Varenyky
Local name : Вареники
Ukrainian dumplings stuffed with cheesy mashed potato, boiled until tender and tumbled through butter-fried onions.
Photo : stu_spivack · CC BY-SA 2.0
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 80 min
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Method
- Knead the flour, warm water, egg, oil and salt for 8 minutes into a smooth, supple dough, then cover and rest it for 30 minutes.
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for 20 minutes, mash them while hot with the cheese, salt and plenty of pepper, and let the filling cool a little.
- Fry the onions in the butter over medium-low heat for 20 minutes, until sweet and golden. Keep them warm in the pan.
- Roll the dough out to 2 mm and cut 8 cm rounds with a cutter, working in small batches and keeping the rest covered.
- Place a spoonful of filling in the centre of each round, dampen the edge and pinch firmly into a half-moon, pressing out any trapped air.
- Boil them in batches in a large pan of salted water. They are ready one minute after they float, roughly 3 to 4 minutes.
- Lift them out with a slotted spoon straight into the pan of buttery onions and turn to coat. Serve with soured cream.
Never let varenyky sit and drain dry; without butter they weld together within seconds. Keep the dough soft and pliable so it pinches shut instead of tearing.
