages
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1/4 t salt

For the dough (makes about 4 dozen):

• 4 c all purpose flour
• 1 t salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c sour cream
• About 1/2 c warm water may need more or less

Instructions

For the potato cheese filling:

• Peel the potatoes and cut into large chunks.
• Place in a pot of cold water, and bring to a boil.
• Boil until the potatoes are fork tender.
• Drain the water off, return the potatoes to the post, and add the cheese, salt and pepper.
• Cover the pot for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt.
• Using a potato mashed and spatula, mash and stir the potatoes to incorporate the cheese. It's fine if there are still a few lumps.
• Place potato mixture in the refrigerator until cooled completely, and ready to use.

For the pot cheese filling:

• Combine all ingredients until well mixed.
• Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the dough:

• Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl, and make a well in the middle.
• Place the eggs and sour cream into the well. Using your fingers, gradually work the flour into the eggs and sour cream until you have a crumbly mixture.
• Slowly work in the water. You will think you haven't added enough, but as you work the dough, it wil come together. So it is better to add the water very lowly, then wet your fingers to work in more water as you knead, as necessary.
• Once the dough comes together, knead it until is is fairly smooth and elastic.
• Form dough into a ball, and let rest for about 10 minutes (I've let it rest up to 30 minutes, but I was not happy with the results the one time I tried to make the dough the night before).

Filling and simmering the pierogies:

• Roll the dough on a floured surface, using about a quarter of the ball at a time, VERY thin - as thin as you feel comfortable working with. I like to use my KitchenAid pasta roller, starting at a setting of 1, work my way to a setting of 4. This is probably less than 1/8" thick.
• Place the rolled dough on a floured surface, and cut circles about 3-3 1/2 in. in diameter.
• Place about 1 T of the desired filling offset from the middle of the circle, fold the circle over, and press the edges together with a fork to seal completely.
• Bring a shallow pan of water to a gentle simmer (do not boil).
• Add pierogies and simmer for about 15 minutes. Do not overcrowd your pan. Stir gently to keep them from sticking to the bottom and to each other. They will be floating when they are done.
• Remove from the simmering water, and place in a baking pan or on a sheet pan sprayed with cooking spray, and top with some small bits of butter to keep them from sticking.
• Continue until you have cooked all of the pierogies.

Cooking and serving the pierogies:

• Melt butter in a pan, saute onions if desired. Add the pierogies and gently saute until heated through. OR
• Place pierogies in a baking pan with butter, and onions, if desired, cover, and place in an oven at 350°F-375°F. Baked for about 20-30 minutes, or until heated through, tossing gently every 10-15 minutes. OR
• Deep fry?!?! Umm, no! 😉
• We like to serve pierogies with sour cream.

Notes

If you are not going to serve the pierogies within a day or two, they freeze well after boiling. Just thaw and cook as desired.

Author: Various Sources

Course: Christmas, Main Dish, Side Dish

Disclaimers: Please discuss your individual dietary needs (i.e. gluten free) with a physician. Even when not specified, be sure to verify all ingredients are gluten free, if needed, by reading labels on all packaging and/or confirming with the manufacturer this varies by brand and can change at any time. Nutrition information shown is an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate.

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Enjoy!

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This recipe was shared with: Thursday’s Treasures Week 66