Stuffed noodles are common throughout much of the Russian Federation and the former states of the USSR, and this version is but one example of the filled noodles that can be found in the Ukraine. This version utilizes a potato and onion filling, but other versions use such fillings as sauerkraut, cheese, ground meats, and sweet varieties.
Ingredients
For Making the Filling
- 1 lb Red Bliss Potatoes (or other waxy variety)
- 2 oz Unsalted Butter
- 5 oz Yellow Onions, minced
- 5 oz Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 4 oz Grated Mild Cheese (such as Cheddar or Monterey Jack)
For Stuffing and Cooking the Dumplings
- ½ Egg Noodle Recipe
- 1 cup A.P. Flour Egg Whites (leftover from dough recipe) Stuffing
- 3 gallons Water
- 3 Tbsp Salt
- 2 oz Salted Butter
How to Make It
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For Making the Filling
- Place a pot holding 1.5 qts of water and 1 Tbsp salt on the stove over a high flame, and bring to a boil.
- Once the water reaches a boil, add the potatoes and boil until tender throughout; remove potatoes from heat, and strain. Set them aside to cool.
- Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel them and mash them using a fork.
- In a sauté pan, heat the butter over a medium-low flame; add the minced onion and garlic once hot.
- Sweat the onions and garlic in the butter until they are very tender and translucent.
- Once the onions are very tender, add the potatoes, black pepper, and salt to the pan; mix well.
- Remove the potato mixture from the heat, and set aside to cool.
- Once the potato mixture is cool, mix in the grated cheese and check the mixture for seasoning. Adjust with salt and/or pepper, if necessary. For Stuffi ng and Cooking the Dumplings
- Place a large pot on the stove and fill it with the 3 gallons of water and the salt; place it over a high flame to bring the mixture to a boil.
- Using a rolling pin and extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking, roll out ½ of the dough for the dumplings to 1/16 inch (very thin).
- Using a circular pastry cutter about 3 inches in diameter, cut the dough sheet into circles, and then ball up all of the scrap and combine it with the other ½ of the dough.
- Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the outside 1/8 inch of each of the circles with the leftover egg whites from making the egg noodle dough (add a little water to the egg whites to thin and stretch them, if needed).
- Once all of the dough circles have been brushed, place a couple of teaspoons of filling in the center of each dough piece.
- Fold over each piece of dough to yield a half-moon–shaped dumpling, and then press the edges where the dough comes together with the tines of a fork (be sure to press firmly and seal them well all the way around).
- Repeat steps 2 to 6 with the remaining dough (but omit adding the scrap to remaining dough), and then proceed to the next step.
- Once all of the dough has been rolled and stuffed, the dumplings can be cooked in the boiling salted water (if the water level has dropped too much by the time you are ready to cook the dumplings, refill it to the original amount and let it return to a boil before cooking).
- Place 10 (or more, depending on space) dumplings into the boiling water, and stir gently with a wooden spoon to prevent them from sticking to one another; turn the heat down to prevent them from breaking due to rapid boil.
- Continue to cook the dumplings in the boiling water for 2 minutes, and then remove them with a strainer and add more dumplings to the boiling water. Repeat these steps until all of the dumplings have been cooked.
- Place the cooked dumplings in a pan with the melted butter, and toss gently to coat; serve.