Well, this week has been a shining example of true hell on earth.
I know I don’t need to recount all the various reasons why - I’m not the news and no one should ever turn to me to relay the news - but I can’t simply go about my online life without making mention of the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. Not because I’m “supposed” to, but because the children who were murdered this week have been the only thing on my mind. It’s impossible to make sense of such a tragedy because that’s just it - it doesn’t make sense. It’s preventable and we have the power to make changes to ensure that no child will ever be gunned down while going to school again. Guns are and always will be the problem. My heart goes out to the victims and families of Uvalde, Texas experiencing this incomprehensible and frankly, f*cking ridiculous and preventable pain. Here is a Washington Post article outlining the various ways we can help the grieving families.
There’s no delicate way to transition into a dumpling recipe (it feels fully insane, actually) - but I guess all I can say is that these pelmeni bring me a lot of comfort, as does cooking when nothing else feels good. I’ll be back next week with more in-depth content.
-Emily
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Garlicky pelmeni with pork & beef
WHAT YOU NEED
Dough:
2 cups flour
1 egg
½ cup milk
Filling:
½ lb ground pork
½ lb ground beef
1 onion, grated or diced very fine
4 cloves garlic, minced fine
Lots of cracked black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tsp Adjika seasoning (TJs) otherwise - chili flakes/cayenne to taste
To serve:
Butter
White vinegar
Sour cream
Dill
WHAT YOU DO
Add flour to a large mixing bowl. Create a well in the center and add milk + an egg. Whisk until a shaggy dough forms, then continue to knead the dough on a clean, well-floured surface until a smooth ball forms (about 7 minutes). Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all the filling ingredients to a mixing bowl. Fry up a small patty of filling to test for seasoning and adjust as necessary. If you live near a Trader Joe’s I highly recommend purchasing the Georgian Adjika seasoning: it’s spicy and garlicky and you will find yourself putting it on and in everything.
Roll your dough out using either a rolling pin or pasta machine until it is as thin as pasta (a level 6 on the machine).
If you plan on doing this more than once, I recommend buying a pelmeni mold! Here is the one I have. It’s not expensive and it’s very useful but it’s also not necessary.
If you have a pelmeni mold: flour the mold, then place one sheet of dough over the mold. Add about 1 teaspoon of filling to each designated pocket. Place a second sheet of pasta over top and use a rolling pin to seal each pocket of filling to create the pelmeni. You should be able to see the exposed pelmeni mold, signifying each dumpling has been sealed off. Turn the mold upside down and pop the pelmeni out.
If you don’t have a pelmeni mold: you can simply fold the pelmeni as you would tortellini. Use a circular object (2 inches or less in diameter) to cut rounds from the sheet of dough. Add a teaspoon or so of filling to the center. Line the edge with water. Fold the dumpling into a half moon shape, then pinch together the triangular ends to form the final shape.
Place the finished pelmeni on a floured sheet pan. Repeat until the dough or filling run out.
Pelmeni freeze very well so no pressure to boil them all! Decide how much you’d like to cook and freeze the rest.
To serve:
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pelmeni for about 4 minutes or until they float. If you’re feeling paranoid about eating raw meat you can pull out a test dumpling and slice into it but I’m pretty chill about that stuff.
Strain the pelmeni and serve with a generous amount of butter and distilled white vinegar. Some people prefer to serve with butter and sour cream but I’m a vinegar gal!
Had pelmeni as a teen from russian Jews living in Memphis. Had a thin vinegar broth I’ll never forget. Burned in brain. Bought an octagonal steel pelmeni “press” off eBay that looked like Soyuz rocket wreckage. I found it impossible to use. May reattempt one day. Maybe your recipe is a sign I should.
Had pelmeni as a teen from russian Jews living in Memphis. Had a thin vinegar broth I’ll never forget. Burned in brain. Bought an octagonal steel pelmeni “press” off eBay that looked like Soyuz rocket wreckage. I found it impossible to use. May reattempt one day. Maybe your recipe is a sign I should.
Wow incredible!!!