Piroshki or Pirozhki

O.K.

I mentioned in a previous post about a pizza dough recipe in a Cooking For Assholes blog I follow as similar to a pirozhki recipe I stumbled across in an old cookbook. Cooking Asshole or just plain asshole or Mr. A, as I addressed him in a blog comment took me to task about the spelling.

The only thing I spelled wrong was the Polish version, pierogi, which my sister, third generation Polish, raves about. If you followed this blog like me, you'd know that the author was "funnin'" me or yanking my chain. It's the thing that makes his blog different AND funny. He's also a pretty good cook.

The picture above is the final result of my efforts. They have an egg yolk wash ( 1 egg yolk mixed with one T of water) which is the final step before they go into a 425 pre-heated oven. I used turkey meat loaf as the filler for the piroshkis.

The directions say to bring one cup of milk to a boil, cool to lukewarm add softened yeast(1pkg. yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water, add half the flour(see previous post) about one and three fourths cup, and beat until smooth. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

While the first mix is getting"light" mix the remaining egg white, whole egg, sugar, salt and melted butter. Add to the yeast mixture and blend. Ad enough of the remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic ( 8-10 minutes). Put in a greased bowl, grease the top, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk ( 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

I added poppy seeds at the last moment so that my wife would flunk any pee in the cup tests that day at work. She's the head warden at the state prison nearby.

I found after kneading the dough for 8 minutes, it would be perfect for a thicker crust pizza. I rolled it into mini rounds, folded them over into half moons and added my filling. Cooking For Assholes used half the salt, no sugar and one less egg.

I might experiment with water in place of milk for a thin crust. I might even lose the egg. It's my kitchen and I'll do what I want.

Spare me any comments as I have get off this computer to marinate some really expensive steak that's part of a shabu shabu I'm planning when the number one son arrives on Christmas Eve. The pirozhki's are part of this multi-cultural celebration in food. He's the only kid I know who's fond of eel in sushi, likes deep fried octopus and waiter at a Minneapolis restaurant rated number three in the city.