Passport & Plate - Goat Cheese Pierogi
Russian Federation | Thursday, February 26, 2015 | 5 photos
Ingredients
For the dough:
2 heaping tablespoons LF Sour cream or greek yogurt (i try to be healthy-ish)
1 egg
3/4 c. skim milk
3 c. sifted flour
2 tbsp butter
For the filling
6 golden potatos
4 oz goat cheese
1/2c. greek yogurt (or 1 c. cottage cheese)
1/4 c. skim milk (These are guesstimates. After adding the first 3 ingredients, I add skim milk until it reaches a thick mashed potato consistency)
salt and pepper to taste
greek seasoning blend optional
How to prepare this recipeFor the dough, First, I sift flour until I reach 3 cups unleavened in a large liquid measuring cup. I beat the egg, sour cream, and skim milk together. Next, I beat the egg, skim milk, and sour cream together. Add the liquids to the flour, as well as 2 tbsp melted butter and mix until it reaches a sticky but roll-out-able consistency.
For the filling, Boil potatoes until soft. Drain liquid and add goat cheese and greek yogurt. Beat with immersion blender or hand held mixer, adding skim milk until it reaches a smooth but thick consistency.
Start to boil a large pot of water with a teaspoon of salt.
Dust rolling pin and work space with flour. Break a 3 tbsp sized piece of dough, and roll out into a 4" circle. Fill with a large spoon full of mashed potatoes and pinch edges closed.
Drop pierogi into the boiling water for about 2-3 minutes. When it appears a shade lighter in color and floats to the top, it is done. Pull from water
Serve with low-fat sour cream or greek yogurt.
The story behind this recipeMy Grandfather was a first generation immigrant from Ukraine. He moved here to work and send money back to his family and 7 younger sisters struggling from poverty. He was living proof of the American dream.
My sister and I, however, we're the weird kids. Our friends came over and were disgusted by borscht. No... they did not want to eat beet and cabbage soup for dinner. What kind of 8 year old eats rye bread? They didn't want pierogi, because they didn't know what it was. And some reason, they didn't understand that sour cream is obviously one of the major food groups.
So, our family stumbled upon an accidental tradition: the winter olympics. After we coincidentally ended up in Salt Lake on a ski trip, we got olympic fever. Torino, Vancoover... all filled with delicious food... but then came Russia.
Everyone thought we were nuts. Is Russia safe? What about the security threats? Truth be told... obtaining Visa's was some bureaucratic bull; and each hotel demanded an hour for check in, but what did we really see these minor inconveniences as?-- opportunity!
Americans did not take over the olympics as we usually do--- and this meant we could A) finally get tickets to the snowboarding events B) FINALLY really immerse ourselves in the culture of the host country.
Borscht was ordered every time it was seen on the menu. Hot dogs were served standardly with kraut and sour cream... it was a ketchup-less world we visited. We learned the difference between pierogi and pelmeni... and you can bet I tried ALL versions while learning about their origins and traditional ingredients. I learned I liked the Ukrainian versions better... (surprise, surprise) and that they were meatless due to poverty and not by choice.
Coming home to the U.S., roasted beets on salads are now hip; and every one wants to have the next new thing. I took it upon myself to recreate both the food of my travels and my family with the ingredients on hand, and boy were my friends grateful.
