My taste taster gave these a 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest. In other words, they were on the high side of okay, mainly because of the tough pierogi dough. The filling alone ranked higher. I thought about calling them Christmas pierogis, because the filling had red and green bits in it and was festive looking. The hot sausage didn't taste hot at all, though. Although I prefer my pierogis meat-free, I'd make these again but with different dough. I'd probably add more roasted peppers, too.
Filling Recipe:
1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
1/4 lb (I think) Kale, stripped of hard stems
1 large shallot, chopped into small pieces
1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, chopped into small pieces
3/4 cup roasted red peppers in oil, chopped into small pieces
Dough Recipe: See Pierogi Dough with Eggs
Brown the shallot for about 3 or 4 minutes in a tablespoon of olive oil until it gets soft. Stir in the sausage, breaking it up as it browns. Just before it browns completely, stir in the garlic and let it brown for about 1 minute. Then, stir in the chopped red peppers for another minute. Finally, add the kale and stir the whole mixture for several minutes until the kale is wilted but not mush. Drain the mixture in a colander, pressing out as much juice as possible.
Make the pierogis, which, I'm assuming, everyone reading this knows how to do.
After boiling the pierogis for approximately 7 or 8 minutes, I sauteed them in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon of butter until they were just a bit crisp in parts. I love the taste of butter, especially mixed with salt and sour cream, but I always feel guilty afterward. Fortunately, you could barely taste olives and probably would have tasted less had I used "light" olive oil. They were still buttery and good, not to mention much healthier. It's definitely the way to go. Finally, I served them with sour cream.
Lessons learned: Definitely use olive oil and butter combo. Don't use an egg in the pierogi dough.
