Me being a Polack, I am partial to polish food. It’s the greatest food known to man, in my opinion.
I got to spend an afternoon with Erica and her friend Nelly at Pietrzyk Pierogi to capture the awesome pierogi that they make/create.
As soon as I walked into Pietrzyk Pierogi HQ, the smell of salty, sweetness filled the air. Butternut squash, pear, and bacon were in the oven baking, which would be part of the filling for the brand new, unnamed pierogi they was about to make.
After everything was out of the oven and cooled down, scooping and chopping commenced.
Everything was then combined into a bowl along with spices and mixed together.
Erica’s proprietary dough recipe is housed inside her brain so no one knows how to make it except her. All of the ingredients were added to the mixer to create the dough that will eventually house the filling.
When it comes to pierogi, the dough needs to be thin. That is my only pet peeve! Thick dough makes for a gross pierogi if you ask me.
The only way to get started is to roll the dough out in preparation for the filling.
The filling is scooped onto the dough in a spaced out pattern.
A portion of the dough is then flipped over the filling so it can be smashed down to encase it.
A round cookie cutter is used to cut away each pierog to separate it from the rest of the dough.
It is then pinched to ensure each side of the dough is sealed.
One of the last steps is to boil them to cook and prep the dough so it is subtle and soft.
They are removed one by one and placed on a tray to be flash frozen.
Of course, the very last step was to go to The Old Miami to eat the new pierogi that Erica and Nelly created!
The name of the pierogi, you ask? THE HONEY TRiNiTY
Having never been in the presence of pierogi being made, I was in pure awe while capturing the process. What might seem like an easy process is indeed not. The time, love, and effort put into making each and every one of them showed, that’s for damn sure.
A very big thank you to Erica and Nelly for allowing me to shadow them to capture this photo documentary! It was something that had been in the works for a couple months, and I am glad to finally get over there, create it, and release it so everyone can see.
Don’t forget to like the Pietrzyk Pierogi Facebook page to get updates on where/when the next pop up event will be!