Sauerkraut Pierogi

For those who don't know what pierogi are, they're a polish dumpling traditionally filled with savory or sweet vegetable or fruit based fillings like prunes or other dried fruits, cabbage, potatoes or other root vegetables, etc.

Note: This recipe does not have egg or salt in the dough. You could add a little bit of salt if you want to, but it's not necessary and neither is adding egg substitute or anything like that, egg isn't and never was needed for this dough and originally it was made egg-less. The dough sticks perfectly fine to itself with a little dab of water around the edges.


Ingredients:

Dough:

• 200g wheat flour (use whatever type you feel like)
• 120g water

Filling:

• sauerkraut
• a bit of shredded carrots - optional
• fried onions and garlic - optional
• mushrooms - optional
• fresh ground black pepper - optional
• anything else you might like to add

Preparation:
Mix the water into the flour and knead it well. The dough should be smooth and elastic when you're done. Set aside for about 30 minutes and cover with a towel so it doesn't dry. Drain and squeeze out the sauerkraut. You want it to be as dry as possible or it may get the dough too wet and cause it to fall apart. Simply mix in any spices or whatever else you plan to add for flavor, there's no need to warm the sauerkraut. Set a pot of water to boil. Roll out the dough on a floured surface as thin and as even as you can get it, about 1/8th inch. Cut out about 4 inch rounds and if possible if the leftover dough isn't too dry or tough yet repeat the rolling and cutting.  Fill the rounds with 1 heaping tsp. or so, you really don't want to overfill or you'll never get them closed right and they'll break open. Dab a bit of water around half of the edge and then fold over and press the dough together making sure it's closed up properly... or just use a pierogi press. Now the pierogi need to take a hot bath in that boiling water for a couple minutes. Drop them in 1 by 1  and they're done when they start to float. Take them out and drain them. You can eat them like this or continue on to spray a pan with a little nonstick spray, add about a tsp. - tbsp. of oil and put on medium heat. Fry the pierogi on each side until browned - about 5 minutes, it really depends on if you're using electric or gas so watch carefully. Now eat them!

This should end up somewhere around 10 - 12 pierogi, if you can manage to be efficient with your dough you might end up with more.