Squash Perogi's!!!!!

Hey Baaaaaabes,


I made a variation of my vegan perogi's for our special houseguest, ATM, with a DELISH spaghetti squash, caramelized onions, basil and garlic.  ATM's Baba is FAMOUS for her perogi's so I was hoping to make my batch at least edible.  Alas, I didn't finish them in time for ATM to try them so I am posting this recipe in hopes that she can try them next time she visits :)


ATM eats her perogi's with vinegar.  I had never tried this but upon doing so, decided that it is a MUST.  Red wine vinegar is awesome with regular vegan perogi's and balsamic is to DIE FOR with these squashy ones.



Squash Pierogi's

Ingredients:
-1 spaghetti squash, sliced in half lengthwise, seed guts scooped out
-2 tbsp olive oil
-everything from my vegan pierogi recipe (2 cups mashed potatoes is about three medium potatoes)
-1/3 cup chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp dried
-S&P

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.  Drizzle 2 tbsp on the cut-side of the spaghetti squash halves.  Sprinkle them with S&P and place them cut side-down on a baking sheet.  Bake the squash for about twenty minutes or until the squash flesh mashes (say that five times fast...) easily with a fork. 

Scoop the cooked spaghetti squash from its skin and, along with the basil, add to the potato-caramelized onion pierogi filling that you have prepared from my vegan pierogi recipe. . .you were supposed to do that BTW. . .and you were supposed to have prepared the dough up to this point and possibly even rolled it out. . .if not - no biggie, just do it NOW!  (I used half whole-wheat flour, half unbleached all-purpose flour when I made the dough for the squashy pierog's). 

Prepare the pierogi's just like the recipe and EAT THEM with balsamic vinegar ;)

XOXOXOX
V.V.

Vegan Pierogies!

Hey Babes,

I hate pierogies.  I realize that this probably makes me a blasphemous Winnipegger but please understand that there is not a stitch of Ukrainian blood in me and I didn't grow up with a baba from the 'old country' who carefully prepared the little potato-filled pillows from scratch.  My Dad is in the food business and one of his clients was a popular frozen pierogi brand, loved and adored by most people except me and those lucky buggers who have authentic, pierogi-making, Ukrainian baba's.  My StepMama used to make a pre ballet class/soccer game pierogi casserole when me and my four pierogi-loving siblings were kids that involved putting the frozen devils in a casserole dish with some slightly diluted canned mushroom soup, topped with cheddar cheese and baked.  Again, loved and adored by most except pierogi-hatin' me.

When Boomer travelled to Ukraine on a youth exchange program, she came back having learned the ways of cabbage rolls, borsht and pierogi's from an authentic Ukrainian baba.  Upon first bite, I was in love.  The Boom makes a vegan version for me that she fills with potatoes, caramelized onions and garlic - SO GOOD - but you can go crazy with the fillings!  Try sauteed cabbage or mushrooms and maybe some shredded vegan cheese...oh the possibilities...

Authentic Ukrainian Pierogies
(blood, sweat and tears from the 'old country', optional)

Ingredients:
2 cups (ish, you might need more) flour (feel free to use whole wheat but it's hard to work with!)
1/2 cup (ish) water (again, you may need more)
1 tsp salt
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
S&P

Mix together the flour, salt and water in a large bowl, adding more flour or more water as needed to create a smooth, slightly sticky dough.  Knead the dough on a floured surface until it becomes even more smooth and quite elastic.  Let the dough rest for about half and hour while you prepare the fillin'. 

Heat the oil on medium heat in a skillet.  Add the onions and garlic, sprinkle them with some S&P and cover with a lid.  Stirring every so often, cook the onions until translucent (about ten to fifteen min) then remove the lid and continue cooking them until they are golden brown.  Mix the onions and garlic with the mashed potatoes and season the filling with S&P. 

Roll half of the dough out on a floured surface to a nice think 1/8" thickness.  Using a round cookie cutter or water glass dipped in flour, cut circles out of the dough (and the remaining dough).  Put a dollop of filling in the middle of the circles, making sure not to overfill them, and then pinch them closed tightly. 

At this point you can dust them in flour, freeze them in an even layer on a baking sheet and then store in freezer bags until you use them OR go right ahead and drop them in a pot of boiling salted water until they float and then fry 'em up in vegan butter or oil until they are golden broooowwwwwnn.  Use the same method of cooking them right from frozen. 

KISSES, V.V.