Varenyky (Blueberry Dumplings)
This Ukrainian recipe from Tristan Heath, a top-18 winner in the Create Cooking Challenge: My Family's Recipe, is an ode to his Babushka who made these dumplings on special occasions.
Recipe Ingredients
- Dough
- - 2 cups all purpose flour
- - 1 teaspoon salt
- - ½ cup water
- - 1 large egg
- Filling
- - 2 cups blueberries (washed)
- - ½ cup granulated sugar
- - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- - splash of lemon juice
Recipe Instructions
Filling
- Rinse blueberries and place in a pot with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.
- On a stove, bring the mix up to a light boil. Simmer the berries for just a few minutes, until the sugar has dissolved and the juice from the berries makes a sauce. Don’t overcook because you still want the berries to be intact.
- Cool the filling completely before you assemble your dumplings
Dough
- Mix the flour, salt, water, and egg together in a bowl until a rough dough ball comes together. Transfer this rough dough to a counter and work it a bit with your hands to form into a fairly smooth dough. Place dough in a plastic bag or covered bowl, and let rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Once the dough has rested, remove it from the plastic onto a lightly floured work surface. Begin rolling your dough out until it is approximately ⅛ inch in thickness.
- Use a sturdy glass or ring mold to cut out circles of dough around 3 inches.
- Spoon a tablespoon of the berry mix onto the dough circle, fold the dough over and press the edges to seal, taking care to squeeze out any excess air. Use a fork to crimp the edges for a decorative effect.
- In 2 quarts of boiling water, drop the dumplings in small batches. Stir to make sure they don’t stick to the bottom. Allow to boil for about 4-5 minutes or until the dumplings float freely in the water.
- Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl and toss with a bit of butter. Serve warm with generous dollops of sour cream and some of the extra blueberry filling as a sauce.
Alternative Serving Style
- Place boiled dumplings in an oven-safe dish, cover with thickened heavy cream, sprinkle with sugar, and broil in the oven until the sugar caramelizes.