Southwest Chia Seed Piergi with Avocado Cream Sauce

DOUGH

• • 2 cups Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

  • 2 tbsp. chia seeds (optional, but great for added protein, fiber and texture!)

  • 1 large egg

  • 1/2 cup sour cream

  • 1/4 cup butter, room temperature

FILLING

• • 1.5 small to medium russet potatoes, 1.5 cups chicken broth or chicken base

  • 1 cup shredded cheddar or pepper jack cheese (or a combination of the two)

  • 2 heaping spoonfuls of sourcream

  • 1/2 can (4.5 oz) of chopped green chiles

  • 1/2 tsp. cumin

  • salt and fresh black pepper to taste

SAUCE

• • 1 large Hass Avocado (pit and skin removed)

  • Juice from 1.5 limes

  • 2 heaping spoonfuls of sourcream

  • 1/2 cup skim milk

  • 1/4 tsp. coriander

MAKE THE DOUGH…

• • Mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg to the flour and combine. The dough will be quite clumpy at this stage.

  • Work in the sour cream and soft butter until the dough comes together in a slightly rough, slightly sticky ball.

  • Using just your fingertips, knead and fold the dough, picking up bits around the bowl until the dough becomes less sticky but still quite moist. It will be a firm dough.

  • Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours, or up to 48 hours. I found that the longer the dough chills, the easier it is to work with. My brother tells me that chilling dough helps the gluten to relax? Whatever that means.

MAKE THE FILLING…

• • Peel and cut potato into large pieces (6 to 8 pieces per potato). Boil in 1.5 cups of chicken broth until tender.

  • Drain and rinse potatoes in cold water. Blot with a clean dish towel or layered paper towels to remove excess moisture.

  • Gently mash the potato until there are only small chunks (or no chunks if you prefer) remaining. Stir in cheese, sour cream, green chiles, and cumin. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.

FILL THE PIEROGI…

• • I cut the dough in to 8 sections, shaped and rolled gently into a small rectangle. Then, I worked one section at a time through my pasta roller attachment. 4 passes at setting 1 (the thickest setting), 4 passes through setting 2. If you are hand rolling, I still think it’s easier to cut the dough in to 8 sections and the roll each section out into a long rectangle or oval. It should be roughly about 1/8” thick.

  • You can either roll out all the dough, then cut and fill – or you can roll a couple of batches, cut and fill those, then repeat with remaining dough until complete. It probably depends mostly on the size and work surfaces available in your kitchen. Ours is small!

  • TIP: Any dough you are not actively working with should be loosely wrapped in plastic wrap or covered with a damp paper towel or cloth at all times.

  • Use a 3-4” round cutter to cut circles of dough (I used the top of our cocktail shaker). Repurpose scraps by creating another section of dough or snip into small pieces for soup noodles.

  • Place 1 tablespoon of filling on each round of dough. Gently pull two opposite sides of the dough up together and press together working from the center out to ther corners to form a pocket. Pinch the edges of the pierogi to seal, then seal again with the tines of a fork.

  • Cook in a large stockpot of boiling unsalted water (since I added salt to my dough, it was not necessary to salt the water). Only cook about 10 pierogi at a time, so that they have room to float without sticking. When the pierogi float after about 5-6 minutes, they’re ready. Fish out of the water with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate until all the pierogi are boiled.

FINISH THE DISH…

• • on medium low and add enough olive oil to generously coat the pan.

  • one at a time, add the pierogi to the skillet and gently swirl (by hand) in the olive oil to prevent sticking. Fill the pan with perogi, but don’t over-crowd. If your pan is too hot, the pierogi are more likely to stick so watch the heat!

  • Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper on the sides that have not yet been introduced to the oil.

  • Flip with tongs once the down side is lightly browned and crispy. Crisp up the other side and remove from pan (cook in batches and keep completed pierogi warm in a 200 degree oven while the others cook) .

  • Using an immersion blender, blender or food processor, puree all sauce ingredients until a smooth, thick pourable consisentcy is achieved.

  • Spread 2-3 spoonfulls of sauce on a plate and place 4-5 pierogie (sitting up) on top.

  • Serve your favorite seasonal roasted vegetable alongside.