SC - Slovak/Russian Receipe

[Decker, Terry D.]

Greetings,
I'm wondering if someone can help me find a receipe.  I am not sure if it
is period but we have searched the world wide web and have been unable
to locate any source for this Slovak dish.  It is called pegachi?? I'm not
sure of
the spelling but it consists of a flat pizza type bottom and it is filled
with potatoes and cottage cheese and sometimes cabbage.  A top layer of
dough is added to the top and the edges are pinched shut and then it is
baked.  My mother used to eat this as a child and we would greatly
appreciate any info regarding a receipe or if it was period. I have looked
through my Russian and Czech cookbooks and cannot find it anywhere.
Thanks.

Rodrekkr & Marion of Grimfells
rodkrisjohnson1 at prodigy.net

Your pegachi sounds similar to piroshkis which are pies filled with meat or 
potato fillings.  Traditionally, the fillings are made from leftovers.  My 
recipe calls for individual pies, but is from the Gorky Park Restaurant in 
Stemboat Springs.  A family recipe would probably be put together as a 
single pie.  The recipe following is modern.

Dough (a version of standard 3-2-1 pastry dough):

Sift 3 ? cups of Flour with 1 teaspoon of baking powder and ? teaspoon of 
salt
Cut flour mixture into ? cup butter until crumbly
Lightly beat 2 eggs and add to mixture
Add 1 cup of sour cream to mixture
Blend mixture until the dough balls
Cover and refrigerate for three hours

Meat filling:

1 lb ground beef
? lb ground pork
1 2-inch onion, chopped fine
 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

I saute the onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil, then add the 
meat and brown over a medium-low heat to cook out the excess fat, which 
would have already been done if I were truly using leftovers.

Potato filling (untried):

2 cups cold mashed potatoes
1 2-inch onion, chopped fine
1 tsp salt
1 pinch ground pepper

The original recipe calls for sauting the onion in 4 Tbps of schmaltz 
(chicken fat) but I suspect olive oil will do fine.  Then mix the 
ingredients together.

Roll out the pastry 1/8 " thick.  Cut into circles with a 3 ?" radius.  Put 
filling on half of the circle, fold over and crimp the edge of the pastry. 
 Refrigerate for an hour before baking.

Place piroshkis one inch apart (to allow for expansion) on a greased baking 
sheet.

Bake at 400 F until golden brown (approx. 12 minutes).  Pre-made piroshkis 
can be frozen and baked directly from the freezer (add 8 to 10 minutes to 
the baking time).


The Gorky Park Restaurant is expensive but the food is excellent.  The best 
deals are in summer when they serve their "Gorky Towers", a mix and match 
selection of one to two person servings of their entrees, five or six make 
a nice dinner for two.  With coffee and dessert, don't expect to escape for 
less than $20 per person (reasonable, when you find their lowest meal in 
winter costs $30).

In 1991, they published Behind the Rose Coloured Curtain, a history of the 
restaurant with recipes.  It's not a great cookbook, but I found it 
enjoyable and occasionally useful.  I don't know if it is still in print, 
but if anyone is interested, you can write to them at P.O. Box 881208, 
Steamboat Springs, CO 80488.

Bear
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