In Soviet Russia....

This post is about...The famed "Russian Dumplings" hehe. I love, just absofreakinlutely love pelmeni. This is something I grew up eating; on special occasions my mom and me would make these together from scratch and it was such a treat because making them & eating them fresh and hand made has no comparison to the store bought ones. There are so many different ways to make these, eat these and even various difficulty levels of making them. I am going to share a simple, traditional, yet very delicious version-the way my mom learned from her mom and still makes them to this day. 

This also makes for a fun, casual dinner gathering where your guests can eat the food they make. I've done it, and it turned out to be a great success! Anyway, without further ado, let me introduce you to my favourite childhood memory....

Traditional Russian Pelmeni:

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt

Filling:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground pork
2 medium onions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
garlic to taste

Asian Style Vinegar Sauce:

3 tbsp vinegar (rice vinegar works well)

3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium is best)

1 small clove garlic

a couple slices of ginger, julienne cut (fine strips)

-Mix together ingredients and let stand for 5-10 minutes to infuse flavors together

Directions:

1. In the food processor, using the metal blade, blend the flour and salt. With the processor still running, add the egg, then, in a steady stream, pour the water in. Process until the dough forms into a ball and hangs around the blade. Transfer the ready dough onto a floured surface and knead until pliable.
2. Set the dough aside on a floured plate or bowl covered with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying out. Let it rest for 30 minutes. 
3. Once the dough is ready, combine the ground beef, ground pork, onions-pureed in the food processor, 1 tsp salt, pepper and garlic together. Set aside. 
4. Cut the dough into three equally sized pieces and roll each one out into a very flat and thin sheet. 
5. On a floured surface, take a rolling pin- flour it, roll the dough out to a thin sheet. You want it thin, but not translucent because it will tear . Use a glass, to cut out about 2 inch circles-can also use a round cookie cutter. Make the cuts close together so you don't waste too much dough. When you're done cutting, take the non-circle parts, clump them together, place it under a towel to re-roll later. 
6. Put a teaspoon of the meat mixture in the center of each circle (quite a good amount but not so much that you can't seal/end up ripping the dough). 
7. Then fold the dough in half and seal the edges by pressing them together tightly all around. Next, bring the two corners together and press together to seal: you should now have this shape:

 

As you’re making the pelmeni, place them on a cold, floured baking sheet. 

1.  Bring about 4 cups of generously salted water to a boil (with a bay leaf and a few peppercorns for  flavor, if you like). 
2. Drop 30-40 pelmeni in and cook 6-8 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon occasionally to prevent sticking. With a slotted spoon, carefully remove pelmeni from the water into bowls.
3. Serve in soup bowls. I like to offer different dipping sauces: sour cream, Asian style vinegar sauce (not traditional but delicious anyway), and vinegar with a dash of black pepper. You can also spoon some liquid that the pelmeni have boiled in into the bowl and add some butter as an alternative to dipping sauce.

To Freeze Them:

Dust a baking sheet with flour. Make sure that the pelmeni are close together but in one single layer and dust them again with some flower. Then cover them tightly with saran wrap-but don't squish them. Place the entire baking sheet in the freezer for half an hour. Once the pelmeni are a bit frozen you can transfer them into a zip bag without them sticking together, they will store well in the zipped bag for around 2 months.

Bitter mood makes bitter food. So fucking smile! :D 

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