Varenyky (Ukrainian Stuffed Dumplings)

For a lot of Ukrainians, together with myself, varenyky are a household and communal affair, a meal synonymous with dwelling. The plump, tender dumplings are beloved and eaten all through Ukraine, with quite a few variations on the dough, filling, and toppings. One in every of my earliest reminiscences is of my household carefully 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 right down to take pleasure in 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 america with my husband and sister.

What Are Varenyky?

“Varenyky” comes from the verb “varyty,” which implies “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 full of greens, cheese, or meat are served as a major course, whereas candy, fruit-filled dumplings are reserved for dessert. In some elements 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 are usually not thought-about an on a regular basis meals. Quite, the dumplings are reserved for particular events, together with weddings, the start of a kid, funerals, harvests, and seasonal festivals. For instance, throughout Maslyana, a competition welcoming spring, varenyky with syr, a contemporary 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 full of minced mushrooms, are considerably smaller, and are served in a beet consomme, a dish referred to as vushka, which implies “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 success whereas additionally offering them with the power wanted for harvesting. 

Recipes for the dumplings differ considerably throughout Ukraine, and the elements used are sometimes pushed by what’s out there 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 widespread. 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 full of hemp seeds and kidney beans.

Frequent Varenyky Fillings and Toppings

An important introduction to varenyky are the 2 most typical savory vegetarian fillings: potato and syr. Different widespread 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 embody 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 typically served as dessert with bitter cream, a drizzle of honey, or a sprinkle of sugar.

Varenyky Dough

Earlier than flour was commercially out there, cooks ready varenyky with all types of freshly milled flours, together with spelt, buckwheat, corn, barley, and rye. In the present day, 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 differ relying on the cook dinner; searching outdated Ukrainian cookbooks, I observed quite a few variations in dough elements. The commonest elements, nonetheless, 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 vital traits that each one varenyky ought to have: the dough must 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 rely on the filling you employ. Though it would really feel overwhelming to think about all of the varenyky varieties, these few vital characterics—the tenderness of the dough, the flavour of the fillings, and the wealthy toppings—will at all times assure a scrumptious dumpling.

Find out how to Make Nice Varenyky at Dwelling

Be certain that the dough is enriched. In contrast to many different dumpling doughs, which include simply flour, water, salt, and generally egg, varenyky dough is sort of 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 can lead to a troublesome, chewy dough. 

There’s a huge schism amongst varenyky makers on whether or not or not the inclusion of an egg is important. The fats within the egg yolks, nonetheless—together with the elements talked about above—retains the dough comfortable and permits simply sufficient gluten to develop so the dough can simply be rolled out with out tearing. In my recipe under, 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 growth to offer construction for the dumpling wrappers, I like to recommend hand-kneading the dough to  decrease the danger of growing an excessive amount of gluten. Right here, I like to recommend incorporating the flour step by step; including an excessive amount of flour directly makes it more durable to include, and as you knead and knead, the dough turns into too powerful for varenyky. As you step by step add the flour you start to really feel the distinction within the consistency and might 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 share 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 share, you might want to make use of further flour and knead for slightly 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 comfortable with only a tiny little bit of resistance.

Use a contemporary 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 the majority carefully resemble those I grew up consuming. The enemy right here is moisture, since we don’t need a runny filling, it would be best to eradicate as a lot moisture from the filling as you may. Extra moisture makes it troublesome to correctly seal the dumpling; it may possibly additionally make the dough moist and sticky, compromising the dumpling’s construction in the course of 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 the event 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 at the least 24 hours earlier than mixing the filling to take away as a lot moisture as attainable. Hold 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 contemporary chopped herbs akin to dill to the filling, a favourite of many Ukrainians. 

Salt your cooking water. You need to make sure that the water is well-salted, much like pasta. This seemingly unimportant step can impression 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 follow the underside of the pot, which might tear the dough.

Keep away from overcooking. Overcooked varenyky can be a lot too comfortable, and are additionally extra prone to break in the course of 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 could 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 neglect the toppings. The toppings are as vital because the filling and the dough. It’s an unstated rule: You at all times gown 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 widespread toppings embody chopped contemporary 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 not dwell in Ukraine, I channel my grandmother by instructing mates learn how to form dumplings. It’s, I feel, probably the most enjoyable and scrumptious technique to share a meal with these you like.