I’m not a big fan of beets.
I’m trying…. and, I know some people love them.
But, I’m just not a fan.
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| Beets in their raw form. My hubby took the photo which explains the very large hand holding the beets. |
Yet, I still get them occasionally in my weekly delivery of local & organic produce.
(By the way, if you live in the Portland area I HIGHLY recommend Organics to You for local, organic produce delivered straight to your door. They give a great selection of in season produce. They try to get produce from the Oregon area, but occasionally source from Washington or California for a wider selection of fruits and vegetables. I have really, really enjoyed the boxes. Oh, and if I didn’t want beets I can request to not get them. I’m just into trying new things.)
So, back to the beets…
I decided to make pierogis for the first time.
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| Step One: Cook Down Beets, Step Two: Make Dough, Step Three: Fill Perogi, Step Four: Seal Perogi |
Be prepared though…
you’ll have pink hands for a bit after this project.
Beet Pierogi
Recipe by me adapted from All Recipes
Ingredients
Filling:
3 Cups chopped beets
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 Tablespoon butter
1 cup water, stock, or wine
(I used 1/2 cup stock & 1/2 cup wine)
Dough:
4.5 cups flour
2 eggs
1 cup water
extra flour for rolling surface and to dust finished pierogis
Directions
1. Place the beets, onion, garlic and stock into a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until beets are tender.
2. Drain the beets and add them to a food processor along with 1 Tablespoon butter. Pulse beets til everything is finely chopped. No food processor? Mash them!
3. Whisk together eggs and water, then slowly add flour. You might find that your hands work well for mixing the flour in. Turn dough out on a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic.
4. Divide the dough in half and form two balls of dough. Roll each ball of dough out into a flat disk of about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out circles with a drinking glass or a biscuit cutter.
5. Stretch each disk out with your fingers then add a small spoonful of the filling. Fold over the dough and pinch shut with fingers.
6. Dust each pierogi with flour so they don’t stick together when going into next step.
7. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Drop the pierogi into the water, 1 or 2 at a time. Stir to prevent sticking. When the pierogi float to the top they are done!
Drain and serve warm with sour cream on top!
These little treats can be filled with things other than beets such as potato, meat, or sweeter items. They can also be frozen to be used later in the day!
To freeze place them individually on wax paper covered cookie sheet and freeze. Then place frozen pierogi into a freezer bag to be used when you get the pierogi craving!
