Gary Moran nestled the pierogi in a pan of butter and onions, the scent filling his Edwardsville home.
The process — from making the dough without precise measurements, to crimping the edges — makes him think about his family. And each time he makes the pierogi, his family eagerly awaits a taste of the savory, hearty treat.
Moran’s late stepfather, Zdzislaw “Alex” Pachowski, grew up in Warsaw, Poland, and learned how to cook from his mother and grandmother. World War II often caused ingredients to become scarce, and the pierogi were a filling meal on the table in Poland.
“He was a good guy,” Moran said. “He made great pierogi. I make them really good... I don't think I make them as good as him.”
But the pierogi are good enough to earn him two first-place awards at the Edwardsville Pierogi Festival, which his wife, Jackie, helped start in 2014. The festival, happening Friday and Saturday at the borough’s John Hopkins Park, features the contest, a parade, games and live entertainment.
Moran often makes his stepfather’s pierogi recipe before the festival, for visiting family to enjoy. From his kitchen, with a view of the festival location less than a block away, Moran gets to work.
He pours flour into his stand mixer, along with beaten eggs, sour cream and enough whole milk for the dough to reach the desired consistency. He doesn't need to measure, or look at the recipe. He knows it by heart — and feel.
He adds a little more milk and then a little more flour before rolling the dough. He grabs a coffee cup that has the perfect circumference for making circles.
Boiled, then mashed Russet potatoes, with Moran’s preferred cheese combination — 1 pound American and 1 pound Cooper sharp — cooled on the counter.
“I would advise anybody, don't use a sharp cheddar cheese in your pierogies. You don't want to use that. It sort of makes them have like a sour flavor,” Moran said. “Cooper and American, they seem to make the best flavor.”
Immigrants from Poland, Lithuania and Russia once predominantly lived in the Luzerne County borough and worked in the coal mines. Eastern European dumplings, or pierogi, were a common staple.
The community, with a population of about 4,900, celebrates that heritage this weekend. The festival includes pierogi stuffed with sauerkraut, strawberries or buffalo chicken. Moran, a member of Edwardsville Borough Council, prefers his a bit more traditional, with potato and cheese — and sautéed in butter and onions.
His wife often helps him crimp the edges of the pierogi, which is helpful when making anywhere from between six to 10 dozen at a time.
Once the pierogi are stuffed and crimped, Moran lowers them into boiling water for a few minutes. As they start to float, he removes them and lets them cool. He sometimes will freeze a portion to use later, and then adds the rest to a pan of butter and onions. He prefers to use Irish butter for a richer, creamier taste.
The familiar flavors bring him back to childhood, when Pachowski would spend hours cooking for the family.
“He rolled them out by hand and did them all by himself. He’d spend a day doing that,” Moran said.
But surprisingly, Pachowski didn’t eat them. He didn’t care for pierogi.
“He would make them for us,” Moran said. “We would love them.”
Gary Moran's Pierogi
5 pounds Russet potatoes
5 pounds flour
3 tablespoons sour cream
Whole milk
3 eggs
1 pound Cooper sharp cheese
1 pound American cheese
1 onion, chopped
Butter
1. Peel and boil potatoes. Mash and add the 2 pounds of cheese. Add butter, to taste. Let cool.
2. Add most of a 5-pound bag of flour to the bowl of a mixer. Beat three eggs, add to flour. Add sour cream, mix until combined.
3. Add whole milk until a dough consistency is reached. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it's too dry, add more milk. Let dough rest.
4. Roll dough, and use a circle-shaped cutter or mug to cut rounds of dough.
6. Place potato and cheese mixture in the middle of a circle. Lightly moisten the edges of circle with water and fold dough in half. Crimp the edges so it doesn't open.
7. Add pierogi to boiling water. Cook until it floats.
8. Sauté cooked pierogi in onion and butter.
