Method

• Start by making the filling – melt the butter and vegetable oil together in a large frying pan set over a medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and a pinch of salt. Fry gently for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft. Add the finely chopped mushrooms and fry for a further 5 minutes. Stir in the Black Garlic Paste. Set aside. Add the cabbage to a large saucepan. Cover the cabbage with water and bring to the boil. Cook for 5 minutes or until soft. Pour the cabbage into a colander and drain well. Put the cabbage on to a clean tea towel. Wring the tea towel to press out any excess moisture from the cabbage. Roughly chop the cabbage then combine with the onion/mushroom mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir through the chopped Black Garlic Cloves until evenly distributed amongst the mixture. Set aside to cool down.
• Next make the pierogi dough – sift the flour into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Make a well in the centre of the flour. Add the salt, oil and warm water. Knead on a medium speed for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic, alternatively, knead by hand. Wrap the dough in a clean tea towel and set aside at room temperature to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours..
• To shape the pierogi, roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 3mm. Cut 10cm rounds from the dough using a pastry cutter.
• Place one teaspoon of the cabbage/mushroom filling into each dough circle. NB you will only need half of the filling mixture.* Lightly wet the edges of each dough circle with water to moisten the edges then fold the edges together to make a half moon dumpling. Pinch the edges to seal. Cover the finished dumplings with a tea towel to prevent them from drying out.
• Next make the pierogi topping – melt 30g butter in a large frying pan set over a low heat. Add the sliced onions and a pinch of salt. Fry very gently for 45 minutes until the onions are soft and golden. Keep warm.
• To cook the pierogi – bring a large saucepan filled with water to the boil, add one teaspoon of salt and a splash of vegetable oil to prevent the pierogi from sticking to each other. Lower the heat to medium-high. Working in batches, add the pierogi to the boiling water and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring now and again to prevent sticking. Drain with a slotted spoon, transfer to a warm plate and continue cooking the remaining pierogi.**