October is National Polish Heritage Month and Michigan is home to a large Polish population with about 8% of people having Polish heritage. So why not celebrate with one of their most popular national dishes, pierogi?
Ericka Pietrzyk, the owner of Pietrzyk Pierogi joined us in the studio to share how pierogi are made and the best way to serve them. Pierogi are Polish dumplings typically stuffed with things like potatoes, cheese, onions, or sauerkraut. Watch the video above to see how they are made.
When freshly made they need to be boiled to cook the dough, and then they can either be served, or cooked an additional way. A very popular method is to sauté them with some butter, but you can also bake them with butter or cook them in an air fryer. Pietrzyk says the air fryer works exceptionally well for some of the non-traditional periogi she offers like her jalapeno popper ones called the Becky, or the spinach and artichoke ones called Spin me Right.
Onions and sour cream are very classic items to serve them with, as is apple sauce and saurkraut. Pietrzyk recommends kielbasa, a Polish sausage, and golumpki, a Polish stuffed cabbage. If you are cooking sweeter pierogi like farmer’s cheese or apple pie ones, you can pair them sugar and fruit. The type of filling can really help you dictate what to serve them with.
If you are interested in learning how to make pierogi, golumpki, or kielbasa, Pietrzyk Pierogi is holding classes. To sign up visit their website.
Pietrzyk Pierogi is located inside Gratiot Central Meat Market, near Eastern Market in Detroit at 1429 Gratiot Avenue.