These Beet Varenyky with Sweet Cheese and Raisins are a tribute to my Baltimore childhood. I woke up recently thinking about Mama’s varenyky, filled Ukrainian dumplings and was flooded with wistful memories.
As a little girl, I developed a penchant for varenyky. Those soft half-moons of dough were filled with either savory meat, potatoes and cheese, mushrooms, sauerkraut, sweet cherries, blueberries, plums or farmers’ cheese. The farmers’ cheese-filled varenyky were my favorite, especially when doused with rich sour cream sweetened with either honey or sugar. They were heavenly. I preferred them to any cakes or pastries. Yet, in our home, sweet varenyk constituted a light meal, not dessert.
Ukrainian varenyky (plural of varenyk, from the root verb varyty to cook in boiling water) bear similarity to the much-loved dumplings of other national cuisines. For example, Polish pierogi, Russian pelmeni, Italian ravioli, Belarussian kalduny, Slovakian pirohy and Romanian colțunași are just a few all made with a simple flour, water and occasionally an egg dough but with locally preferred fillings and shapes. These dumplings have long histories in each cuisine and are considered comfort food.
Historically, varenyky were a special occasion dish served at weddings, funerals, pagan and religious festivals. Their young moon shape played a role in pagan sacrificial rituals. Preparation of these filled dumplings seems to go back to the 9th century to the time of Kyivan Rus’, the name Eastern Slavs gave to the ancient kingdom from which Ukrainians descend. Over the centuries, varenyky became a national dish. Ukrainian farmers believed that taking varenyky to the field would bring a rich harvest and a prosperous life. Today, factory-produced, frozen varenyky are readily available, although many Ukrainian cooks prepare savory varenyky at home for Christmas Eve.
But why not varenyky for dessert? I once urged Mama to serve my favorite sweet varenyky to guests for dessert, but she dismissed varenyky as too plain for company. I was disappointed that these delicious bundles were relegated to only family meals.
I’ve long remembered Mama’s dismissal of varenyky as unsuitable food for guests, and I recently decided to try my hand at transforming Mama’s sweet cheese varenyky recipe into a pleasing dessert. The results of my improvisation are these Beet Varenyky with Sweet Cheese and Raisins, which combine my affinity for sweet beets with curd cheese and raisins into a delicious treat.
As I fiddled with the recipe, I decided that while varenyky made of plain white flour were delicious, they needed some drama to elevate them to guest status. So, I colored the dough. I had previously made colored pasta and ravioli, so I incorporated a few tablespoons of beet purée to tint this varenyky dough an eye-catching deep pink. The tender, vibrant-colored, neutral-flavored dough pairs well with various fillings.
I tinkered with Mama’s filling recipe, too. Mama used farmers’ cheese or well-drained cottage cheese, sweetened with a few teaspoons of sugar, for the filling. Mama’s filling was delicious but left the soft cheese curds intact. I decided to make the filling smoother and creamier by blitzing well-drained farmer’s cheese or cottage curds in a food processor and adding cream cheese. Soaking the raisins in Cointreau added a fragrant citrusy note. My filling tastes like Mama’s but has a silky texture with a subtle hint of orange.
Mama’s varenyky were formed from a circle of dough wrapped around the filling into a traditional half-moon with a plain pressed edge. I gussied up my version with a scalloped edge.
I gently lowered these Beet Varenyky with Sweet Cheese and Raisins into boiling water and cooked them for a few minutes until they floated. I served them immediately on a pool of honeyed crème fraiche and sprinkled with chopped pistachios. What a beautiful festive sight! Definitely a dish for company!
I served five varenyky for dessert, but my husband Weldon had a few more. They are very easy to eat. So decide for yourself the proper serving size. These gently sweet, velvety dumplings are addictive and can make a light meal or a great closing to a light spring or summer lunch or dinner of soup or salad.
Beet Varenyky with Sweet Cheese and Raisins
For the beet purée:
1-2 small beets (approximately 7 ounces), rinsed with ends trimmed, but not peeled
For the dough:
2½ cups (312 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
5.5 ounces (162ml) cup water including 4 tablespoons beet purée
For the sweet cheese filling:
2 cups dry farmers’ cheese or ricotta, well-drained
1½ ounces (45 g) cream cheese (softened)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ large egg yolk (about ½ tablespoon)
1 tablespoons butter, melted
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons orange liqueur such as Cointreau (optional)
¼ cup golden raisins, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For garnish:
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 ounce (15 g) pistachios, finely chopped
1 cup (231 ml) crème fraiche or sour cream
1 tablespoon orange-blossom honey
Preparing beets: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add rinsed and trimmed beets and cook until easily pierced with a fork, approximately 40-45 minutes. Drain and let cool. Peel beets and purée with a hand-held blender or food processor until smooth. Set aside.
Preparing dough: On a large, clean work surface pour flour in a mound. Make a well in the center, several inches wide. Pour beet purée, salt and water mixture into the well and, using a fork, gradually incorporate the flour into the liquids until a wet, sticky dough has formed.
Using a bench knife, scrape excess dough from fork and fingers. Fold dough with a bench knife, turning the dough roughly 45 degrees each time, until dough can form a soft ball, 2 to 5 minutes.
Knead the dough ball for about 10 minutes until dough develops a smooth, elastic texture. If dough feels too wet, add flour in 1 teaspoon increments. If the dough feels too dry, add water slowly with a spray bottle.
Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and rest on countertop for 30 minutes.
Preparing cheese filling: To soften raisins. place in a small bowl and add Cointreau; cover with plastic wrap; microwave for 60 seconds and set aside to cool for 1 hour. Drain in a sieve, empty onto a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out moisture and set aside.
Place cheeses and flour in food processor bowl and purée until smooth. Add raisins and remaining ingredients; stir until combined. Place filling into the refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up.
Forming and filling varenyky: Cover several sheet pans with kitchen towels and dust with flour. On a cutting board lightly dusted with flour, unwrap rested dough and cut into quarters. Set one quarter on work surface and re-wrap remaining dough. If using a pasta machine, roll the dough through the various thicknesses until dough is 1/8 inch (3 mm) thin. Or with a rolling pin, flatten a quarter of dough into an oblong sheet and roll until dough is 1/8 inch (3mm) thin. (I rolled the dough by hand. But rolling dough with the pasta machine produces thinner dough and is much faster and easier.)
Place rolled dough flat on the counter and using a teaspoon, deposit dollops of filling 4 inches (10 cm) apart along center of dough. Bring long edge of dough to cover the filling.
Press firmly around each scoop of filling to eliminate air and to seal each varenyk. Cut out varenyky into half moon shapes with a 2½ inch scalloped cookie cutter and place on prepared cookie sheets.
Cover cookie sheet another towel.
Repeat forming and filling varenyky with remaining dough quarters.
Preparing garnishes: Chop pistachios and set aside. Mix crème fraiche or sour cream with honey. Prepare serving plates by spooning 2 tablespoons of the cream mixture on each plate. Set aside.
Cooking varenyky: Bring a large pot of salted water to rolling boil. Add no more than 10 varenyky, and immediately stir gently with a rubber spatula to keep them from sticking to the pot bottom. Cook until varenyky float to the top and cook for three minutes. Remove gently with a slotted spoon. With a kitchen towel, blot remaining water on the bottom of spoon and place varenyky on prepared serving plates. Paint a thin coat of melted butter on each varenyk with a pastry brush. Garnish with chopped pistachios. Serve immediately.
Makes 24-30 varenyky; serves 4-6
*In western Ukraine, the terms varenyky and pyrohy are used to denote the same dish.
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