Sweet Curd Vareniki

About this dish

Vareniki with curd cheese (syr) are the best known of all, and whether the filling is sweet or salted and flavoured with dill depends on the region and the family. This version is the sweet one. The curd is the whole dish, so it must be dry: a wet filling turns to soup in the pot.

• Vegetarian
• Not vegan because of Eggs, Dry curd cheese (tvorog), Unsalted butter, Sour cream, to serve
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour
• Contains dairy because of Dry curd cheese (tvorog), Unsalted butter, Sour cream, to serve

• 400gPlain flour
• 2piecesEggs
• 200mlWater
• 15mlSunflower oil
• 12gFine sea salt
• 500gDry curd cheese (tvorog)
• 50gCaster sugar
• 40gUnsalted butter
• 150gSour cream, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the flour with a pinch of salt on the work surface and make a well. Add the egg, the oil and the warm water a little at a time, and knead for about 8 minutes into a smooth, soft dough that does not stick to your hands. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes.

   20 min

   Tip: Resting relaxes the gluten, so the dough rolls out thin without shrinking back and does not tear when you pinch it. Warm, not hot, water keeps it pliable; hot water would start cooking the egg.

2. 2

   Mash the curd cheese with the egg, sugar and a pinch of salt until smooth; if it is very wet, press it in a sieve first. Taste and adjust the sugar.

   10 min

   Tip: Wet curd falls apart in the pot and bursts the seam; a sieve (or an hour in cheesecloth) removes the whey. The egg binds the filling so it stays set when cooked.

3. 3

   Roll the dough out to about 2 mm and cut rounds with a glass or a 7 cm cutter. Put a spoonful of filling in the middle of each round, fold it over and pinch the edge firmly shut, making sure no filling or juice is caught in the seam. Keep the dough you are not using covered.

   25 min

   Tip: A seam with any trace of filling on it will open in the boiling water. Covered dough stays soft; left in the open it dries at the edges and will not seal.

4. 4

   Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil and add the vareniki in batches, stirring once so they do not stick. When they float, cook for 3–4 minutes more, then lift out with a slotted spoon.

   5 min

   Tip: A large pot and small batches keep the water from going off the boil and the vareniki from sticking to one another. Floating means the dough is cooked through; the extra minutes cook the filling and set the seam.

5. 5

   Toss in melted butter and serve hot with sour cream and, if you like, a sprinkling of sugar.

   2 min

   Tip: Butter on the hot vareniki stops them sticking as they cool and brings out the sweetness of the curd; the sour cream gives a cool, tangy contrast.