If my grammie was here she would now bust into a polka...i'm not even kidding (she's quite the 80-something firecracker)!!! This weekend I have decided to honor my Polish heritage by cooking up some Piggies (aka Pigs in a Blanket, aka Golumpki) which were my FAVORITE thing that my mother made growing up. Also we were going to whip up some of our delish pierogies from scratch (a staple to The Lemire Christmas Eve feast).
So I called my mother up (for the second time today, but certainly not the last) and she then provided me with the "recipe" for the piggies. I say this loosely since she used phrases like "boil cabbage till ready, but don't overcook", "add just enough salt and pepper to raw meat mixture", "add sauce until it looks right", and "cook 1-2 hours until done, but not dried out". *Sigh* Perhaps while growing up I should have been Mommy's lil helper in the kitchen so I would understand this vague cooking language. I warn Ryan that this could either be a monumental success or an epic failure, so buckle up and be prepared to only eat pierogies for dinner!
Once I started cooking though, it was like my Polish instinct kicked in and the unclear recipe actually did make sense! I knew the piggies were done just by the glorious smell filling our house. I have translated these instincts into more tangible directions for your cooking and eating pleasure!
Success is so delish right?! Enjoy!
Pigs in a Blanket, aka Golumpki, aka Piggies:
1 Head of Cabbage
1 1/4 Lbs ground beef (85/15)
1 C of white rice
1 Tbls garlic powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1 28oz can of whole tomatoes
1 10oz can of tomato soup
1/2 C finely chopped sweet onion
Cut out the core of the head of cabbage and place it in a large pot of boiling water. It should take around 10-15 mins to cook through, but you will want to remove the outer leaves as they soften and easily pull off the head of cabbage.
Cook the rice based on the packaged directions.
Saute the chopped onion in some olive oil until translucent.
Once rice and onions are finished, mix them together with the raw beef, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and the tomato soup.
Once the cabbage leaves have completed cooking, lay them out flat and fill with a large spoonful of the mixed filling. Roll the leaf around the meat mixture, tucking the edges in as you roll. Place the cabbage roll (end of the roll side down) in a cooking dish.
*tip: trim the thick "stem" part of the cabbage leave so it is roughly the same thickness as the rest of the leaf
Once all of the pigs have been rolled into their blanket and placed in the baking dish, pour the can of whole tomatoes over the top. You may want to use your fingers to break open the tomatoes thus allowing for more even distribution over the piggies.
Cook for 1.5 to 2 hours at 350 degrees. You'll know they're done with the cabbage becomes completely translucent and soft (and by the awesome smell)!
Pierogie Dough
3 C Flour (plus additional for kneading and rolling)
1/2 C Sour Cream
1/4 C Softened Unsalted Butter
1/2 tsp Salt
1 large egg
Potato Pierogie Filling
3 lbs yukon gold potatoes
4 oz cheddar cheese
4 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 Tbs Chives
Mix together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, butter, and sour cream to the dry ingredients. Knead the dough 5-7 minutes, or until it loses its stickiness (add flour little bits at a time if it seems overly sticky). Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and cut potatoes in preparation for boiling. Place them in a large pot, add water, and bring to a boil. Cook the potatoes through (if you stick them with a fork, they will fall right back off when done). Drain and immediately place in a mixer for mashing along with the cheese of your choice. We did half of the potatoes with the cheddar cheese and the other half with the cream cheese and chive, but this is something that you can improvise and make your own based on your taste. Allow this mixture to cool, then roll into balls about the size of a ping pong ball (this will make assembly a breeze).
Once the dough has rested, roll it out to roughly 1/8 inch thickness onto a well floured surface. Since we haven't been able to hunt down a circle cookie cutter large enough to date, we use the well cleaned out 28oz can to cut the circles (we're so innovative in the kitchen :D). Take the circle and stretch it/roll it a few more times, place the filling in the center, fold over, and seal the edges.
Once you have finished filling all the dough, boil the pierogies you intend to eat for 2-4 minutes (they will float when done). We then saute the boiled peirogies with plenty of onions and butter! The pierogies that we wish to eat at a later time are placed flat and separate on a baking sheet in the freezer for a couple of hours. Once they have frozen they can be place together in a sealed container or baggie without the risk of sticking together (once upon a time we didn't freeze them separately before placing them in a bag and ended up with one big pierogie and it was a sad day. the end).
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