Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Pierogies N'at

Pierogies are a big deal in Pittsburgh.  

My trusty friend Wikipedia says: "The origins of pierogi are difficult to trace".  

I say:  They're from Poland, brought to Pittsburgh's "Polish Hill", and the 2 have been in love ever since.   

What are they?  

Wikipedia says:  Half circular dumplings of unleavened dough, stuffed with mashed potatoes, cheese, cabbage, sauerkraut, meat, mushrooms, spinach, or other ingredients.

I say:  It's like a ravioli, but instead of ricotta cheese inside there's mashed potatoes, and sometimes other goodness like cheese - I don't eat any of that other crap! :)

So when I moved from Pennsylvania to Hawaii I discovered that you can buy frozen, pre-made, Mrs. T's Pierogies here!  Instead of a whole freezer case dedicated to them, you have to hunt for them and usually can only find 1 variety, but that's ok as long as I can have them every once and a while.  Bryce had never heard of or eaten pierogies before and I've since gotten him hooked on them, too!  We eat them on a regular basis.

If you're familiar with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the worst baseball team in the league, you'll know that there's a "Great Pierogi Race, N'at" at all of the games!  My BFF Jamie actually got to be in the race when she worked for the Pirates (She was Saul and she didn't win, boo!).  

Here what Wikipedia says about it:  The Great Pittsburgh Pierogy Race N'at, commonly called the Great Pierogi Race, is an American promotion between innings during a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game that features four contestants racing in giant pierogies costumes: Jalapeño Hannah (green hat), Cheese Chester (yellow), Sauerkraut Saul (red) and Oliver Onion (purple). 

I recently became friends with another yinzer, aht here in Hawaii, Deanna.  My good friend Jon, also a jagoff, planned to be here on vacation over Halloween, too.  The idea to be the pierogies for Halloween came out of left field, pun intended!  It took 2 days to make them and they turned out FAB!  We ate pierogies before going to the Halloween party, of course!  Not wearing the costumes, though, that would be cannibalism.

After our first day of costume making:


Eating pierogies before the Halloween celebration:

 Here we are:  Oliver Onion, Jalapeno Hannah & Sauerkraut Saul!

 

Here's the real deal, I think we did a pretty good job!





4 comments:

  1. Sheesh, a whole article about finding pierogies in Hawaii and no mention of where you found them!

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  2. Hi Carol!
    I found them most often at the larger Safeway stores on Oahu. Mrs. T's is the brand and the box is blue, you can find them in the freezer section. Typically they're near the tater tots, hash browns, and other potato products.
    Mahalo,
    Angela

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  3. You know, I live in Pittsburgh, and a lot of folks here disparage Mrs. T's as "inauthentic". I grew up on them, and love 'em! Of course, it isn't hard to make your own, just time-consuming. Channel your inner bubbe (grandma) and go for it! Those costumes are terrific!

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