by Alison Vellas
Native Foods Cafe
This
vegan version of a Polish dumpling is filled with creamy potatoes, onions, seitan,
and sauerkraut….which might not be very traditional, but is certainly tasty! These
perogies are adapted from a very trusted source…Isa Chandra of the Post Punk
Kitchen. This recipe takes some time and skill, so be patient. The result is
sooo worth it! Makes…a lot.
Vegan Perogies
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For
the filling:
3-4 large potatoes,
peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, diced
4 TBSP canola oil
8 oz. of seitan
crumbles (I used Italian-Style Upton’s Naturals)
2/3 cup sauerkraut
1 tsp salt + more to
taste
freshly ground pepper
to taste
For
the dough:
unbleached flour
canola oil
warm water (NOT HOT)
salt
To
serve (choose any combination)
- Applesauce
- Vegan sour cream (Tofutti isn’t too hard to find)
- More sauerkraut
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you
prep your ingredients. Boil the potatoes for about 10-12 minutes, until soft
and easily punctured with a fork. While the potatoes are boiling, heat the
canola oil in a separate pan on medium-high heat, and add the diced onion.
After 2 minutes, add the seitan crumbles and stir so everything is coated with
oil. Let the onions cook until they are translucent, about 5 minutes. Drain the
potatoes when they are finished boiling, and transfer them back to their pot
(off heat). Add the seitan/onion mixture and the sauerkraut to the pot. Using a
potato masher, make the mixture as smooth as possible. Add in salt and pepper
to taste, and mix in thoroughly.
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Make the dough while the filling mixture
cools. In a large bowl, stir water and oil together. Add 2 cups of flour
(reserving 1 cup) and the salt, and mix with a fork. The mixture will probably
be sticky, but you can being to work it with your hands to start forming a
dough ball. Sprinkle a clean counter with flour, and start kneading the dough,
gradually adding in the rest of the cup of flour. You might need to add more
flour if your dough is too sticky (if it sticks to your hands it’s too sticky).
Knead for 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.
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Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Dust more
flour on your countertop and start rolling out one of the pieces with a rolling
pin. Don’t be a sissy—use some force! You want to get this dough pretty darn
thin. Not too thin though! It’s going to be stretched out more when we fold the
perogies. Using a round cookie cutter or edge of a round glass, start cutting
out circles of dough. Set them aside on a cookie sheet for convenience.
Put a large bot of water on to boil. To fill
the perogies, take 1 generous tablespoon of filling and place in the center of
the dough circle.
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Brush a small amount of water around the edges of the dough,
take one side, and fold over. Press the edges together firmly. If you feel
fancy you can “wave” the edges by pinching them together. This part takes some
patience. When all your perogies are filling and your pot of water is boiling
rapidly, you can start dropping those babies in! They only take about 2 minutes
to cook, and you will know they are done because the float up to the top of the
water. Scoop them out one by one with a slotted spoon onto a plate.
This step is optional, but worth the extra
time: heat up a generous amount of oil in a saucepan and fry the perogies until
golden brown on both sides. Some people like simply boiled perogies, but I love
that extra crunch that frying provides.
Phew! You’re done! Take a second and
congratulate yourself. Now go eat all those yummy perogies.
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