Greetings, Substack fam!
I am back in NYC after a very quick, very packed visit to my hometown of Columbus, Ohio. There were two big reasons for the trip and one of those reasons was to shoot the pilot episode (!!) of my very own show concept with none other than my mom. I can’t even put into words how special that was. If you know me at all, you know I’m not one to congratulate myself on literally anything *especially* when it comes to my career but I really tried to soak in every moment of that day and give myself permission to feel f*cking proud of how far I’ve come. To be in my childhood home filming a pilot for my own show with a whole team of people supporting/believing in me (including my manager, Suzanne, who flew in for the shoot) - well, I’ll never forget that.
The second reason for the trip was to attend/participate in my cousin’s wedding. Rachel has been excited about her wedding since we were literally children and it was so special to be a part of her big day. Plus, it was my first time being a bridesmaid! The wedding was a weekend-long affair and both my sisters and their boyfriends flew in for the occasion, filling my parents’ modest-sized house to the brim and resulting in complete chaos. We are loud and borderline insane but also the most loving and close family there is. The older I get, the more grateful I am.
When I wasn’t participating in wedding hoopla or preparing for/shooting the pilot, I was…eating. In true Fedner fashion, my mom pulled out all the stops. There were Russian cold cuts and smoked fish and enough cheese to make the employees at the Whole Foods counter blush. There were salads made from vegetables grown in the backyard garden and buttery potatoes with garlic and dill. There was borscht and jharkoya (chicken stew) and stuffed peppers. But most importantly…there were sour cherry vareniki.
You’ve probably heard me talk about potato vareniki a bunch but in the summer, my favorite version of this Ukrainian dumpling is filled with tart cherries. My Babushka Lola used to make them every summer in Ukraine and it was something my mom looked forward to every year. My mom had just picked a bunch of fresh tart cherries before my arrival so we decided it was only right to make a batch of our favorite summer treat. You can use canned or frozen tart cherries year round but there’s just something so special about making these vareniki in the summer during the short window of time when tart cherries are in season.
Per usual, my mom *did not* measure anything but I did my best to eyeball it for you. So go get yourself some tart cherries while you can (through early August) and make these dumplings. They’re sour and sweet and when you top them with a hefty dollop of good sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar - absolutely magical.
Sour cherry vareniki
(makes 30-40 dumplings)
WHAT YOU NEED
Dough:
2 cups flour
1/4-1/2 cup kefir, buttermilk, or equal parts sour cream mixed with milk
2 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
Pinch of salt
(or use dumpling wrappers)
Filling:
1 lb pitted tart cherries
1 tsp potato starch
1-2 tbsp sugar (adjust to taste)
To serve:
Butter to taste
Sugar to taste
Sour cream
WHAT YOU DO
First, make your varenik dough: add flour + salt to a large mixing bowl. Then combine the wet ingredients. Rule of thumb: the ideal ratio of dry:wet is 2:1. I like to add the melted butter + egg to a cup measure (make sure the butter isn’t hot though, or it’ll cook the egg!) and then fill it up the rest of the way with kefir. Add the wet ingredients to the mixing bowl with flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Transfer the shaggy dough to a floured work surface and knead for 5-10 minutes until it becomes smooth. Wrap in plastic and set aside.
To make the filling combine the pitted tart cherries with sugar and starch. (The starch helps absorb the cherry juice so the dumplings don’t become soggy so if you feel you need more, add it!).
Work with ½ of the dough at a time making sure to replace the rest in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine.
Using a circular object of your choice, make round cut-outs in the dough. Add a few cherries to the center and pinch the varenik closed into a half moon shape. Place the finished varenik on a floured sheet pan or plate. Repeat until dough/filling is done.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the vareniki for 3-5 minutes or until they float. Strain and toss in a bowl with a nub of butter so they don’t stick together. Top with sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.