Welcome to my first food post on this brand new section of my blog!

Inspired by the Polish origins of the Tatra range, in my collaborative post with LSA, I decided to cook Pierogi for the first time. Pierogi are traditional Polish dumplings, made from a pasta-like dough, usually filled with a savoury or a sweet fillings, like potato, vegetables, sauerkraut, cheese or fruit. I decided on spinach, garlic and feta, a favourite combo of mine.

Through my research, I found that these dumplings are usually either boiled OR fried. I decided to do both so that the dumplings were soft, but also had some colour and crunch – I hope I have not destroyed a centuries-old Polish recipe! They were very good anyway, and to me they tasted like a delicious cross between tortellini and gyoza.

Pierogi Dumplings Filled With Spinach, Garlic and Feta

Ingredients:
(makes about 30 dumplings)

For the dumpling dough

250g self-raising flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
150ml warm water

For the

Filling

About 200g of baby leaf spinach
100g of Feta
1/2 cloves of garlic, crushed
a handful of grated cheddar
A pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper
crispy onions, chilli flakes, herbs and sour cream to serve

ONE

Place the self-raising flour in a bowl, make a well and add the salt and oil and warm water, mix to a dough with your hands.

TWO

Kneadthe dough for 5-8 minutes, or until it is smooth, then wrap the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes while you make the filling.

THREE

Prep the filling. Put the spinach feta and garlic into a pan and season. Heat gently until the spinach has wilted.

FOUR

Stir in the grated cheddar and turn off the heat.

FIVE

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut into 10cm rounds (approx.)

SIX

Put teaspoons of the filling on each round, brush the edges with water and seal by folding in half and pressing the edges together with your fingers.

SEVEN

Simmer in batches and drain on some paper towel, then transfer to a hot pan with a small amount of olive oil and fry gently until golden.

EIGHT

Arrange however you like to serve and sprinkle with toppings of your choice - I used crispy fried onlons, chilli flakes and mint. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.