Homemade Golabki and Potato Cheese Pierogi

Well, I'm Asian, but was adopted and raised Polish. Growing up there wasn't any kimchee, just fresh kielbasa, pierogi, sauerkraut, golabki, whitefish dip, dill pickle soup and lots of horseradish.
 
My dad jokes a lot when I made my homemade Polish dishes that he raised a good ole' Polish girl.  It also usually throws a lot of people off when they see my last name as Zasadny and then I walk through the door.
 
I make both of these dishes a little different than the original but my good ole' Polish dad has never seemed to mind :)
 
Golabki aka Stuffed Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 1 head green cabbage
• 1lb ground beef
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper for seasoning
• 1 cup Long grain rice, dry
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 can Tomato Sauce
• 1 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce (optional, but I'm Asian, so you know)
• 1 tsp EVOO

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a big pot of water to boil and cut the core out of the cabbage. Place the cabbage in the water and let boil for about 15 minutes, until tender. You'll then be able to peel the leaves easily off of the cabbage while in the water. Set them aside to drain.
• Cook your long grain rice. (I use my rice cooker and use 1 cup of beef broth toward the liquid needed - I think it gives more flavor to the rice)
• Heat EVOO on skillet on medium high heat, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and add to a bowl.
• Add the beef to the skillet and cook until browned. Drain the fat and add it to the bowl of onion mixture.
• Once rice is done, add to the bowl as well and mix to thoroughly combine the mixture.
• **** Note **** some people add egg to help bind the mixture a bit, but I choose not to.
• Take your cabbage leaves, cut the hard vein out, add 3 Tbsp of the meat mixture and then roll over, fold in sides and continue to roll. Repeat until all of the meat mixture/cabbage leaves are gone.
• Take the tomato sauce and mix in the sriracha sauce. Add a few Tbsp on the bottom of a dutch oven, then lay in the cabbage rolls, top with more tomato sauce, then another layer of cabbage roll, then more tomato sauce.
• Bake in the oven for approximately 45 minutes.

Homemade Potato Pierogi

Ingredients for Pierogi dough:

• 3 cups All purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup hot/boiling water
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil

Directions for Pierogi dough:

• In a large bowl add the flour and the salt. Sift to combine and aerate.
• Add the hot water and mix, then add the cold water and mix, then add the vegetable oil.
• Kneed the dough until combined and then cover and let rest for 20 minutes.

Ingredients for Potato cheese filling:

• 6 small/medium baking potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to season
• 1 small container ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
• 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp EVOO

Directions for Potato cheese filling:

• Heat EVOO on skillet on medium high heat, add onion and cook until translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Season with salt and pepper. Remove and add to a bowl.  (*** I just did this together when making the same for the stuffed cabbage and then divided***)
• Boil potatoes until tender, then drain and add to the bowl with the onion mixture.
• Add the ricotta and then mash the potatoes until desired consistency. (*** I like mine with a few lumps***)
• Add the Colby jack chees and optional parsley and mix until thoroughly combined.

Directions for making the final Pierogi:
*** There are many ways to do this, but I found that this is the easiest for me***

• Tear off an inch sized ball of dough and roll out to make a circle, fill with about 1 1/2 Tbsp of the potato cheese filling then seal and use a fork to crimp the edges.
• Repeat till dough/filling is gone.
• Bring a big pot of water to boil and add some salt.
• Depending on the size of the pot add 10-12 pierogi. Make sure to carefully stir the pot to ensure that none of the pierogi have stuck to the bottom. Once they float, boil for another 1-2 minutes, then remove and drain. Repeat until all your pierogi are done.
• In a large skillet, melt 1Tbsp butter and brown the pierogi on each side then remove. ***If you're making a lot you'll need to keep adding more butter***

Serve your pierogi with sour cream or apple sauce or whatever else you might like.

Enjoy!