What's going on, Albuquerque?

Pierogies

Anyone know where to get pierogies in this here town?

Cheers, Mi3ke

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jen on December 30, 2008 at 12:02pm

I am an avid baker and cook, but seriously--looking at this recipe (esp. the "tough and boring part") only inspires me to find a good place to buy them! :) I've had TJ's, and they're fine, I guess, but I too would like to try the real thing.

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Permalink Reply by once banned twice shy on December 30, 2008 at 12:01pm

Damn, phunque, could you not have just linked to the recipe somewhere?

Re: now-defunct Red Square: I went to one in Omaha and the man there was surly, too. Maybe it's a condition of the franchise?

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Permalink Reply by Balletmom on December 30, 2008 at 12:21pm

No, that is a Russian who has not had his usual amount of vodka for the day. Once they hit the bottle, they become overly friendly, loud, and cry often. Spent time in Russia. My husband's family is Ukrainian and they swear pierogi are Ukrainian. Have not found any fresh here, but lived in the East Village in NYC one summer and my little Ukrainian neighbor ladies use to make them and give them to us. Wow, nothing like the real thing. Does the Alpine Sausage place have anything similar?

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Permalink Reply by Lana on December 30, 2008 at 10:04pm

The Lithuanians eat a pierogie-like dish called a "Zeppeline" or "Zeppelinos." It's a giant potato-filled pierogie with a butter-bacon sauce. His relatives will spend all day in the kitchen to make a bunch. It is delicious!!!!!

Here's a pic, if you want to check them out:
http://www.jeremytaylor.eu/lithuania/lfood/zeppelinsverybig.JPG

The best pierogies are homemade, but TJ's are o.k.

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Permalink Reply by Nora on January 2, 2009 at 2:22pm

Have you perhaps tried prison?

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Permalink Reply by chantal on May 2, 2012 at 4:16pm

There's actually a FB group for Polish people in New Mexico, I think it's organized by a Polish food distributor in Albuquerque.

https://www.facebook.com/nmpolonia

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Permalink Reply by Wade Patterson on May 2, 2012 at 4:47pm

Has anyone looked at Ta Lin? I haven't looked for Eastern European food there (and I don't actually go there that often) but they are an "international" market. Though I really don't recall if they have much beyond foodstuffs from various parts of Asia. Just a thought...

I grew up in Philly where finding even frozen pierogies in the supermarket was a no-brainer. I was going to say it was as much a local staple as beer, but they don't sell beer in supermarkets in PA. Anyway, its been forever since I had them - been here for 14 years now. And now I am craving them. Thanks a million....A good friend's step-mother growing up was Polish and she made them from scratch. Not too shabby!

I'll be checking in to see who has sourced them. Or maybe I'll make my own...

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Permalink Reply by Karen on May 2, 2012 at 6:11pm

Thanks for the tip about the NM Polish group on FB. I looked it up and connected.

My dad was born in the US of Polish parents. His dad was from Poland (Austria-Poland then, now maybe part of Ukraine) although his mom might have been at least partly of Russian extraction. There's probably some Ukrainian in the mix, as well, but I know that they spoke Polish in the home.

I make pierogi (my friend from Oregon, of Polish extraction on both sides, insists that the plural of pierogi is pierogi) every Christmas. I make the tradition potato/cheese variety, but also use these fillings: mushrooms, onions, kraut, farmer's cheese, fruit, and - for the first time last year - meat. I've even made sweet potato pierogi.

For anyone familiar with Polish food, here's a pretty funny Veggie Tales clip. The caterer has to have the worst Polish accent I've ever heard, but if you can overlook that, it's funny.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa-mHc51SJo

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Permalink Reply by Bianca on May 3, 2012 at 5:07pm

I've seen pierogies pretty commonly in the freezer section of Albertson's, etc -- Mrs. T's brand. When my personal supply (made by the little old ladies at a Ukranian church in middle-of-nowhere, Canada) ran out and I got desperate for more, I once tried these. Nasty. Could barely manage to finish the box. Almost no relation to the ones I'm used to.

Making them by hand is not difficult, but is definitely time consuming. As with tamales and such, the big pay-off is if you make a massive batch and freeze them. It's not terribly much more work to make 200 than to make 20. :-)

I like to saute mine in butter until they get a little brown and almost crispy in places, adding pre-caramelized onions near the end. We serve with sour cream and highbush cranberry jelly.