My maternal grandmother, Olga, (or as I called her, Mom-Mom), was Ukrainian. For those of you who aren’t the best at geography, the Ukraine borders Russia, Poland, Hungary, and a few other countries in Eastern Europe. I’m ashamed to admit that I don’t know much about my heritage- my knowledge of the language is limited to singing Happy Birthday.
Luckily for me, I was able to spend fourteen wonderful years getting to know my grandmother. She wasn’t like other grandmothers- she didn’t knit, she wasn’t always warm and fuzzy, and I spent most of my time with her talking back to her. She was old-fashioned in many ways- she lectured me about boys, spending too much time with friends, and she hated television (with the exception of Oprah and the lottery drawing).
“Turn that damn thing down.” she’d say, grabbing the remote and turning down the volume of the TV. “Too loud.”
I didn’t know it then, but I would learn a lot from her. She instilled a lot of my trademark characteristics- a love for healthier foods like oatmeal, shredded wheat and rye bread. A need to have a cup of tea with every meal. She taught me how to sew. She played catch with me in the backyard, underhanded softball.
She also sparked my interest in cooking. I hated it then, but she would force me to watch whenever she prepared food. From eggs to cream of wheat, she made me stand beside her, explaining every step. “Turn the heat down,” I can still hear her saying. “It’ll cook too fast.”
I’m very happy that she shared her cooking secrets with me. My interest in cooking and baking has only increased with time. Which brings me to the next goal on my list, #45. Make homemade pierogies.
This goal terrified me. My grandmother never cooked homemade pierogies, a staple for most Polish or Ukrainian families. However, she would bring dozen of frozen pierogies with her when she came to visit- pierogies she had gotten from the local Ukrainian cathedral.
They were amazing– soft enough to melt in your mouth, perfectly seasoned. The potato ones were always my favorite. Now that I’m back in Philadelphia, I can get the famous homemade pierogies easily, but still, I wanted to try to make them on my own.
The hardest part was finding a recipe. I wasn’t sure which recipe I could trust- as many of you aspiring chefs know, a lot of recipes you find online are not reliable. I recently made ziti in a crockpot- the noodles turned out rubbery and barely edible. I was furious with myself for not researching more recipes first…or maybe just realizing you shouldn’t cook pasta in a crockpot.
The pierogi recipe I chose came from a reliable source- Ms. Jillian Harris, one of my role models. Jillian, an interior designer out of Vancouver, is better known for her time as The Bachelorette. She has incredible style and taste- I often cruise her website for fashion tips, decorating ideas, and yes, recipes.
She posted this pierogi recipe from her Polish grandmother- a source I knew I could trust. Here’s the recipe, if you’re interested: Granny Marge’s Pierogi Recipe.
I bunkered down in the kitchen tonight with some moscato and got to work. If you’re looking to make these yourself, make sure you mix the dough together with your hands. Playing some soft music while cooking always helps me relax- I recommend the Civil Wars and Lana del Rey.
After preparing the dough, you have to let it sit for an hour. I had a cup of tea and worked on my short story. Then, comes the fun part- forming the pierogies. For filling, I just used instant potatoes (I know, horrible), but it’s an incredible time saver.
My advice for the pierogie prep is simple- don’t be overambitious. I filled mine too much at first and had to go back and redo a few of them. Keep the pierogies small. Make sure you flatten out the dough. My pierogies came out a little too thick, and the doughy taste overcame the potatoe-y goodness.
After the prep, you just place them in boiling water until they float. I kept them in a minute or so longer. I fried them quickly in some butter and onion bits- personal preference. Dave practically inhaled them. I’m super picky about my pierogies- I’m just happy that they didn’t fall apart when I was boiling them. Still, they were pretty good.
The mix made a ton of pierogies. It probably depends on the size you make them, but if you’re keeping them the medium size that I did, you’ll get a decent dozen, two dozen from it. I’d say I was successful, just for a first time try. I’ll probably make a few adjustments next time. So there’s one more goal off the list. Sorry that this post was so long!