Pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms

Directions

• Pasta
• For the pasta, sieve the flour into a big bowl. Add the eggs, olive oil and salt. Mix with a large wooden spoon until combined and the dough has a consistency of large breadcrumbs.
• Transfer the dough onto a clean work surface and knead for 8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap in clingfilm and put in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Filling
• For the filling,drain the sauerkraut, cover with water and boil on medium heat for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime, finely chop the onions and fry them in a little olive oil until soft and golden brown. Set aside.
• Finely chop the mushrooms and fry until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside.
• Drain the sauerkraut and set aside. When cold enough to handle, chop it finely and mix in the fried onions and the mushrooms. Add a good shake of Schwartz Spicy Italian, plenty of ground black pepper and salt to taste.
• Putting it together
• Set up your pasta machine. Take out the pasta dough from the fridge and cut off a small piece. Put it through the machine multiple times until your dough is around 2mm thick.
• Transfer the pasta onto a lightly floured surface and cut out circular shapes with the rim of a glass.
• Put a dough circle onto your left palm, fill with a spoonful of filling and pinch the edges until sealed completely.
• Drop each batch of pierogi into a pan of boiling lightly salted water and cook for around 3 – 4 minutes until the pasta is cooked completely. Drain and place in a large bowl, then drizzle with a little olive oil and shake the bowl to prevent the pierogi from sticking.
• Repeat the process until you’ve used all pasta dough. Do not roll it out all at once because the pasta will dry out and you won’t be able to seal the pasta parcels properly.
• Just before serving, fry the pancetta cubes with a finely chopped shallot, add the pierogi and fry them for a few minutes on each side until warmed through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream for dipping.