Polish Dumplings

This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever. John 6:58

I made these on Saturday; they were wonderful.

3 Tb oil
1 c. warm water
3 c. all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt

2 c. mashed potatoes
1/4 cup canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoons salt

Make the filling first by sauteeing the onions and folding them into the mashed potatoes. Season as desired (I would go Egyptian--lemon, cumin.

Make the dough and dumplings according to Isa's instructions (which are wonderful and abbreviated below):

Pour the water and oil into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and the salt, keeping one cup aside. Stir with a fork, then knead with your hands into a loose dough.

Sprinkle your counter with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and knead. Add the reserved cup of flour as needed to get a smooth, elastic dough that isn’t tacky.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil while you roll out the dough. Roll half the dough out to about 1/16 of an inch thick, which is to say, very thin but not see through.

Use a glass or a cookie cutter to make 3 1/2 inch circles. Stuff with about a teaspoon of filling (at room temperature or colder) and seal by pressing with water.

To boil, gently lower pierogis in to the water with a slotted spoon. Boil about six at a time. When they float they are ready. If for some reason they aren’t floating, it takes about 4 minutes for them to cook. Use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a plate as you prepare the rest. Cover finished ones lightly with tin foil to keep warm. Proceed until all pierogi are boiled.

(You can follow this step with pan frying, if you like, but I skipped that. A friend also mentioned that she sets them in the freezer first.)