Pelmeni

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g flour
• 200 g water
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 tsp salt
• 20 g oil
• 500 g minced meat, mixed
• 2 onions
• 1 clove(s) garlic
• 2 tsp mustard
• 1 ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 30 g butter
• Flour for the work surface

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 10 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours

Russian dumplings

For the dough, knead the flour with water, egg, salt, and oil using a dough mixer or by hand until you have a smooth dough. Then, cover and let the dough rest for half an hour. For the filling, finely chop the two onions and the garlic. Mix well with the minced meat, salt, pepper, and mustard. After the resting time, knead the dough briefly again with your hands, divide it into two portions, and then roll out the first portion on a floured surface. If you have a pelmenitsa (a mold for making pelmeni), roll out the dough thinly into two portions and place the first portion on the pelmenitsa. Then fill a small portion of the filling (about the size of a teaspoon) into the provided holes and place the second rolled-out portion over the first. Now, using a rolling pin, roll it over the two sheets of dough, applying light pressure. The pelmeni will loosen and fall out of the bottom of the pelmenitsa; if necessary, gently push them out. If you don’t have a pelmenitsa, cut circles from the rolled out dough, place a small ball of filling in the center, and fold the dough into a half-moon shape. Now shape the pelmeni by hand so they look roughly like tortellini. This way, you’ll use up all the dough and filling. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil and season with a little salt or vegetable stock. Then cook the pelmeni in about two batches for about 5 minutes. Skim off the excess water, keep warm in a bowl, and toss with a knob of butter to prevent them from sticking together. Tips: We like to eat them with a little sour cream and/or ketchup. They can also be fried. They freeze very well uncooked. Simply spread them out on a baking sheet, freeze for a while, and then transfer them to freezer bags. Once frozen, they need to be boiled for about 10 minutes.