Perogies and White Sauce

Do you ever have a memory triggered by something you smell? It's like you pick up a smell and you are immediately transported somewhere else. For me, I have strong memories of my Granny making her perogies and white sauce in her little apartment in Evergreen Village. I would play Chinese Checkers, or perhaps do a magic trick with the toy magician set while the family visiting on the other side of the couch. Then, we would gather around her old table; I remember there always being a green glass dish of pickles. Perogies and white sauce (made with whipped cream!) would soon be swimming around my plate. Eager to dive in, I would wait to hear the inevitable "amen," the food blessed. Forks and knives clank, dishes pass around, tummies fill.

My Granny has since passed away to be with her Saviour, but the tradition of making perogies with cottage cheese filling continues on in my kitchen. These are a labour of love. The ingredients are simple and nothing goes to waste, but they are time consuming. I can guarantee that nothing compares to homemade perogies and white sauce, though! Your mouth and tummy will thank you.

Here are some tips before you jump in:

-Make sure the dough isn't toooo sticky when it goes to chill in the fridge. It's ok to add a little extra flour!

-You want to roll the dough pretty thin; otherwise, when you bite into a perogy it will be all dough and little filling.

-Check the seams before you boil or freeze the perogies! Gently press the seams with your fingers to make sure they are sealed or you'll end up with a pot full of filling...

Enjoy!

Dough: -1 cup sour cream -1/2 tsp salt -1/2 tsp baking powder -2 cups flour -1 egg white, slightly beaten (save the yolk for the filling) Mix ingredients into a smooth dough, cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. This recipe makes enough for one of the following fillings, but can easily be doubled. Sauerkraut , Hamburger and Potato Filling: -1 large potato, boiled, mashed and cooled -1/2 lb hamburger, browned, seasoned with salt and pepper. Drain any drippings and cool meat. -1 cup sauerkraut, drained well Mix above 3 ingredients together. Potato Cheese and Onion filling: -2 potatoes boiled, mashed and cooled -1/4 cup sauteed onion, cooled -1 cup grated cheddar cheese Mix above three ingredients together.

Cottage Cheese Filling: -2 cups dry curd cottage cheese (if you can't find dry, place regular cottage cheese in a fine strainer and allow moisture to drain) -1 egg yolk, left over from the dough -1 tsp salt -dash pepper Combine ingredients together well. Method: 1. While dough is chilling make the fillings. (you can double the dough to make several kinds) 2. Take one recipe of dough and on a lightly floured counter roll it out very thin into a large rectangle. 3. Using an ice cream scoop place balls of filling along one end of dough as illustrated above. 4. Fold dough over filling as illustrated above. Using a small round cutter (or small glass) cut out Wareneki, as illustrated below. The dough is very easy to work with and not sticky. If you find that the edges aren't sealed just pinch as needed. 5. Place the Wareneki on parchment lined cookie sheets. Keep in fridge until ready to boil, or freeze on the cookie sheets. Once they are frozen bag them for later use. Boiling: Bring a large pot of water with 1 tbsp butter to a boil. Drop fresh or frozen Wareneki into the boiling water and boil 5 minutes if fresh, or 10 minutes if frozen. Wareneki will float when they are done. Drain. Gravy: -1/4 cup butter, melted -1 cup sour cream In a small sauce pan melt butter, and then stir in sour cream. Bring to a boil, and then simmer for 5 minutes. Salt and pepper lightly to taste. Serving suggestions: -sour cream -heated whipping cream -sauteed onions -fried crumbled bacon -farmer sausage or fried ham slices -sauteed red cabbage