Varenyky (Ukrainian Stuffed Dumplings)

For a lot of Ukrainians, together with myself, varenyky are a household and communal affair, a meal synonymous with house. The plump, tender dumplings are beloved and eaten all through Ukraine, with quite a few variations on the dough, filling, and toppings. One among my earliest reminiscences is of my household intently huddled round my grandparents’ tiny kitchen desk making and consuming varenyky in Mariupol, with my grandmother instructing my sisters and I learn how to fill and form them. To at the present time, sitting all the way down to get pleasure from a bowl of varenyky jogs my memory of cooking and feasting on dumplings with my household in her bustling, chatter-filled kitchen, a practice I’m holding alive right here in the USA with my husband and sister.

What Are Varenyky?

“Varenyky” comes from the verb “varyty,” which suggests “to boil.” Historically, varenyky are crescent or half-moon formed. These days, many Ukrainian households additionally put together triangular dumplings. Although varenyky are often boiled, they might come steamed or fried relying on the place you might be in Ukraine. Savory varenyky stuffed with greens, cheese, or meat are served as a foremost course, whereas candy, fruit-filled dumplings are reserved for dessert. In some components of western Ukraine, varenyky are referred to as pyrohy, which comes from “pierogi,” the Polish phrase for dumplings. (“Pierogi” comes from the proto-Slavic phrase “pir,” that means feast.) 

Regardless of their recognition, varenyky usually are not thought of an on a regular basis meals. Slightly, the dumplings are reserved for particular events, together with weddings, the beginning of a kid, funerals, harvests, and seasonal festivals. For instance, throughout Maslyana, a competition welcoming spring, varenyky with syr, a recent curd cheese much like ricotta or cottage cheese, are at all times eaten. The dumplings are additionally a vital a part of Sviata Vecheria, a 12-course Ukrainian meal historically eaten on Christmas Eve. These tiny varenyky are stuffed with minced mushrooms, are considerably smaller, and are served in a beet consomme, a dish referred to as vushka, which suggests “little ear.” 

Varenyky are symbols of prosperity, and are sometimes ready and eaten with the intention of bringing well being, fertility, and considerable harvests. Many Ukrainians believed consuming varenyky throughout harvest would carry luck whereas additionally offering them with the energy wanted for harvesting. 

Recipes for the dumplings range considerably throughout Ukraine, and the elements used are sometimes pushed by what’s obtainable regionally and seasonally, in addition to native cooking traditions. The extra Ukrainian cookbooks I learn, the extra I understand there are as many variations of varenyky as there are Ukrainians. In Zakarpattia, a area in western Ukraine, an area cheese referred to as bryndza is used to fill the dumplings. In Lviv, a metropolis near the Polish border, varenyky made with a hearty spelt dough is well-liked. Within the north, in Chernihiv, cabbage and mushroom star within the dumplings, and cooks virtually at all times garnish varenyky with bacon crackling. In Polisia, a northern area that borders Belarus, varenyky are stuffed with hemp seeds and kidney beans.

Frequent Varenyky Fillings and Toppings

An amazing introduction to varenyky are the 2 commonest savory vegetarian fillings: potato and syr. Different well-liked elements are meat, mushrooms, and sauerkraut. Savory varenyky are sometimes served with fried salo or shkvarky (Ukrainian bacon), bacon fats, sautéed onions, and naturally, buckets of smetana, a Ukrainian bitter cream. Different much less frequent savory fillings eaten all through the nation embrace poppy seed, sauerkraut, liver, pork, nettles, buckwheat, amongst many others. There are candy fillings, too—the preferred being bitter cherries and blueberries—and they’re usually served as dessert with bitter cream, a drizzle of honey, or a sprinkle of sugar.

Varenyky Dough

Earlier than flour was commercially obtainable, cooks ready varenyky with all types of freshly milled flours, together with spelt, buckwheat, corn, barley, and rye. At the moment, white flour is primarily used to make varenyky dough. The one different two agreed upon elements are salt and water. The remainder of the elements range relying on the prepare dinner; searching previous Ukrainian cookbooks, I observed quite a few variations in dough elements. The most typical elements, nevertheless, are milk, kefir, bitter cream, butter, potatoes, syr, and eggs.

 Whatever the abundance in fillings and delicate variations in dough, there are a number of essential traits that each one varenyky ought to have: the dough needs to be tender and the dumpling must have the right ratio of dough to filling so they’re well-filled. The plumpness of your varenyky will depend upon the filling you employ. Though it would really feel overwhelming to contemplate all of the varenyky varieties, these few essential characterics—the tenderness of the dough, the flavour of the fillings, and the wealthy toppings—will at all times assure a scrumptious dumpling.

How you can Make Nice Varenyky at Residence

Make certain the dough is enriched. Not like many different dumpling doughs, which encompass simply flour, water, salt, and generally egg, varenyky dough is nearly at all times enriched with bitter cream, butter, milk, kefir, or oil. These fat are important for producing a young dough, as they coat the gluten proteins glutenin and gliadin, stopping them from forming chains that may end up in a tricky, chewy dough. 

There’s a massive schism amongst varenyky makers on whether or not or not the inclusion of an egg is critical. The fats within the egg yolks, nevertheless—together with the elements talked about above—retains the dough smooth and permits simply sufficient gluten to develop so the dough can simply be rolled out with out tearing. In my recipe beneath, I name for butter, egg, and bitter cream, which produces a sturdy but tender dough.

Knead the dough by hand—and incorporate flour step by step. Although we do need some gluten improvement to offer construction for the dumpling wrappers, I like to recommend hand-kneading the dough to  decrease the chance of creating an excessive amount of gluten. Right here, I like to recommend incorporating the flour step by step; including an excessive amount of flour without delay makes it tougher to include, and as you knead and knead, the dough turns into too robust for varenyky. As you step by step add the flour you start to really feel the distinction within the consistency and may cease including flour when the dough begins feeling only a tad too stiff.  

I developed this recipe utilizing King Arthur Baking’s all-purpose flour, which has a protein proportion of 11.7%. As former Severe Eats editor Kristina Razon wrote in her guide to flours, the upper a flour’s protein content material, the extra gluten the dough can probably develop. In case you are utilizing a flour with a decrease protein proportion, you could want to make use of further flour and knead for a little bit longer. The ultimate dough ought to really feel as in case you are grabbing an unflexed muscle like a bicep or calf: the dough needs to be smooth with only a tiny little bit of resistance.

Use a recent cheese if attainable. I like to recommend making this recipe with syr, which is probably the most conventional filling and can end in dumplings that almost all intently resemble those I grew up consuming. The enemy right here is moisture, since we don’t need a runny filling, you’ll want to remove as a lot moisture from the filling as you may. Extra moisture makes it tough to correctly seal the dumpling; it may additionally make the dough moist and sticky, compromising the dumpling’s construction throughout the cooking course of. A firmer filling is extra compact and simpler to work with, making it attainable to squeeze extra filling into the wrapper. . 

In case you can’t discover syr, a farmer cheese, quark, and cottage cheese is a good various. I like to recommend straining the cottage cheese for a minimum of 24 hours earlier than mixing the filling to take away as a lot moisture as attainable. Preserve the filling chilly and solely take away it from the fridge as soon as you might be able to form your varenyky, because it’s a lot simpler to work with the cheese when it’s chilly. A preferred spin on this conventional filling is so as to add recent chopped herbs similar to dill to the filling, a favourite of many Ukrainians. 

Salt your cooking water. You wish to be sure the water is well-salted, much like pasta. This seemingly unimportant step can affect the ultimate taste of the dumplings you labored so laborious on. Gently stir the water when including the dumplings to the boiling water to make sure none keep on with the underside of the pot, which may tear the dough.

Keep away from overcooking. Overcooked varenyky will likely be a lot too smooth, and are additionally extra more likely to break throughout the cooking course of. The dumplings are completed as soon as they float to the highest. Generally, air can get trapped within the dumpling; the air pockets may cause dumplings to drift prematurely. To compensate for that and make sure the dumplings are correctly cooked, I boil my varenyky for a further minute as soon as they float.

Don’t overlook the toppings. The toppings are as essential because the filling and the dough. It’s an unstated rule: You at all times costume the dumplings in unsalted butter earlier than serving them, which brings additional richness and taste to the ultimate dish. One other important element, as talked about above, is bitter cream. Different well-liked toppings embrace chopped recent herbs like dill and parsley, caramelized or fried onions, garlic, and bacon crackling. 

Varenyky is a labor of affection, and a pleasure to make from starting to finish, particularly in case your family and friends are concerned. Although I now not reside in Ukraine, I channel my grandmother by instructing associates learn how to form dumplings. It’s, I feel, probably the most enjoyable and scrumptious technique to share a meal with these you’re keen on.