PIEROGI FILLING RECIPES

Steps:

• Mix the flour, egg and a pinch of sea salt until you have a smooth dough, adding a splash of water, if needed. Knead on a flour-dusted surface for 2 minutes, then cover and pop into the fridge. Trim the tough end off the broccoli stalk. Remove the florets, halving any larger ones, and chop the remaining stalk into 2cm chunks. Put one third of the florets aside, then cook the rest with the chopped stalk in a pan of boiling water for 8 minutes. Drain and mash well, then finely grate in the cheese, finely chop the chives and add half, stir in the soured cream, season to perfection and leave to cool. Peel and finely slice the garlic. Divide the dough into eight, then roll out each piece into a 14cm circle, dusting with flour as you go. Divide up the filling on one side of each circle. Lightly brush the exposed pastry with water, then fold it over the filling, twisting along the edge to seal, like in the picture. Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil, the pierogi and the reserved broccoli florets. Pour in 1cm of boiling kettle water, cover and boil for 4 minutes. Uncover and fry the pierogi and broccoli on one side only for 4 minutes, or until the water has evaporated and the bases are golden. Meanwhile, put 1 teaspoon of oil and the garlic into the pan you used to boil your broccoli, stir until lightly golden, then pour in the tomatoes, simmer for 2 minutes and season to perfection. Serve it all together, sprinkled with the remaining chives.

Steps:

• First, make the crispy shallots. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 secs). Toss the shallots in a little flour and deep-fry for 1 min or until light golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper. Can be made up to two days before and kept in an airtight container.
• To make the filling, heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan and gently fry the shallots for 10 mins until starting to turn golden.
• Add the sauerkraut and cabbage, and cook for 5-10 mins until the cabbage has softened. Taste and add a little salt if under-seasoned, or sugar if stringent. Scrape into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
• To make the dough, mix the eggs and oil with 125ml water, then gradually add in the flour, mixing well with your hands. Knead it on a well-floured surface until the dough stops sticking to your hands. You should end up with firm, elastic dough. Wrap it in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 mins, or overnight.
• Flour your work surface generously. Roll out the dough to a 40cm circle or until the dough is as thick as £1 coin.
• Using a 9cm cookie cutter, cut out discs in the dough – you should end up with about 25 discs. Do not throw away the off-cuts – we throw them in with the pierogi when boiling to minimise any waste.
• Have a well-floured tray ready. Put 1 tsp of the filling into the centre of each disc. In your hand, fold in half around the filling and seal to create half-moon shapes. Put them on the floured tray, making sure they don’t touch each other.
• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and carefully lower the pierogi in. Boil them for 2 mins or until they float to the top.
• Drain and serve with a knob of butter and some soured cream. Finish by sprinkling the crispy shallots on top to serve.