Everyone loves eating varenyky, but making them requires a special effort! Our Ukrainian School varenyk- and vushka- making parties are a fun way to do the work together, exchanging tips and tricks, or learning how to do this for the first time. We ask our volunteers to bring a batch of dough or a batch of filling, if they can. Here is one recipe - I'll provide more in future blog entries. See our slideshow on the Varenyky i Vushka page!
(makes 150 - 175 varenyky, or about 7 bags of 24)
DOUGH
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 cup or more warm water (amount varies--use judgment)
Put flour in bowl. Make a well.
Put in egg, mixed with oil, in center.
Start to mix, and then add warm (can be very warm) water to center of flour as you mix. Knead till flour forms a ball. (Machine mixing is fine).
Take out of bowl and knead on floured board until satiny smooth.
Cover with a cloth and let dough rest--this is important as it will give a soft dough.
Roll out and cut into circles about 2 ½ inches in diameter
-you can use round cookie or biscuit cutters, or inverted small empty cans (as from baking powder), or an inverted glass (cans cut better than glass)
Cover the circles of dough and the completed varenyky prior to boiling, with moistened paper towel or clean dish towel, to keep dough from drying out.
FILLING (Potato and cheese)
Peel and chop a few onions and saute until transparent and starting to lightly brown (in butter or oil--or a little of both). You can add a tiny bit of water to the fry pan so the onions are really soft.
Set aside
Peel 5lbs. Idaho potatoes, cut up, and boil in salted water. Cook thoroughly.
(Some people add a little onion soup mix to the water.)
Drain well.
Mash, leaving no lumps.
Add about a cup of grated cheddar cheese (sharp).
(the filling will have a slightly yellowish tinge after being mashed with the cheese, but it shouldn’t be too cheesy)
Mix in sauteed onions.
Add salt and pepper to taste (enough that the filling isn’t too bland).
FILLING THE DOUGH
Fill varenyk circles with filling, fold into a half-moon shape, and press edges with fingers to seal well (dip fingers in flour, or in water, as needed, to get a good seal). Don't put in too much, because if you can't seal the edges well, the filling will leak out when you cook the varenyk.
COOKING
Boil water in a big, wide pot with a teaspoon of oil in it.
Drop in about 20 varenyky at a time and gently stir.
Simmer (gently boil) for 5 minutes.
Lift out with strainer or slotted spoon and let "rest" in glass pan, spread out so that the varenyky don’t stick to each other.
If desired, you can gently rinse them under cool water to get away the sticky starch.
The varenyky can be served fresh now, with sour cream. If desired, sauté more onions and serve with the varenyky.
FREEZING
The varenyky may be frozen now for later use: after you’ve removed them from boiling water, when the varenyky are little cooler, add oil so they won't stick (you can spread some oil on a cookie sheet, put the varenyky on it, then flip them to get the other side).
Transfer to another holding platter to cool more thoroughly, before placing 2 dozen in ziplock freezer bags.
THAWING
A vegetable steamer does a good job of heating frozen varenyky thoroughly in about 3 minutes.
Boiling is also ok, but steaming is less messy and less hazardous.
Alternate fillings: mushrooms, cabbage, cheese, cherries or other fruit.
Enjoy!
DOUGH
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup self-rising flour
- 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 cup or more warm water (amount varies--use judgment)
Put flour in bowl. Make a well.
Put in egg, mixed with oil, in center.
Start to mix, and then add warm (can be very warm) water to center of flour as you mix. Knead till flour forms a ball. (Machine mixing is fine).
Take out of bowl and knead on floured board until satiny smooth.
Cover with a cloth and let dough rest--this is important as it will give a soft dough.
Roll out and cut into circles about 2 ½ inches in diameter
-you can use round cookie or biscuit cutters, or inverted small empty cans (as from baking powder), or an inverted glass (cans cut better than glass)
Cover the circles of dough and the completed varenyky prior to boiling, with moistened paper towel or clean dish towel, to keep dough from drying out.
FILLING (Potato and cheese)
Peel and chop a few onions and saute until transparent and starting to lightly brown (in butter or oil--or a little of both). You can add a tiny bit of water to the fry pan so the onions are really soft.
Set aside
Peel 5lbs. Idaho potatoes, cut up, and boil in salted water. Cook thoroughly.
(Some people add a little onion soup mix to the water.)
Drain well.
Mash, leaving no lumps.
Add about a cup of grated cheddar cheese (sharp).
(the filling will have a slightly yellowish tinge after being mashed with the cheese, but it shouldn’t be too cheesy)
Mix in sauteed onions.
Add salt and pepper to taste (enough that the filling isn’t too bland).
FILLING THE DOUGH
Fill varenyk circles with filling, fold into a half-moon shape, and press edges with fingers to seal well (dip fingers in flour, or in water, as needed, to get a good seal). Don't put in too much, because if you can't seal the edges well, the filling will leak out when you cook the varenyk.
COOKING
Boil water in a big, wide pot with a teaspoon of oil in it.
Drop in about 20 varenyky at a time and gently stir.
Simmer (gently boil) for 5 minutes.
Lift out with strainer or slotted spoon and let "rest" in glass pan, spread out so that the varenyky don’t stick to each other.
If desired, you can gently rinse them under cool water to get away the sticky starch.
The varenyky can be served fresh now, with sour cream. If desired, sauté more onions and serve with the varenyky.
FREEZING
The varenyky may be frozen now for later use: after you’ve removed them from boiling water, when the varenyky are little cooler, add oil so they won't stick (you can spread some oil on a cookie sheet, put the varenyky on it, then flip them to get the other side).
Transfer to another holding platter to cool more thoroughly, before placing 2 dozen in ziplock freezer bags.
THAWING
A vegetable steamer does a good job of heating frozen varenyky thoroughly in about 3 minutes.
Boiling is also ok, but steaming is less messy and less hazardous.
Alternate fillings: mushrooms, cabbage, cheese, cherries or other fruit.
Enjoy!