Share Link:
These are the juiciest dumplings you'll ever eat - that's a promise!
As for a child, summer really started for me when cherry blossoms came into season. That's when the cherry is always on the table, ready to eat it. But then you eat so much that your tongue turns red and you don't want to see her anymore. As an adult, you are trying to control yourself so that you can enjoy full cherry season. Well, the best thing to do in this case is dumplings. This is an amazing way to keep cherries throughout the winter, and a great reminder of summer days on cold winter evenings.
Vareniki are Russian dumplings/ravioli, but what really makes this recipe special is that they are sweet and very tasty, but at the same time light and juicy because they are filled with cherries. This is a unique time when you can have something sweet as your main meal.
There is always debate about where dumplings come from. The general version is that all dumpling typed food comes from China. Then there is a version that dumplings developed from Turkish food are called sushi-vara - different fillings covered with dough and boiled. After that, the word dos-vara was separated and became Vareniki, as some sources say. But also the word "vareniki" simply means cooked in water in Russian. Regardless of where the dish came from, it has become a favorite Russian dish.
Vareniki is not a very complicated dish, but there are actually a few secrets you should know according to William Pokhlebkin, the most famous Russian food writer of the 20th century. One of them is very simple, but it will make a big difference: when the dumplings are cooked, drain the water and maybe even put the dumplings back in the pot - since it will still be hot, this will help all the excess water to evaporate. This simple step will make the sour cream or syrup stick to your dumplings, and of course it will make a big difference in flavor.
The famous writer Nikolai Gogol greatly appreciated food and mentioned dumplings in one of his fairy tales, which was called "The Night Before Christmas". Gogol loved mysticism, so in this story, dumplings came to life by dipping into sour cream before flying into the mouth of the character. I think Gogol also knew the secret of letting the dumplings dry, because he describes them as almost taking a sour cream bath.
Now that you also know this simple trick try to make them yourself. I can't promise they will fly right into your mouth, but I'm sure you'll enjoy them.
Composition of the product:
For test:
2 cups flour
1 cup water
1/2 tsp.
salt 3 tablespoons. oil
For filling:
500g cherries
100g sugar
Cooking:
Place the pitted cherries in a bowl and add the sugar. mix them a little and set aside for one hour. This process will draw out the moisture from the cherries, which we will use later. Make the dough: heat the water and oil together, mix the flour and salt and dump onto a clean work surface or table. Sift the flour and pour the water mixture into the center. Carefully, start mixing by hand, making sure you gradually add the flour until you get a dough. Now you can start stirring the mixture for about five minutes. You will notice that your dough will become very soft and silky. Wrap it in cling film and leave it on the table for one hour. By the time an hour has passed, your cherries will release a lot of juice. Drain the juice into a separate container.
Once your dough has rested, take your rolling pin, dust your work surface with flour, and start rolling out your dough. Before rolling, it is easier to divide it into two parts. Roll out the dough about 3mm thick and cut out circles with a round cutter or a glass.
Place a circle of dough in the palm of your hand, put about one teaspoon of cherries in each circle, wet the edges of the dough with a little water (enough to make it stick) and fold it into a semicircle.
Now you want to make sure the stuffing doesn't run away. Pinch the edges together with a fork to create a seal. You can also try the traditional method, which involves folding the dough after the fold, creating a braided pattern. This method takes a lot of practice, but once you get the hang of it, you can call yourself a true Russian master.
Make sure the surface of the dumplings is floured so that when the dumplings are finished they don't stick to each other. Now you can either freeze them or cook them right away.
To prepare dumplings, prepare a pot of water. Once the water boils, add a few pinches of salt and gently toss into your dumplings. Stir the water thoroughly so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pot or each other during cooking.
When your dumplings float to the top, give them another minute or two and then drain the water. Keep them in the hot pot for a few minutes to help them dry out a bit.
Remember that cherry juice? Heat it up in a small saucepan and cook until syrupy.
Just make sure you put a nice big spoonful of sour cream on top and pour in cherry syrup.