06 Oct Spiced pumpkin pierogi at Boston Manor House
A recipe from a pierogi workshop…
Pierogi workshops are a true pleasure to hold. I love the sense of comfort and community that I get when sitting around a table kneading lumps of soft dough with a group of lovely people. I love showing them how simple and fun pierogi are to make. So, when Boston Manor House asked me to hold some workshops, I jumped at the chance. I decided that we would start with Polish dumplings: pierogi. There are always challenges when cooking in a new place, no matter how prepared you are. You learn to simplify and make do. I decided that we wouldn’t measure anything on this occasion. It slows things down, and it’s not something that any seasoned pierogi maker would ever do at home. I wanted the attendees to come out feeling confident that given the ingredients, they would easily be able to make a pierogi dough just by feeling it. We made three types of pierogi: ruskie with twaróg, potato and caramelised onion; sauerkraut and mushroom and spiced pumpkin ones for dessert. The latter is what I’d like to share with you here.
A seasonal pierogi recipe for Autumn
Spiced pumpkin pierogi
2
servings30
minutes10
minutesA seasonal pierogi recipe from a recent workshop.
Ingredients
200g plain flour
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
Splash of warm water
- Filling
150g twaróg
2 tablespoons pumpkin purée
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- To serve:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
A sprinkle of cinnamon and a little sugar or a drizzle of honey.
Directions
- To make the dough, place the flour in a large bowl and rub the oil into it with your fingers.
- Add the egg yolk and the puree and start working this into a dough, adding a splash of warm water when needed.
- Once you have a dough ball, knead it for 6-7min, then allow it to rest at room temperature (covered in a damp dish cloth if you like) for 10-20min.
- Make the filling by combining all the filling ingredients in a small bowl and mashing with a fork until all thoroughly combined.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface and use a wine or water glass to cut out circles in the dough of about 6-8cm in diameter.
- Place a heaped teaspoon of filling inside each circle and close the circle into a half moon shape by pressing the edges firmly toghether. You can also use a fork afterward to go around the edges.