Fruit Pierogi (Ovocné Pirôžky)
This year, Christmas sort of sneaked (or snuck?) up on us. Before we knew it, it was here, and there was no time to prepare the traditional Slovak Christmas dishes (although I am at least going to cook a pot of kapustnica). However, this past weekend I was experimenting with making plum jam. Well actually prune jam, since finding Damson plums is difficult in the United States, and prunes seemed like a good substitute. The jam turned out ok, and I also ended up with half a cup of prune skins spooned off the top of the boiling jam. Debating if I should just toss them, I remembered a dish I particularly liked as a child: sweet jam-filled pierogi topped with toasted bread crumbs. I figured the skins would work well as a filling. If you have never had anything like this dish, give this recipe a try. I think you will like it! I made these with dough made of white flour, yeast, sugar, water, and a bit of oil.
Ingredients: sweet leavened dough (flour, yeast, sugar, bit of oil), plum jam (or similar) filling, powdered sugar, bread crumbs, butter
Prep Time: About 3 hours for the dough to rise, then 30 minutes
I have not had these in a bunch of years, They are delicious with the evaporated milk and onion sauce, sweet and savory in one bite.
Wow, with onion sauce? I have not heard of that and will take your word for it! 🙂
These look so good, and I have not had them in years! Making pierogi is on my to try list in 2015. Merry Christmas and Happy New year to you! Thanks for sharing your recipes.
Vicky
I love making my own prune/plum jam. For the best fruit, I look for the tiny black plums that are locally called “Italian plums.” They are only available for a short time during the summer, but worth looking for. When I cook the plums down, I puree the skins along with the rest of the ingredients when everything has cooked down really well and also toss in a handful of dried prunes. (I know it’s a cheat, but it works really well.) A good shot of rum is nice, too. This little bit doesn’t taste like rum, but brightens the flavor a lot. After the fruit has been slightly cooled and pureed, the final toucn for me is to let the pot simmer slowly with frequent stirrings until the texture is rather thick. The result is better than the best commercial slivkový lekvar you can buy.
Thanks B.J.! Perhaps using the prunes isn’t really cheating because it seems that many prunes are actually made from the Italian variety of plums.
My mom made these once when my brother and I were kids and they were so good we fought over them and she swore she’d never make them again. I’m still waiting…so I guess I’d better get on it and try to make them myself. Thanks for the recipe.
My great-grandmother, born in Hungary but an ethnic Slovak, made these for the family 50 years ago, and I have never forgotten them. I remember that she made them in squares like ravioli (probably easier for a crowd). Love this website.
Tak toto je u nas doma velmi oblubena mnamka;)
I am looking for a recipe my husband’s aunt made. It was a pastry filled with cottage cheese and a fruit topping. It was baked, and almost looked like a flat pie?
Any help is appreciated!
Ahoj Luboš,
Thank you for creating this wonderful website! I wanted to let you know it has helped me SO much in learning Slovak cooking. I am from the US and moved to Kordíky 1 year ago. I travel back and forth, but now am in Slovakia. There aren’t *any* English translations of cookbooks or recipes that I’ve found, so I rely on you and my fiance’s aunt to teach me! It has been a wonderful, irreplaceable help to me. 🙂 If you ever visit Bystrica, you’re welcome to come chat and cook with me. 🙂
I grew up eating prune pirohy and I still make them. I just cook down some chopped up prunes with a little water and a bit of cinnamon. That’s how my Mom used to make them. Very easy. I make these for friends who only know potato pirohy and they’re surprised at how good they are.
Hi they sound amazing! My Baba made pirohy with the prunes as well. They are still my favourite! Thanks for sharing!
My family is of Slovak descent. My mother and grandmother used to make a dish called gule’. They used the recipe for pierogi, rolled the dough out and wrapped the dough around prune plums which are seasonal. Then put them in boiling water and let them come to top. Put them in melted butter and sprinkle with sugar. The pits are still in the plums but the inside of dough turns reddish purple. More like a dessert but yummy! Not sure the spelling of gule’ is the right one.
That’s it! I make them once a year when plums are in season! But I cut the plum in half and take the pit out. I put a tsp. of sugar on top of the 1/2 plum, then seal it in a ball.
My Bobka made Gule and I loved them. And she made a round rolled noodle to go with them and then served them with browned bread crumbs and sugar . Delicious. Maybe when I get back to Arizona I will make some. It is hard to get the plums. Miss my Bobka and her delicious old recipes.
Traditionally we do these for good friday fish ofcouse to. My daughter and me love them. Grandson not so much. but will eat them.. Hubby not a fan. However once in a blue moon we get the craving. My daughter has learned to make them. My grandson lasted about an hour helping when I was showing her. I do the mash potato and flour. Maiden name Dworak
I forgot to mention also xmas eve a must.
These seem almost identical to the kind my grandmother used to make. She used plums from trees grown in her yard, but everything else seems about the same. She used to call them (no idea of the spelling “guly” or “gooly”.
Saved the recipe and cannot wait to try them.