#passover pirogies

[sialiaskitchen]

You can use any filling you like but here is mine:

Stab and then microwave a few Yukon gold potatoes until soft. Cool them until you can safely handle them.

Peel if you like at this stage. Or don't.

Mash them with about equal amount of ricotta cheese to the amount of potato you have, add a splash of balsamic vinegar or a spoonfulof sourcream or buttermilk (something tangy), then add onion powder, salt and pepper to taste BUT make them taste a bit stronger than you would eat if you were just eating a bowl of plain mashed. Mix in a big handful of shredded cheddar (or similar melty cheese).

You can add wet things like milk or cream if you like, but the idea is to keep the mixture dry enough to hold together in little football shape, so do not go too wet.

Passover Pierogies, my mutuals.

3 parts cake meal to 1 part potato starch, mix in enough cream cheese to make a crumbly paste, stir in 1 beaten egg and then knead. Add a drizzle of water if needed to make a smooth soft dough. Knead smooth.

Break off a walnut sized ball, roll smooth, dust with cake meal mash flat between two pieces of plastic wrap.

Add an oblong of well seasoned mashed potatoes

fold over and crimp to seal

Simmer very gently, 3 minutes, with lid on so steam is trapped. Stir gently to make sure they aren't stuck to the pot . don't crowd the pot. When they float, they are done.

You are welcome.

[sialiasnest]

Passover Gnocchi

2 eggs

1 TBs oil

¼ cup chicken stock

1/2 cup passover cake meal

¼ cup potato starch

1/2 cup mashed potatoes

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp sugar

½ tsp baking powder

Mix the wet stuff until blended smooth. Add the dry ingredients together, then add to the wet and mix until smooth, adding extra soup or water if needed to get to pudding-like consistency.

Let sit 15 minutes, then check to see how firm it is—add more liquid/potatoes if necessary.

If the batter is thin like pancake batter, you will get long thin squiggles of spaetzl (like funnel cake strands). If the batter is thick like pudding, you get gnocchi-like little dumplings. If it is thick like hummus, you get something close to matzo balls.

Scoop up a spoonful and drop into lightly salted boiling water. Simmer three minutes and remove from water with slotted spoon. Taste test and adjust batter if needed (salt? Sugar? Too thick? Too thin?)

When you have it the way you like it, drop spoonfuls into the water and simmer until they all float (about three minutes). Do not crowd the pot. Remove from the water with slotted spoon and then do the next batch.

Set the first batch into a pot of warm sauce while doing the second and third batches.

Tomato sauce is fine, but brisket gravy also works, or just a whole lot of sauteed mushrooms & onions & wine.

A milchig version could easily be done with water or milk instead of the chicken soup, and could go with marinara, or plain butter, or cheese, or pesto, or alfredo sauce—basically anything that would be good on pasta. Anything that would be good on pirogies would also work: try sauteed onions and sour cream with black pepper.

Rating: almost wouldn't know it's kosher l'pesach. A year after year family favorite for this holiday especially with the kids. Fluffy and light in the mouth, but sits a little heavy in the stomach: filling, and a few dumplings are a meal.