Servings: 3
Equipment
Ingredients
Pierogi Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour ~250g
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ½ tbsp oil
- ½ cup boiling water ~120ml
Lentil Pierogi Filling
- 1 batch pierogi dough
- 1 heaping cup dried red lentils ~200g
- 1 onion medium or large
- 3 tablespoons oil or butter
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Make Dough
- Boil Water: Boil a pot of water.½ cup boiling water
- Sift Flour: Sift flour into a large bowl.2 cups all-purpose flour
- Add Salt: Add salt and mix.¼ tsp salt
- Wet Ingredients: Add oil and boiled water.1 ½ tbsp oil
- Mix Ingredients: Mix the ingredients by stirring with a spoon. Be careful not to burn yourself. Once there is no visible water in the bowl, use your hands to knead the dough until it is a homogeneous ball.
- Wrap and Rest: Wrap the dough ball tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes before continuing.
- Make Pierogi: Once the wait is over, the dough is ready for rolling and making pierogi.
Prep Filling
- Wash Lentils: Wash lentils in a bowl with cold water. Drain and repeat 4 to 5 times until water is noticeably clearer than in the beginning.
- Cook Lentils: Cook lentils in a pot using a 2.5-3:1 water-to-lentil ratio for 10 minutes or until soft. Try not to overcook the lentils but don't stress if it happens. Drain excess water.1 heaping cup dried red lentils
- Sautee Onion: While your lentils are cooking away, chop up an onion and sauté it in oil for 7 to 10 minutes until it's soft and translucent.1 onion, 3 tablespoons oil
- Remove Water: Drain cooked lentils using a fine mesh strainer, remove excess water using a spoon, and stir in the salt and pepper.¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Combine: Combine the cooked lentils and sauteed onion, taste the prepared filling, and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Cool: Let the filling cool for 20 minutes so any extra water can evaporated before using.
Combine
- Roll Out Dough: Divide the pierogi dough into two or three parts. Then, spread one on a floured work surface and roll it out until it's thin. It shouldn't be super thin so that you can still stretch it when forming the pockets.1 batch pierogi dough
- Cut Dough: Cut palm-sized circles in the rolled pierogi dough using a cookie cutter or a glass mug.
- Fill: Place a spoonful of lentil filling in the center of each dough circle. Fold the dough over the filling and press the edges together, starting in the middle. Leave as little air as possible in the pocket you're forming. To help form a good seal, moisten the outer edge of the dough using a wet finger.
- Store: Place each formed pierogi on a floured cookie sheet and cover them with a damp kitchen towel.
Cook
- Boil Water: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. I typically use one teaspoon of salt per quart of water but feel free to adjust the amount to your preferences.
- Cook: Once the water is boiling, add a few pierogi to the pot and stir them to prevent them from sticking to the bottom. Once the pierogi start floating to the surface, simmer them gently for another 3 to 4 minutes. Make sure not to overcrowd the pot so that the pierogi don't stick together or cook unevenly.
- Serve: Remove the pierogi from the water using a slotted spoon and serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Tried this recipe?Comment below or tag your snaps @definitelynotachefblog or #madewithdnac!