>
>
I have to confess – I cheated when I prepared these Vareniki 
Instead of preparing the vareniki/pierogi dough fresh and rolling it into thin sheets before cutting, filling, folding and sealing it, I used 1 lb store-bought fresh pasta sheets and my trusted ravioli/pierogi-mold. Not necessarily because I am lazy (well, sometimes I am), but mainly because my counter space is tiny and making fresh pasta dough and stuffed dumpling always results in a huge mess, with flour everywhere, requiring a lot of time to get the kitchen spick and span again.
(However, I do know how to make the dough fresh. 
I have made it a hundred times and I am therefore not embarrassed to admit to the store-bought sheets and the mold)
The rest of the dish is as easy and quick as 1-2-3. Cook the pasta, saute everything in butter and done !
Here is the recipe for the filling and the final dish :
>
Ingredients and method for filling:
- 2 oz soft butter
- medium small diced onion, sauteed
- 2 oz greek yoghurt
- 2 cups cold mashed potatoes
- 2 oz grated pepper jack cheese
- kosher salt & cayenne pepper to taste
Stir in the 2 cup mashed potatoes, grated cheese and yogurt, season with salt and cayenne pepper, mix well. Check/adjust seasoning.
.
Ingredients and method for the rest of the dish:
Cut the dough sheets into rounds corresponding to the size of your ravioli/pierogi-cutter.
Top each round of dough with 1 tblsp cheese/potato filling, add ea round to the ravioli/pierogi-mold.
Moisten the dough’s edges with water, fold over, and press together to seal.
Repeat procedure with the remaining dough and filling.
Cook in boiling salted water until the dough is done, about 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickest part of the dough.
Remove with a slotted spoon, drain.
Saute 2 oz chopped bacon, 1 tsp garlic paste, julienne of 1/2 onion, 6 oz fresh spinach in 2 oz butter, add 8 oz fresh spinach and 1/3 cup heavy cream, simmer 1 minute, remove from heat, add julienne of one medium size onion, 1 ea seeded and julienned tomato and the freshly cooked vareniki, check/adjust seasoning. to serve, sprinkle with grated pepper-jack.
Serves 4 appetizers or 2 main courses.
>
>
Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
>
>
More Pierogi on ChefsOpinion
>
More Stuffed Dumplings on ChefsOpinion
>
>
>
Cheese And Potato Vareniki, With Spinach, Bacon and Tomato
>
Cheese And Potato Vareniki, With Spinach, Bacon and Tomato
>
Cheese And Potato Vareniki, With Spinach, Bacon and Tomato
>
Cheese And Potato Vareniki, With Spinach, Bacon and Tomato
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
