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Wareneki

Our cousin Sheila and I were exchanging wareneki recipes some time ago and I finally got around to trying hers. They were very tasty! Here's Sheila's recipe, and if you have our MGCC cookbook you will find my recipe on page 90. 

Ingredients for dough:
  • 6 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 1/2 cups warm water
Ingredients for filling:
  • 2 cups dry curd cottage cheese
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
Method:
  1. Stir together filling ingredients.
Method for dough:
  1. Stir together flour, oil and salt.
  2. Add warm water and stir well to combine until dough comes together into a soft smooth ball.
  3. Put in fridge at least 1/2 hour.
  4. When ready to make wareneki, divide dough into thirds and roll out thinly on lightly floured board.
  5. Using a 3" glass cut out rounds of dough. Fill with a spoon of filling and pinch shut to seal.
  6. Place on parchment lined baking sheets. Do not allow to touch each other.
  7. Fill a large pot with water and 1/2 tsp salt. Bring to a boil. 
  8. Drop in fresh wareneki and boil until they float to the top and continue to boil for several minutes.
  9. Drain well and serve with a gravy of sour cream and butter or just a scoop of sour cream. 
Gravy: 
  • 1 cup sour cream or whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
In a small saucepan heat the gravy ingredients and allow to simmer on low for 10 minutes or until smooth and very hot. If using whipping cream it will thicken if you let it come to a slow boil and then turn down to simmer. 

For added flavour top with caramelized onions.


41 comments:

  1. That sure looks delicious Kathy!!! Thanks for sharing both the recipes.

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  2. Those look like yummy comfort food!

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  3. Can you use regular cottage cheese? I have not heard of or seen dry curd cottage cheese.

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    1. You can drain regular cottage cheese with a coffee filter in a sive overnight and let the whey drain away leaving you with a dry cottage cheese.

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    2. How about using Ricotta cheese?

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    3. Rather by accident I found the dried cottage cheese at Costco! I was so excited because Mexican Mennonite family has been making these vranike forever and my mom was only able to get the glums at a mennonite store in Aylmer, Ontario, Canada, at least that she knew of. I JUST made these, and can't wait to try them, I hope they taste like my mom's.

      OH and we have these with schmont faat. Brown butter cream sauce, basically. Brown about 1/4 cup of butter, once it's nicely browned add about 4 tbsp of flour (I think...I never measure!), stir that in. Then add cream, I prefer half and half (or 10% cream). I guess about 2 cups of cream...maybe? Stir til it thickens, add salt to taste. YUM! My mom would also serve these with fried pork chops and/or smoked sausage.

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    4. I found the dried cottage cheese by accident at Costco! I was shocked and so happy since my Mexican Mennonite family has been making these forever. SO good. I just made this recipe and can't wait to try them tonight, so hope they taste like my moms.

      We always served them with fried pork chops and/or smoked sausage and topped them with Schmont Faat. Our version is a browned butter cream sauce. Brown about 1/4 cup butter, once it's nice and browned in a frying pan add about 4tbsp flour (I think it's that amount...I never actually measure). Stir that in, then add about 2 cups (again, I never measure...) of half and half (10%) cream. Stir until it's thickened and boiling. Cook it longer if you need to thicken it more or add a bit of milk to thin it if it's too thick. Add salt to taste and that's it! YUM!

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  4. Do you know where i could find real farm cottage cheese? I grew up on a farm and we made our own . Store bought cottage cheese is just not the same.

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  5. It seems that wareneki are the same as pierogi...am I right?

    I like pierogi filled with sauerkraut...do you ever make wareneki with kraut?

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    1. Or Pierogi filled with mashed potatoes/onions. Such is found in the deli/meat markets of Northeast Minneapolis, MN, in the Polish neighborhoods. Yum!

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    2. Vareniki are what we Ukrainians call them. The Polish people call them Perogies (although I never did understand this because the word Vareti means to "cook" or "boil" which fits the description and makes total sense. Whereas the word Perogies were derived the the word Pir, which was a fancy banquet. Pir - rogies (rogies or Rohy means Horns, so = "Fancy banquet horns". But in Ukrainian,actual Pirogies are baked or deep fried dough and usually contain ground meats or fried cabbage/saurkraut and DO look like "horns", so to me, that makes much more sense.) Go figure. And look for Farmers Cheese in the dairy isle of larger supermarkets or "Pot cheese". Otherwise, just fill with seasoned mashed potatoes. Add some cheddar and sauteed onions to the potatoes for a real treat. Smatchnoho !

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  6. So is there a gluten free version yet? What flour sub would be recommended?

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  7. I think it may be called Farmer's cheese in the US. Regualar cottage cheese would be too wet I think.
    Kathy - these look so good. I'll have to make them again soon.

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  8. I think this would be fantastic with farmer's cheese. We may cars using goats milk from are goats, but I wonder if you could make it with milk from the store?

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  9. Look's good the dough recipe I always use to make (keidldle )known in the hutterite I recieved from a friend ..many years ago
    Just cut it and drop into hot water .. or roll and make thick noodles .. serve with sour cream or gravy butter etc .. grandkids love them just plain ,, with butter ..

    Sask menn

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  10. In my home town in Kansas, they are usually fried after the boiling. Serve with homemade sausage or ham, and pour the gravy from the meat over the veranika. My mother-in-law put a drop of smoke seasoning in her gravy. Yum!

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  11. What would you have to do if you wanted to freeze them?

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    1. Jacquie,

      I would freeze them before cooking them right on the cookie sheet, then bag them once they're frozen. Then just cook them as usual.

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    2. Awesome - thanks! I LOVE cottage cheese warenki, but have always been afraid to try making them myself. Maybe I'll finally give it a shot! :)

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    3. I freeze these on cookie sheets and then once frozen I put them into freezer bags. When ready to use take out as many as you need. Boil from frozen. Enjoy!

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    4. I make several dozen at one time. Lay a layer of wax paper down on the cookie sheet, layer of perogies so the do not touch and another layer of wax paper and another layer of perogies. Works slick and so delicious for unexpected guests at meal time.

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  12. Cottage cheese wareneki with 'schmauntfat' (cream gravy)...and some Farmer Sausage...a meal to die for!!

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  13. You're making me hungry. I haven't made these in a while. My mom used to make plum vereniki and serve them with melted butter and sugar; a great dessert after cottage cheese vereniki!

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  14. do you have the recipe for schmaunfat to pass along as well? Like someone else said, there's nothing like it :-)
    -Colleen

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    1. The recipe I use is very simple - not sure what other people do, but I use 2 T. butter, 2 T. flour, 1/8 tsp. pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1 c. milk. :)

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    2. A fairly creamy milk? I mean, not skim?
      -Colleen

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    3. I add whiping cream and also sour cream,

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    4. I've now added the ingredients for the gravy to the recipe.

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  15. I often make this in a baking dish. Roll the dough fairly thin and cut pieces to fit your pan (eg. 8x8 in) and gently lower the whole piece into boiling water and boil only 1 1/2 to 2 min. Remove from pot with suitable utensils and plunge into ice water. In a well buttered baking pan(I use glass)layer starting with dough then a light layer of cottage cheese. Repeat 3 or 4 layers ending with dough.Top with melted butter or shmountfat. Cover with foil and bake for 30 min.@ 350 till heated through or freeze for later. Give it plenty of time to thaw, takes a while.
    To make the gravy even more tasty, brown the butter before adding flour and cream. YUMMY!

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  16. I need to ask all of you professional vereniki makers - is there any way to use creamed cottage cheese instead of the dry curd? I live in South Georgia, originally from Winnipeg, MB and grew up on this stuff but I have not had vereniki in 10 years and I am CRAVING them, but we don't have dry curd cottage cheese here anywhere. I have begged some of the stores to get it but they don't have a clue what I am talking about.
    I am just trying to find a way to make them myself so I can have a Mennonite moment to enjoy :-) Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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    1. Hi Karen ... I have often used creamed cottage cheese for wereneka .. Just put it through a sieve to remove the 'cream' and then use the drained cottage cheese the same as you would the dry curd.

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  17. I am wondering if any of you professional vereniki makers could tell me whether or not it's possible to use creamed cottage cheese instead of the dry curd kind? I live in south Georgia, USA but am originally from Winnipeg, MB and grew up on this stuff. My family is Mennonite and we cooked vereniki regularly. I have been craving these for 10 years and cannot find any dry curd cottage cheese anywhere around here. I have begged store managers to find it and stock it but they look at me like I'm nuts.
    I am just wanting to make myself a batch and have my own Mennonite moment to enjoy once again. Any suggestions you have would be helpful. Thank you!

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    1. I do not make Wareneki - only grew up with my mom making them. She thinks creamed cottage cheese would be too runny and suggested rinsing it (using a sieve)
      I have not tried this, but found this suggestion... "Dry cottage cheese is also called baker’s cheese or no curd or hoop cheese. It is generally available but if you cannot find it, substitute half ricotta and half cottage cheese, drained overnight in a fine sieve" http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080726184640AAWuIPb

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  18. Thank you Anneliese, I will give that a try. My own mother said the same thing, that creamed cottage cheese would be too runny but she thought I was crazy to rinse and drain it. I don't understand why that would be a problem, it's still cottage cheese right? I will give it a try at some point and post back whether or not it worked. :-)

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  19. I love these! I grew up eating them with sour cream gravy and no-cook strawberry jam (freezer jam). Soooooo good.

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  20. shirley bertheletteJuly 11, 2014 at 4:27 PM

    This is a very good dough easy to roll out ...thanks

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  21. Can I substitute white flour with whole wheat? thank you

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    1. I have never tried using whole wheat, but I think you would get a very tough dough. Never hurts to try...you just may find it works well. Good luck.

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  22. I FOUND THAT DRY CURD COTTAGE CHEESE WAS HARD TO FIND, BUT I NOW FOUND A SOURCE . MY WIFE IS UKRAINIAN AND CANADIAN FRENCH BACKGROUND AND MAKES THE BEST DOUGH AND PREFERS POTATO &CHEESE FILING WITH BACON AND FRIED ONIONS . I LIKE THE COTTAGE CHEESE WITH THE SWEET CREAM SAUCE.

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