Pierogi! Ahem, Pyrohy!

Oh. God. Pierogi's. My heart. Melts. Just thinking about you.. I was introduced to these little bundles of pure sunshine many many moons ago by one of my greatest friends Talia; a Ukranain who once swore to me that she would attempt to eat at least 'one of every Animal in the world'.. Oh boy, I miss that girl. And so, in her honour I have created a vegan perogi, or as she would say, Pyrohy(pronounced, Pe-ra-hair).

(nb. Making pierogi's takes hours! So, I recommend making at least 100 per sitting)

Recipe:

- Mashed Potato

4-6 large potatoes

1/2 cube vegetable masell

1 large garlic clove

Milk and nutelex as required

- Dough:

3 cups plain flour

3 TBsp coconut oil

3/4 cup of water(or more)

Method:

 - Mash:

Boil the potatoes with crushed garlic until tender. Drain the water, add stock cube, nutelex, and “milk” to the potatoes, and whip everything until smooth. You want to get it nice and creamy, so try to work out all the big lumps.

- Dough:

Stir together flour, water, and oil until you get a workable dough. Knead for about three minutes, keeping your fingers wet to keep the dough from drying out.

- Assemble your pierogi:  

Grab a handful of dough and Roll out onto a floured surface using a floured rolling pin. The dough should be spread thin but sturdy enough to maintain without ripping. Cut circles in the dough using a egg round or a glass. Take about tablespoon of the filling and place it into the center of the dough. Fold into a crescent and pinch closed. You can use a fork to compress the seal if you like, it's all a matter of personal choice, either way, make sure the seal doesn't have any gaps, as this will keep the pototo from escaping during cooking(and leaving you with a limp dough sack). Set each one aside on waxed paper until you have all completed.

- Once all pierogi's have been assembled you can either Freeze them for later use (gently layer within waxed paper so they do not touch, freeze over night. Once frozen you can transfer them to plastic bags or containers) or COOK THEM!

 - Cooking your pierogi: Boil a pot of water, then add the pierogi. Boil for about five minutes, or until each pierogi floats to the surface of the water. Scoop out or drain off water. Add a kind dose of butter and leave it to melt for a minute or two. You can now chose to eat your little joy drops straight up (Maybe with some vegan cheese. Onions. Fakon. Soy sour cream etc) or you can Fry the suckers (gently until golden brown on each side).  Serve with some greens or other colours and INHALE! 

How many can you do?