While the men loaded up the chairs, Suzanne gave me a tour of her garden and shared some chives. She said you can eat the blossom!
After we pulled away from our friends’ house,(where we’d gone to borrow folding chairs) Steve and I needed something to eat.
We drove down the hill to the Bryant Street Market, and found homemade Pierogies in a ziploc bag in their freezer.
I sautéed plenty of sliced Vidalia onions in butter, too.
Added the snipped fresh chives garnish which complemented the potato and cheese filled pierogies.
Butter is key! (With a bit of olive oil so it doesn’t burn)
Basic potato and cheddar Pierogies. When I first moved to Pittsburgh the idea of mashed potatoes in dough turned me. Ha! Now it satisfies every carb craving that manifests itself in February.
You know these are Mrs. T's from the Giant Eagle freeze case, so now a reason to buy more, shoot and re-post!
Dough filled pockets-
not limited to a single culture.
Let’s count the ways-
ravioli, empanada,
spanikopita in phyllo,
pelmeni, samosa, burekas,
and a pasty. Does strudel count?
I’m sure
you can think of more.
Meatless Fridays in Pittsburgh. It’s Lent. Last week in the Post-Gazette there was a list of fish fries all over the city and outskirts but let’s talk Pierogies. You drive by churches with signs out front (pierógi, pyrogy or perogi) or you can buy them at Pierogies Plus or at the Polish Deli in the Strip. When I first moved here I had never eaten one. I watched Marianne’s mother, Olga make them from scratch. The boys loved eating them. And in time I started eating them, too. Then I wanted to try to make them. Marianne told me how to get the right potatoes and a certain cheese. I made them once for a Polish Christmas party at someone’s home. Last fall I saw Arleen make them at Christmas, by hand, parboil them and freeze them for the holiday.(see below) The whole concept of noodle/pasta dough filled with potatoes did not appeal to me but I was uninitiated. They can be filled with sauerkraut and other fillings but potato and cheese are the most popular. I am not sure how many I could eat in a sitting but the butter and onions really satisfy that urge for hearty meals with fat. One time I shipped a couple of dozen to Florida when the family lived there. Something my mother never cooked when I was growing up. At the baseball games they have Pierogi Races. No kidding. See below.
Arleen Makes Pierogies for ChristmasPierogies Race at PNC Park during the baseball game. (Well, during a break!)
