Skillet Pierogis

I’m not really a fan of ready made food. You know, the kind that comes in a box. Keep it in the freezer till you need it. However, I always have pierogis on hand. Potato and broccoli is my favorite, but some have cheese, bacon and various other ingredients. They’re good for any meal, so lunch with a friend, or dinner with the family, easy to cook and tasty too. So, this post is about skillet perogies

Pierogis are basically dumplings. A dough wrapped around a filling, that is subsequently boiled, and also possibly fried for texture. It’s a simple idea that can be found around the world. Chinese dumplings, Italian ravioli, Jamaican patties. Each ethnic group has made it their own. Pierogis are synonymous with Eastern Europe. The name is derived from Polish and Russian. There is really no way to trace the roots of the dish, however it is mentioned in an 11th century manuscript about a polish priest, who, after a storm asked the parishioners to pray for the harvest. Because the harvest was bountiful they repaid him by making him pierogis. I’m sure they existed for centuries prior to that.

Today, most of us know pierogis as something found in the freezer section, well that includes me. I have a good friend who’s grandmother used to make them from scratch, and, I’m sure they tasted so much better. Because everything made from scratch tastes so much better. I’m sure they are available fresh at some stores too. If you have access to fresh, or homemade, please use them. For this particular recipe the only difference in between fresh and frozen, apart from the taste, of course, would be the cooking time.

The prep for skillet pierogis, is, well, exactly as the name suggests, I cook them in my cast iron skillet. I love cast iron, please read my post about it. They’re easily available and not too expensive.

Preheat the skillet in the oven before using. However, a non stick pan will work great too. Non stick, is the most important thing here. Cook them with peppers and onions, the peppers in strips and the onions in half rings, the pierogis from frozen. Preheat the pan over medium heat, and add oil, when hot add the pierogis and the vegetables. Just mix everything around, cover to prevent splattering, turn the pierogis and vegetables periodically, everything is going to caramelize, you just don’t want it burnt. Do this for 15-20 mins, till you get the desired results, the pierogis and vegetables will definitely be cooked

There are a few options to serve skillet pierogis. Plain on a plate with some sour cream, with the onions and peppers as the recipe suggests, I like to add oven baked fries too. I know, there’s lots of potato there, but it sure is delicious. However you serve them, enjoy, and thank you for reading