Kachka's Pelmeni (Russian Dumpling) Recipe

Dumpling Dough (лисички тушеные в сметане с картошкой)

There's a reason handmade dough is so much better than the dough in the freezer section. Industrial machines need to use a tougher, drier dough — all the better for standing up to mechanized production. But when you turn out pelmeni by hand, you can use a tender dough like this one for slippery, delicate dumplings that pretty much melt in your mouth.

Directions for Making Dough

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg, then slowly drizzle in the water. Mix until a dough forms, then knead for 10 minutes, until the dough comes together into a smooth, elastic ball. If you don't have a mixer, you can do this by hand, but knead for 20 minutes. (And be prepared to sweat!) Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place in a covered container, and let rest at room temperature for at least one hour.

Siberian Pelmeni (Сибирские пельмени)

The name here is arguably a bit redundant — pelmeni are Siberian. They're the original frozen food. Way before refrigeration, families in Siberia would gather together to make hundreds at a time and throw them out the window into the snow as they worked. Back then, the meat of choice was equine, but that has, understandably, fallen out of favor. I use a mix of pork, beef and veal, which mirrors the dumplings of my childhood.

Directions for Pelmeni

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with the paddle attachment until the mixture comes together. You're looking for the fat to emulsify, which will incorporate all of the ice water and onion liquid, and coat everything with a nice fat-smeared sheen. If you stop the mixer and grab a pinch of the mixture, it will stick to your fingers with a very tacky feel. Under- or over-processing will lead to dry meat, so try to hit this nice sticky sweet spot — stop between pulses and check. The entire process should just take a minute or two, tops, with a paddle (longer by hand). Refrigerate until ready to assemble pelmeni. This filling is best made the same day you are assembling, but can be made up to a day ahead if needed.

The Assembly

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Add the dumplings, about 20 pelmenitsa-sized per person (12 to 15 per person if they're larger).
3. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a healthy-but-not-too-vigorous boil.
4. While the dumplings cook, give a few good stirs, making sure to get your spoon all the way to the bottom of the pot to free any dumplings that may have stuck to the bottom.
5. Cook until the dumplings rise to the surface, and then for one more minute (this will take four to five minutes for pelmenitsa-sized and slightly longer for the larger hand-shaped, depending upon the heat of your burner and whether your dumplings are fresh or frozen).
6. If you're not certain whether they're done, remove a dumpling and cut it in half. Meat fillings should be cooked through and non-meat fillings should be hot in the center.
7. While the dumplings are cooking, prepare a mixing bowl to dress your dumplings.
8. Consult the dumpling matrix (facing page of "Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking") — for each serving of dumplings, place one measure of the secret sauce ingredients in your mixing bowl.
9. When the dumplings are cooked, skim them out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander, shaking off the residual water.
10. Place them in the prepared bowl and toss — the softened butter and vinegar will come together with the heat of the dumpling and the motion of stirring, emulsifying into a sauce.
11. Keep whirling them around in the bowl until all of the butter is incorporated.
12. Transfer the dressed dumplings into a dish, pour in hot broth if using, and top with a healthy amount of smetana, crème fraîche, or European-style sour cream, and then the fresh herbs.

If Using a Pelmenitsa:

Divide the dough into eight equal balls, and grab a spray bottle of water (or, if you don't have one, a dish of water and a pastry brush), a straight-sided rolling pin, and a rimmed baking sheet dusted with flour. Liberally dust the top of your pelmenitsa with flour. Take one ball (leaving the rest covered with a dish towel so they don't dry out) and roll it out on a lightly floured countertop until it's slightly larger than your mold. Drape the rolled-out dough over your pelmenitsa, so that it reaches over the ends of the mold. Press or pat the dough lightly so that an imprint of the mold below is made on the dough.

With two spoons, or a pastry bag fitted with a nice wide tip, scoop or pipe a little blob of filling into each of the 37 divots. You'll need just a heaping teaspoon or so in order to still be able to seal things (don't get carried away!). When you have piped filling into all the slots, roll out a second piece of dough until it's slightly larger than your mold. Lightly spray some water over the top of your filled pelmeni, or lightly brush the exposed dough with water if you don't have a spray bottle, and then gently place the second round of dough over the top. Firmly roll over the top with your rolling pin, several times as needed, to seal the pelmeni and cut the dough between them. Turn the pelmenitsa upside-down over the prepared baking sheet, and nudge the filled dumplings out, separating them with your fingers if needed. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. At this point, the dumplings can be cooked, or frozen for future use (freeze on the baking sheet, then transfer to a sealed plastic bag).

If You Don't Have a Pelmenitsa:

Grab a spray bottle of water (or, if you don't have one, a dish of water and a pastry brush), and a rimmed baking sheet dusted with flour. Take ¼ of the dough (leaving the rest lightly covered with a dish towel so it doesn't dry out) and roll it out on a lightly floured countertop until it's the thickness of fresh pasta sheets — just shy of being transparent.

For Tortellini-style Hand-shaped Dumplings:

Take a two-inch round cutter (or a drinking glass) and cut out rounds of dough. Using two spoons, a small scoop, or a pastry bag, fill each round of dough with a generous blob of filling — about two teaspoons. Brush or mist the edges of the dough with water, then fold the round into a half-circle, pressing the edges to seal. Take the edges and pull them to each other, pinching to seal in a tortellini shape. As you shape a few dumplings, you'll get a sense of how much filling you can stuff into each dumpling and still seal it. Transfer the shaped dumplings to your prepared baking sheet, and gather the scraps together back into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, rerolling the scraps at the end after they've rested. At this point, the dumplings can be cooked or frozen for future use (freeze on the baking sheet, then transfer to a sealed plastic bag).

For a Potsticker Mold:

Use the cutting edge of the dumpling mold to cut out rounds of dough. Brush or mist the edges of the dough with water, place the dough in your dumpling press, and, using two spoons, a small scoop, or a pastry bag, fill the round of dough with a generous blob of filling — about two teaspoons. Press the dumpling mold firmly closed to seal. Transfer the shaped dumplings to your prepared baking sheet, and gather the scraps together back into a ball. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling, rerolling the scraps at the end after they've rested. At this point, the dumplings can be cooked or frozen for future use (freeze on the baking sheet, then transfer to a sealed plastic bag).

Cooking and Serving Dumplings

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the dumplings, about 20 pelmenitsa-sized per person (12 to 15 per person if they're larger). Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a healthy-but-not-too-vigorous boil. While the dumplings cook, give a few good stirs, making sure to get your spoon all the way to the bottom of the pot to free any dumplings that may have stuck to the bottom. Cook until the dumplings rise to the surface, and then for one more minute (this will take four to five minutes for pelmenitsa-sized and slightly longer for the larger hand-shaped, depending upon the heat of your burner and whether your dumplings are fresh or frozen). If you're not certain whether they're done, remove a dumpling and cut it in half. Meat fillings should be cooked through and non-meat fillings should be hot in the center.

While the dumplings are cooking, prepare a mixing bowl to dress your dumplings. Consult the dumpling matrix (facing page of "Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking") — for each serving of dumplings, place one measure of the secret sauce ingredients in your mixing bowl. When the dumplings are cooked, skim them out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon or drain in a colander, shaking off the residual water. Place them in the prepared bowl and toss — the softened butter and vinegar will come together with the heat of the dumpling and the motion of stirring, emulsifying into a sauce. Keep whirling them around in the bowl until all of the butter is incorporated. Transfer the dressed dumplings into a dish, pour in hot broth if using, and top with a healthy amount of smetana, crème fraîche, or European-style sour cream, and then the fresh herbs.

Excerpted from Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking by Bonnie Frumkin Morales with Deena Prichep. Copyright © 2017 by Bonnie Frumkin Morales and Deena Prichep. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved.