Potato, Mushroom, Onion & Cheese Pierogies & .......... - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Dough
4 large eggs
1 large egg, for egg wash
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter or 1/2 cup margarine, cooled
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
5 cups all-purpose flour
flour, for dusting
Filling
1 lb potato, peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, finely chopped
15 ounces button mushrooms, finely chopped
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 sprigs fresh thyme
kosher salt
freshly ground coarse black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, garnish

Preparation

Dough:
Mix the 4 eggs, butter or margarine, sour cream and salt together in a bowl with whisk.
Sift the flour onto a flat work surface and make a well in the center, pour the wet ingredients into the crater.
Stir the mixture with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour into the well until a soft dough forms.
Squeeze the dough with your hands, if it's sticky, add a bit of flour, if it's not pliable, add a couple of drops of water.
Knead the dough, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking, until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.
Gather the dough into a ball and cover it with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap for 10 minutes or so to rest.
Filling:
Cook the potato cubes in boiling salted water until fork tender, about 15 minutes.
Drain and then mash them with a ricer or regular \"old\" potato masher while they are still hot; set them aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the filling.
Melt 3-4 tablespoons of butter or margarine in large skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the onions, mushrooms and thyme, saute for a few minutes to soften the vegetables; season with salt and pepper.
Continue to cook until the vegetables are broken dry and almost dry, then pour in cream & cheese; stir to incorporate.
Remove the pan from the heat; take out sprigs of thyme, and scrape the mushroom & cheese mixture into the potatoes, mix well to incorporate the ingredients.
Make sure the filling is not too hot or it will start to cook the dough, causing it to sog.
Lightly flour your rolling pin and counter.
Take 1/2 of the dough(leaving the rest covered so it doesn't dry out while you work) and roll it out into a thin circle, about 1/8\" thick.
Using a 3\" round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the dough.
Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each pastry circle, leaving a 1/2\" border.
Beat the remaining egg with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash and brush it on the edges of the circle.
Fold the dough over 1/2 to enclose the filling and form a semi-circle and seal the edges by crimping with the tines of a fork.
Lightly tap the bottoms of the dumpling on the counter to make it flat.
Repeat with the remaining half of dough and filling.
You should make about 35 pierogies; put 1/2 of them in the freezer to keep on hand (they are better than the ones you find in the freezer section of the grocery store.).
Coat a large saute pan (that has a tight fitting lid) with vegetable oil and place over medium heat.
Lay the pierogies in the pan (you may have to do this in batches) and fry them for a couple of minutes until they start to crisp and brown on both sides.
Pour in 1 cup of water and cover the pan to let the pierogies steam; when the water evaporates, the pierogies should be cooked and crisp.
Arrange the pierogies on a platter, garnish with parsley and serve with roasted apples, sour cream, butter with caramelized onions, and/or any of the following:
Roasted apples:
3 Gala apples, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
3 Golden Delicious, peeled, cored and coarsely chopped.
1 lemon juiced.
2 cinnamon sticks.
1/4 cup brown sugar or brown sugar \"splenda\".
Pinch of salt.
2 Tablespoons butter.
Preheat oven to 400\u00b0F.
Spread the apples out in a casserole pan and add the lemon juice, cinnamon, sugar or splenda, salt and butter.
Bake until the apples are roasted and \"NOT\" mushy, about 20 minutes.
Serve the apples with peirogies, either hot or chilled.
Caramelized Onions & Sour Cream:
4-5 large onions, sliced thin.
3-4 tablespoons butter or margarine.
1-2 teaspoons sugar, to caramelize - no subs.
Sour cream, to serve on the side.
Melt butter in large saute pan and then add onions & sugar; saute for about 15 minutes or until onions are soft and a nice golden color.
Serve onions with pierogies and sour cream, as little or all you want.
\"Maple\" Cured Bacon & Melted Butter:
1/2 lb of \"maple\" cured bacon or turkey bacon.
4-5 tablespoons butter.
Parsley, chopped fine - garnish.
Saute bacon in frying pan or microwave oven.
When crispy and drained; crumble into little pieces.
Melt butter in a saucepan or in microwave oven, before it turns brown, remove and sprinkle with parsley.
Sprinkle melted butter with parsley and bacon on hot pierogies.
Melted Butter & Green Onions:
4-5 tablespoons butter
1-2 green onions, chopped fine (green & white parts).
Melt butter in saucepan or microwave, remove before it browns.
Sprinkle with green onions and spread it over the warm pierogies.
Use any and all combinations with these.
There are too many variations for me to list but I have listed a few that my family enjoys. Hope you do too!