Homemade Pierogi with Bacon, Peas and Ricotta

Not every recipe I try is a winner, but I feel like I have to share the bad with the good. And this recipe, honestly, isn't bad, it just wasn't exactly as advertised. I was expecting to make 16-20 pierogi and ended up making twice that (not to mention all the leftover pierogi filling I have in my fridge). Tons of pierogi would not be an issue if I were feeding an army of Polish children, but I was only making dinner for two. From start to finish this recipe took about 3 hours (partly because I didn't read ahead to see that I needed to let the dough rest for an hour, doh!), but also because this recipe makes SO MANY PIEROGI! Still, they are quite tasty little dumplings. If you have the time and inclination, not to mention the appetite, to take on such a task, by all means, read on!

Homemade Pierogi with Bacon, Peas, and Ricotta (adapted from Serious Eats)

Ingredients

Pierogi Dough
3 cups (390 g) all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt, plus more for the boiling water
1/2 to 3/4 cup (120 to 180 ml) warm water

Filling
2 medium potatoes (I used Russet), peeled and cut into chunks
6 strips bacon
3 large onions, peeled—1 minced and 2 sliced
1 cup (130 g) frozen baby peas, defrosted
9 oz (255 g) ricotta cheese (I made my own using this recipe, which is amazing)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more as needed
1 to 2 cups/240 to 480 ml light sour cream (optional)

Directions:

For the dough:

On a clean work surface, mound the flour and make a well in the center. Add the egg, vegetable oil, and salt to the well and carefully beat together with a fork without incorporating the flour. Switch to a wooden spoon, and begin adding small amounts of the warm water while gradually incorporating the flour. Only add the next bit of water when the last has been thoroughly blended with the flour and the mixture has become dry. Once the dough has begun to form, lose the spoon and knead the dough with your hands. Stop adding water once all the flour has been incorporated and a soft dough has formed (it should not feel wet or sticky—if it does, add a little more flour). I ended up using the full 3/4 cup of water and did not need additional flour.

Knead the dough for about 8 minutes, dusting the work surface with flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking. It should be smooth and elastic. Invert a bowl over the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

For the filling:

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan filled with water, bring to a boil, and continue boiling until soft. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.

While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon in a large frying pan over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove the cooked bacon and drain on paper towels, but keep 1 or 2 tablespoons of the fat in the pan. Add the minced onion and cook in the bacon fat until it is soft and lightly browned. Add the peas and continue to cook until the peas are just cooked, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Crumble the bacon and add it to the bowl with the potatoes. Then add the cheddar cheese and the ricotta. Season generously with salt and pepper, and combine the ingredients with a hand mixer set at a low speed or pulse in a food processor. Do not overmix: the filling should be somewhat lumpy. Fold in the peas and minced onions. Taste and correct for seasoning.

Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in the same frying pan you used for the minced onion. Cook the sliced onions until soft and brown. Do not cook them too quickly; this should take 20 minutes or so. Reduce the heat to low if necessary. When done, set aside and keep them warm. You can cover them with foil and place in a warm oven.

To fill and cook the pierogi:

Bring a large pot of salted to water to a boil.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface until about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thick. Cut circles 2 to 3 inches (5 to 7.5 cm) in diameter with either the rim of a glass or a cookie or biscuit cutter. Spoon about 1/2 tbsp of filling in the center of each one, and fold the dough over the filling to make a half circle. (Don’t overfill, or the pierogi will become difficult to seal.) Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork so they are well sealed (dampen the edges first if necessary).

Boil the pierogi in batches, for 5 minutes after they have floated to the surface of the water. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon and set aside on a large plate or platter.

In a large frying pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat and lightly brown the cooked pierogi in batches—as many as will fit in the pan without crowding, turning once and adding more butter to the pan if necessary between batches. Transfer to a warm platter.

To serve, pour the cooked onions on top of the fried pierogi and serve with sour cream on the side.

This really is a very tasty recipe, it's just a lot of work and makes a lot of pierogi. If you have someone to help you fill, crimp, and cook the pierogi it will make things go much smoother.