Tag Archives: Polish

Pierogies 1-2-3

Making pierogi dough and getting it the right consistency can be hard. Want to make some quick and easy? Then try using wonton wrappers for the dough – you wouldn’t believe it, but they come out just FANTASTIC !

Pierogies 1-2-3
Pierogies 1-2-3

12 servings (3 pierogies each)
169 calories per serving

2 c cooled mashed potatoes
4 oz. whipped cream cheese with chives and onions
1/2 t pepper
36 wonton wrappers
Water
3 T butter
1/2 c light sour cream

Boil water in a saucepan. Mix potatoes, cheese and pepper. Cut wonton wrappers into circles (if you have to have a pierogi in the typical half moon shape – otherwise just make triangles !) Brush edges of pierogies with water and place 1 T of the potato mix inside. Fold in half and seal edges together. Working in batches, add to boiling water and cook 3 minutes or until they float. Drain and rinse with cold water. Again, working in batches melt butter and cook 12 pierogies at a time. Serve with sour cream.

Pierogies 1-2-3
Pierogies 1-2-3

Baked Pierogi

Take regular old store bought pierogi and turn them into a meal fit for a king ! The cheese sauce on top of these is out of this world good when mixed with the potato and cheese pierogi filling.

Baked Pierogi
Baked Pierogi

4 servings
281 calories per serving

1 16 oz. package or frozen pierogies
Pam
2 lean bacon slices, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 oz. low fat cream cheese
½ c chicken broth
½ c shredded low fat cheddar cheese
¼ c sliced scallions
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place pierogies in a bowl and cover with hot water to defrost. Drain well. Spray 9×13 pan with Pam and add pierogies. Heat a skillet and cook the bacon the remove and set aside (crumble it when it is cool enough). Add garlic to pan and sauté 30 seconds then add cream cheese and cook 1 minute. Whisk in broth and then pour over the pierogies. Add the cheese on top and bake 20 minutes or until heated. When done, sprinkle with bacon, scallions, salt and pepper.

Polish Babka

I have been searching for a recipe that would turn out my Grandma’s babka, but, alas, I cannot find one that compares. After years of Grandma’s being passed around, something is surely missing as it just does not turn out the right product. This one is close – it has most of the right ingredients and it turns out a really nice tasting babka that is quite traditional (like many of the Polish delis sell), but it is not my Grandma’s babka. Hers was much flatter and less dense – it was drier and airier. It was more a cross between a cake and a bread (she even cooked it in a 9×13 pan rather than a bundt or in bread pans) whereas this one is more the traditional heavier bread. So if you’re looking for a traditional babka recipe, this is a great one to try.

If anyone out there knows of how to get the babka tasting more like I remember, please let me know !!

Polish Babka
Polish Babka

20 servings
239 calories per serving

6 c flour
1 t salt
1 package of yeast
½ c warm water
¾ c sugar
1 ½ c skim milk
1 stick unsalted butter
¾ c golden raisins
2 eggs, beaten
1 egg yolk
2 T water
Pam

Soak raisins in some warm water to plump them up a little then drain before adding to dough. Heat milk in a saucepan then add the butter and cook on low until the butter is melted. Pour into a mixing bowl and add sugar and salt and cool for 20 minutes. Mix the yeast and ½ c water and let sit 5 minutes then add it to the milk and sugar mix. Add in the 2 beaten eggs and then gradually add the flour and mix. Then knead the dough ½ hour by hand or 10-12 minutes in a mixer with a dough hook attachment. Add the raisins during the last couple minutes of kneading.

Cover the bowl with a towel and let dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about one hour. Then punch down, re-cover and let it rise another hour.

Then take dough and place in a 13×9 pan (or in 2 bread pans). Mix the egg yolk and 2 T water and brush onto the top of the bread dough. Spray foil with Pam and cover pan and let rise again until doubled – again, about an hour.

Then uncover and bake at 350 degrees for ½ hour for a 9×13 pan or 45 minutes for a large pan or bread pans. It’s done when you tape on it and it makes a hollow sound. Let cool and then cut into slices.

Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce

Pierogies are the Polish version of the Italian ravioli or the Mexican empanada. They are little pockets of dough filled with a mixture of cheese and potato. There is nothing NOT to like and tons to love – it’s carbs wrapped up in carbs with some cheese thrown in for good measure 🙂

Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce
Pierogies in Mushroom Sauce

4 servings
233 calories per serving

1 t oil
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 T flour
2/3 c skim milk
1/2 c vegetable broth
1 lb. frozen low fat potato pierogies (I used the mini ones)
2 T light sour cream

Heat oil in skillet and add mushrooms, salt and pepper. Cook until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over and stir well. Add milk and broth and stir until smooth. Add the pierogies and bring to a boil and then cook on medium heat 4 minutes or until heated throughout. Remove skillet from heat and stir in the sour cream. Be sure to remove from heat or the sour cream may curdle. Serve immediately.

Lazy Man’s Stuffed Cabbage

I love stuffed cabbage, but it is a major undertaking when you are rolling them all individually. Get the same taste with so much less effort with this great ‘Lazy’ recipe. Here you just make a casserole with layers of all the ingredients and it cuts the prep time down incredibly.

Lazy Man's Stuffed Cabbage
Lazy Man's Stuffed Cabbage

4 servings
394 calories per serving

1 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 cup uncooked brown minute rice
1 onion, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes
1/4 c ketchup in mix and 1/2 c for top of casserole
1 medium head of cabbage, sliced
Couple of drops of smoked flavoring (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ t onion powder
Pam

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Brown meat and onion in a skillet. Drain well. Cut cabbage into small shreds (not so small as coleslaw cabbage, just smallish slices). Add tomatoes, ketchup, smoked flavor, salt, pepper, onion powder and rice to meat. Simmer 2 minutes. If rice needs more water to soak up, add it (last time I made it, it needed about ½ cup added) . Place a layer of cabbage in a large baking pan sprayed with Pam. Cover with a layer of the meat mix. Repeat with a layer of cabbage. Add extra ketchup to the top layer. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until cabbage is tender.

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