Meaty Pierogies with Chickpea Salad
Meaty pierogies with chickpea salad and yogurt feta dip
Ingredients
Pierogies
- 3-4 oz ea. of ground lamb, beef and pork
- 1 carrot minced
- 1 celery stalk minced
- 1 small red onion minced
- ¼ cup fresh parsely minced
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp sumac
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- dash salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups flour
- 2 eggs
- ⅔ cup water
Dip
- ¾ cup plain yogurt
- 6 oz feta
- 2 tbsp dried dill
Salad
- 16 oz canned chickpeas
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 1 small potato
- 1 small red onion
- 2-3 cloves fresh garlic minced
- ½ lb arugula
- 1 tbsp sumac
- 1 lemon juiced and zested
- ¼ cup sesame oil
- dash salt and pepper
Instructions
Pierogies
- First, make the noodle. Put four cups of flour and one teaspoon of salt in a large mixing bowl. Make a crater in the flour and add 2 eggs. Work eggs into the flour with a fork. When the mixture is crumbly, add water. Knead with hands until dough is smooth and firm but not sticky. This can take up to ten minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add flour by to the dough by the tablespoon. If the dough is too dry, add water to the dough by the tablespoon. When the dough is firm, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate. The dough can be made up to a day in advance. If the dough will not be used in a day, freeze it.
- While the dough is chilling, make the meat filling. Sweat minced vegetables in olive oil for two minutes. Add the pork, beef, and lamb. Brown the meats, breaking them up with a wooden spoon so they are a smooth consistency like you would do for a chili or taco. When the meats are thoroughly cooked, pour the mixure into a large bowl. Add parsley, paprika, sumac, salt, pepper, and panko. Mix thoroughly, Set aside to cool for an hour, or until all liquid is absorbed into the panko, and the mixture is cool to the touch.
- Assembly of the Pierogies. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Flour your work surface. Using a rolling pin or pasta machine, flatten the dough until it is ⅛ of an inch thick. Use a cup or a biscuit cutter to cut dough circles three to four inches in diameter, rerolling scraps as needed until all dough has been used. With a spoon or small scoop, place an ounce of meat filling in the center of the dough circle. Wet the circumference of the circle, and fold over the filling to make a semi-circle. Press the rim of the pierogi to seal it. Make sure there are no air pockets in the pierogi, and also that the edges of the dough are tightly sealed.
- Place finished pierogies in a single layer on a floured cookie sheet.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil pierogies until they float. Drain. Set aside.
- Note: Before serving you may wish to pan-fry pierogies in olive oil for two to three minutes on each side over medium-low heat.
Salad
- Break up cauliflower into pieces as close to half-inch as possible. Coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in a single layer on a cookie sheet at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for twenty minutes, until golden brown.
- While cauliflower is roasting, peel and dice potato into half-inch cubes. Boil until tender. Drain and let cool.
- Drain and rinse chickpeas.
- Combine potato, chickpeas, cauliflower, arugula, minced onion, lemon juice, zest, sumac, parsley, sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly.
Dip
- Mash feta. Add the feta and dill to the yogurt.
