Vareniki with Sour Cherries

About this dish

Cherry vareniki belong to the season when the sour cherry orchards that surround almost every Ukrainian village ripen, and they are eaten as a sweet main dish rather than as a dessert after dinner. The dough is the same unleavened one used for every filling; what changes is the fight with the juice, which is why cooks sugar the fruit ahead and drain it. They are usually eaten hot straight from the pot, with the cherry syrup poured over.

• Vegetarian
• Not vegan because of Eggs, Sour cream, to serve
• Contains gluten because of Plain flour
• Contains dairy because of Sour cream, to serve

• 400gPlain flour
• 1pieceEggs
• 200mlWater
• 15mlSunflower oil
• 12gFine sea salt
• 500gSour cherries
• 80gCaster sugar
• 10gPotato starch
• 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

   Pit the cherries over a bowl to catch the juice. Toss the cherries with the sugar and the starch, leave for 15 minutes and drain off the juice that collects; keep it.

   15 min

   Tip: Juice is the enemy of a good seam, and sugared cherries release plenty. Draining it keeps the dough dry where you need to pinch, and the saved juice becomes the sauce.

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

   Serve warm with sour cream and a spoonful of the saved cherry juice, sweetened to taste if needed.

   2 min

   Tip: Cherry vareniki are sharp inside; the cool, mild sour cream balances them. Sweeten the juice only to taste, since sour cherries differ widely.