Monday, March 9, 2009

Lazy Perogies

Made like a lasagna:

Layer 1: sauted onions and butter
Layer 2: lasagna noodles
Layer 3: mashed potato with butter, cream (tonight I also added sweet potato for a sweet twist)
Layer 4: shredded aged cheddar
Layer 5: more noodles
Layer 6: cottage cheese mixed with 2 eggs
Layer 7: more cheddar!
Layer 8: more noodles
Layer 9: onions and cheddar (a very light layer)

Bake 1/2 hour at 375
Top with sour cream, crumbled bacon, green onions

Some light reading on perogies and Canada:

The Canadian Prairies, in particular, have a large Ukrainian population, and their pyrohy or perogy (plural: "perogies") (Canadian English [pəˈroːgi]) are very common. Since Canada also has immigrants from many other perogy-making cultures (not least Poles, Jews, and Mennonites), a wide diversity of recipes are used.
Packed frozen perogies can be found everywhere Eastern European immigrant communities exist and are generally ubiquitous across Canada, even in big chain stores. Such perogi are made by industrial machines. Each perogy typically weighs around 20 grams, but resemble an oversized half-moon ravioli, as the Italian machines are also used in the production of Italian pasta. Typically frozen flavours include potato with either cheddar, bacon, or cottage cheese.
Home-made versions are typically filled with one of the following: mashed potatoes seasoned with salt and pepper (and frequently cheddar cheese), sauerkraut, or fruit. These are then boiled, and either served immediately, put in ovens and kept warm, or fried in oil or butter. Popular fruit varieties include strawberry, blueberry, and the distinctly Canadian saskatoon berry. Potato and cheese or sauerkraut versions are usually served with some or all the following: butter or oil, sour cream (typical), fried onions, fried bacon bits or kubasa (sausage), and a creamy mushroom sauce (less common).

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

NIce history lesson!!

Kathy said...

This sounds delicious!