Sunday, January 24, 2010

PIEROGIPALOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOZA

Ok, so....here is where it all started....In the basement of St. Vladimir's Ukrainian Catholic Church, Byzantine Rite under the Greek Orthodox Church (spoken language Ukrainian) when I was a wee Check Spellingone. We would actually first go to church upstairs. During mass, a coughing spell would usually attack me(how convenient). I'd end up being carried out by my daddy and dropped off in the basement kitchen with Gramma Dorothy. The coughing spell; however, was legit. Father Leo would swing his incense around like a crazy man purifying and sanctifying us all. For whatever reason that still puzzles me. It would make me get this God awful itch in my throat and I'd start coughing uncontrollably. The only remedy was a plastic cup of birch beer from the Church Kitchen (capitalized because alot of magic happened here back in the day).
Anyway, I am a pierogi aficionado- and a Polish princess to boot! I always liked the way my daddy would prepare them with sauteed onion and sourcream. He used to always, always, always, yell at me though becauseI liked to use ketchup on them.
I grew up eating the Church Pierogi. As a teen I started to wonder if I could make them too. Not better, nothing will ever compare to the flavor of the heart and soul those old ladies put into them, but my way. I started making them then. I made them from time to time, here and there. It wasn't until my daddy passed away in 1997 that I really started thinking about our family traditions. And it was then that Pierogipalooza came about. Through the years since I have served them for all holidays that I have shared with my brother. I needed to keep the tradition alive and will continue to do so with my own children when I have them.

A view of St. Vladimir's Kitchen...

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Rolling the dough

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About 2 T. of filling must be evenly spaced. Not too much though or they will not seal properly. Remember this: Less is More!

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Brush water around each pierogi...or use your fingers like I do.

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Carefully cut around each mound of lovely potato. You do not want to have too much excess dough around the edges, but just enough for a nice edge.

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Here is your lovely pierogi. Pinch it, ever so firmly, yet sweetly, around the edges. Some use a fork, but I like a rustic crimp.

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Always make enough to feed a small army.

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Pierogi are made to be shared with others. Consider yourself privilaged if you recieve such a splendid gift.

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First, They must be dropped into BOILING water. Then, drained. Now Melt some butter and brown those babies!

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Plated beautifully with Halupki

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Trance of the Calginetti

AAAhhhhh it is that time of year again when I really want to pull my hair out....It seems for every holiday there is a recipe that becomes the thorn in my side, but also the reason I am excited to get out of bed and get right to work every day, bittersweet actually. This season, as every other Christmas and Hanukah season is the Calginetti. This is a fried Italian Christmas Cookie. It is a sweet white wine dough filled with chestnut puree, espresso, chocolate, marmelades, and anisette, + some other secret ingredients as well.

I learned how to make these little buggers about 10 years ago when I first started working at Carlino's. I was taught by the late, Chef Mama Carlino, herself... She was my best friend and mentor. (we will save that for a posting dedicated totally to Mama) Anyway, She would usually start making these wannabe pierogis (haha that's what I call them) right before Thanksgiving. Our customers start asking for them. They get so persistant, mean even, because the want their fudgin' Calginetti! I used to think to myself, "Ugh, these things are nasty" and to me, they were, back then. I have come up with a few clever things since working at Carlino's. One of them is that I noticed these wannabe pierogis are an aquired taste. With all my Pastry Chefs and Cooks through the years, I have noticed a pattern. (non) Italian Chefs think, at first, yucky. ( I did) but then the next year comes around and you try the fried dough part of the cookie and it tastes a little "good", then the year after that comes, and you are brave enough to try the filling, a lick, at best, with the tip of your tongue, gross! Moving a little too fast, maybe... Ok, so now it's year 3 and you are prepared to take a bite. An actual bite, with fried dough and filling together. Hhhmmmm not so bad, eh? BUT, then comes year 4, ah, year 4. This is the turning point for those who have endured 4 whole years of madness at a store sooo busy at holidays that we actually have to hire the police to direct the traffic, NO LIE!!! Anyway, as I was saying, the turning point, yes, you've managed to take a bite this year and you are shocked that the Calginetti didn't taste half bad!!! So now all you can do is try to wait til year 5. We only make these delectable biscuits late November thru late December...So come year 5 you will be salivating before Thanksgiving with anxiety just like the customers do....every year.

This is true...I have seen this happen over and over and over with employees.... I too fell into the trance of the Calginetti.

The process of Calginetti making

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Our new whisk...

Just wanted to share a comparison of whisks for our KitchenAid at work.. I, being the frugal chef that I am refused to order us a new whisk as the "spokes" on ours dwindled down to nothing. Usually when they start breaking off we just ask Gino, our Pizza Chef, to get out his pliers and snip them off. I figured "what's the use of buying a new one, this one still works right? and as long as there are spokes on that damn whisk, it will get the job done" Chef Megan came in today and suprised me with a new whisk. She went shopping in Reading yesterday. We were cracking up at how funny our older whisk looks compared to the brand spankin new one.
And just for the record, the new one, does not whip up cream much faster than older whisk. haha!!!

A comparison of whisks...

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Friday, August 15, 2008

I'm a bloggin blogger!

Hey all! this is my first time Bloggin' So short and sweet, kinda like great dough! Anyway, stay tuned cuz now that I figured out how to do this; I'm going to collect all my kitchen knowledge into 1 bloggin cool place. Complete recipes, links, searches, and all my other food thoughts.
I'm a Pastry Chef by trade; but a Foodie by heart. I love food, all kinds, all nationalities, the wisdom, ledgends, history, and lore.
This will be a delicious place for me to express and organize my love of the Culinary Art world. More cheezy prose to come.
bake ur ass off,
Chef Jessy