Jenny’s Pelmeni

My friend Jenny is one of the best people and most fun cooks I know; I have such a distinct memory of when we both lived in Bellingham and she first made me pelmeni for breakfast, piled high with homemade red cabbage kraut and sour cream, her dog Banjo craning his long neck to try and get a bite. The pelmenitsa she used was like magic, turning out these perfect dumplings I had somehow never had outside a restaurant. Run, don’t walk, to buy yourself one and spend a Sunday rolling dough and making these for the freezer. You can make them by hand without one, but I never have and don’t recommend it. This recipe comes from the inimitable “Kachka” cookbook by Bonnie Frumkin Morales, with more Eastern Bloc flair to reflect how much color and spice Jenny and I both like in our food.

For the pelmeni dough, yields about 148 with a pelmenitsa

• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt

• 1 large egg

• 3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons cold water

You can use either a stand mixer or your arm and a wooden spoon, up to you. If using a stand mixer, fit the dough hook on and mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg and slowly pour in the water. Mix by hand or with the dough hook until a cohesive dough forms. if using a mixer, turn the dough out and knead for 10 minutes. If you’ve mixed by hand, knead for 20 until the dough is a very smooth, elastic ball.

Place in a covered container and rest at room temperature for at least an hour.

For the pelmeni filling

• 1 lb ground lamb

• 1/2 yellow or white onion, finely grated with its liquid

• 1 Tablespoon dried parsley

• 1 teaspoon dried dill

• 1 Tablespoon sweet paprika

• Pinch salt, black pepper

• 2/3 cup ice water

Place all the ingredients in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix until completely together, just 1 or 2 minutes. The fat should emulsify, or take on all of the ice water and the onion liquid, coating everything in a glossy fatty sheen. Stop the mixer and feel the filling—it should be sticky to the touch. Processing too little or too much will make the meat filling dry so make sure the lamb is tacky when you check it. You can do this by hand but it will take much longer. Refrigerate until ready to fill and assemble your pelmeni.

Assembling the pelmeni

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and divide into 8 even balls. Fill a small dish with water and grab a pastry brush, or if you have a small spray bottle you can use that.

You will also need a few large rimmed baking sheets dusted with flour, a flour-dusted countertop or pastry cloth, and a solid, heavy rolling pin.

Dust the top of your pelmenista generously with flour. Take one ball out of the dough and cover the rest as you work. Roll out the ball on your floured surface until it is slightly larger than the pelmenitsa; drape it over the dumpling maker so that it reaches over the edges. You want it to be slightly larger so that each dumpling seals. Press the dough lightly or run your rolling pin over it gently until you can see each dumpling divot.

With a pastry bag (or ziplock bag with the corner cut off) or with two spoons, place or pipe out a small amount of filling in each divot. You’ll likely use less filling than you think—only about a teaspoon per pelmeni so that the edges of each dumpling seal completely. When each divot has been filled, roll out a second ball of dough to the same size as the first. brush or spray water around the edge of your pelmenitsa and drape your second dough over top. Roll over the top of your now-filled dumplings firmly. This step seals the pelmeni and cuts the dough in between each one, so don’t be afraid to press hard as you roll. Turn the pelmenista upside down over the baking sheet and encourage the dumplings out. Separate them as needed; adjust your rolling and pressure with the next round if they don’t come out easily.

Repeat with all the remaining dough and filling.

To freeze for later, freeze on the baking sheet and place in bags.

To cook right away, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Drop the dumplings in and cook at a gentle boil until all of the dumplings rise to the top. Stir gently to ensure no pelmeni stick to the bottom of the pot. It should take only 4-5 minutes until all the pelmeni are bobbing at the surface.

To serve

Traditionally, these would be served with butter sauce and vinegar. I like to do sour cream and white vinegar with a handful of fresh minced parsley and chive, some caraway seeds. A nice hot, acidic hot sauce plays well, or any kind of Eastern European fermented vegetable like that made by OlyKraut.