Monday, May 23, 2011

Cooking with the Seasons at D Acres

We are well into Spring time now, but I have many recipes tucked away from the Cooking with Seasons classes being held here at D Acres.

We embarked on a fun potato-stuffed pastry originating from Eastern Europe. Here is a recipe for Piroshkis:

This simple pastry can be filled with anything really. The traditional filling is potatoes, cabbage, onion, egg and cheese, but on a cold night in February we went all out!

For Pastry
Unbleached White Flour or Whole Wheat Pastry, 3 cups
Salt, 1/3 tsp
Butter, 3/4 cup
Ice Water, 1/4 to 3/4 cup

Prepare the pastry by thoroughly mixing the flour and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles course cornmeal. Using a fork and a minimum number of strokes, mix in the ice water until the mixture can be formed into a ball. Chill the dough for 15 minutes. Form into balls and refrigerate for up to one hour.
(Pastry recipe taken from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd)

Our base for the filling was mashed potatoes. We then added various other ingredients to fancy up the piroshkis:
-Sautéed Sauerkraut
-Garlc Scape Puree
-Shredded carrots and beets

Divide each ball of dough into four pieces. Roll each piece into a 6-in. diameter circle. Preheat the oven to 350°. Place 1/2 cup filling in the center of each circle. Brush the edges with an egg wash (one egg beaten with 4 Tbsp of water) and fold over to form a turnover, pressing the edges together with a fork. Place the piroshkis on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops with the egg wash. Bake for 25-35 minutes, until lightly browned.

Look forward to more great seasonal recipes from the cooking class! We've been having a lot of fun with nettle this spring.

Eat well,
Regina

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