Najmieh Batmanglij

Russian Pirozhki

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Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Medium

  • Makes

    24

Appears in

Silk Road Cooking: A Vegetarian Journey

Silk Road Cooking

By Najmieh Batmanglij

Published 2000

  • About

Pirozhki is the diminutive plural of the Russian word for “pie,” pirog, which comes from pir, meaning “feast.” Pelmeni probably come from the Central Asia from the Persian words gush bareh, jush pareh, dush bareh all of which mean a boiled piece of stuffed dough shaped like an ear.

Preparation time: 30 minutes, plus 20 minutes for refrigeration
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 package ready made frozen puff pastry, thawed for 1 hour
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, butter or ghee
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
  • 1 pound white mushrooms, finely sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
  • 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon hot curry powder
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon yogurt to make a glaze

Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until very hot. Add the onion and stir-fry for 10 minutes, until golden brown. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and fry for 2 minutes longer. Add the dill, tomato and spices, and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes longer, until all the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat.
  2. Add the sour cream, mix well and allow to cool. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or until ready to use.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. On a cool surface, roll the dough out with a rolling pin to ¼-inch thick. Using the open end of a glass dipped in flour, or a cookie cutter, cut the dough into 2 ½-inch-diameter disks. Fill each disk with 2 teaspoons of the filling mixture. Fold each disk in half, and pinch and crimp the dough around the edges to seal.
  4. Beat the egg yolk and yogurt to make the glaze.
  5. Place the pirozhki on a baking sheet and paint each one with the glaze. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until golden brown.
  6. Remove from oven and place on a serving platter with condiments.

© 2000 All rights reserved. Published by Mage.