Vareniki with Cherries
Ingredients
1 lbs. + 12 oz. fresh cherries, pitted and halved
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour + extra for rolling out dough
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup + 1 Tbsp. cold water
Salt for cooking vareniki
Instructions
Cherry Filling
In a medium bowl, combine 1 pound of cherries with ½ cup sugar; mix and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour or until cherries release their juices.
Dough & Vareniki
In a large bowl, combine sifted flour and salt; add ¾ cups of cold water. Mix with a spoon until the dough comes together then using your hands knead the dough until throughly mixed and no lumps are visible. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Keep the dough not being used covered so it wont dry out.
Roll out the dough on a thoroughly floured surface until ¼" - ⅛" thickness. Cut out 3" inch circles out of the dough (I used a drinking glass). Place two halved cherries on one side of the dough and seal the dough at the edge by pinching the two sides together. You can leave it at that or go back and create a scalloped edge as shown in the picture.
Continue rolling, filling and sealing until all dough is gone. I re-rolled the leftover dough from cut out circles by rolling it back and cutting out more circles. Makes about 45 vareniki.
To cook vareniki: bring a large pot of water to a boil, season with salt and add vareniki. Don't overcrowd. Cook no more than 5 minutes. You will be able to tell when vareniki are done as they will float to the top. Drain and serve right away with cherry compote or sour cream. I also added little bit of butter to the drained vareniki to prevent them from sticking.
To freeze vareniki: place the vareniki on a parchment lined baking sheet in a single layer, freeze overnight; transfer the frozen vareniki into a large ziploc bag and store in freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to cook, just follow the above cooking instructions. There is no need to thaw out the vareniki before cooking.
Cherry Compote
In a small saucepan, combine the remaining 12 oz. cherries with ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Bring to a boil; lower the heat to medium/low and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the cherries cook down and mixture is thick.
On photo: WL-991004 / A BREAD PLATE 6" | 15 CM
Photo by:navigator_cafe
Recipe by: littlebroken.com
