UKRAINIAN MUSHROOM AND ONION DUMPLINGS

Ukrainian Mushroom and Onion Dumplings image

Vushka are plump mushroom-and onion-filled dumplings resembling tortellini. "Vushka" means little ears in Ukrainian, and with their curvy whorls, that's just what they look like, especially when they turn bright red in a bowl of borscht served for Sviata Vecheria, the traditional 12-dish Ukrainian dinner that is meatless and dairy-free. The East Village restaurant Veselka serves the dinner from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6.

Provided by Julia Moskin

Categories dinner, main course

Time 1h30m

Yield About 60 dumplings

Number Of Ingredients 9

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Ingredients

1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 small onion, minced
4 cups chopped button mushrooms
Salt
ground black pepper
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, more as needed

Steps:

Make filling: place dried mushrooms in a small bowl and add 1/4 cup boiling water. Let soften, about 10 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid and mushrooms separately.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until golden but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add button mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drain liquor. In a food processor, combine both kinds of mushrooms. Spoon in porcini liquid, leaving behind any silt in bottom of bowl. Pulse together until finely ground but not pasty: about 3 or 4 pulses. Add salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Make dough: In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, oil and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water and whisk 1 minute. Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in center. Add a third of the egg mixture and lightly mix in with fingers or a fork. Repeat 2 more times. Using hands, fold dough together until soft: if crumbly, gently work in more water; if sticky, add flour. Transfer to a lightly floured board and knead 3 minutes. Form into a ball, transfer to a bowl and refrigerate 45 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface and a pan or board for the finished dumplings. Divide dough into 3 sections. Using a well-floured rolling pin, roll each section out until very thin and in a rough rectangle. Use tip of a sharp knife to cut dough into 1 1/2-inch squares.
Drain any excess liquid from filling. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in center of each square. Fold squares in half to form triangles, sealing filling inside. (If dough is becoming dry, lightly moisten fingertips to seal.) Pinch the 2 opposing corners together to seal tightly. Place on floured surface: do not stack. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook dumplings until they float, 2 to 4 minutes. Drain and serve in hot borscht, or just with sour cream.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 37, UnsaturatedFat 1 gram, Carbohydrate 6 grams, Fat 1 gram, Fiber 0 grams, Protein 1 gram, SaturatedFat 0 grams, Sodium 34 milligrams, Sugar 0 grams, TransFat 0 grams