Lenten Potato and Mushroom Vareniki
Photo: DemieK07, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Water-and-flour dumplings filled with mashed potato and fried mushrooms. The dough uses no egg and the filling uses no butter, so these stay on the table through Great Lent.
Ingredients
Dough
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
Filling
- 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 8 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
To finish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced
- Chopped fresh dill
Instructions
Make the dough: stir the flour and salt in a bowl. Add the cold water and mix until a shaggy dough forms. Knead on a lightly floured board until smooth and elastic, 6 to 8 minutes. Cover and rest 30 minutes.
Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain well and mash until dry and lump-free. No milk or butter.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet. Cook the chopped onion until golden, then add the mushrooms and cook until their liquid is gone and they brown. Season well. Fold into the potatoes. Cool the filling.
Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece thin, about 1/16 inch. Keep the rest covered. Cut 2 ½ to 3 inch circles.
Place a heaping teaspoon of filling off-center on each circle. Fold into a half-moon and pinch the seam shut. Crimp if you like. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Boil in salted water, stirring so they do not stick. When they float, cook 2 minutes more. Drain.
For oil-allowed days, fry the sliced onion in 2 tablespoons oil until deep gold. Toss the vareniki in the pan just to coat, or spoon the onions over the top. Finish with dill.
Notes
Orthodox fasting: no meat, dairy, or eggs. Boil and serve with fried onions. On oil-free days, skip the skillet finish and eat them boiled with a little of the cooking water and black pepper. Do not serve with sour cream during a fast.