Recipes | Pamela Toman

Lentil Pierogi

It's a good amount of work to fold dumplings. But then again... dumplings.

It is worth the extra step to fry them.

Start with the filling so it has a chance to cool completely:

Ingredients	Step
¾ c. brown lentils 2 bay leaves	Boil in a large pot for 30-40 minutes. Season at the end. Drain the lentils and discard the bay leaves.
2 T. butter 1 onion, diced	Cook in skillet until soft.
3 garlic cloves, sliced ¾ t. coriander, ground ½ t. cumin, ground	Add. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
½ c. sundried tomato, rinsed if needed and chopped finely 1 T. soy sauce	Add. Stir to combine. Remove from heat, then add lentils. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely, then use as filling in dumplings.
	Boil in well-salted water containing a splash of oil. Once the filled pierogi float, set a timer for 1-2 minutes more and then remove them to drain.
1 T. butter	Heat butter in skillet. Fry pierogi.
parmesan	Serve with parmesan.

You'll also need a dough:

Ingredients	Step
450 g. AP flour 1 t. salt ¼ c. / 60 ml EVOO 1 c. warm water	Combine the dry ingredients, combine the wet ingredients, and then mix both together. Knead 4-5 minutes, until smooth and supple. Invert a bowl on top of the dough and let rest 15 minutes.
	Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Roll each to ~⅛" thick. Cut out 2.5" circles, then roll each circle even thinner. (Don't stack them; they'll stick together.)
	Fill pierogi into each dough circle by tablespoonfuls. Press edges to seal. (Using water shouldn't be necessary — the dough should want to stick to itself.)
2 floured towels	Transfer each filled pierogi to a floured towel covered with another floured towel. Then boil in salted water with a bit of oil until they float, plus 1-2 minutes more.

Source: Michal Korkosz in Fresh from Poland

This recipe must chill overnight, so plan ahead. It makes roughly 4 dozen small cookies.

If you substitute butter for shortening, use ¼ c. milk instead of ⅓ c.

Ingredients	Step
½ c. shortening 1⅔ c. sugar	Cream together.
2 t. vanilla 2 eggs, beaten 2 oz. unsweetened Baker's chocolate, melted	Add & beat.
2 c. flour, sifted 2 t. baking powder ½ t. salt	Sift together.
⅓ c. milk (or ¼ c. if using butter)	Add to the mixer alternately with dry ingredients.
½ c. walnuts, chopped	Stir in.
	Scrape down bowl, cover, and chill overnight.
powdered sugar	Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets. Form dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in confectioner's sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

Source: my grandma

Made for Sarah's birthday in 2023. Makes 3½ dozen.

Ingredients	Step
	Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets.
3¼ c. flour 1½ c. sugar 1 T. baking powder ¼ c. cocoa powder 1¼ t. black pepper, fresh ground 1½ t. cinnamon ¼ t. clove ½ t. salt	Sift together.
¾ c. shortening	Work in the shortening (aim for coarse cornmeal texture).
½+ c. milk ⅔ c. walnuts, chopped	Add milk and nuts. Mix by hand until well-blended. If necessary, add a bit more milk so the dough holds together.
	Pinch off 1-inch pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheets. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until firm.
1½ c. powdered sugar, sifted 3 T. milk 1 t. rum extract	Beat until smooth for a thin frosting (while the cookies bake). Add a wee bit more milk if necessary.
sprinkles	Let cookies cool on racks only until warm. Dip tops into icing, then sprinkle with colored sprinkles. Let the frosting dry completely, then layer the cookies between wax paper to store.

Cheery, festive, tasty. Easy too. (Except for picking through the berries....)

Ingredients	Step
	Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9x9" baking dish.
1½ c. cranberries	Spread in a single layer on the bottom of the greased dish.
1¾ c. old fashioned oats ½ c. nuts, chopped ¼ c. flaked coconut, unsweetened 1½ t. cinnamon ½ t. ginger, ground ¾ t salt	Combine in a large bowl.
1 egg 2 T. coconut oil, melted 2 c. milk ¼ c. maple syrup 2 t. vanilla	Whisk together in a separate medium bowl.
	Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and stir to combine. Pour the oat mixture over the cranberry layer in the baking dish.
½ c. cranberries, fresh 2 T. flaked coconut	Sprinkle on top.
	Bake at 350 degrees until the top of the oatmeal is set, roughly 30-40 minutes.

Source: Sarah via Tasty video

Serve with cranberry sauce, applesauce, and/or sour cream.

Can fry in morning & leave on paper towels at room temperature, then reheat on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees or under a broiler.

1½ pounds of potato serves 4 people.

Ingredients	Step
2 onions	Grate on a box grater. Squeeze excess juices out over sink.
3 lb. boiling potatoes	Grate on a box grater. Rinse & squeeze excess juices out over sink.
oil	Start heating oil in a skillet.
6 T. flour 1 t. salt 3 eggs	Combine, then mix in onions and potato.
	Fry.

Source: Aaron's Aunt Leah