Dimitrios’ Pontian Piroski – Greek Potato-Filled Piroski Recipe
Deliciously light dumpling delights with a spiced, herb and potato filling.
Dimitrios, creator of @the_original_greek, shares his family recipe for piroski. These delights have their culinary roots in eastern Europe. They are part of Dimitrios’ culinary heritage by way of his pappou, a Pontian Greek who resided in Odessa, Ukraine, until he fled to Greece to find safety. In Greece, these piroski became part of a regular ritual of making and feasting with family and friends.
Dimitrios has now brought this tradition to his new homeland, Australia, where he shares these light, savoury delights with his loved ones, as a celebration of togetherness.
Make them too and celebrate the love in your life!
Ingredients
- For the dough you will need…
- 300 ml full cream milk
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 400 g plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp The original Greek extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 tbsp The Original Greek EVOO to baste the proofing bowl
- For the filling you will need…
- 700-800 g unpeeled potatoes
- 1 brown onion, diced
- 1 tbsp The Original Greek EVOO
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1-2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- ½ bunch parsley, finely chopped
- For the piroski you will need…
- ½ cup water
- Plain flour for dusting
- The Original Greek EVOO for frying
Method
- Preparing the dough
- Whisk the milk, sugar and yeast well
- Add the remaining ingredients
- Using a stand mixer, starting on low speed, combine the ingredients for 2-3 minutes
- Increase to medium speed and knead for a further 2-3 minutes
- Baste a small-medium bowl with @the_original_greek EVOO
- Transfer the dough to this bowl
- Cover bowl with a towel and leave dough to rest in a warm place for 2 hours; dough should double in size (we put the dough in the oven at 35°C)
- Preparing the filling
- Boil the potatoes until they are cooked through; the skin of the potatoes will be cracked
- While the potatoes are boiling, sauté the onions until they brown a little
- Add the cumin and salt and stir through
- Continue to cook for a minute or so before removing from the heat
- Peel the potatoes
- Mash the potatoes in the pan with the onions
- Add the pepper and parsley and mix through well
- Making the piroski
- Generously dust your work surface and rolling pin
- Turnout the dough onto your work surface
- Cut approximately 35g of dough and flatten it with the palm of your hand
- Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough so it forms a thin ovoid disc, approximately18cm long
- Add 45-50g of the filling to the centre of the disc
- Bring the long edges of the dough disc up to meet each other and pinch and seal the two edges together
- Set aside
- Continue making piroski until all the dough and/or filling has been used up
- Frying the piroski
- Fill a medium sized pan with enough @the_original_greek EVOO to ensure the piroski are half-immersed when frying
- Heat oil on high
- Test the oil with a small piece of the dough; if the dough sizzles quickly, the oil is ready
- Add 3-4 piroski to the pan, turning them over as they brown and ensuring they are golden-brown all over before laying them on paper-towels to drain
- Serving the piroski
- Wait for the piroski to cool a little if you can before devouring them! Kali Orexi!