Did you ever have a moment when you set your mind on preparing something specific for dinner, then realized that you were short on the quantity of the main ingredient?
The other day, I was set to make varenyky (Ukrainian word for Pierogi), and realized that I was one cup short of all-purpose flour and low on sour cream, so I added whole wheat flour, and used oil to fill in the gap.
One of the most popular dishes in Eastern European cuisine is Filled Dumplings, known as: Varenyky or Pyrohy in Ukrainian, and Pierogi in Polish. They are made from homemade pasta dough and filled with varieties of fillings, but potato and cheese filling being the most popular.
It is definitely “labor of love” for those who make them from scratch, as it requires several hours of preparation time, but it is so well worth it.
With Christmas Eve just around the corner, many Eastern Europeans will be making Varenyky (Pierogy, Perogy) for their Christmas Eve 12 course meatless meal.
Making them from scratch is an involved process, but totally worth the effort, since all the manufactured ones don’t stand a chance when compared to the real stuff….you will agree if you tasted them both.
Recently one of my readers inquired about some possibilities of creating varenyky dough from gluten-free flour, as they love these dumplings, but are seriously allergic to wheat.
I took their suggestion as a challenge for myself, and today I used White Rice flour to make the dough, and mashed Sweet Potatoes filling.