Pierogi 101, My Recent Culinary Discovery

I find that life has a strange way of giving me exactly what I need in ways that I could have never imagined. If you would have told me 3 years ago that one day I would fall in love with a polish boy from Chicago I would have said you were nuts. As it turns out my new love has many more skills than that of being a wonderful and supportive man in my life. Although, he can cook if he really tries I thought I would go to the source. I would ask his mother Stefania how to make the traditional Polish filled dumplings called Pierogi.  I have eaten them before and always wondered how they get that dense pasta like dough that is slightly thick but still light and buttery. I have found that it is actually much easier then the fresh ravioli I have been making all these years. I may be converted to this new method of doing things and never make the very time consuming ravioli again. See below for our cooking methods and try it out for yourself.

Pierogi
2	+	cups flour
1/2		teaspoon salt
1		egg
2		teaspoons sour cream
1/2		+ cup water

	First mix the flour with the salt in a deep bowl. Add the egg, sour cream and water to make a medium soft dough. Knead the doug in a floured board until it is smooth and elastic about 10min. Add more flour/water if necessary.
	Divide the dough into 2 parts. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while you prepare the filling.
	Roll the dough into a long rope about an 1 1/2 inches wide on a floured board. Then cut finger width sections from the rope. Be sure not to make them too big like I did a few times. They will take too long to cook and be tough.
	Once the rope is cut up flatten them slightly into rounds. Stefania used an old glass bottle which I thought was very cute but a rolling pin would work too. Place a spoonful of filling in it, fold over to form a half circle and press the edges together with the fingers. Be sure the edged are sealed to prevent filling from getting out. I also had a few issues with this part at first.
	To cook drop a few pierogies into a large quantity of rapidly boiling salted water. Do not crowed the pot.
	Stir VERY gently with a wooden spoon to separate them and to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
	Continue boiling for 3-4 minutes. Pierogies will be ready when they are floating and puffed. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain thoroughly.
	Place in a deep dish, sprinkle generously with melted butter to prevent them from sticking and serve warm with sour cream.
	Pierogi are easy to freeze and taste just as good re-heated
	To re-heat, you can: 1) pan fry pierogies in butter until they are light in color 2) place pierogies in the top of a double boiler until they are hot/plump 3) deep fry them Potato and Cheese Filling 1 tablespoon grated onion 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups cold mashed potatoes 1 cup cottage cheese  salt and pepper Cook the onion in butter until tender. Combine it with potatoes and cheese.The filling should be thick enough to hold it's shape. Season to taste with salt and pepper. His mother made her own cottage cheese it was much drier then store bought ones and had smaller curds.