Beef Short Rib Pierogi (Pierogi z Miesem)

You can serve these hearty pierogi either boiled or fried. Boiled,  they're nice and chewy, while frying them in butter makes them crisp and puffed, delicious with a strong Polish beer. Serve with a salad or roasted vegetables for a hearty supper.

For the filling

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh curly parsley
• Kosher salt
• 2 lb. bone-in beef short ribs
• 1 small stale dinner roll or piece of white bread (about 1 oz.)
• 1 Tbs. unsalted butter
• Freshly ground black pepper

For the dough

• 2 lb. (7 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more as needed
• 4 oz. (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups warm water

Make the filling

Heat the oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half of the onion, the carrot, parsley, and 1/4 tsp. salt; cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2/3 cup water and the short ribs, bring to a simmer, cover, and braise in the oven until the short ribs are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.

Let the short ribs cool briefly; meanwhile, soak the roll in enough water to cover for 5 minutes, and then squeeze dry. Remove and discard the short rib bones and any cartilage. Cut the meat into 1-1/2- to 2-inch chunks. Stir the soaked bread into the pot to soak up the thick gravy and stir the meat back into the pot.

Fit a meat grinder with a 1/4-inch grinding plate according to manufacturer’s directions. Grind the meat mixture into a large bowl. (Alternatively, pulse the meat mixture in a food processor until finely ground, 5 or 6 one-second pulses. Don’t overgrind or it will turn into a paste.)

Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining onion and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the ground meat mixture, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring often, until heated through and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes; the mixture will be moist but not wet. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cool to room temperature before using.

Make the dough

Put the flour in a large bowl. Add the butter and, using your fingers, work it into the flour until the mixture has the texture of coarse meal. Still using your fingers, add 1-3/4 cups of the warm water, stirring until the mixture begins to come together. If the mixture is dry, you can add up to 1/4 cup more warm water, a tablespoon at a time, until it forms a cohesive yet shaggy mass. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured work surface, and then gently knead it just until soft and elastic; the dough will not be completely smooth, but it should be easy to shape, with a Play-Doh like consistency. Avoid overkneading, or the dough will become tough. (At this point you can proceed with the recipe or let the dough rest on a floured surface, covered with a clean dishtowel, for up to 1 hour.)

Roll and cut the dough

Divide the dough into 6 grapefruit-size balls (about 8 oz. each). Working with 1 piece of dough at a time on a floured work surface, and keeping the others covered so they don’t dry out, roll the dough into a 10- to 11-inch wide, 1/8-inch-thick circle. Using a floured 3-inch round cookie cutter or inverted glass, cut out circles of dough. Transfer the dough circles to a large parchment-lined baking sheet dusted with flour. Dust with a little more flour and top with another sheet of parchment so they don’t dry out. Repeat with the remaining dough, stacking the circles between sheets of floured parchment and re-rolling the scraps until all of the dough is used.

Fill the dough

Working with 1 dough circle at a time, brush off any excess flour and hold the circle in your palm. Spoon a scant 1 Tbs. of the filling into the center of the circle and fold it in half. Using your fingers, tightly pinch the edges together to seal and create a 1/2-inch border. Arrange the filled pierogi on a lightly floured surface or large rimmed baking sheet and dust very lightly with flour; loosely cover with plastic wrap or a clean dishtowel. Repeat with the remaining dough circles and filling.

Cook the pierogi

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 175°F. Bring a 6- to 8-quart pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches of 10 to 12, drop the pierogi into the boiling water and give them a gentle stir so they don’t stick together or to the sides of the pot. When they float to the top 5 (after 1 to 2 minutes for room temperature pierogi, 3 to 4 minutes for refrigerated, and 7 to 10 minutes for frozen), use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a platter and keep warm in the oven while cooking the remaining batches.

Serve the pierogi

You can serve the pierogi either boiled or fried. For boiled pierogi, melt the butter in a 1- to 2-quart saucepan. Drizzle the pierogi with the melted butter. Serve hot with the sour cream on the side. For fried pierogi, melt 4 Tbs. of the butter in a 12-inch heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches of 10 to 12, cook the boiled pierogi, flipping once, until golden-brown and crusty on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer to another platter and keep warm in the oven. Repeat, adding more butter as needed. Serve the pierogi with sour cream on the side.