Pierogi with Sauerkraut and Mushroom Filling - Pierogi Z Kapusty

A popular Polish dish similar to dumplings or ravioli. Pronounced pyeh-RAW-ghee (this is the plural form, not pierogies, just one is called pierog, but they're so good you'll almost never eat just one.) Pierogi can be made with a wide variety of fillings, but the most common are minced cooked meat, sauerkraut & mushrooms, cheese and potatoes (known as ruskie/Ruthenian pierogi), sweet cheese (usually with a touch of vanilla) and blueberries (in summer). Other fillings include buckwheat groats, potatoes & onions and lentils. Toppings include fried fat-back nuggets, sour cream, melted butter or butter-browned bread crumbs.
8 servings

Filling
1 lb sauerkraut, finely chopped
150 g butter
1 onion, chopped
1/4 lb fresh mushrooms, diced
pepper

Dough
4 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
3/4-1 cup warm beef stock or beef bouillon
12 cups salt water

Saute the sauerkraut in 1/3 of the butter.

Fry the onion in 1/6 of the butter; fry the mushrooms in the remaining butter.

Combine these ingredients, season with pepper and refrigerate until ready to assemble pierogi.

Combine the ingredients listed under dough and knead until well blended (dough should be somewhat dry and about the consistency of play-doh, you can knead in more flour if needed).

Twist off workable portions of dough and roll out very thin on a floured surface.

Using a glass with a thin lip and a diameter of about 3. 5 inches, dip lip of glass in flour and cut circles out of the dough.

Place about 2 tsp filling in the center of each dough circle.

Moisten outer edges with water and fold dough over to close.

Seal edges by pressing gently with the back of a fork or pinching together with your fingers.

Cook 12 pierogi at a time, reducing heat to a gentle boil; boil, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom, until pierogi float to the surface (about 5 minutes).

Rinse in cold water, then drizzle melted butter or vegetable oil over dough to keep from sticking.

Repeat with remaining pierogi.

At this point you can serve them warm, freeze them for later use, deep fry them until golden brown or pan fry them in butter with onions over medium heat, lightly browning both sides before serving.