Gramma Z's Pennsylvanian Pierogies

(recipes in the last post!)

Northeastern Pennsylvania, where I was born, is a mishmash of Eastern European cultures, which have blended through the generations to form something of an accidental, artificial, invented tradition. Elements from Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, in fact from throughout what was the Austro-Hungarian Empire, have lost their Old World boundaries to become something specifically Pennsylvanian. This, however, has all happened without the locals realising it, and we grow up, therefore, thinking that we are living a single, unified, traditional background, which came with our ancestors over the ocean to Pennsylvania from that little village where they used to live called Europe.

This blending of cultures is nowhere more apparent than it is in our family cuisine. I grew up with dishes from all over Eastern Europe, and never imagined I wouldn't be able to find them all in the same kitchen if I visited the small village of Spišká Stará Ves, in Slovakia, where my grandfather was born. This cuisine includes kielbasa (from Poland) halushki and chicken paprikash (from Hungary) countless cakes and cookies and breads that I have yet to trace, and of course, the inevitable pierogi, which exists in some form in pretty much all of these places.

But the other peculiarity of the Pennsylvania Effect is that we have also adapted these dishes for our American palettes (and inherent laziness), and, having lost the languages that named them, somewhat bastardised the vocabulary. So while kielbasa (which we pronounce, for some reason, "kill BAH' see") in Poland is simply a generic term for sausage, Pennsylvanian kielbasa is a very specific garlicky, fatty, full ring sausage, often made from wild deer meet, served smoked or fresh with mustard and horseradish. And while in Hungary halushki (or 'haluški', if spelled properly) is actually just the collective word (and in the plural at that) for 'dumpling', in Pennsylvania it is a dish of grated, fried cabbage and onion, which, although it was probably once served over handmade dumplings, is now surreally acknowledged to only be prepared correctly if it is served over farfalle pasta (or 'bowtie noodles', as Pennsylvanians like to call it).

Likewise we have adapted our pierogi recipe. Again, the general Polish dish, which is a dumpling filled with any number of possible mixtures, in Pennsylvania has been weeded down to one essential combination, the Ultimate Pierogi, stuffed with potato and cheese and fried in butter and onion. For us, the pierogi is so ubiquitous that in Wilkes-Barre, the town where I was born, you can order them as a side dish with your meal at the most traditional of local establishments, Abe's Hot Dogs. In Poland the potato and cheese variety is called 'Ruskie Pierogi', and it has a light filling of whipped potato with fresh farmer's cheese. In Slovakia, where our family recipe probably came from, the filling is heavier, and, although the cheese is still fresh, a much stronger-flavored goat's curd cheese is used. Here the pierogies are not fried after boiling, but a garnish of bacon bits fried in butter is poured over them.

For the American palette, somewhere in the past, we removed any element of lightness from our pierogies. We replaced the fresh cheese, goat's or otherwise, with extra-sharp, dry, crumbly cheddar, and added fresh minced onions for a bit of tang. They are common enough that they are even mass produced and available across the country, and, thanks to Mrs. T, it appears there is even a National Pierogi Day (spelling varies):

http://www.pierogies.com/

Meanwhile, in my own cooking I have begun to experiment with more fillings. As I have moved back to the "Old World" (or at least closer to it) I am, of course, always looking to broaden my horizons. My favorites so far have been an adaptation of the above-mentioned halushki topping (grate cabbage and onion in a 3 to 1 proportion; fry slowly in lots of butter until deep brown and caramelized; add salt and lots of black pepper), and a version that feels more Estonian to me, although I first had it in Poland, of tatar prepared with bacon, served with sour cream. But the most fun, like we did in Mooste for our foodclub, it to get as many hands as possible involved (i think we had about 30) and invite people to make up their own fillings. We were spoiled with wild boar, and hand picked mushrooms, and sweet carrot, and cheese with herbs; really, with an empty pierogi in front of you, anything is possible!

Vanaema Z Pensilvania Pierogid

(ca 24tk)
TAIGEN:
2 muna
4 tassi nisujahu (ca 500g)
1/2 teelusikat soola
1 klaas vett (ca 200ml)
Sega ained omavahel. Taigen peaks olema pehme aga
mitte kleepuv. Kui on kleepuv lisa natuke jahu
(ära liialda)

Igaüks tõi klubisse kaasa väga erinevaid täidiseid
(lehterkukeseene- chipotle pipra, seene- sealiha,
porgandi, õuna-kaneeli, põdraliha, kapsa jne).
Need täidised me kõik ka pierogidesse toppisime.
Olgu allpool äratoodud lemmikud, Patricku kartuli ja
Epu juustutäidis



KARTULITÄIDIS:
3-4 keskmise suurusega kooritud, keedetud ja pudruks
tambitud kartulit
1 keskmise suurusega sibul (peeneks hakitud)
ca 225 g teravamaitselist juustu
(cheddar oleks ideaalne aga Eesti tingimustes sobib
ka 8 kuud laagerdund Valio Gouda Black

JUUSTUTÄIDIS
1 tassitäis kodujuustu
1 tassitäis mozzarellat
1 tassitäis riivitud parmesani
2 muna
ja maitseürte-basiilik, tüümian
ja pisut musta pipart

MEISTERDAMINE:  Rulli taigen ca 8mm paksuseks.
Lõika klaasi või mõne muu ümara vormiga ring.
Aseta ca 1 supilusikatäis täidist taigna keskele.
Tee taigna servad veega märjaks ja suru ääred
omavahel kokku. Ära lase täidisel äärtesse
valguda- muidu ei “liimu” taignaääred kokku.
Aja potis vesi keema ning puista “pierogid” vette.
Pireogid on valmis kui nad pinnale tõusevad.
Seejärel prae pierogid võis ja riputa peale
karamelliseeritud sibulad.  

2011.aasta esimene Toiduklubi- teeme 'pierogisid'

Mooste ToiduKlubi- Ise teeme, ise sööme!

Reedel, 14.jaanuaril, kell 18.00 koguneb 2011.aasta esimene Mooste Toiduklubi.
Toiduklubi toimub MoKSis ja seekord õpetab ameerika-poola-iiri päritolu Patrick McGinley valmistama 'pierogisid'.


Kes või mis on 'pierogi'? Maakeeli lahtiseletatult on 'pierogi' täidisega klimbid. Rahvusvahelisest kulinaariast võib neid võrrelda itaalia ravioolide, vene pelmeenide, hiina wontonite, nepaali momode, ja gruusia hinkaalidega. Võrdlusi võib tuua veel mitme teisegi rahva köögist. 'Pierogi' on toit, mida armastavad poolakad ja ukrainlased ning miljonid Ida-Euroopa juurtega ameeriklased. Pierogisid valmistatakse hapendamata taignast, täidetakse neid väga erinevate täidistega, kas magusa või soolasega. Seejärel neid kas keedetakse vees, küpsetatakse ahjus või praetakse pannil.
14. jaanuari Mooste Toiduklubis õpetab Patrick McGinley kuidas valmistada Pensilvaania stiilis 'pierogisid'. Kõik kohaletulnud saavad käe valgeks (loe: jahuseks) ning leiutada ka ise uusi täidiseid.

Mooste ToiduKlubi eesmärk on laiendada arusaamasid toidust, mida me sööme ja kuidas. Klubi soovib oma tegevusega kaardistada kohalikku toidutootmist ja kasutada klubi toiduvalmistamises niipalju kohalikku päritolu toiduaineid kui võimalik. Samuti tahab klubi oma tegevusega ärgitada inimesi hindama kohapeal kasvatatud toitu, jagama toiduvalmistamisse puutuvaid teadmisi ja traditsioone (erinevad säilitusmeetodid, traditsioonilised retseptid, jne). Kui see baas on tugev siis võime julgelt asuda ka eksperimenteerima, segada omavahel traditsioonilisi ja ebatraditsioonilisi toiduained erilistes toiduvalmistusviisides. Tegelikult ei ole toiduklubi eesmärk mitte ainult toidu valmistamine vaid inimeste kokkutoomine, et koos toitu ja teadmisi jagada, nautida ja eksperimenteerida. Iga klubi kokkusaamist juhendab erinev kokk, kel on jagada oma retseptid ja lood.

2011. a esimene Toiduklubi toimub reedel, 14. jaanuaril, kell 18.00 MoKSis. Palume huvilistel oma tulekust kindlasti teatada hiljemalt neljapäeva, 13.jaanuari õhtuks, helistades telefonil 5 138 599

Mooste ToiduKlubi toimub vähemalt kord kuus. Olete oodatud ise või koos sõpradega. Soovitatav miinimumannetus toiduklubis osalemiseks on 3 eurot ja 20 senti.

Kohtumiseni Mooste ToiduKlubis,
http://mooste-toiduklubi.blogspot.com
http://moks.ee


foto John Grzinich, aastavahetuse pierogimeisterdamine