(This portion makes approximately 20 varenyky)

Dough:
Approximately 2-3 cups of the mixture of all-purpose flour and bread flour (1:1 ratio)
1 large egg
1/2 cup full-fat plain kefir (If you cannot find kefir, full-fat sour cream can be substituted at double the amount)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Filling:
Approximately 2 lbs of yukon gold potatoes (boiled and mashed)
2 cups cottage cheese

Directions:

• Put about 2 cups of the flour mixture into a mixing bowl and make a well in the middle.
• Add the baking soda, salt, and egg to the well; mix.
• As you mix the dry ingredients with the egg, gradually add the kefir; mix everything together
• With one hand, knead the dough lightly right in the mixing bowl. The mixture must form a supple ball of dough that doesn’t stick to the bowl. if the dough is too sticky, add more flour, a bit at a time. (The flour will become more hydrated once the dough sits for 15 minutes after the mixing and less sticky then. So don’t put in too much flour just yet. Put in just enough for you to be able to knead the dough without it sticking to your fingers too badly. If in doubt, err on the side of adding too little flour; you can always add more later.)
• Knead the dough lightly for about 30 seconds. We don’t want to develop too much gluten which will result in varenyky that are too tough.
• Form the dough into a ball, cover, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes and up to one hour.
• Roll the dough into a long log and cut it into 20 pieces.
• Dust each piece of dough with more flour while roughly shaping it into a flat medallion.
• Roll each medallion into a 3-inch round, dusting the rolling pin as necessary.
• Fill each round of dough with about 1 tablespoon of the potato and cheese filling.
• Seal each varenyk very well making sure the cheese filling doesn’t ooze out.
• Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil; throw in some salt and drop the filled varenyky into the pot one by one. Give it a stir to keep the varenyky from sticking together. Adjust the heat so the water constantly remains at full boil.
• Boil the varenyky for one minute, no more and no less.
• Put a few pats of butter in a plate. With a slotted spoon, fish out the varenyky (shaking off as much water as you can) and place them in the butter plate. Give the varenyky a gentle shake just to allow the melted butter to coat them very well.
• Serve the buttered varenyky warm with caramelized onions and lots of sour cream.

There are lots of other fillings that can be used. My grandmother always made these, and we generally received varenyky with kapusta (ukrainian sauerkraut) from a friend of the family.

Some other filling ideas:

Blueberries, Sour Cherries, Kapusta, Ground Meat — See below for filling recipes.

Other Filling Recipes:

SAUERKRAUT FILLING:

8 ounces bacon slices
2 cups chopped onion
2 pounds sauerkraut, rinsed and drained, squeezed dry
1 cup chicken stock

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp.  Drain on paper towels and crumble.  Reserve.

Pour all but 1/4 cup fat from skillet, add onion and cook over medium heat until soft and golden, about 10 minutes.  Add sauerkraut, chicken stock, and reserved bacon.  Simmer to reduce chicken stock almost all the way, about 10 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  COOL before using.

CHEESE FILLING:

This runny, buttery filling puts the varenyky on the cusp between a savory dish and a dessert, you could serve them with a topping of buttered, sugared bread crumbs, crisped under the broiler.

2 (16-ounce) container 2% cottage cheese
Yolk of 2 large eggs, beaten
2 Tablespoons melted butter
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Place cottage cheese in a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl.  Cover and drain in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

In a large bowl, combine drained cottage cheese and remaining ingredients.  Mix well.

ONION TOPPING:

8 Tablespoons butter
2 large onions, chopped

In a medium skillet, melt butter.  Add onions and cook over low heat until very soft, about 20 minutes.  Turn up heat and cook, stirring, until onions are golden, about another 5 minutes.

CHERRY FILLING:

1/2 pound fresh cherries, pitted and halved, or frozen cherries, thawed and drained
1 Tablespoon kirschwasser (cherry brandy)
1/3 cup cherry, strawberry, or raspberry preserves

BLUEBERRY FILLING:

1 pint blueberries
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon fresh, strained lemon juice

1. Spread half the fruit in the bottom of a 1- quart enameled or stainless-steel saucepan. Sprinkle with half the sugar, then make similar layers of the remaining fruit and sugar.
2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to low. Simmer over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes. If you are using blueberries, stir in the lemon juice and let them cool to room temperature.
3. With a slotted spoon, transfer the blueberries or sour cherries to a small bowl. Bring the juices remaining in the pan to a rapid boil and boil steadily, uncovered, for 2 or 3 minutes, or until they thicken into a light syrup. Pour the syrup into a small serving bowl and set it aside.

SWEET WHIPPED SOUR CREAM TOPPING:

1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon kirschwasser
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Makes about 16 cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 tablespoon ground espresso
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips (I used bittersweet, or dark, chocolate chips)

Directions:

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. On medium speed, cream together the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour and espresso until just combined. Stir in the oats, and then the chocolate chips.
3. If desired, you may refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours, but no more than 36 hours.
4. A few minutes before you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons) and drop dough onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden and just set in the center. Cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet and then until completely cooled on baking rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried sage

Combine all ingredients; store in an airtight container.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: Makes about 1/2 cup

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon black pepper, coarsely ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation:

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Ketchup
1/3 Cup Worcestershire
1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon Ground Mustard
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke
Dash Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Pinch Salt and Pepper
1 Medium Sweet Onion, Chopped
3 Pounds Pork Shoulder, Trimmed of Fat.

Method
1. Combine all ingredients except for onion and pork into crock pot. Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
2. Place pork and onions into mixture, coating both sides of meat.
3. Cook for 8 to 10 hours under “low” slow cooker setting.
4. After meat is cooked, remove from slow cooker onto plate and break apart with fork. If meat has any bones, please discard at this time.
5. Place meat back into warm sauce to reheat.
6. Serve on hamburger buns or Kaiser Rolls.
7. Enjoy.

When caramelizing sugar, I add the water to the pan first, so that the sugar dissolves more easily and evenly.

Yield: 4

Ingredients

Apple Tart

• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• or 1 tablespoon white corn syrup
• 4 small Spy apples, peeled and cored but left whole
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

Salted Caramel Sauce

• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup white corn syrup
• 3/4 cup whipping cream
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fleur de sel

Ingredients:

• 5 lbs pork shoulder
• 2 lbs beef chuck
• 1 lb pork fat
• 4 -6 ounces coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon allspice (ground)
• 1 head garlic
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons peperivka spiced whiskey, see below, to taste
• 3 yards natural hog casings (or as needed)

Directions:

Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 1/4 hr

1. Grind pork coarsely, once.
2. Bone and chill beef.
3. With a very sharp knife, dice 2 pounds beef into 1/4 inch cubes.
4. Dice 1/2 pound fat similarly and grind the other 1/2 pound of fat.
5. Mix meats and fat in a large bowl.
6. Mash peeled garlic with salt in a mortar,and add pepper and allspice.
7. Mix all ingredients.
8. Add 1 cup water for each 2 pounds of meat, then add whiskey.
9. Cook a small sample in a little boiling water.
10. Taste and adjust seasoning (be conservative with the salt).
11. Wash casing in cold water, rinsing several times.
12. Carefully thread 1 yard of casing over a sausage funnel and stuff, taking care not to leave air pockets.
13. Do not pack or sausages will burst while cooking.
14. Tie ends with string.
15. Repeat until all meat is used.
16. Refrigerate, loosely covered with towel, for 48 hours.
17. Sausage may be smoked (following smoker directions) or cooked fresh.
18. TO COOK FRESH, simmer gently in a wide pot one-third full of water until cooked through, about 30-40 minutes.
19. Drain, cool, and refrigerate loosely covered.
20. TO SERVE, saute in a little fat for color.
21. Or serve cold in thin diagonal slices.
22. NOTE: Peperivka, cayenne-flavored whiskey, is made by soaking 10 whole red cayenne peppers in a pint of blended whiskey or bourbon for at least 48 hours.

Nutrition Facts

Guinness Beef Stew

Man this stuff is good. It’s not JUST the Guinness, it’s the slow cooking of all the spices, and sugar, and root vegetables, and all their goodness, and the essence of the beef…..Totally, one of the family’s favorite crockpot recipes…..

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds beef stew meat.
• 1/4 cup of flour to dredge beef in.
• salt and pepper to season flour
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 2 large shallots
• 2 large parsnips
• 2 large carrots or 8 oz peeled and washed baby carrots
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups draft Guinness beer (Use Guinness Stout only!)
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 pound red potatoes, quartered
• 2/3 cup flour (to thicken the sauce)

Preparation:

Heat oil in large skillet until almost smoking. Dredge beef chunks in flour seasoned with salt and pepper and add to hot oil, brown thoroughly on both sides until very brown. (5 minutes per side) Toss into crockpot, and repeat with remaining beef.

Take about a half a cup of the chicken broth and pour it into the hot pan, bring to a quick boil and scrape the pan thoroughly to loosen the fond and the flour left in the pan. Toss into the crockpot, right on top of the browned beef.

Peel and chop up the turnips, carrots and potatoes and add to crockpot.

Dice onions, nice chunks of onion are good, and the same goes for the shallots. They’ll separate during cooking.

Add the seasonings, bay leaves, sugar and chocolate. The reason we put chocolate in this recipe is for sweetness and to help offset the tartness of the beer.

Now pour the chicken broth over the top of everything in the crockpot. Then pour 3/4 of the Guinness into the crockpot. You want to reserve the last of the Guinness to add at the end when mixed with the flour. This will thicken the sauce a bit as well as add fresh Guinness taste to the stew after cooking for so long.

Put the top on the crockpot and only stir once or twice during the next few hours. Seriously, it may take 12 hours of cooking before it’s ready.

You’ll know it’s done when it’s DARK brown, and all the vegetables are tender.

NOW, and this is critical, the soup needs to be salted and peppered. Pepper, no problem…you like a lot of pepper, add a lot of pepper, you not so much like pepper, don’t pepper to much.

Ah, but the salt, here’s the problem. It’s EASY to cook something delicious for 12 hours and over salt it.

Here’s why, we taste it, at the end of the cooking cycle, and it will taste bland and obviously needs salt. So, pour about a teaspoon of salt into it. But here’s what a lot of people do. They wait about 5 – 10 minutes, taste it again, and it’s still bland, so they salt it again, and later do the same thing, and on and on.

The fact is, once you salt, it takes about 20 minutes for the salt to completely melt, and stirring, to totally distribute the taste so you have an accurate measure.

Err on taking your time when salting….let it cook for 20 minutes, stir, and taste again.

A quick “cheat” would be to just salt the soup when serving…..

Salting it would be a good time to also mix the flour thoroughly into the remaining beer and pour it into the crockpot. (flour mixes with a liquid a lot easier when it is added first, and the liquid poured onto it, instead of the other way around)

Cook on high again for like 20 minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. And turn it off, and let it sit.