Plum Pierogi

When we talk about pierogies here, we think Canadian Ukrainians. Our friends friends made them, our Aunts, Uncles and grandparents made them. It’s a part of the culture I’ve grown up with and want to share with my family to keep the tradition alive.

When I talk Plum Pierogi, I get the deer in the headlights look every single time.

What is a Plum Pierogi?

I get it. You haven’t heard of them before, but maybe you’ve heard of apple, Saskatoon, raspberry, even blueberry pierogi’s. We’ve made those to but the plum are my favourite.

It started when my parents built a house. They, planted fruit trees. Lots of fruit trees. And a garden, greenhouse and many berry bushes. Two of those fruit trees were prune plum trees.

When you have buckets of plums to use up, you get creative. And so the story of plum pierogi begins.

Pierogies come from Eastern and Central Europe. Ukrainian babas all have their own unique pinching technique to seal the dumpling. Kind of like a Chinese dumping – there are many ways to fold and seal ensuring the filling stays on inside.

We also make potato and cheddar cheese pierogies. The recipe is simple and I’ve never thought to write it out. It’s your basic mashed potato recipe if you will. Boil potatoes, mash potatoes with salt and pepper. Add in a smudge of butter and sour cream to loosen up a bit. Then mix in the cheese until melted. Make your dough, add between a teaspoon and tablespoon of filling, cook, enjoy. There you have cheddar cheese and potato recipe.

My History with Pierogi Making

I grew up eating my mom’s pierogies and partaking in the art of making them.

When I was old enough I was put into the assembly line and allowed to help although my favourite thing was to swipe some of the dough and munch on it.

These days I sometimes use the old method learned from my mom of rolling dough into a log, cutting into 1 inches pieces, flattening and rolling each piece. Although I do prefer my own method of using a cookie cutter, cup or glass to cut out my shapes, add filling and seal.

If you enjoy any kind of cooked, stewed or roasted plum dish, and you like pierogies, you will need to try my favourite childhood dish.

PRO TIPS:

• 1 batch of dough will make enough pierogies to fill a 9 x 11 casserole dish. I can’t say how many it makes but it feeds four of us easily with leftovers.
• Let your dough rest for at least 15 minutes before rolling out.
• You may need extra water to add to your dough so keep it handy.
• Have casserole dish and melted butter ready to go to avoid sticking.

This is definitely a Fall recipe as these plums are only in season in September. Check out our other Fall recipes here:

• Fall Harvest Salad with Elderberry Syrup Dressing
• Simple Roast Chicken
• Plum Elderberry Syrup Hand Pies

Updating this post has me drooling constantly. Pierogies are not meant to look perfect. Our recent batch was made by my daughter and our Vietnamese student.

Plum Pierogi

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Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sour cream
• 1 cup water on standby
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups prune plums halved & pitted

Instructions

• In a large bowl, mix together your flour, salt and baking powder. In a small bowl beat your eggs with the sour cream and 1/2 cup water. Add wet mixture to dry and mix your dough until it comes together adding more water as needed.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until firm and smooth. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Divide the dough into 4 portions keeping each piece under plastic wrap until ready to use.
• Take first portion and form with hands into a log continuing to shape until approximately 12 inches long. With sharp knife cut into 1/2 pieces.
• Take each piece (this was always my job) dip in flour and flattened into a circle using your thumb and first two fingers.
• Using a floured rolling pin (and floured surface) try to roll out each piece of dough into a circle shape. Do not worry if the shape is not perfect...it all tastes the same.
• OR you can roll out a section of dough and use a cookie cutter, or glass rim to cut out round shapes.
• Once all pieces have been rolled out, place half a plum in the centre of each round, 1/4 tsp of sugar and sprinkle of cinnamon.
• Moisten the edges with water, fold over, and press together to seal. At this point you can use a fork to seal the dough. I was taught how to flute the dough edge by pinching the edges. Place pierogi's on a floured board or cookie sheet and cover with a slightly damp dish towel. Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and plums.
• In a pot of boiling water, gently drop in your pierogi's and boil in batches for about 2-3 minutes. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and place on a platter or casserole dish. Pour some melted butter over top to prevent sticking while you cook the remaining pierogi's.
• Serve with sour cream & more cinnamon (if you wish) while still hot.