Pickarski's Ode to Poland: Whole Wheat Pierogies!
Ron Pickarski is my absolute culinary hero. He was a Franciscan Brother, but I think he had to give that gig up to make money off being a vegan genius. If you don't have his cookbook, Friendly Foods, you are seriously missing out. The recipes aren't always very simple, but every single one comes out to perfection if you follow carefully. His pierogie recipe is a little crazy!
So is he I think.
It uses lecithin (an emulsifier, like the stuff in salad dressing that makes the oil and vinegar blend!), firm silken tofu, vinegar and a blend of whole wheat and regular flour.
I wasn't really into the fillings that he created, so I decided to go with my own. The first was a Cabbage-Mushroom filling with purple cabbage, white mushrooms, garlic, caraway seeds, onion and a touch of nutritional yeast and liquid smoke.
The second was a potato-dandelion filling. I boiled and mashed the potatoes with mustard, white pepper, margarine and cooking liquid from blanching the dandelion greens which I then sauteed with some garlic and combined with the mashed potatoes. For a few of the dumplings, I threw some Daiya in there because ya know, I happen to like it. YES, I said it, sometimes I like a little processed tapioca "cheese" and I even pay 5 bucks for it. BAD VEGAN! bad!
I also attempted to make an apple filling, but didn't put much effort into it. That combined with one of the mushier apples I had created a just-okay fruit filling. They definitely need a dipping sauce.
But basically you create a dough and roll it out relatively thin. The thinner the dough the more pierogies you get, which for me is always the better option. nom nom nom
Then you can create rectangles or circles about the size of a coaster like so.
Fill each circle with just scant of a tablespoon of filling. I'm a frequent over-stuffer. I can't help myself. Then blot the edges of the circle with a little cold water, fold over and seal.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a low boil and drop in 3 pierogies at a time. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until they rise to the top and aren't too tough.
You can certainly eat them up just like this, but why not throw a little more fatty, fried goodness into the mix. Heat up a pan with butter or olive oil, medium high heat, and pan fry the pierogies with some onion slices. Flip! Cook until golden and onions are nice and crispy. Serve with sour cream, apple butter or applesauce, mustard, etc.
Presto! I will definitely make these again. But I also want to make a simpler, mono-flour, all purpose version. More "authentic" if you will...although the existence of such a thing is relative. Vegans are obsessed with "authentic." Even if they won't admit it and their entire gastronomy is based on the inauthenticity of what society considers "normal" food. Hm.
Well that's all for now. Ima eat some polish dumplings right this second.
love,
jp
So is he I think.
It uses lecithin (an emulsifier, like the stuff in salad dressing that makes the oil and vinegar blend!), firm silken tofu, vinegar and a blend of whole wheat and regular flour.
I wasn't really into the fillings that he created, so I decided to go with my own. The first was a Cabbage-Mushroom filling with purple cabbage, white mushrooms, garlic, caraway seeds, onion and a touch of nutritional yeast and liquid smoke.
The second was a potato-dandelion filling. I boiled and mashed the potatoes with mustard, white pepper, margarine and cooking liquid from blanching the dandelion greens which I then sauteed with some garlic and combined with the mashed potatoes. For a few of the dumplings, I threw some Daiya in there because ya know, I happen to like it. YES, I said it, sometimes I like a little processed tapioca "cheese" and I even pay 5 bucks for it. BAD VEGAN! bad!
I also attempted to make an apple filling, but didn't put much effort into it. That combined with one of the mushier apples I had created a just-okay fruit filling. They definitely need a dipping sauce.
But basically you create a dough and roll it out relatively thin. The thinner the dough the more pierogies you get, which for me is always the better option. nom nom nom
Then you can create rectangles or circles about the size of a coaster like so.
Fill each circle with just scant of a tablespoon of filling. I'm a frequent over-stuffer. I can't help myself. Then blot the edges of the circle with a little cold water, fold over and seal.
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a low boil and drop in 3 pierogies at a time. Boil for 1-2 minutes, until they rise to the top and aren't too tough.
You can certainly eat them up just like this, but why not throw a little more fatty, fried goodness into the mix. Heat up a pan with butter or olive oil, medium high heat, and pan fry the pierogies with some onion slices. Flip! Cook until golden and onions are nice and crispy. Serve with sour cream, apple butter or applesauce, mustard, etc.
Presto! I will definitely make these again. But I also want to make a simpler, mono-flour, all purpose version. More "authentic" if you will...although the existence of such a thing is relative. Vegans are obsessed with "authentic." Even if they won't admit it and their entire gastronomy is based on the inauthenticity of what society considers "normal" food. Hm.
Well that's all for now. Ima eat some polish dumplings right this second.
love,
jp
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