History

Chicago has had the largest Polish population of any city outside Warsaw since the 1900s, anchored along Milwaukee Avenue from West Town up through Avondale, Jefferson Park and Portage Park. Smoked kielbasa and pierogi are the everyday foods of the neighbourhood: pork-and-veal sausage, garlic-and-marjoram seasoned, smoked at small Polish butchers like Bobak's, Andy's, Joe's and Wally's Market. Pierogi run in two camps: ruskie (potato and farmer's cheese) and savoury meat. Staropolska in Belmont Cragin, Smak-Tak in Jefferson Park and Pierogi Heaven downtown carry the standard. Easter morning at Pulaski Park is when the whole community queues for fresh-baked babka.

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Common allergens: Gluten, Dairy

Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 75 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 300g plain flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon soured cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
  • 120ml warm water
  • 500g floury potatoes
  • 200g farmer's cheese or dry-curd cottage cheese
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 30g unsalted butter, plus extra for frying
  • Black pepper, salt
  • 4 smoked Polish kielbasa sausages
  • Sauerkraut and soured cream, to serve

Method

  1. Mix flour, egg, soured cream and salt in a bowl. Add water gradually, knead 8 minutes to a smooth dough. Rest covered 30 minutes.
  2. Boil the potatoes in salted water 20 minutes, drain, mash. Sweat the onion in butter until soft. Mix mashed potato, onion, cheese, salt and pepper. Cool.
  3. Roll the dough out 2mm thick. Cut 8cm rounds. Spoon a walnut of filling onto each round, fold over, press the edges firmly to seal (use water if dry).
  4. Bring a wide pan of salted water to a simmer. Cook pierogi in batches, 4 minutes once they rise. Lift out, drain.
  5. Melt a knob of butter in a frying pan and crisp the boiled pierogi on both sides until gold. Meanwhile gently fry the whole kielbasa 8 minutes, turning, until heated through and lightly browned.
  6. Plate kielbasa whole, pierogi alongside, with warm sauerkraut and a spoon of soured cream.

Tip from the editors. Press the pierogi edges with the back of a fork; the seal is the failure point if any moisture gets in.

Where to eat polish sausage and pierogi

Polish sausage and pierogi in Chicago

Staropolska Restaurant ★ 4.4

$ Modern Polish

Staropolska Restaurant in Chicago is the Avondale Polish dining room on Milwaukee Avenue, with handmade pierogi, kielbasa plates and hunter stew (bigos).

TryPierogi, kielbasa, Polish hunter stew

TipLunch is the cheaper visit; the daily $12 plate with pierogi, kielbasa and stew is the menu's value benchmark.

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