Pierogi Leniwe (Polish Lazy Pierogi)

Ahh, today is all about farmer's cheese in my kitchen. First the Viennese cheesecake, and now lazy pierogi. Well, that's how it sometimes goes: a day in the kitchen ends up with a theme.

Pierogi leniwe ("lazy pierogi," also called lazy dumplings, are soft dumplings made from farmer's cheese) are a dish that I think most of us like. Most kids love them, too.

I serve them with breadcrumbs fried in butter, or sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar.

I'm giving you two versions, because I've tried both and both are delicious.

The first comes from my mom. The second is from the book "Kuchnia Polska" (Polish Cuisine), published by Reader's Digest.

lazy pierogi

Version I

Ingredients:

• 750 g twaróg (farmer's cheese), ground or pushed through a potato ricer
• 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup flour (about 250 g)
• salt

Also:

• 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs
• 80-100 g butter

or

• sugar and cinnamon

Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks, a pinch of salt and half of the flour to the cheese (pushed through the ricer) and mix until you have a smooth mass. Beat the egg whites until stiff. In the meantime, also bring salted water to a boil in a large pot.

Add the whites to the cheese mixture and knead the dough, dusting with the remaining flour. Shape it into a log, flatten it slightly, and cut off diagonal dumplings. Cook in boiling water for about 2 minutes after they float to the top. Remove, drain, and serve topped with buttered breadcrumbs or with sugar.

Lazy Pierogi – Version II

Ingredients:

• 500 g ground farmer's cheese
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 eggs
• 150 g flour
• butter and breadcrumbs for serving
• salt

Separate the yolks from the whites. Cream the butter in a bowl and add the yolks one at a time, stirring constantly. Add the cheese and mix well. Beat the whites and add them to the cheese mixture alternately with the flour. Salt lightly and turn out onto a floured work surface. Shape into a log about 2.5 cm in diameter, flatten it, press a cross into it with the blunt tip of a knife, and cut off 1.5 cm dumplings. Bring salted water to a boil in a pot and cook the dumplings as above. Serve with buttered breadcrumbs or sugar.