Varenyky

Ingredients

Dough

• 500 gplain flour
• 1 tspsalt
• 1large egg
• 250 mlwarm water or, better, warm whey from making syr
• 2 tbspsunflower oil

Potato and cheese filling

• 700 gfloury potatoes, peeled and boiled
• 200 gdry curd cheese (syr) or firm ricotta
• 1large onion (150 g), finely diced
• 60 gbutter
• 1 tspsalt
• ½ tspwhite pepper

To serve

• 2large onions (300 g), sliced into half-moons
• 80 gbutter or 60 g rendered fat
• 300 gsmetana (soured cream, 30% fat)
• 1small bunch dill, chopped

Directions

1. Whisk the egg, water, oil and salt, pour into the flour and knead 8–10 minutes to a smooth, elastic dough. Cover with an upturned bowl and rest 30 minutes so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls without springing back.
2. Fry the diced onion for the filling in the 60 g butter over medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Mash the hot potatoes, beat in the onion with its butter, the curd cheese, salt and pepper, and cool completely.
3. Separately, fry the sliced onions for serving in the 80 g butter over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until deep gold and sweet. Keep warm; this zazharka is not optional in Ukraine.
4. Roll the dough 2 mm thin on a lightly floured board and cut 8 cm rounds with a glass. Keep the offcuts under cloth so they do not dry.
5. Put a walnut-sized ball of cold filling on each round, fold into a half-moon and pinch the edge firmly, then crimp it into a rope. The seal must be dry and filling-free or it will burst.
6. Bring a wide pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and drop in the varenyky in batches of 12, stirring once so they do not stick to the base.
7. Cook 3–4 minutes from the moment they float; the dough at the crimped seam should be tender when pinched, with no chalky line.
8. Lift out with a slotted spoon straight into the pan of fried onions and butter and toss gently to coat. Serve immediately with cold smetana and dill.

Technique

• The filling must be cold and fairly dry before shaping. Warm mash steams inside the dough and blows the seams open in the pot.
• Roll thin. Ukrainians judge varenyky by how fine the dough is at the crimp, not by the filling.
• Never crowd the pot: varenyky need room to circulate or they glue together and cook unevenly.

Substitutions

• No dry curd syr? Drain 300 g full-fat cottage cheese in muslin overnight, or use firm ricotta pressed dry.
• Whey from home-made cheese gives the softest dough; buttermilk thinned with water is the closest supermarket stand-in.

Variations

• Varenyky z vyshniamy, filled with sour cherries and sugar, served with cream and the cherry syrup.
• Varenyky z kapustoiu, filled with braised sauerkraut and onion, the Lenten standard.
• Lazy varenyky (lynyvi), where the curd is mixed straight into the dough and cut into pillows.

History

Boiled dumplings filled with potato, cheese, cabbage or cherries, served with fried onion and sour cream at festive tables.

Frequently asked questions

What is Varenyky?

Varenyky is a main from Ukraine: boiled dumplings with potato, cheese or cherries; fried onions, smetana. Boiled dumplings filled with potato, cheese, cabbage or cherries, served with fried onion and sour cream at festive tables.

How long does Varenyky take to make?

Varenyky takes 1 hr of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (about 40 varenyky). It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Varenyky?

Yes, within limits. No dry curd syr? Drain 300 g full-fat cottage cheese in muslin overnight, or use firm ricotta pressed dry. Whey from home-made cheese gives the softest dough; buttermilk thinned with water is the closest supermarket stand-in.

What is the most important thing to get right in Varenyky?

Separately, fry the sliced onions for serving in the 80 g butter over medium-low heat for 20 minutes until deep gold and sweet. Keep warm; this zazharka is not optional in Ukraine.