Пельмени

I believe my Yelp profile lists Пельмени as my last meal. There is nothing so comforting as dumplings, and since I have never found a store-bought or restaurant version that can top our family recipe, I now share it with you. 

It's more of a technique than a recipe. The dough is a very quick and easy pasta dough, and the filling is just seasoned ground meat. 

The devil is in the rolling, cutting, and filling. So get your friends together, get some beer, and make short work of the prep so you can get to the eating!

This recipe will make 60-70 pelmeni. If you think that's a lot, you've never seen a hoard of people devour 60-70 pels in a matter of hours. A decent serving is about 15 pels, so if you plan to feed a lot of people, and want to freeze some for later (YOU DO), double the following recipe. 

The Dough
2 eggs
2oz water
1t oil (olive or canola - just enough to make the dough easier to work with)
1/4t kosher salt
2C unbleached all-purpose flour

Whisk the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, crack in the eggs, add the water, and using a fork, whisk the eggs, water and oil together, then start stirring in the flour until a craggy ball is formed. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface, dust with a bit more flour, and knead until smooth. Try not to add too much flour. You want the dough to be smooth and a bit on the sticky side, because you'll add more flour as you roll it out, and you don't want it to get tough & chewy.

Wrap the dough in plastic, and let rest in the fridge for at least an hour. This will relax the gluten, and make rolling easier. 

The Filling
1/2# ground beef
1/2# ground pork
2-3T finely grated onion (use a microplane, or VERY finely mince the onion)
1 clove garlic, finely grated (use a microplane, or VERY finely mince the garlic)
1t kosher salt
pepper
1/4C water
2t freshly minced dill (or 1t dried)

Combine the meats in a bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the onion, garlic and dill. Add half the water and mix well (use your hands). If it looks like it can take it, add the rest of the water. Keep the meat in the fridge while you roll and cut the dough.

Rolling & Cutting
Line a couple baking sheets or cutting boards with parchment or dust with flour. 

Take the dough out of the fridge. If you stick your finger in it, and the dent stays there, you're ready to roll! 

Dust a large work surface with flour, and find a small biscuit cutter (about 2" wide). Roll the dough out til it's thinner than a poker chip, but thicker than a guitar pick. 

Cut a zillion discs. Dip the cutter in flour to prevent sticking. 

Follow the steps below to fill and seal the pels. 

Gently stretch out the disc. 

Add a good amount of filling. You can stretch the dough to seal it in. 

Pinch the seam closed, tucking the filling in as you go.

Sealed in half

Pinch the end together to form a little "cabbage" shape.

Let's Eat! 
Boil enough chicken broth (2-3 quarts) for the pels to have room to cook (as you would boil ravioli). I really like the Trader Joe's Low-Sodium Chicken Broth, and always keep a few quarts on hand. Once the pels float to the surface, allow them to cook a few minutes more (about 5-7 minutes total - a bit longer if frozen).

Serve the pels in bowls with some of the broth. I like to add a dollop of sour cream and some soy sauce. Mom likes sour cream and a little vinegar. 

To freeze extra pels, freeze them on the sheet pan with room between them so they don't stick (see top photo). Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag or seal in a food saver bag. Store up to 3 months. 

 На здоровья! 

Mushroom Potato Onion Pirog (Russian Savory Pie)

Whole Foods charges about $4 a slice for something like this. I made two whole pies (10"x5") for about $10 total. And that was using purchased puff pastry, which is both easy to work with and tasty, but you could make your own dough (a traditional pie dough) if you prefer. 

I like to share these (either whole pies or individual turnovers) with friends on camping trips, picnics, concerts, etc. These are for HSB15. Fall is in the air, and the combination of caramelized onions and mushrooms with potato wrapped in a golden pastry is really satisfying.

What You Need
1 box Pepperidge Farm puff pastry sheets 
1.5# russet potatoes
1 large onion
8oz crimini mushrooms 
olive oil
S&P
an egg for eggwash 

How to Make it
The puff pastry comes frozen. Thaw the whole box in the fridge overnight. Keep them cold as you prepare the filling. 

Peel, cube and boil the potatoes (with 2t salt) until soft. Drain and roughly mash them. 
Dice the onion, and saute in olive oil until soft.
Slice the mushrooms and add them to the onions. Sprinkle with S&P. Crank up the heat and saute til the onions are golden brown and the mushrooms are tender. You can deglaze the pan with a little dry sherry if you like. It adds a nice flavor and helps collect all the flavors from the pan. 
Combine the onion mixture with the potatoes and let it cool to room temp. You can also make this mixture ahead and chill it overnight. 

Preheat oven to 425' (you will reduce the heat to 400' after you put the pies in). 
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. 
Flour a work surface and unfold one of the pastry sheets. Keep the 2nd one in the fridge. 
Gently roll the square out a bit making it about 2" bigger all around. Spread half the filling evenly in the center of the dough, leaving about 3" on each side, and 1" at the top and bottom. Join the sides over the center of the pie, pinching the dough together to create a tight seal. Seal and crimp the top and bottom as well. Gently lift the pie and place it in the center of a baking sheet. Glaze with egg wash. Place the baking sheet in the freezer or fridge while you repeat the process with the second pie. 

Bake the pies at 400' for about 30-40 minutes. Rotate the baking sheets halfway through. The pies should be deeply golden brown. Cool on a rack. Either serve slightly warm, or cool completely and store wrapped at room temp for up to a day. Beyond that, you should keep them in the fridge, though that will make the dough gunky. Just eat them within a day. It won't be a problem. Trust me. 

на здоровье! 

Борщ!

On a chilly March weekend several years ago, my posse gathered at Haypress Campground for Lauren Fiel's birthday. Recent rains turned trails to rivers, and by the time we pitched camp we were ready for a nice hot communal meal. I brought a few jars of my Mom's (now famous) borscht, and with it gained a new crop of Russian soup evangelists. 

Just as it takes five English letters to emulate two Russian ones, this borscht blog may seem bombastic. My advice for first-time borschters is to read it through, and taste as you go. Soup is not an exact science, but the techniques within give my Mom's version a depth of flavor that truly celebrates its humble ingredients. Ha здоровье! 

Shopping List
1# beets (about 3 large, 4 medium)
3/4# carrots (3-4)
3/4# yukon gold potatoes, yellow, or white potatoes (3-4)
3/4# cabbage (1 tiny, or 1/2 regular)
1 large white or yellow onion
1 leek or shallot
2 cloves garlic
14 oz canned or jarred tomatoes, peeled & seeded (preferably unsalted), and pureed*
olive oil
dill
apple cider or red wine vinegar (about 1/4C)
salt & pepper 
sugar (optional) 

Instructions
Roast the beets. This can be done a day ahead, or several hours ahead of making the soup. Cut the greens away from the beets, without cutting into the beets themselves. Don't cut the root end either. Leaving a 1/2" of the greens at the top will prevent beet juice from leaking out during roasting. A little will, so line a sheet pan with foil, scrub the beets well with a brush and cool water, and roast the beets whole for 30-60 minutes depending on their size. You want them yielding, but not mushy. 

Roasted beets

Prepare the Soup
Peel the cooled beets and grate them in a food processor. Wearing latex gloves will keep the mess and stained hands at bay. Peel and grate the carrots. 
Heat a very large stock pot and add a few tablespoons of olive oil. On low heat, cook the beets and carrots for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. 

Grated carrots and roasted beets. 

Meanwhile, dice the onion, leek or shallot, and mince the garlic. Peel and dice the potatoes. Core the cabbage, slice it lengthwise into wedges, then slice into thin shreds (a little thicker than you would for cole slaw). 

After 20 minutes of sauteing the beets & carrots, remove them from the pot, and set them aside for later. 
Add about 3T of olive oil to the pot, and saute the onion and leek or shallot until translucent. Stir in the garlic and saute for another minute or two. 
Stir in the cabbage and cook it down for just about a minute, stirring as it wilts. Stir in the potatoes.

Sprinkle them with about 1T kosher salt. Stir in the pureed tomatoes, then add 3Qts of hot water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes. 

not yet...

Stir in the beets and carrots. Adjust the seasoning. Stir in the vinegar and dill. Adjust the seasoning. If the soup is too acidic, stir in about 1T of sugar. 

Борщ!

Serve immediately. 
Refrigerate cooled soup in airtight containers for up to 1 week, or freeze in mason jars for up to 6 months. 
Makes 1.1 cubic Sweeneys. (A lot.)

* I found this marvelous organic tomato puree at my local Mediterranean market. The ingredients are simply organic tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and pureed. No salt or anything else added. I used about 2/3 of the jar, and will make a marinara with the rest. Delightful. 

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