Ukrainian Zabava: Pyrohy/Varenyky and Nalysnyky

I walked down to Harbourfront Centre today, where they were having a Ukrainian festival. It was centred around the theme of a Ukrainian wedding. I got there much too early to do most of the things, but I hung around long enough to take a pyrohy/varenyky tutorial. We didn't get to make the dough or filling, because there wasn't enough time, but we got to roll out the dough, and form the pyrohy. I snapped a picture of the ones I made - this is right before they went into the pot of boiling salted water. [I don't know if they're supposed to have the ruffled edges, but I was afraid that they'd fall apart in the water]

I don't have a picture of the dumplings once they came out, because everyone's dumplings went into the same pot, and we didn't get the same ones we made back. The ones I got back were chintzy on the filling and oddly-shaped, so I didn't bother to take a picture. Here's the recipe that was given to us:

Dough

2 c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg, or 2 egg yolks
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp oil

To assure tenderness, add 1/2 c. cold mashed potatoes and 1 tbsp melted fat.
Mix above and knead on a floured board until smooth.

The lady doing the tutorial told us that the common potato and cheddar perogies you see all the time are actually a rather new innovation that developed among the Ukrainian immigrants. There are a lot of different kinds of traditional fillings, but cottage cheese is supposed to be quite popular. Also, since several people doing the tutorial were actually of Ukrainian origin, they all gave their input on what their mothers/grandmothers did while making pyrohy, and it seems like the recipes vary widely. Some people only use sour cream and flour to make the dough. Some insist that eggs should never go in the dough. Some don't use any oil.

Since I'm not Ukrainian, and don't have the spectre of tradition hanging over me, I was wondering what they'd taste like filled with refried beans.

We were also given the recipe for Nalysnyky, which I understood to be something like a Ukrainian crepe. I thought I'd post it here, 'cause it'll be harder to lose that way : )

Nalysnyky

2 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3 tbsp water
1/2 c. sifted flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil

Add liquids to flour and salt, beat until smooth. Use a small frying pan or crepe maker, about 6 inches in diameter. Pour a few tbsps of the batter into the pan, just enough to give it a very thin coating, spreading the batter evenly. Cook the cakes over a moderate heat. When lightly browned on the bottom and firm to the touch on top, turn the cakes over onto the round side of a cereal bowl. This will shape the edge for rolling in the filling.

Spread the cakes with a sweet or savoury filling, rolling with the browned side on the outside. Arrange the rolled cakes in a buttered baking dish. Bake in a moderate oven for several minutes to warm and serve hot.

They also gave us the following links for Nalysnyky recipes

http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/recipe.phtml?recipe_id=17632

http://www.recipezaar.com/200574

Pyrohy/Varenyky links

http://www.recipezaar.com/107814

http://www.allthingsukrainian.com/Recipe/Varenyky/VarenykyFillings.html

http://foodgeeks.com/recipes/recipe/19781,ukrainian_zeinas_potato_varenyky_perogies_pyrohy.phtml