Sometimes I can get a little too ambitious with my meal planning adventures.  Working 50-60 hours per week as a fellow, trying to read/study/teaching prep in the evenings, and spend high-quality time with my friends can get a little overwhelming at times.  Besides the laundry, walking the dog, running errands type of everyday chores that seem to take up way more time than I ever set aside.   I’d like to have all the time in the world to bake 8-layer cakes and 7-course meals…but I don’t.  And I refuse to sacrifice my sanity to achieve all that (ok, off my soap box now).  I’m just a normal girl with a pretty busy life and an intense passion for all things related to food.

That being said, when I usually plan out my weekend cooking strategy, sometimes I throw in some pretty time-consuming meals.  Being so busy sometimes, it’s a disaster if those meals don’t turn out the way I wanted them to (like last weekend’s homemade four cheese white pizza disaster that left me an oven full of burnt ricotta and a smoke detector that wouldn’t quit.) Talk about disappointment.

Regardless, when someone I know said that one of his favorite childhood meals was a homemade pierogi, I knew I would be venturing into very risky territory.  A homemade dough that would require some chill time, some homemade filling, and a rolling pin and a dough cutter was not something that could be done with a lot of extra time.  After researching several recipes, I went with the trustworthy Cook’s Illustrated.  I knew I couldn’t go wrong, even though it looked like a beast of a recipe.

OK.  First things first.  The recipe stresses that you should make the dough and use it right then and there.  Fair enough, but it was something that I couldn’t manage.  So I cheated.  I made the dough the day before and chilled it over night.  And then I let it come to room temperature the next day before even attempting to roll it out.  It worked just fine, in my opinion.  I also made the filling the day before and kept it tightly covered in the fridge overnight.  It also was fine once it came up to room temperature the next day.

Success.  Finally.  After a string of frustrating time-consuming recipes, this was a winner.  And a nod to my maternal grandmother’s Polish heritage.  Cheesy potato and onion-filled dumplings?  Ok.  Game on.

Homemade Pierogi

Servings: about 30 pierogi

Ingredients

For the dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

4-6 tablespoons cold water

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, for frying the pierogi

For the onions:

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 large onions, sliced thinly

For the filling:

1 medium russet potato, peeled and sliced 3/4-inch thick

Salt

1/2 cup reserved caramelized onions, chopped

3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4 cup farmer’s cheese, shredded (you can sub in ricotta if this not available.)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Ground black pepper

For serving:

Sour cream

Additional caramelized onions

Instructions

1. For the dough:  In a food processor, pulse together the flour and salt until combined.

2. With the machine running, slowly add the whole egg, the egg yolk, and the oil through the feed tube. Let it run for about 30 seconds or so.

3.  With the machine still running, add the water (one tablespoon at a time) until the dough forms a nice ball.

4. Transfer the dough to a clean, flat, and lightly floured work surface and knead for about 2 minutes.  Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.

5.  For the onions:  In a large sauté pan over medium heat, melt the butter.

6. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and cook until the onions are softened and browned, about 15-20 minutes.

7. Once cooked, remove 1/2 cup of the onions and chop them (you will use them in the filling later.)  Keep the remaining onions covered and warm.

8. For the filling:  Cover the potato by 1-inch of water in a saucepan and season with salt.

9. Bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer, allowing to cook until the potato is tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Drain the potato in a colander.

10. Using a ricer or food mill (or if you are like me, and have neither, use a potato masher), mash the potatoes until smooth or completely processed.

11. Add the caramelized onions, cheeses and butter until incorporated.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

12.  Cool slightly before filling the pierogi.  (Or cover tightly and refrigerate until you are ready to go.)

13. For the pierogi:  Dust a baking sheet (or two) liberally with flour; set aside.

14.  Divide the dough into two equal pieces and wrap one with plastic wrap.

15. Working with the non-wrapped portion of dough, roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/16-inch.

16. Using a 3-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out as many rounds as possible and place them on the prepared baking sheets, carefully gathering up the remaining scraps and re-rolling/cutting out the dough as necessary.

17. To fill the pierogi: Place about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center of each dough round.

18. Using wet fingers, lightly moisten the edges of each dough round.

19. Fold the dough rounds in half, and using a fork, crimp each one tightly shut.  (Keep the pierogi moist with a wet towel once they are made.  If you are planning on freezing them, transfer the baking sheets to the freezer, still covered.  Once they are fully frozen, you can directly boil them for 8-10 minutes at a later time.)

20.  Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of lightly salted water to a boil.

21. Add half of the pierogi, cooking until the edges feel al dente, about 5-6 minutes.

22. Using a slotted spoon or wire spider, transfer the pierogi to a colander and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining batch.

23.  Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.

24.  Add the pierogi in batches, cooking until golden brown on both sides, about 1-2 minutes per side.  Repeat with the entire batch.

25. Sprinkle with caramelized onions and serve with sour cream.

Source:  Slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated: The Best International Recipe.

Sometimes I will get some sort of food or dish in my head, and it becomes a slight obsession until I can have it.  On my own terms.  Meat-free.

Take a Reuben sandwich, for example.  Growing up, my mom could make a mean corned beef/cabbage dish for a traditional New Year’s Day dinner.  I would inhale it.  But even better, I would inhale the leftover Reubens that would inevitably come after that dinner.

So, I recently somehow got to thinking about a vegetarian version of that childhood favorite of mine, and then, it was almost taunting me everywhere I went.  Every restaurant menu seemed to have a Reuben on it, the Arby’s commercial on TV would pop up….and I finally got to the point where I couldn’t take it anywhere.  My normally healthy diet be damned.  Bring on the veggie Reuben.  I found a few recipes to base my version on-I knew I had to incorporate the caraway flavor in there somehow, and I loved the idea of making my own dressing to top the sandwich with.  I found a local sauerkraut that’s made in Vermont, grabbed some Cabot Swiss cheese, some fresh King Arthur rye bread (can you tell I am totally loving all this New England local food????), and I was good to go.

Every single leftover was gone.  My palate has attention deficit disorder, so this is a big deal for me.

You can totally convert this to a vegan version, if you want.  Omit (or use alternative “cheese”) and use a vegan substitute for the dressing.  The tempeh’s flavor was to die for.  I DID try Lightlife’s smoky flavored tempeh (think bacon-ish) flavor, and I actually thought that it went well for these sandwiches.  Next time I might try a non-flavored version of tempeh and see how that works instead.

It feels good to be meat-free and still be able to eat a Rueben.

Vegetarian Reuben Sandwiches

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the dressing:

4 tablespoons mayonnaise (use a vegan or low-fat substitute)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 cup dill pickle, minced

2 tablespoons onion, minced

2 teaspoons Sriracha (or to taste-I like mine spicy)

For the tempeh:

6 ounces tempeh, sliced (I used Lightlifes’s smoky flavored)

1/4 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce (I used low-sodium)

1 tablespoons whole black peppercorns, crushed

1 tablespoon caraway seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

For serving:

1 and 1/2 cups fresh sauerkraut (I used a local kind made by a place called Holy Mackerel, in Vermont…so good!)

Swiss cheese

Rye bread, sliced

Instructions

1. For the sauce:  In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill until ready to serve.

2. For the tempeh:  In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, combine the cider vinegar, soy sauce, crushed peppercorns and caraway, stirring frequently.

3. When the mixture is almost to a boil, add the sliced tempeh.

4. Decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring frequently.  (You will not have much liquid left.)

5. In a sauté pan over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering.

6. Add the tempeh and sauté until lightly crisped, about 3-4 minutes.

7. To assemble and grill the sandwiches, lightly butter a frying pan (or use cooking spray.) over medium heat.

8. Assemble each sandwich as desired and place onto the hot surface, grilling each side for about 1-2 minutes.  (I had a little panini press that I have to push down on the sandwiches…it created a bit of a gooey mess in my frying pan, but, hey, it’s a Reuben.)

Source:  Adapted from Recipe.com

I’m on a little bit of a quest to prove that you don’t need to put meat into everything to make it taste better.

Here’s my proof.

Saint Patrick’s Day is right around the corner, and I have already been feeling a little festive with the Guinness.  (see here.)  So, I knew it was only a matter of time before I tried to make a hearty, filling, healthy, and (gasp!) meatless stew that even a carnivore could love.  After scrolling through several bookmarked and saved recipes, I landed upon one I particularly liked.  I increased the vegetable quotient and served it with some fresh-from-the-oven soda bread (recipe to follow in a couple of days.)

With all stews, it was delicious on the first day but even more so after an overnight chill in the fridge.  I ate this for several nights as leftovers since I made a large portion of this (feel free to cut it in half).  The Guinness?  It was definitely in the background, but it wasn’t overwhelming.  The end result?  A fantastic vegetarian alternative to a great winter meal.  I’m celebrating St. Patrick’s Day early this year.

No-Meat Guinness Stew

Servings: about 6 large portions

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 large onions, peeled and chopped

6 small celery stalks, chopped into bite-sized pieces

16 ounces (1 lb) button mushrooms, cleaned, de-stemmed, and sliced

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

One 11.2-ounce bottle of Guinness Stout***Some people say that Guinness is not vegetarian based on its processing.  If you are a strict vegetarian or vegan, please use another brand of beer.

4-5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces

3 lb (about 3-4 large) Russet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon vegetable base (I used Better Than Boullion.)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

4 cups water

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1.  Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.

2. Add the onion, celery, and about 1/4 of the mushrooms, stirring frequently until softened, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the flour to the mixture and stir to coat and cook for another 2 minutes.

4. Carefully pour the bottle of Guinness over the mixture, and stir to scrape up any browned bits.

5. Add the remaining vegetables and ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil.

6. Decrease the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 45 minutes.

Source:  Adapted from The Kitchn.