Varenyky z Vyshniamy (вареники з вишнями, cherry dumplings)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A wide mixing bowl
• •A rolling pin
• •An 8cm cutter or drinking glass
• •A large pot for boiling
• •A slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Wake the cherries

   Put the pitted sour cherries in a bowl with the sugar and stir gently until they shine. Let them sit while you make the dough, then drain off the juice into a small jug and keep it. The cherries should look glossy but not swim in syrup, because wet filling makes weak seams.

   If you're using frozen cherries, thaw them fully and drain them well. Frozen fruit is not shameful; in January we open jars and freezers, because the table still needs feeding.
2. 2

   Make the dough

   Mix the flour and salt in a wide bowl. Pour in the just-boiled water and oil, stirring with a wooden spoon until ragged clumps form, then add the beaten egg once the dough is warm rather than fierce. Knead until it turns smooth and elastic under your palms, soft as an earlobe and no longer tearing at the surface.

   Hot water relaxes the flour and gives you a dough that rolls thin without snapping back. This is why the dumplings stay tender instead of chewy.
3. 3

   Rest and roll

   Cover the dough with an upturned bowl and let it rest until it feels loose and calm when you press it. Roll half at a time on a floured table, thin enough that you can almost see the shadow of your fingers through it. Cut rounds about 8cm wide, gathering and rerolling the scraps once.

4. 4

   Fill and seal

   Dust the drained cherries with the potato starch, just enough to catch their juice. Put two or three cherries in the middle of each round, fold, and pinch the edges firmly from the centre outward so no air pocket sits inside. I fold triangles because my hands remember, but half-moons seal beautifully too.

   Keep the edges dry. If cherry juice touches the rim, wipe it away or use a fresh circle. Dry dough sticks to dry dough; syrup makes it slide.
5. 5

   Boil until lively

   Bring a big pot of salted water to a rolling boil, the kind that sounds right before you even look at it. Cook the varenyky in batches so they have room to dance. Once they rise and bob at the surface, give them a little longer until the dough looks silky and swollen, then lift them out with a slotted spoon.

6. 6

   Butter and serve

   Slide the hot varenyky into a wide bowl with melted butter and turn them gently so they gloss instead of stick. Spoon over a little of the reserved cherry juice if you like, scatter with sugar, and bring cold smetana to the table. Eat carefully. The first bite likes to run down your wrist.

Chef Tips

• •Sour cherries are the point. If you only have sweet cherries, add a squeeze of lemon to the drained fruit; it is a bit more modern, but it brings back the bite.
• •The dough can take more flour on the table, but don't bury it. Too much flour makes the seams stiff and the bite dull.
• •Freeze uncooked varenyky in a single layer on a tray, then bag them. Boil from frozen in lively salted water, giving them a little longer once they float.
• •Do not overfill. Two or three cherries look stingy on the table, then generous inside the dumpling.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can rest, covered, for up to 2 hours at room temperature.
• •Filled uncooked varenyky freeze well for up to 2 months. Cook them straight from frozen.
• •The cherries can be pitted and sugared a day ahead, then drained before filling.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 235g)