Pierogi z Grzybami (Polish Mushroom Pierogi)

About This Recipe

Pierogi z grzybami are the Christmas Eve pierogi of Poland — small half-moon dumplings filled with a finely chopped mince of dried wild mushrooms (porcini, suchara, podpieńki), slowly caramelized onion, and a touch of marjoram. They're served at the meatless Wigilia (Christmas Eve) supper alongside red borscht, with golden onions and butter spooned over the top. The dried-mushroom soak water becomes the base of the borscht — nothing is wasted. The technique is patient but unfussy: rehydrate the mushrooms, mince fine, sweat with onion until the moisture is gone, season, fill, fold, pinch. The result is intensely woodsy, almost smoky, very different from the meat pierogi found year-round.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 60 gdried wild mushrooms (porcini, suchara, or mixed forest)
• 400 mlhot water (for soaking)
• 500 gall-purpose flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 largeegg
• 240 mlwarm water
• 2 tbspneutral oil
• 60 gunsalted butter (for filling)
• 2 largeyellow onions, very finely diced
• 1 tspdried marjoram
• 1.5 tspfine salt (for filling)
• 1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
• 60 gunsalted butter (for serving)
• 1 small bunchflat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the mushrooms

   Cover dried mushrooms with hot water. Soak 45 minutes. Lift the mushrooms out, squeeze gently, then chop very finely. Strain the soaking liquid through a coffee filter and reserve — it's gold for borscht or sauce.

2. 2

   Make the dough

   Mound flour with salt. Make a well; add egg, oil, and most of the warm water. Knead 10 minutes into a smooth, soft dough. Wrap and rest 30 minutes.

3. 3

   Build the filling

   Melt butter in a wide skillet. Sauté onions over medium-low for 18 minutes until very soft, golden, and slightly jammy. Add chopped mushrooms, marjoram, salt, and pepper. Cook 10 more minutes, stirring, until any moisture has evaporated and the filling is dark and dry. Cool fully.

4. 4

   Roll the dough

   Cut dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece to 2 mm thick. Stamp 7 cm rounds. Cover the others with a damp towel.

5. 5

   Fill and crimp

   Place 1 heaping teaspoon of cooled filling in each round. Fold into a half-moon. Pinch the edges firmly closed, then crimp into the traditional ruffled rope along the seam. Lay on a floured tray.

6. 6

   Boil

   Bring a wide pot of salted water to a steady boil (not a hard one — too violent and the pierogi split). Drop in 8-10 pierogi at a time. They sink, then float. From the moment they float, cook 3 minutes.

7. 7

   Brown butter and serve

   Melt 60 g butter in a small pan until foaming and faintly nutty. Lift drained pierogi into warm bowls. Pour over the brown butter. Shower with chopped parsley. Serve with red borscht on the side at Wigilia, or with a dollop of cold sour cream the rest of the year.

Variations

• •

  Add 60 g cooked sauerkraut (squeezed dry) to the mushroom filling for the kapusta z grzybami version.

• •

  Stir 80 g grated farmer's cheese (twaróg) into the filling for a richer, creamier interior.

• •

  Use porcini-and-cremini mix for a more affordable but still flavorful filling.

Storage

Freeze raw in single layers up to 3 months — bag once solid. Cook from frozen. Cooked leftovers refrigerate 2 days; pan-fry in butter to refresh.

Frequently Asked Questions