GRANDMA'S SUNDAY DINNER PORK AND KRAUT PIEROGIES

Grandma's Sunday Dinner Pork and Kraut Pierogies image

My hubby and I both had Polish grandparents, and both of us have cherished memories of Sunday dinner with them. But each of us agrees that one of our favorite dinners hands down included pierogies of some type. Here is one of them which included pork and sauerkraut in the recipe. So incredibly delicious!

Provided by Rene Stevens

Time 1h20m

Number Of Ingredients 17

Ingredients

2 c flour, plus extra for kneading and rolling dough
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 c sour cream
1/4 c butter
1/2 lb course ground pork
2 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium tart apple, chopped into small pieces
2 c sauerkraut with caraway seed, drained
1/2 c beer
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp brown sugar
4 slice crisp bacon, crumbled
melted butter
sour cream
bacon bits

Steps:

1. Mix together the flour and salt. Beat the egg, then add all at once to the flour mixture. Add the 1/2 cup sour cream and the softened butter pieces and work until the dough loses most of its stickiness (about 5-7 minutes). You can use a stand mixer with a dough hook for this, but be careful not to overbeat.
2. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight; the dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Each batch of dough makes about 12-15 pierogies, depending on size. (You may have to make two batches for this filling)
3. Roll dough out to 1/8 inch thickness using floured surface. Cut out rounds of 4 to 6 inches. (I use a large sized tuna can with both ends cut out)
4. Using 2 T. bacon drippings, brown ground pork til no longer pink. Add onion, garlic and apple and continue cooking, stirring, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add sauerkraut, beer, pepper and brown sugar. Simmer till all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Add bacon, stir to combine.
5. Using 1 tablespoon of mixture, place on pierogi dough rounds. Fold dough over filling and crimp edges with fork.
6. Fill 4-6 quart saucepan with water ¾ full and add 2 tsp. salt. Bring water to full boil. Place each pierogi into boiling water, up to 6 at a time and boil vigorously until pierogies float to top.
7. Remove from boiling water and fry each one in melted butter til browned on each side. Serve with sour cream and additional bacon bits, if desired.
8. *Notes - You can also serve these with caramelized or blackened onions along with the bacon and sour cream. I have also had them only boiled and then served with browned butter instead of also frying them.