Makes 12 pierogi
From New American Table, by Marcus Samuelsson (Wiley, $40)
Want to win a copy of New American Table? Tell us about your own favorite inspired-by-the-city’s immigrant foods recipe in an email to info AT ediblemanhattan.com. Just be sure to put New American Table contest in the subject line.
I still remember the first time I had pierogi in America. I was living in New York City’s East Village, an area that was once known as the pierogi belt because it was home to so many Ukrainian restaurants. By the time I took up residence there in the early 1990s, there were only a handful of restaurants remaining, including the Kiev Diner. Along with pierogi, they served challah, matzo brei, kasha varnishkes, blintzes, and other Eastern European favorites. The food was cheap and home cooked—two things I looked for in a restaurant at that time of my life—so I ate there often.
The restaurant is no more, but this recipe is inspired by its pierogi, a food I ate many times during my first year in the United States. When preparing this recipe, make the filling first. While the filling is cooling, you will have just enough time to make the dough.
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ small yellow onion, chopped
1 Yukon Gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
2 tablespoons uncooked long-grain rice
¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
One ½-pound trout fillet, skin removed
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1½ tablespoons chopped dill
Pierogi Dough (see recipe below)
1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the potato, rice, and fennel seeds and sauté for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup water and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer until the rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Add the vinegar and lay the trout over the top. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Mash the trout mixture with a fork. Season with the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fold in the dill. Let cool before filling.
3. Divide the pierogi dough into 12 equal pieces. With a floured rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface, roll each piece into a 3-inch circle. Place a heaping tablespoon of the trout filling in the center of each round and brush the edges with water. Fold each circle into a half-moon and crimp the edges with a fork to seal.
4. Whisk the remaining egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush the egg wash over the surface of each pierogi. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes, rotating halfway through.
PIEROGI DOUGH
Makes about 2 cups
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons sour cream
1½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk together the eggs and sour cream in a small bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, pepper, coriander, and salt. Add the egg mixture and mix until a dough forms. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, 5 to 10 minutes. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
