RecipesHow To Make And Freeze Homemade Pierogies
As a busy mother and wife, I don"t always have time to cook an hour long dinner in the evenings. To solve this problem, I like to make our own freezer meals that I can thaw out, reheat or cook...and have on our dinner table in less than 30 minutes.
My family enjoys homemade potato and cheese pierogies so I like to spend an afternoon every couple of months making them and freezing them for future use. The following recipe is the one that I like to use.
Potato and Cheese Pierogies
Filling:
2 lbs. Velveeta Cheese, shredded
8 ounces Sharp Cheese, shredded
5 lbs. white potatoes, peeled and boiled
4 small onions, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 clove of garlic, minced
Fry the minced or finely chopped onions in 1 stick of butter and set aside. In a large stock pot, boil 5 lbs. of potatoes; drain water, mash the potatoes and set aside. In a large bowl, combine potatoes, Velveeta and Sharp cheeses, minced onions, salt, pepper and garlic.
Dough:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs mixed with 1/4 cup of water
You will need to make several batches of dough but only make 1 batch at a time. I usually end up making 3-4 batches.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, shortening, salt, eggs and water until the mixture forms a stiff dough. Roll out the dough onto a floured dough board. Use a 4-5" round circle cutter or empty coffee can to cut out dough circles. Place 2 tablespoons of potato filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the circle in half and wet edges slightly with water to pinch them close.
In a large stockpot, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Add the pierogies in a single layer and boil them until they float. Drain on paper towels and let them cool. Once cool, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for 1 hour. Remove from freezer and place in plastic freezer containers, boxes or bags. They will keep for 9-12 months in your freezer.
You will need to thaw them for 20 minutes at room temperature before frying them in a deep fryer or frying pan. This recipe will make 12-13 dozen pierogies.