VVP- Beetroot & Dill Pierogi with a Tahini Sour Cream…

Tags

apple cider vinegar, beetroot, dill, gluten- free, lemon, pierogi, sour cream, taco "meat", tahini, tamari, vegan, vegetarian, virtual vegan potluck, walnuts

Tonight we’re celebrating. Why? because we created a gluten free, vegan pierogi that tastes (almost) as good as those i enjoyed 5 years ago whilst nannying a lovely Ukranian family. But with the mandatory Green & Leithy twist.

The dough is a mix of roasted beetroot and dill and was such a pleasure to work with- smooth and malleable whilst holding up great in the boiling process. The filling- a rich tomato, walnut “mince”, robust enough to add further depth to the pierogi but not so over powering that the whispers and kisses of beetroot and dill were masked.

The “sour cream” couldn’t have been easier- tahini whisked up with apple cider vinegar and lemon juice. The perfect sharp note to cut through the luxuriant pierogis. Finished with a perfectly generous kick of freshly ground peppercorns and there we have it. Quite the perfect dish (as i proudly say so myself).

The dough yields around 22 pierogi, which is quite a lot so leftovers would be a great, quick lunch- i can only imagine how good they’d be after an evening developing their flavours. That being said, they are (and certainly were) light enough for us to eat the whole lot.

(make 22, Vegan, Gluten Free)
For the dough:

• 1 large Beetroot, roasted whole, then peeled
• 150g Plain (gluten free) Flour
• 1 tbsp Potato Starch
• 1 tbsp Coconut Oil
• 2 tbsp Dill, finely chopped
• 1 tsp Sea Salt

1. Once the your beetroot has cooled enough and you’ve peeled it, pop it into a blender and blitz until smooth
2. Tip into a mixing bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients
3. Cover and pop in the fridge for 1 hour

For the “mince” filling:

• 100g Walnuts
• 4 Sun Dried Tomatoes (soaked for a few hours then drained)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 tbsp Tamari
• 1 1/2 tbsp Tomato puree

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse for a few seconds until pretty uniform

To make the pierogi:

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, a lick of oil and a pinch of salt
2. Remove the dough from the fridge and tip onto a floured surface
3. Roll the dough out until its about 1/4″ thick
4. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out as many disks as you can (you may need to re-roll the dough a few times)
5. Once you have all your disk, add 1/2 tsp of mince onto half of each disk, carefully fold the dough over, creating half moons
6. Cook the pierogis in the water for about 5 minutes, or until they float up to the top of the water (you’ll probably have to do this in batches). Drain and serve drizzled with the sour cream…

Tahini “Sour Cream”

• 4 tbsp Tahini
• 1 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
• juice of 1 Lemon

1. Add all ingredients to a clean jar, cover and shake until combined.