Mennonite Girls Can Cook is a collection of recipes which were posted daily for a period of ten years from 2008 to 2018. We have over 3,000 delicious recipes that we invite you to try. The recipes can be accessed in our recipe file by category or you can use the search engine.

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Pelemeny ~ Russian Ravioli



Pelemeny (Russian Version of Ravioli)
Filling:
  • 1/2 pound ground chicken
  • 1/2 pound ground veal, or lamb, or beef
  • 1 medium onion grated
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Dough:
  • 2 cups sifted flour
  • Pinch of Salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup water
Filling:
  1. Combine the two meats with onion. 
  2. Add seasonings, mix well and set aside.

Prepare Dough:
  1. In a small mixing bowl, sift the flour and a pinch of salt. 
  2. Lightly beat the egg with the water.
  3. Make a nest in the flour. 
  4. Add the egg with water into the nest.
  5. Work the flour into the egg and mix. 
  6. Knead to a rather dry dough. 
  7. Use more flour if needed. 
  8. Roll dough very thin.
  9. If you don’t have a mold cut the dough into 2″ circles. 
  10. Put a small ball of filling (about 1/2 tsp) onto each circle and fold over and pinch edges making a half-moon shape. 
  11. Now bring each corner of the moon shape together and pinch together.
  12. At this stage you can freeze them, or you can go on to the next step.
  13. Bring your favorite broth to a boil. 
  14. Add the Pelemeny to the boiling broth. 
  15. When they are done they will surface like doughnuts. 
  16. You can serve them with the broth like a soup or you can have them plain with some sour cream.
  17. This recipe should feed 4-6 people.
Tip: If you are going to freeze them place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet and freeze partially before putting them in a freezer bag so they don't stick together. 

















21 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness...this looks like a 'labor of love' for families to do together. Wow....and sooooo yummy. Can you make this ahead and then freeze before putting in broth?

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  2. i was wondering when somebody would post these. i made them once, it took forever..poof they were gone and haven't made them again.....mostly due to patience.
    yes trish it is a labour of love indeed.......yes you can freeze them before cooking. at least i could and my friends that make them always freeze them.
    ellen thankyou for posting and maybe now i feel somewhat inspired to make them....especialy since so many of my fmily are gone for several weeks they may last longer.

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  3. i was wondering when somebody would post these. i made them once, it took forever..poof they were gone and haven't made them again.....mostly due to patience.
    yes trish it is a labour of love indeed.......yes you can freeze them before cooking. at least i could and my friends that make them always freeze them.
    ellen thankyou for posting and maybe now i feel somewhat inspired to make them....especialy since so many of my fmily are gone for several weeks they may last longer.

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  4. Yes Trish, we froze all 648 of them to have a week later. You can then cook them from their frozen state...
    Make sure you freeze them on a cookie sheet solid then throw them in a plastic bag. This method prevents them from sticking to each other...

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  5. Ellen, I've looked so forward to this recipe. It really looks so scrumptious and I will definately be making this for my beloved. He will love it.

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  6. The only place I've ever had these is at my mom-in-law's and they were very tasty in chicken broth. Mom is now in an assisted living home and so I guess she won't be making that soup any more.
    I enjoyed seeing your pictures of the family gathering and everyone working together. That is the way to do it! So neat to make a wonderful memory and later enjoy the fruit of your labor.

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  7. Wow that's a lot of ravioli! It must be so fun making them with your family.

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  8. Now that must have been quite a party! They look yummy...thanks for posting your recipe.

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  9. Ellen, I put this under the label of Mennonite food since it seems that it is nearly or is .. I haven't had it myself but if Charlotte and Anneliese has .. that is good enough for me.

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  10. Oh THANK YOU! It has been 5 years since I visited Ukraine and I have searched all over to find Pelmeni in a store in my area. I never had success and now you have a recipe for homemade ones! I can hardly wait to get started making them. My husband has heard about them for 5 years, now he will get to eat them!

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  11. charlotte! it is VERY EASY to make pelmeni if you have a mold and a good recipe. I use the pelmeni mold for months now and am very happy with the result! if anyone interested, you can buy it here with free shipping and recipe http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220487774539&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT (I got mine from this seller). good luck and enjoy!!!!!!

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  12. "i made them once, it took forever" not if use pelmeni mold. I use mine for months and am very happy with result. it is fast and easy, especially if you have a good recipe. I got mine here http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220487774539&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT (thought, you might be interested). best wishes and enjoy!

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  13. had pelemeny while living in Ukraine (didn't make, bought frozen); would cook in broth and ladle into bowls then topped with sour cream .... if you have a European mart in our town where we can buy them

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  14. Must befriend a local Russian Girl Who Can Cook. This "in America since 1630" gal just doesn't have the tools to pull this recipe off, on the other hand, if you ever need someone scalped, I'm your gal!
    (Inside joke: you'd have to read the Dustin family saga to get it.)

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  15. my mom both grandmothers and now I make this dish. But Armenians call it monte. Same dish. It can be filled with a variety of meats. We also bake it first then boil it n stock and add plain yogurt t it mixed with garlic delicious!

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  16. masha from winnipegApril 14, 2011 at 12:48 PM

    I make Pel'meni all the time. If you don't have the metal form, you can cut out 2" cirlces and pinch one side over the other like wareniki and then pinch the ends together to make it look like a tortellini.
    They are not mante. Monte uses a much stiffer dough, twice the amount of onion and they are steamed, not cooked, in a 3-4 tiered slotted steamer pot. The Pel'meni can also be eaten with ketchup or melted butter. It does take time to make them, but with family or friends helping, makes for a great get together time.

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  17. dough is very stiff. any suggestions?

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  18. A friend's Russian mother made these for us using won ton wrappers instead of fresh dough. They were delicious, and she said she always used the wrappers now as they were just as tasty and so much easier.

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  19. I haven't made this particular dough but when I make pierogie dough I run it through my hand roller pasta press into sheets and cut my shapes, ball the leftovers back up and run through into another sheet. Helps get the dough a consistent thickness without the roll-spring back-roll scenario I used to get.

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  20. If you run the dough through a pasta roller/press into sheets you get a consistent thickness that is much easier to achieve than rolling by hand (my pierogi dough is very springy)!

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  21. I found this website ten years ago. I don't remember what drew me in, but I was hooked. Directly afterward, I found a pelemeny mold online and have since made several batches. They are so easy to eat!

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