A Pile of Pierogies

Last month at our inaugural Bitchin' In The Kitchen gathering, a group of 5 bawdy women in our 50's made challah, drank wine and laughed our asses off at my house. As we shared ideas about the second meet-up, Suzanne offered to host and suggested we make pierogies. Who doesn't love pierogies?! We all jumped at the chance to roll some dough, enjoy an adult beverage and eat freshly made pierogies with a group of fantastic women.

Pierogi is the national dish of Poland and is somewhat of a generic term for a filled dumpling. They can be filled with ground meat, sauerkraut, the classic potato & cheese combo or even fruit for a tasty little dessert or afternoon snack. The origin of this dish is unclear, but its been around since at least the 1200's and it's called by many different different names in eastern European cultures. They show up on Slovakian, Hungarian, Romanian, Russian and German tables, but they are such an important and beloved part of Polish culture that every holiday has its own type of pierogi. Pittsburgh has had a love affair with the pierogi since the Industrial Revolution, when a huge eastern European workforce brought their traditions to the region. Pierogies are so popular here that in the 5th inning break of Pittsburgh Pirates games, people dressed in giant pierogi costumes race each other around the outfield. I usually root for Jalapeno Hannah.

PIEROGIES

For the dough
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt (1 tsp garlic salt optional)
3/4 c melted butter
3/4 c water
1 egg

For the filling
2 lbs Russet potatoes
2 c grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, chopped and caramelized in butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Making pierogies from scratch is a real commitment. This is not something you whip up on a weeknight when you get home from work. These dumplings were traditionally made by large groups of women for big gatherings like weddings and holidays. Depending on the size of the cutter, this recipe makes 40 to 50 periogies, which is enough to serve about six people. Its hardly worth the effort for a few portions and since there were four of us bitchin' in the kitchen, Suzanne was prepared for a large scale production.

Using a couple of different recipes for guidance, Suzanne, Lynn and Marie had boiled six pounds of potatoes, letting them cool slightly before mixing in four cups of grated cheese, two large sauteed onions and salt and pepper in the stand mixer. While the filling cooled, they made small batches of two different dough recipes - one with egg and one without. I arrived a couple hours late and when I walked in the door, they handed me a matching apron, a delicious adult beverage and a small plate with two pierogies on it, one from each batch of dough. With just a little bit of salt and butter, they were both delicious and I wanted to eat 7 more, but we had work to do. The dough with the egg in it had a pleasant toothsome texture while the eggless dough was slightly gummy. We all agreed that the dough with egg was superior in taste and texture, so Suzanne started making a second batch of dough. Pierogie production had begun! 

To make the dough, Suzanne put the water and butter in a small pot on the stove and gently heated them until the butter melted. She put the flour and seasoning in the bowl of the stand mixer and using the dough hook, she blended in the water until the dough started to come together. Finally, she added the egg and kneaded the dough until it had a slightly sticky, slightly elastic texture and felt almost like a pasta dough, which took about 5 minutes.

We set up an assembly line with Suzanne rolling the dough very thinly and cutting it into rounds. She didn't have a pastry or biscuit cutter, so she was using a cocktail shaker to cut the dough. Lynn filled each round with a couple tablespoons of filling, Marie dampened the edges of the dough with a little water and sealed each pierogie and I was at the end of the line with a fork crimping the edges and filling tray after tray with beautiful, handmade dumplings. After four hours, we'd made 5 batches of dough and ended up with about 250 pierogies.

Finally, Suzanne boiled some water while Marie sauteed onions in butter until they were a deep, golden brown. Suzanne dropped a dozen pierogies into the pot and boiled them just until they floated. Using a slotted spoon, she fished them out and dropped them into the pan with the onions and added another generous nub of butter. Our reward was at hand and we sampled our handiwork with a great sense of pride. My oh my, those little pillows of joy were tender and chewy and just delightful and we each took home an enormous ziplock bag of pierogies. To freeze these little beauties, lay them out on a sheet tray covered with a piece of parchment paper or waxed paper and place the tray in the freezer for about half an hour. Once the pierogies are frozen they can be put in bags and kept for months in the freezer.  It looks like our next Bitchin' in the Kitchen gathering will take place at Lynn's house and she's planning to have us make ravioli, the Italian version of pierogies, another large scale production. I sense a pattern developing here. 

My Favorite Store Is Closing

My favorite grocery store in Pittsburgh is closing its doors. After more than 70 years in the business, family owned McGinnis Sisters will cease operations as soon as their inventory is gone. I made one last trip a few days after the announcement and it was a really emotional experience. The folks I'd relied on for fresh fish, locally raised meats and produce and a kick-ass bakery were packing it up and preparing to walk away from a community institution. The produce guy commiserated with me and made some suggestions for where I might find the same kind of quality items that McGinnis Sisters stocks. A woman in the deli expressed her fears to me about finding a new job after working there for 42 years. The guys at the meat counter who saw me every couple of weeks were too sad to even meet my gaze, let alone engage in small talk. As I walked past the empty produce bins, empty fish counter and abandoned bakery, I thought a lot about why I love this grocery store so much and what is has in common with the other small, family-owned stored I've loved in the past.

When I lived in Texas, small, family owned stores were a little harder to find, but in its early years Whole Foods, which started in Austin, Texas, very much fit the bill for me in terms of selection and quality. I lived in Philadelphia for a year and was pleased to find small grocery stores and food co-ops everywhere. The Italian market in my neighborhood had incredible meats, cheeses and specialty items. When we moved to New Hampshire, the closest Whole Foods and the wonderful Lebanon food co-op were an hour away and I'd make the trip every couple of months, but my weekly food shopping always included a stop at Quality Cash for meat. It was owned by a guy who'd spent 20 years working for large grocery chains and he made the commitment to carry the very best quality chicken, lamb, beef and smoked meats from small producers in the region. When I found McGinnis Sister shortly after moving to Pittsburgh, it felt just as familiar and welcoming as the places I'd loved before.   

There are a set of characteristics that, for me, define a great food store. Some of them are obvious, such as the ability to stock local products and keen attention to quality, but there are other things that combine to make for a pleasant grocery experience. How the store is laid out, how the inventory is displayed, how things are priced and how much is made and/or packed in-house are all important considerations. My favorite small grocery stores all have their unique specialties. The Italian market I loved in Philadelphia had outstanding meats with a great selection of exotic cuts like fresh duck breasts and veal shank. They had a small but excellent deli and a small produce section with enough to make a nice salad or fresh green side dish. Quality Cash focused much of their attention on their chicken, meats and lunch counter. Their chicken came from a specific producer in Salisbury, MD and was air chilled, never frozen and was the best tasting chicken I've ever prepared. They carried extremely good beef and lamb, some raised locally and some from other producers in the region, and their lunch business was very active with an in-house kitchen that served pulled pork, fried chicken, sausage sandwiches and lovely breakfast sandwiches. I've also shopped at a wonderful family owned Italian market here in Pittsburgh called Labriola's, which has awesome imported deli meats, sausages, really good prepared classic Italian dishes and all the imported pasta, canned tomato products and olive oil your little heart could desire. These places are all modest businesses, occupying maybe 3000 square feet in a small shopping center or in a stand-alone building no bigger than a large single family home. These are the kinds of places that are crowded when 20 or 30 customers are shopping at once.

McGinnis Sisters locations were more the size of small supermarkets at maybe 10,000 square feet, but in many ways had the same vibe as my favorite small stores. Much of their seasonal produce had signs indicating which farm or town they came from. Their selection of apples was second to none and when they were in peak season, I would walk out with varieties such as Stayman, Idared or ginger gold, all grown within a 100 mile radius. Not all of their produce was local, but there was enough of it to make me happy. The same was true for their meat department with beef, chicken, turkey and pork all coming from regional producers and for not much more money than I'd spend at a big box supermarket, I regularly stocked up on fresh ground beef, pork tenderloins and the very best chicken wings I've ever cooked. Every Friday, the fish department received fresh Alaskan salmon, Atlantic cod or scallops from New England. Its the only place I've ever found fresh skate wing. McGinnis Sisters bakery featured the most scrumptious pepperoni rolls, small loaves of ciabatta and sourdough bread and amazing pastries, cookies, pies and cakes, all made right in plain site of the general public. They also had a nice cheese case and a good selection of fresh eggs, Amish butter and local dairy products. When it came to general staples, dry goods and pantry items, McGinnis Sister honored the European roots of the population and the shelves were graced with exotic types of mustard, condiments, jams and canned goods, plus a small but mighty selection of chocolates and sweets that beckoned as I stood in line at the register. It wasn't a huge store, but it was big enough to stock an interesting variety of stuff and no matter how many times I've shopped there, something unique usually caught my eye.

While there are advantages to shopping at smaller local chains and mom & pop stores, there are drawbacks. Many of them don't carry everything on your grocery list or if they do, the prices are unreasonable. I can't buy toothpaste, cleaning supplies or cat litter at most of my favorites places, so I do end up making several stops on my weekly run for supplies. I certainly spend more money when I make multiple stops and while I found McGinnis Sisters produce and meats to be priced competitively, a lot of their other items were much higher than they are at the big chains. That said, I'm willing to make that choice so I can feel good about what I'm putting in my body and where I spend my money on the foodstuffs I desire. However, I realize this lifestyle isn't for everyone. During a recent conversation with some of my colleagues, it was surprising to discover how many people despise their regular trips to the supermarket. They were raving about the convenience of ordering online and having someone bring their haul right to their car or even just shipped directly to their house. The world has changed and it has become increasingly more difficult for small businesses to compete in the everything-at-your-fingertips marketplace we live in. The personal touch isn't as valued as it once was.

Ultimately, that's what I will miss most about McGinnis Sisters - the people. The guy who ran the fish counter never steered me wrong, I was always pleased with his recommendations, even his advice on cooking methods. The guys in the meat department and the women in the bakery were always kind and attentive. The checkers were pleasant and engaged. I never saw employees standing around playing with their phones or chattering with each other as if the customers didn't exist. They were genuinely happy to serve me. They cared. They cared enough about their customers to be responsive, to give them the very best and to regard their own business as an integral part of the communities they served. I get it, I really do. The profit margins in the grocery business are quite thin and overhead is high. McGinnis Sisters had three locations and about 100 employees. But it still hurts to lose this beloved business and my sadness is nothing compared to those 100 people and the family who was no longer able to sustain a business that nourished a community for more than 70 years. I'll find other places to fill the food void, but McGinnis Sisters will always occupy a special place in my heart.