In my family home, leniwe were always called “lazy dumplings”, though they are also known as pierogi. Both names make sense in a way. Regardless of the name choice, they’re tasty and easy to prepare. I used to love having them as a child and nowadays each time I serve them, I feel like I’m travelling back in time to when I was a little boy.
Recipe
Leniwe can be prepared in many ways. The recipe below is my favourite but I’ll also mention some modifications later on. The ingredient amounts yield two servings.
Dumplings:
- 250 g quark
- 50 g white wheat flour
- 1 large egg
- large pinch of salt
Sauce:
- 100 ml sour cream
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
Prepare the sauce by mixing its ingredients.
Get rid of lumps in the quark. This can be achieved by grinding, blending in a food processor or passing it through a potato press. In a bowl, mix the quark with salt, egg and flour. Optionally, the egg white can be beaten separately but in my opinion, the difference in texture this provides is not worth the extra effort. Divide the dough in half. Flour the counter and roll each dough portion in flour, then roll it into a cigar shape, flatten and cut into individual dumplings.
Toss the dumplings into simmering salted water. When they start floating, give them a few extra seconds, but no more than two minutes as after a while they will disintegrate. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and drain. Serve warm with the prepared sauce.
Additional Information
The name pierogi leniwe literally translates to “lazy pierogi”. I like to call them “lazy man’s dumplings”. The name refers to the fact that this is a modification of the original recipe for pierogi with a quark-based filling. The lazy chef simply mixes all the ingredients together and doesn’t bother with the elaborate forming of proper pierogi.
They can be served sweet or savoury. The latter version usually comes with a roux made with butter and breadcrumbs in place of the sauce. The sweet sauce can be prepared in multiple ways. The basic variant is just sour cream and sugar. I like to replace the cream with Greek yoghurt. Other spices can be used, for example cinnamon. In my opinion though, the maple syrup and vanilla complement the dish very well. Some recipes call for an addition of sugar in the dumplings dough itself in order to contrast the sourness from the quark without the need to add any sauce at all.
Video Transcription
I’ve eaten these since early childhood. Pierogi leniwe, which literally translates to “lazy dumplings”, is truly a recipe for the lazy. It’s a variant of pierogi with a quark filling, transformed to be quicker and easier to prepare. The full recipe, as usual, can be found on the blog.
I’ve got some homemade quark and cake flour. There’s also some brown sugar, salt, sour cream and an egg. I’ll also use maple syrup and vanilla paste, but they’re optional.
I start by preparing the sauce. Sour cream is going to be the base. Another great option is Greek yoghurt. I add some sugar. Maple syrup will add an interesting touch. And finally, vanilla. I find it complements the dumplings’ taste very well.
I pour water into a pot and set it to boil. A bit of salt also goes in.
For the dough, I start with an egg. I separate the yolk from the white. Quark goes in. It’s best to pass it through a potato press or grind it to eliminate lumps. I often skip this step because my homemade quark is usually smooth anyway. The next ingredient is flour.
Now, I focus on the egg white. A pinch of salt goes in. I beat the white until I see firm peaks. Beating the white is optional. The difference in texture it provides over simply mixing the unbeaten white into the dough is minimal, bordering on a placebo. Even the whisk tells me I’m adding unnecessary work to this. Oh well.
I switch back to the dough and mix the ingredients. Once I have a smooth texture, I add the white.
Here comes the fun part. I generously dust the counter with flour. I scoop out half of the dough and place it on the floured surface. Then I roll it into a sausage-like shape. I flatten it a bit and cut it into individual dumplings. Triangles are my shape of choice but there’s no rule dictating this. I repeat the process with the other half of the dough.
Now I’ll boil the dumplings. They’re delicate and prone to falling apart, so I prefer simmering water over a rolling boil. I put the dumplings in the pot. They initially sink to the bottom. After a minute or so, they start floating. It’s a sign they’re ready. I scoop them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain. It’s important not to let them float too long, lest they start softening up, soaking water and finally disintegrating. Anything under two minutes should be fine.
I serve the dumplings while they’re still hot. A few go into the bowl, followed by some sauce. Let’s give them a taste. The quark-based dough is soft and elastic. Flavour-wise, it’s on the sour side. The sauce is sweeter so it provides a pleasant contrast. The child in me is so happy right now! Yum!