My easy recipe of “Ruskie Pierogi”

Are there any pierogi lovers? I grew up eating my mom’s homemade pierogi, which she learned how to make from her mother. My favorite ones are “Ruskie Pierogi”, which are made with ~2/3 of potatoes and 1/3 of cottage cheese (white cheese). Instead of dough, I use lumpia sheets to make the cooking process much faster. They are delicious and much easier  to make than regular pierogi. They owe the great taste to fried onion and black pepper, which is essential in this dish.

Ingredients for 40 pieces:

• 40 pieces of lumpia
• 1.5 kg potatoes (organic)
• 600 g cottage cheese (can use more)
• 1 onion, large
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground (can use more)
• Oil for frying (I use canola, organic) 

Directions:

Peel and cut potatoes into small pieces, then cook. I always steam-cook veggies to save as many nourishments as possible. Chop the onion finely and fry until golden-brown. Mash the cooked potatoes, and add cheese, onion and spices. Mix the ingredients well together. Place a spoonful of stuffing in the middle of each lumpia, and roll it into the shape of a cylinder. Fry the rolls in very little oil for a couple of minutes, and that’s it! They’re ready to eat! If you want to be fancy, you can add some salad on the side and have a healthy dinner. 

This recipe was created by Justyna Hinz.

Hello! My name is Justyna and I am from Poland. I have lived in four different countries and visited over 20 in Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. Growing up on US army bases in Germany, I learned how to be adaptive to different cultures, languages and lifestyles. After completing a year of studies in Brussels, Belgium, I moved to Prague, the Czech Republic, to continue working on my bachelor’s degree in International Relations. I enjoy volunteering at the American Red Cross, as well as AFN Radio. My goal in life is to create an NGO in Poland (and perhaps expanding to EU level) where citizens with a mental disability can receive the tools they need to flourish in their lives, because I strongly adhere to the idea that such people (like my brother) have been mistreated in the past and deserve the same job opportunities as everyone else. In my free time, I enjoy studying new languages (so far I’m fluent in Polish, German and English), dancing, photography, reading and filmmaking.