Recipe - Pirozhki

FOR DOUGH
2 tablespoon To 3 dried yeast
1 pn Sugar
5 tablespoon Water; warm
2 One half ounce Butter; softened
1 pound Flour
1 pn Salt
One half cup Milk
2 Eggs
1 Filling*

Dough: Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle
in a teaspoon of flour and leave for 15 minutes in a warm place.
Pour into a bowl, mix in the softened butter, sifted flour and salt, the
milk and the beaten eggs, and knead into a smooth dough. Leave to rise
until it has doubled in volume. Knead again and roll out.

To assemble: Cut (the dough) out in small circles in which you can enclose
the filling in a semicircle or canoe shape. Choose from any or all of the
fillings given (below), and seal the edges carefully with a little milk.
Either brush with egg and bake in a moderate to hot oven for about 10
minutes until golden brown, or fry them uncoated in deep fat.

Meat filling: Lightly fry 1 onion in 1 tbsp. oil or butter, add One half pound
minced beef or veal or chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Combine in a bowl
with the seasoning and herbs and allow to cool.

Mushroom filling: Chop 3/41 pound fresh mushrooms into quarters and cook
gently in butter with finely chopped herbs for 15 minutes. Season, add a
little chopped onion, chopped hardboiled egg or rice or both, and enough
sour cream to make a fairly moist filling.

Fish filling: Any white fish, though preferably firm, is suitable here. You
will need One half to Three fourths pounds, weighed after boning. If the fish is cooked
specially for the purpose, bring it to the boil once in a courtbouillon,
remove and bone it.
Combine with 23 ounce rice or cooked unsweetened semolina or sago, add
seasoning and chopped herbs, especially dill, to taste, and chopped hard
boiled egg. A little anchovy essence or jellied fish stock will add greatly
to the flavour of these pirozhki and keep the filling moist.

Note: " Pirozhki often come out rather dry because of the small quantity of
filling which cannot...be moistened by the lastminute addition of stock.
...A (good) solution, I think, is to use stock either naturally or
artificially jellified with gelatin. Add 2 teaspoons, finely chopped, to
the mixture when it is absolutely cold from the refrigerator, bind with egg
and use straight away....These tiny pasties (are) usually eaten with a
clear meat, chicken or mushroom broth....
Source: The Food and Cooking of Russia, by Lesley Chamberlain Formatted
by: Nancy Filbert, March 1995
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V3 #325

Date: Tue, 26 Nov 1996 23:55:21 0800

From: Julie Bertholf jewel1@ix.netcom.com