Buckwheat & mushroom pierogi: An unexpected dinner delight

The list of possible pierogi fillings is extensive and diverse. I reckon most of us have tried these: meat, mushrooms, potatoes, cottage cheese, and even more "extravagant" options like spinach or blueberries. Recently, I was filled with holiday spirit and decided to try a new recipe. Pierogi with buckwheat turned out brilliantly. And they're not just for traditional Christmas Eve dinners.

Of course, to make such pierogi tasty, buckwheat alone isn't sufficient. Mushrooms (I used button mushrooms, but you might consider other seasonal varieties) and something to bind these ingredients will be useful. Initially, I intended to use cottage cheese, but the recipe with yellow cheese intrigued me more. I brought it all together and... I'm immensely proud! I assure you, you will be too.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 280 grams of flour,
• 240 millilitres of warm water,
• ½ teaspoon of salt,
• 2 tablespoons of oil.

Filling:

• 180 grams of buckwheat,
• 1 onion,
• 500 grams of button mushrooms,
• 85 grams of block cheese,
• salt,
• pepper,
• Herbes de Provence.

Instructions:

1. Cook the buckwheat according to the instructions on the package.
2. Grate the cheese.
3. Chop the mushrooms fairly finely. Sauté them in a small amount of oil. It's important not to salt them at this stage as they'll release too much water.
4. Meanwhile, chop the onion and add it at the very end. Only season it now, and sauté for a little longer.
5. Remove the filling from the heat, discard excess liquid, mix with the cooked buckwheat and grated cheese, and set aside.
6. Combine the flour with salt, oil, and warm water. Knead the dough, shape it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and set aside for 25 minutes.
7. After this time, roll out and cut circles for the pierogi.
8. Place a bit of filling on each and seal the edges.
9. Cook in boiling salted water—for about 3 minutes from when the pierogi rise to the surface. Done!