In Krakow, the old capital city of Poland, there is an annual pierogi ‘street food’ festival, now in its sixteenth year. Each year, more and more interesting flavour combinations are showcased, and even though I had tasted sweet pierogi many times before, these strawberry pierogi, lightly fried and drizzled with honey were particularly memorable. If you are new to making Polish dumplings, or pierogi, then strawberry dumplings are perhaps the simplest to start with as the strawberries are easy to encapsulate inside the circles of dough. At home, we often made blueberry-filled pierogi, topped with whipped cinnamon cream. Pitted cherries make another wonderful seasonal filling.
Ingredients
- 12 oz/scant 3 cups (350 g) plain (all-purpose) flour or ‘00’ pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1 whole egg, plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar
- 4 fl oz ½ cup (125 ml) lukewarm water
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the Filling and Topping
- 12 oz (35 g) fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered if large, or halved, if small, or blueberries
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3½ fl oz/scant ½ cup (100 ml) runny honey
- 1¾ oz ¾ cup (50 g) pistachio nuts, finely chopped
How to Make It
- Mix the flour, whole egg and yolk, icing sugar, warm water and oil together in a large bowl. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and feels smooth. Put the dough back into the bowl, cover with a damp tea towel or clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest for 30 minutes. To Fill
- Divide the dough in half and keep one half covered with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Sprinkle your work surface with flour, then roll out the dough until it is about 3 mm/1/8 in thick.
- Have a floured tray or board to hand. Using a pastry cutter or an inverted glass tumbler, cut out 8 cm/3 in circles of dough. Depending on the size of the strawberries, place a couple or a few pieces in the centre of each circle. (If using blueberries, 2–3 blueberries will fit.) Fold the dough over to enclose the fruit. Using your thumb and finger, pinch the dough along the edge so that the pierogi is well sealed. Place each dumpling on the floured tray and cover with a damp tea towel while you make the rest. To Cook the Pierogi
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Carefully drop the dumplings in, a few at a time. They will sink at first, but will float up to the top when cooked – this will only take a minute or so. Lift them out using a slotted spoon and place on a plate to cool. If you have sealed them well, none of the filling should have escaped!
- Heat the butter in a large frying pan and gently fry the pierogi on both sides until slightly golden. To serve, drizzle with honey and sprinkle over the chopped pistachio nuts. Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- Serve this with blueberry-filled pierogi.
Ingredients:
- 9 fl oz/1 cup (250 ml) double (heavy) cream
- 1 tbsp icing (confectioners’) sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- caster (superfine) sugar or vanilla sugar, to sprinkle
- Whisk the cream with the icing sugar and cinnamon until thickened.
- Serve the warm pierogi with a sprinkling of caster sugar or vanilla sugar and a spoonful (or two) of the cinnamon whipped cream.
