Er, Just Stuff It
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any countries’ cuisines have a version of the humble dumpling. History suggests that dumplings were developed in colder, northern countries, generally among the peasant classes. A quick dough would be stirred together, featuring whichever grain was a staple in the country. In northern England, the dough was made from wheat and plopped into the handy stockpot of simmering broth to stretch the meal. Sophistication developed when stuffings were incorporated into the dumplings: plums in Germany or Austria, apples in parts of the U.S., minced meat in China and Japan, potatoes and cheese in Poland and the Ukraine. This upgraded version was still easy on the pocket book to produce, as it’s more about a mouthful than a whole meal of the filling ingredient. In this way, a whole family could be nourished and satisfied with a couple of handfuls of flour, some salt, a bit of meat, and a saucepan of hot broth.
34 Island Parent Magazine
Time is usually the rare commodity in our kitchens now. We have oodles of meat (too much, apparently, according to all of the guides), and grains ranging from homely to exotic (rice and flour to eikhorn, spelt, or farro). But try to find a few hours to make a big batch of perogies? You might as well look for time to organize your closets. Every now and then it behooves us to take our schedules firmly by the scruff of the neck and give them a gentle shake to remind them that we call the shots in our own lives, actually, and if we want to get a bit crazy and spend a whole rainy Saturday in the kitchen with our kids instead of tidying the third downstairs closet, then we will do just that. Invite people over. Set up mashing, mixing, rolling, filling and pinching stations— or just wing it. Play loud music (klezmer, ukelele, Amy Winehouse), make enough for everyone to take some home, and remember that this is your now!
Homemade Perogies Dough: 2 cups flour 1⁄2 cup milk, warmed 1⁄2 cup potato, well mashed or put through a ricer 1 tsp salt 1 Tbsp vegetable oil Combine all ingredients. Mix very well, until slightly sticky dough results, adding more liquid or flour as necessary to make dough easy to handle. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for several minutes, or until you have an elastic and supple dough. Try not to over-knead, as this will result in toughness. Place dough in greased bowl, turning to grease on all sides, cover with a tea towel, and rest for 30 minutes. Filling: 1⁄2 cup onion, chopped 1⁄4 cup butter 2 – 3 cooked potatoes, very well mashed 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese (note: can substitute Velveeta, or similar processed cheese. I know, I know. It tastes good, though). Melt butter in medium saucepan. Fry
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