Butternut Squash Pierogi
This savory butternut squash ravioli side dish is a tip of the hat to the many Polish-Americans living in New England.
Butternut Squash Pierogi
Photo Credit : Styled and Photographed by Liz NeilyStuffed with butternut squash, feta, and caramelized onions and topped with crispy sage leaves, this pierogi recipe is a bit time-consuming, but you can make the dough and the filling a day or two beforehand (in fact, the pierogi taste even better when you do). To speed up the process and make the filling and folding easier, we made larger pierogi than usual—a full 4 inches across. The good news is that you can cut the dough using a standard deli container (or similar-size bowl), and three pierogi make a generous and filling side dish.
Yield:
18 pierogi (6 servings as a side dish)For the filling
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper
1 15-ounce can butternut squash puree or pumpkin puree
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Warm olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onions. When they begin to sizzle and turn translucent, add sugar, salt, and pepper and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until onions begin to turn golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Add squash and feta and cook over medium heat, stirring, until feta has softened and the mixture dries out a bit, 5 to 8 minutes. Set aside to cool at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Now, make the dough.
For the dough, and to finish
Ingredients
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for cooking water
1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
¾ cup sour cream
4 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 sage leaves
Sour cream, for serving
Instructions
In a large bowl using a stand or handheld mixer, combine the flour and salt. Add the egg, egg yolk, sour cream, and 4 tablespoons butter and mix until the dough comes together and there are no dry bits. Using your hands or the dough hook of a stand mixer, knead the dough until it feels smooth and less sticky, about 3 minutes (if the dough sticks to your counter, dust very lightly with flour). Gather dough into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 2 days.
Dust your counter lightly with flour. Roll out half the dough to a ⅛-inch thickness. Use a standard 4-inch-wide deli container (or a 4-inch bowl) to cut the dough into circles, gathering and re-rolling as needed. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling into the center of each circle and fold the dough over, like a turnover. Press the edges together and crimp to seal. Transfer the filled pierogi to a lightly floured rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. You should have 18 pierogi.
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil and add a third of the pierogi. Reduce heat to a low boil and cook until the pierogi rise to the top, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, set a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and remaining butter. When the pierogi are done boiling, remove them each with a slotted spoon, drain, and transfer to the skillet to fry until a golden brown crust forms on one side, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove to a serving platter and keep warm in the oven. Repeat with the remaining pierogi (in two batches). As you cook the final batch, add the sage leaves and cook just until they crisp up, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve the pierogi with the sage leaves sprinkled over the top and sour cream on the side.
Amy Traverso
Food Editor Amy Traverso oversees the Yankee Magazine Food department and contributes to NewEngland.com. Amy's book, The Apple Lover's Cookbook (W.W. Norton), won an International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) cookbook award for the category American.
More by Amy Traverso