Pierogi recipe and filling from my grandmother

I just happened to be checking out receipes for Pierogis on the web and I came across your blog about Port Richmond, well I grew up in Bridesburg, PA which as you know if another POLISH neighborhood. I now live in Washington Township, New Jersey, but I still drive over to Port Richmond for all my POLISH foods. I was really cool to see your blog about the old neighborhoods. Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!! Stacey (Jasinski) Dougherty

I use a mixture of dry cottage cheese curds and very sharp cheddar cheese from my baba's recipe. The cottage cheese doesn't melt well so it's best to throw it in a food processor until it is smooth. My uncle uses bacon and bacon drippings with cheez whiz of all things and they turn out great. Can't say they are authentic but very good!

I found a wonderful tiny story in the Linden, N.J. area last year. Two women make all the best pierogies I've every had (besides my mother's). I want to go there tomorrow but can't find it on line & can't remember the name or location. (Dopey me for not writing it down last year.) Anyone know of the place? It might be called the Pierogie Palace but I'm not sure.
Thanks for any help.
Jeanne

I was taught by my Aunt. We use Dean's Dry Curd cottage cheese, it is where the Ricotta Cheese is at. If you can't find the Dry cottage cheese, then use Ricotta. But if I'm not mistaken, you can ask them to order it for you.

As for the Farmer's Cheese, I found it at Meijer's Store, with the speciality cheese's. The brand I found was Wilmot Farms Farmers Cheese. I then just grade it.

Hope that helps everyone.

My pierogi recipe uses mashed potatoes in the dough.

My grandmother filled them with cheese - Farmers' Cheese with a pinch of salt, egg yolks, and a little sugar, or she filled them with plums.

I used to work with a wonderful lady from poland who would use left over mashed potatoes and make the dough and fill them with pretty much anything she had as left-overs.
I have filled them with left-over meatloaf and they were very good.
I have also filled them with banana with very nice results.

I make pierogi for Wigilia and fill them with cheese (like Babcia did), plums or apples.
For apple filling, I mix apple slices with a little sugar and cinnamon and cook them in the microwave until the apples are almost tender.

I have relatives in their 70s,80sand two in the 90s and they said POT CHEESE not cottage or farmers both of which turn to water. Who knows what some of that stuff is used to make pierogi now-a-days most store baught is terrbile. Rich from NJ

I ADD BACON TO MY PEIROGI,S ALONG WITH POTATOES AND ONOINS,JUST SAUTE THE ONION AND BACON THEN ADD TO FARMERS CHEESE AND POTATOES. ADDS A GREAT FLAVOR

my gramma made meat pierogi with roast beef NOT ground beef that she cooked then put thru a grinder with onions and such but cannot find recipe like this . anyone out there know what I am talking about

I'm not Polish, but my mother used to do a similar thing with what was left after the Sunday roast ceased to look appetising after a day or two. Not the bit with pierogi, of course, but I imagine it was probably a fairly common way of dealing with leftovers.

I've made the sweet ones with cottage chees, some sugar, white raisins & an egg to bind it. One of my favorites. I also add sourcraut to cabbage along with onion & some salt pork to make another favorite. Everyone should try blueberry or cherry ones with a dollop of sour cream. To die for................

I had the same question, "What IS farmer cheese?" So I Googled this and came up with wonderful information (way too much too print here!): farmer farmers cheese homemade recipe for You'll end up going to a lot of super sites.

You can find farmers cheese at many whole foods stores - it's kind of a cross between cottage cheese and a cream cheese...or you could substitute cottage or cream cheese depending on the consistency you are looking for. If you do use cottage cheese, I would recommend letting it set in a strainer so it can drain the excess fluid.

farmers cheese is excellent

I grew up in Clairton, PA near McKeesport (mentioned earlier). During Lent as a child, babuska ladies sold Pierogies in front of St. Clair on Wednesdays. There were some called Liquor Pierogies - how are they made? I would like to try to recreate them. Can anyone shed some light on where I should start? I think they were a basic potato Pierogie with liquor added somehow. Any ideas?

why does everyone keep calling them "pierogies", pierogi is already plural :p

I grew up in Clairton, PA near McKeesport (mentioned earlier). During Lent as a child, babuska ladies sold Pierogie in front of St. Clair on Wednesdays. There were some called Liquor Pierogie - how are they made? I would like to try to recreate them. Can anyone shed some light on where I should start? I think they were a basic potato Pierogie with liquor added somehow. Any ideas?

For the person looking for farmer's cheese in Florida, you can get it at Publix, and if they run out they will special order it for you.

I married into a Polish family and they love pierogie. Of course I had to learn how to make them. My husband's mother gave me her recipe and she always used "dry curd" cottage cheese in the filling. You can usually find this in most grocery stores next to the regular cottage cheese. It says "dry curd" on the carton. We put in a whole egg, some grated onion, and salt and pepper to a 12 oz. carton.

That's such a good idea because they can then make the pierogi for you. Might try that myself one day <get 'em made for me> not sure about the marriage bit though. Sounds a bit too serious just for pierogi <joke>


LOL

No, it's not really like mozzerella at all. If you can't find farmers cheese then you should use cottage cheese that has been strained so that only the curd remains. There are different kinds of farmer's cheese out there as well. The one you want is soft, like cream cheese, or, if you can imagine it, like one big cottage cheese curd.
There are other kinds of farmer's cheese that are as firm as a cheddar. Don't use these. The name's the same, but it's a totally different kind of cheese.

It's on the 5th street highway passed Boscov's at the Reading Fairgrounds Mall, and its on the left hand side going towards Temple. It is back off the highway

Try using Bakers dry cottage cheese instead of farmers. I come from a long line of polish cooks from poland. very very good and authentic

TRUSCH!
Farmers cheese in nothing more than DRY curd cottage cheese. Both of these cheeses are made with out milk.
In the OLD days when your Busia was alive, we had polish dairies that made dry COTTAGE CHEESE.. But that is all history now. I tried using the dry curd cottage that they make today, but it is no where near the same.
Try this.. You can buy Farmers cheese at any super market. Get at least two packs.
Thaw out until it gets soft.
In a bowl add one egg, a little sugar, and a dash of lemon juice.
My Mom sprinkled a little dry peppermint.. Suit to taste
Mix until well blended. You will never know the difference.

There were some good recipes posted on here. Experiment with them. Practice makes perfect.. Try it with Damson Plums, (SLIWKI)
ADD SOUR CREAM TO YOUR DOUGH.. IT MAKES THE DOUGH SOFT
Fry chopped onions in butter until translucent. Add finely chopped sweet cabbage, and cook on a slow heat until well done. At least one hour. Be carefull not to burn.
Allow to cool until the butter gets settled. Then Fill.
GOOD LUCK

Mmmm I quite fancy some pierogi now that this thread has come up again.

Is Farmers cheese an American name ? Cottage cheese in the UK is nothing like the cheese you mention.

LIR;
Cottage cheese is nothing like Farmers cheese. It is a soft white cheese that looks more like cream cheese..( I TRIED CREAM CHEESE) It dont work.
I saw some recipes in here calling for booze.. No WAY..
CHRUSCIKI>>> YES.. I like Bourbon in mine..

YOU MIGHT TRY AN ITALIAN DELI AT EASTER TIME. THEY CALL IT BASKET CHEESE AND I USE IT FOR AN ITALIAN EASTER PIZZA. IT IS THE RIGHT CONSISTANCY AND I BELIEVE THE RIGHT TASTE. I WAS TOLD TO SUBSITUTE MOZZERELLA IF I COULDNT FIND BASKET CHEESE. I DID USE IT FOR PIEROGI AND IT TASTED GREAT. IT IS A FRESH CHEESE SO ITS ONLY MADE SEASONAL (BEFORE EASTER). IT MIGHT BE EASIER TO FIND IN PA

I was just making some saurkraut pierogies to take over to my dad this week. I noticed that someone in Reading, PA was looking for the cheese to make the potato and cheese filled version.
There is an excellent place in the Allentown Fair Grounds Farmers Market. The owner of the cheese shop makes his own now since he had so much trouble finding good sources. I have been very happy with this cheese for years. My roots are in Port Richmond so I recognize a good cheese. The market is open Thursday from Noon until 8pm? all day Friday and Saturday until 6pm. I hope this helps if you are looking for a closer.

i eat pierogi at my polish girlfriend's grandmother... Just the best! i don't know the recipie though.
In some parts of Greece we have pierogi with different name, "Varenika" ""

I don't actually know what's the difference between pierogi (we call 'em "pelmeni" in Russian) and "vareniki" (derives from the verb "varit'"=to boil), but traditionally last ones are stuffed by jam (cherry, plum etc.) or curd, cheese, whereas first are always stuffed with a meat.

Once I bought in a European Shop (it's a place where ukranian and polish guys sell mostly Russian goods) in the US Polish pierogi, they were delicious. :)

If you are looking for the authentic "Farmers Cheese" that Grandma used to make go to andrulischeese.com (or just google andrulis cheese) The UPS delivery truck just dropped off a shipment at my door an hour ago.