APPLE SAUERKRAUT PEROGIES RECIPE

Are you intimidated by making dough or the thought of making a whole bunch of little intricate food? If not, skip ahead! If so – it’s time to get over the fear of these things and dive into making apple sauerkraut perogies! Unlike the potato and cheese-stuffed variety, sauerkraut perogies are stuffed with fermented cabbage and apples. They are tangy and go fantastic with sausage, cooked into a soup or served with smoked cheese or tofu. They are also ideal to prepare in advance in larger batches and freeze well (see tip below) for a meal-in-a-pinch any time you need.

You can use our recipe for making your own apple cider sauerkraut or we’ll show you a workaround if you’re using the store-bought kind.

This post is sponsored by Ontario Apple Growers. Check out their blog for more apple ideas.

GETTING OVER THE FEAR OF DOUGH

It was only a few years ago when I, as an experienced cook, can remember being completely intimidated by the idea of making dough or working on small dumpling-like objects that had to be individually stuffed, sealed and handled. I recall a friend of ours (Stephanie) telling us about an afternoon ‘perogy making party’ where a small group of friends gathered for the day and made large batches of them for the freezer (she actually gave me a small bag to boot)! I was both impressed, a little envious and determined that I would get over my fear.

The first time I tried to make perogies I was surprised to find out how forgiving they were. By my second or third batch I was picking up speed and by the time I’d made them 4 or 5 times (over a period of years) I found that making them became second nature without a lot of effort. The fear of making them was the toughest part – actually making them was pretty simple. If you have a stand mixer this is a recipe you should make almost effortlessly – those without one will need a little more time and patience but find it just as easy.

This dough (like most dough), is incredibly easy to make and to work with. It’s equally workable (this means you can knead and roll it out easily) while also being strong enough to fold, work with and freeze without worrying about being too delicate. The recipe for the dough comes from a similar recipe to this one that we shared in our cookbook, Batch.

One tip that took me too long to learn: a good cookie/dough cutter is everything! You’ll see in the photos below that my cutter is solid – there are no welds or joins and you can’t squeeze it to warp the perfect circles it creates. I use it for cookies, pasta (including ravioli) and even place a few of them in a shallow pan of lightly simmering water to help poach eggs and keep them formed into perfect little discs.

APPLE CIDER SAUERKRAUT

You can use any sauerkraut for this recipe but much of the flavor comes from own apple cider sauerkraut. If you don’t have a few weeks to wait while it ferments, here’s a quick kitchen hack to make apple-infused sauerkraut that’s a quick fix:

• Drain two cups of sauerkraut, squeezing as much liquid as you reasonably can from it. You are best to use fermented cabbage sauerkraut (it has to be stored and sold from the fridge as opposed to the cans in the aisles) for the best texture and flavor.
• Bring 1 cup of apple cider (NOT vinegar) to a near boil. Remove from heat and add kraut.
• Shred a baking apple (a great Ontario variety is the Crispin which is also known as Mutsu). You can grate it if you’d like but I prefer a small juliene (I use a mandoline) as you’ll get a bit more crunch this way). Combine the apple once you’ve shredded it.
• Place the ingredients in a covered container and place in fridge for 6-24 hours (you can let it rest for 5-7 days for even more flavor).

APPLE SAURKRAUT PEROGIES – DOUGH RECIPE

As mentioned earlier, this is an easy and forgiving dough so don’t be afraid to try it – you’ve got this!

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp coarse salt (use 3/4 tsp fine if that’s all you have)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp melted butter (unsalted)
• 2 Tbsp oil (any neutral-tasting vegetable oil preferred but you can use any you choose)

Technique

1. Place the flour in a large bowl and form a hole/bowl/well in the middle of it.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl, stir to combine. Pour this mixture into the dough hole.
3. Use your hands to mix the flour from the outside into the center. Work the mixture until a consistent dough forms. If your hands get too sticky, lightly flour them. You can knead it a few times on a floured cutting board if you choose. The dough should easily form a ball. If it crumbles and won’t come together that means it’s too dry – just add water (1 Tbsp at a time) and continue. If it’s too sticky i.e. it resembles paste), it’s too liquid – in that case, add a Tbsp or less of flour. When you have something that resembles the texture of playdough, you’re good to go!
4. Form the dough into a ball and lightly dust it with additional flour on all sides to prevent it from sticking. Allow the dough to rest by covering it with a damp cloth for 30-60 minutes. You can also wrap it tightly with cling wrap (or in a re-usable container with minimal air) and leave in the fridge overnight or freeze up to a week.

If you have a stand mixer just use the paddle attachment in step 3 on setting 1-2 to make your dough ball.

APPLE SAURKRAUT PEROGIES – RECIPE

Apple Sauerkraut Perogies Recipe

Author: Joel MacCharles

Recipe type: Batch cooking, freezer meals, comfort food

Serves: 30-36 units

Ingredients

• 1 Batch Perogy Dough (instructions above)
• 1 Batch Perogy Dough (instructions above)
• 2 cups Apple Cider Sauekraut (links and instant recipe above) drained and squeezed of as much liquid as reasonably possible
• 2 cups Apple Cider Sauekraut (links and instant recipe above) drained and squeezed of as much liquid as reasonably possible
• 1 Large baking apple (Crispin or Mutsu are great Ontario varieties)

Instructions

1. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Each piece will make a batch of 8-10 perogies (you can use and excess trim from all batches to make a 5th batch at the end if you’d like).
2. Working with 1 batch at a time, roll the dough on a floured surface until it’s 2-3mm (1/8th of an inch thick). It should be relatively thin but not to the point of being see-through or tearing when you life. I try to roll it into long strips that are wide enough for 2 circles to be cut out of each width. Cut all circles in a single batch before proceeding.
3. Form small balls of filling with 1-1/2 – 2 Tbsp of filling and press them between your fingers to compress them. The tighter the ball, the more filling you will use. Place a ball in the center of a circle and repeat the process until the batch of 8-10 all have filling on the top.
4. Gently wet your finger and pat the outer ring of a disc of dough (this is to help seal them). Lift the dough from a side and fold. It will be more durable than you might think and don’t worry about a perfect match – as long as all sides seal. Continue until batch is done. Work fast; you want the next step to happen while there is still some water in the seals.
5. Use a small fork to press the seal on the curved edge to crimp it. You can push pretty hard as long as you don’t press through the dough. Repeat for the batch and place them on a rack or floured cutting board. If you want the ‘perfect’ look – you can use a pair of kitchen scissors to quickly trim the edges and make them match up!
6. Repeat for rest of batches.
7. See below for instructions on how to freeze and/or cook them.

APPLE SAURKRAUT PEROGIES – HOW TO FREEZE

If you want to make these ahead of time, it’s easy. You can either freeze them raw (many people do) by freezing them on a tray (so that they don’t touch) then transferring them to a freezer bag or container or partially cooking them by boiling them until they consistently float (about 3-4 minutes) and letting them dry on a rack before freezing them whole. Ensuring that they are dry is a key to this process or you will freeze a ‘perogy block’ – which isn’t as fun as it sounds.

APPLE SAURKRAUT PEROGIES – HOW TO COOK

If you are cooking them fresh you can boil or fry them or do like I do and do both.  I like to boil them until they float (3-4 minutes), let them dry and then fry them crispy. I fry them in oil or drippings from sausage as I cook. You’ll likely have some leftover apple sauerkraut and it’s a great addition to the plate along with chives, sour cream.

If you’re cooking them from frozen you can defrost them in boiling water until they are soft throughout. Dry them per on a rack and fry them as you would fresh. If you’ve pre-boiled them before freezing you could defrost them on a floured surface or rack (do not use a microwave) and proceed directly to frying.

A FINAL THOUGHT

You’ve got this! Pour yourself a glass of wine, carefully choose some music that makes you happy and roll up your sleeves – the worst part is the fear and that won’t hold you back!