An April Monday

Easter is over and with it all the friends and relations have left-the-farm. It is back to life as normal. And today that means trimming the trees. It is very late for some. The apples and the cherries, the pears and the roses should have been done on the coldest day of winter. And I meant to do it, I did. But did you see how cold it was out there? Well, I did and I tucked the blanket a little tighter under my chin and pronounced I would do-it-another-day. Well. I am here to say that day never came. The days just kept getting colder and windier, and that blanket kept getting higher and tighter, so that I barely thought about those trees. Until today. When they knocked on the door and insisted I do something about them.

Now for the peaches and the plums, this will be just the right time for them. They are meant to be trimmed in the early Spring (I always knew I loved those peaches) and so that is just what I am going to do. I don’t expect much out of them this year. You see, they were very prolific last year, and their history with the Farm has shown me that they are an every-other-year kind of producer. We’ll see. Maybe they will surprise me.

The seedlings are doing quite well, thank you very much for asking. Most, if not all, have poked their little heads through the peat moss that makes up most of their home at present.

Petunia and Penelope (formerly known as Piggly and Wiggly #3) are doing just fine as well. They are super sweet and (the Farmer doesn’t know this yet) they may make a permanent addition to the family. We could, after all, breed them. Just a thought.

And speaking of thoughts, Now. I am in know way Polish, but I do appreciate any culture that has such delicious food, so in honor of that beautiful heritage, I am celebrating Dingus Day today by making a batch of perogies out of the left-over potato bake from yesterday’s breakfast. Look for that recipe below.

Cheers if your Polish!

We’ve already discussed the filling (leftover potato bake, which includes diced potatoes, peppers, onions, chip dip, and cheddar cheese, to that I plan to add a half pound chopped bacon with it’s drippings.) You however can fill your pierogi with whatever you’d like. But for now, it’s on to that dough:

Three cups pastry flour is set in your mixer and with it an egg, a quarter cup of sour cream, a cup of water, and a quarter teaspoon of salt. For this, I use the paddle attachment and let it go until it comes together in a ball and keep on letting it go for another five or so minutes. It should be soft and pliable. It’s then taken out and set it on your workspace. I like to play with my food, so I knead it a minute or two. The dough can be rolled out with a rolling pin, but since I have a pasta roller, that’s what I use.

To do that, I set it through the first and second levels, and that’s where I stop, which makes it a bit thicker than pasta dough for ravioli, and much more pliable. It has a feeling of velvet—must be the sour cream! I knew it made everything better!

It is cut with an empanada maker, but you can use a glass to make your circles. I put the pasta in the maker, adds a scoop of filling and presses it all together. If you don’t have an empanada maker, just add a scoop of filling to the center of your circle, fold in half, and press the edges together with a fork. Because the dough is so pliable, you won’t need to moisten the edges, like you do with ravioli.

These get set in a pan of boiling water and left to cook until they float, about three minutes. They’re taken out and let set on the counter until they’re dry. In the summer, these can go right on the grill. But, since the grill’s still packed away, I’ll just have to make do with a pan filled with steaming butter. I’m sure the family won’t mind.

They’re cooked over medium heat, flipping sides to make sure all is nice and brown and toasty and served immediately. Usually, this is served with a thick Bratwurst alongside creamed corn. Tonight, we’re having it alongside some b-b-qued pulled pork (also left over from yesterday). Something about that b-b-que makes me thing about summer, but let’s not talk about that right now, I’m liable to get depressed!