Sauerkraut pierogi — soft dumplings stuffed with tangy sauerkraut and sweetheart cabbage, boiled and finished with butter, soured cream and crisp shallots. A beloved Eastern European classic.
- 1 tablespoon Sunflower Oil
- 150g Sauerkraut
- 150g Hispi (Sweetheart) Cabbage
- 1 beaten Egg
- For frying Vegetable Oil
- 2 sliced Shallots
- Dusting Plain Flour
- 45g Butter
- 60 ml Sour Cream
Video
Preparation
- First, make the crispy shallots. Heat the oil in a saucepan to 180C (a cube of bread will turn golden in 15 seconds). Toss the shallots in a little flour and deep-fry for 1 minute, or until light golden and crispy, then drain on kitchen paper. These can be made up to two days ahead 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 minutes until starting to turn golden.
- Add the sauerkraut and cabbage and cook for 5–10 minutes until the cabbage has softened. Taste and add a little salt if under-seasoned, or sugar if too sharp, then scrape into a bowl and leave to cool completely.
- To make the dough, mix the egg and oil with 125ml water, then gradually add the flour, mixing well with your hands. Knead on a well-floured surface until the dough stops sticking — you should have a firm, elastic dough. Wrap in cling film and rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
- Flour your work surface generously and roll out the dough to a 40cm circle, as thick as a £1 coin.
- Using a 9cm cutter, cut out about 25 discs, keeping the off-cuts to boil alongside the pierogi.
- Have a well-floured tray ready. Put 1 tsp of filling into the centre of each disc, fold in half around the filling, and seal into half-moon shapes. Place on the tray, not touching.
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and carefully lower in the pierogi. Boil for 2 minutes, or until they float to the top.
- Drain and serve with a knob of butter and some soured cream, sprinkled with the crispy shallots.
