slo’s SUNDAY 7/31 poll - Pierogies

[fly girl]

My great uncle would make a mean pierogi. Sauerkraut was his favorite, but he made potato too.

I have never attempted them from scratch, only freezer section. Potato and cheese is my go to for that. Sautee on the stove with butter and onion.

 

[disney4us2002]

I'm sure I have had them in the past but I can't say for sure. I rarely buy any prepared frozen food.

 

[Colleen27]

I'm of Polish descent, so yeah. All the pierogi. Growing up, we usually had more traditional varieties - potato, farmer's cheese, or sauerkraut. As an adult, I still eat all of those but have become quite a fan of the Polish-inspired food trucks and shops making more creative flavors like corned beef & cabbage, jalapeno popper, sweet potato, portobello mushroom, etc. I usually have a couple dozen in different varieties in the freezer because they're a super easy meal or afternoon snack if I don't feel like cooking or the 14yo is on her own.

 

[prairie_girl]

Not a fan of them..I think it’s the dough.

OP, what is sweet cheese? I’ve never heard of that before.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I picked potato and cheese. I think that's what Marie gets, though seldom. From the freezer at the store. She usually will get raviolis, cheese, freezer section also. The frozen pillows of either are very good, almost taste homemade with whatever brand she buys. Her mom used to make homemade ravioli, maybe once a month, so light and airy, so good. But those frozen ones are pretty darn good.

 

[nw6675]

They are one of my DD10's favorite foods! I don't make them often, but when I do (lol) - I fry them in a skillet in melted butter until they are crispy around the edges.

Hmmmm....I have some in the freezer. As with many of Slo's polls, I know what I'll be making this week!

 

[AppleDumpling]

Never had them growing up, just not something I eat. LOL, I think the only time I tried them was when they were giving out free samples at BJ’s.

 

[tasha99]

I haven't made them since my mom's memorial service, but they're the food of my people and I do like them. I used to make them filled with meat and rice. We called them vareniki, but they're almost identical to what my friend calls pierogi--not like vareniki I've had in restaurants. My friend makes cheese potato and meat, cheese potoato ones that are awesome. We always serve with kielbasa cooked with red bell peppers and onions.

 

[hopemax]

So the ones my family always did, are made with dry curd cottage cheese. Which is impossible to find. Meadow Gold used to sell it, and our local Kroger carried it. But right before pandemic it disappeared, and then with pandemic + shortages, the shelf tag is gone. I have tried to use farmer's cheese, and they did not taste right. I've started buying regular cottage cheese, rinsing off all the creamy bits and then drying out the curds. However, it's still not right, the cheese seems to melt faster. I am getting desperate enough I might just try making my own cheese.

EDIT: There is an online place that sometimes sells it, and it appears they are selling it again. In a 4 lb container. Guess I will be ordering some and freezing it (we have done that so I could bring the cheese from CO to FL to make at my Dad's house).

 

[570traveler]

Grew up (and still live) in an area rich with polish foods. My grandmother made the best farmers cheese pierogies. They are a lot of work to make so I support our local churches when they make them
My DH loves the prune ones

 

[Colleen27]

Not a fan of them..I think it’s the dough.

OP, what is sweet cheese? I’ve never heard of that before.

Sweet cheese is made with farmer's cheese, which is like a dry ricotta or mascarpone, with a touch of added sugar and maybe vanilla depending on who's making it. The result is a slightly sweet, crumbly-textured cheese filling that makes for a pretty versatile pierogi. My husband and I both like them plain, just sauteed in butter, but the kids like them as a dessert with a fruit-syrup drizzle and a dusting of confectioner's sugar. Or you can go all out in the dessert vein and make fruit-and-sweet cheese filling that turns out something like a cheesecake pierogi.

 

[prairie_girl]

Sweet cheese is made with farmer's cheese, which is like a dry ricotta or mascarpone, with a touch of added sugar and maybe vanilla depending on who's making it. The result is a slightly sweet, crumbly-textured cheese filling that makes for a pretty versatile pierogi. My husband and I both like them plain, just sauteed in butter, but the kids like them as a dessert with a fruit-syrup drizzle and a dusting of confectioner's sugar. Or you can go all out in the dessert vein and make fruit-and-sweet cheese filling that turns out something like a cheesecake pierogi.

Thank you for the explaination. I’ve also never heard of dessert perogies either. They’re (perogies) pretty much a staple here, but, we don’t eat them so maybe we’re missing out on the latest gossip lol

 

[Mysterian]

Never had, but would love to have.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Potato and cheese are the only kind I've tried-and they have to be Mrs. T's. I only eat them rarely because I like to slather them with too much butter.

 

[MIGrandma]

Other - tried them once, not a fan.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Polish heritage, and I love and often have pierogies. We especially like sauerkraut, now the ones I buy are sauerkraut with mushrooms.

When we host Coast Guard recruits we have two meals for them. The lunch usually is a Polish brunch, and it always included pierogies, a few kinds, ham, nalesniki, and kieska. The other meal would be a traditional American Thanksgiving or Christmas.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I have Polish heritage so I have had them before. They are okay but I like Italian ravioli better I think.

 

[fla4fun]

My mom used to buy the potato and cheese, and I liked them, but they aren’t something I buy for myself.

 

[georgina]

No we don't eat them. I grew up in an Irish family. The first time I had a pierogi (in PA) was when I was running the concession stand for DD's lacrosse team and had to heat and serve them. (Frozen, fried up with onions) My DS liked some of the leftovers but they never became a food staple at our house.

 

[LoveSpringsteen]

We eat them once or twice a year. There’s a local place that makes them from scratch and they probably have 20 or so varieties a day. We usually get potato and cheese, or some other variety with potato in them. We pan fry in butter with onions.