BrokeAss Gourmet, Sweet Potato-Pear Pierogies RecipeI love pierogies! Yum! For those of you who haven't hear of them, they are stuffed potato dumplings of Eastern European origin. The fillings vary, but are essentially various combinations of mashed potatoes, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms, and spinach.
For years I had been getting my regular pierogie fix from the Trader Joes freezer section. They were delicious and inexpensive...but alas, like so many things, Trader Joes has discontinued carrying them. And while I really enjoy cooking, I have been continually deterred from making homemade pierogies from scratch. As a close friend of mine put it:
"[Traditional Ukrainian pierogies are] a LOT of work. But perfect for getting together with one or two other people, and then splitting the work and chatting it up while you cook."
So I was THRILLED when happening upon this recipe from the ingenious Gabi Moskowitz: Sweet Potato-Pear Pierogies Recipe
It is just sooo easy. And great for cooking in small batches. The one misleading thing about this recipe is the estimated time doesn't include time for boiling down your sweet potato. Of course, this doesn't take too long (about 25 minutes), I recommend slicing up the potato into smaller chunks before sticking it in water to speed up the process.
Another great thing about this recipe is the ability to cook it in batches. I've been eating these delicious morsels for lunch this week, thus assembling & cooking the evening before. For topping (instead of sour cream), I've been caramelizing onions and eating the pierogies with brown rice. This reheats easily in my work microwave and requires 1 container!
Oh this makes me want to eat lunch now!
Considering how easy this recipe was, I cannot wait to try other filling mixtures. For inspiration, I'd recommend checking out the menu from this wonderful little restaurant in Pikes Place Market! Or if you are in Seattle, go get one from here....it is delicious! Piroshky Bakery, Restaurant located at Pikes Place Market in Seattle
A word from my Senior Barefoot and Pregnant Cranky Correspondent:
These pierogies look divine. I was thinking maybe you could save a step by cooking your sweet potatoes or even winter squash in the crockpot while you're at work. I often toss whole winter squash in the crockpot over night - with one or two holes poked in the top to prevent explosions - and then harvest my puree for other recipes. Super easy and would work well for sweet potatoes too. You could wrap the sweet potatoes in foil to prevent sticky juice from crusting onto the crockpot, but I've always thought a thin coating of olive oil over the pot before cooking works just as well.
