Five Food Finds about Pierogi:

• The word Pierogi can be found spelled several ways including perogi and pierogy.

• However you choose to spell it, pierogi are dumplings made up of unleavened dough that is first boiled then sometimes baked or fried in butter.

• Usually semicircular in shape, they are traditionally stuffed with a mashed potato filling, potato, and cheese, potato and onion, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, ground meat, mushroom, spinach or fruit.

• Pierogi are often served with melted butter, sour cream, fried bacon crumbles, sauteed mushrooms, and onions and/or green onion.

• The dessert variety, those filled with a fruit filling, can be enjoyed topped with applesauce, maple syrup, chocolate sauce and/or whipped cream.

Philly Cheesesteak Pierogi Recipe

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YIELD:  Makes 30 pierogi
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INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for
  dusting
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup sour cream, plus more for serving
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened,
  divided
1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil,
  divided, plus more as needed
10 ounces thinly sliced steak,
  such as ribeye or top round 
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone cheese
1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella
  cheese
Chopped flat-leaf parsley, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour and 
1 teaspoon salt. Add egg, 1 cup sour cream, and 4 tablespoons
softened butter. Stir until well combined and the dough pulls
away from the bowl. If dough is too dry, add one tablespoon
of water at a time until it comes together. Cover and
refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 48 hours.

2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a
medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add sliced
onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring
frequently, until golden, about 30 minutes. Roughly chop
half the onion and transfer to a large bowl; set the other
half of onions aside.

3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet and
increase heat to high. Season steak with salt and pepper and,
working in batches, saute, stirring, until just cooked though,
about 1 minute per batch; add more oil to pan if needed. Remove
from heat and roughly chop. Add chopped steak to the chopped onions
and toss in both shredded cheeses. Mix to evenly distribute and set
aside to cool.

4. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and turn
out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll the dough out to a
sheet about 1/16 inch thick. Using a 3-inch circular cookie cutter
or the top of a glass, cut the dough into circles. Roll the excess
dough into a new dough ball and wrap with plastic wrap; let rest
for 5 minutes, then roll out and repeat. Discard any remaining
dough scraps.

5. Place two teaspoons of filling in the center of
each dough round. Working one at a time, use a wet finger to moisten
the edge of each round with water, then fold into a semi-circle around
the filling. Gently pinch edge together to seal, then press with tines
of fork to make pleated edge. At this point, the pierogi can be frozen
and saved for later use, if desired (to freeze, arrange pierogi on
parchment-lined baking sheets and freeze, then transfer to zipper-lock
bags and return to freezer until ready to use).

6. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil
and add fresh or frozen pierogi in small batches. Boil until they float
to the top and are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted
spoon and let drain in a colander. Repeat until all of the pierogi have
been boiled.

7. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 2
tablespoons butter to a nonstick skillet over medium heat until butter
is melted. Working in batches, saute pierogi until crisp and browned on
each side, about 6 minutes per batch. In the last few minutes of cooking
the last batch, add the reserved onions to the pan to heat through.

8. Transfer pierogi to a plate, top with the warmed
onions and garnish with parsley. Serve with sour cream.