Each week, this column offers recipes from Valley cookbooks. If your organization would like to have

Each week, this column offers recipes from Valley cookbooks. If your organization would like to have its cookbook showcased, please contact our features editor Barb Shaffer at 330-747-1471, ext. 1282, or email her at shaffer@vindy.com.

Junior Women’s League of Canfield’s “SIMPLE PLEASURES”

Pierogi

by Justine Nedostup and Donnie Siegel

3heaping cups flour

3eggs, beaten

Salt

Water

Make a well in the flour; add eggs and about 1/2 cup of water. (The dough should be stiff; the amount of water needed will vary according to the weather.) Divide it into 3 equal portions and knead until silky smooth. Recipe makes enough dough to use one batch each of the fillings below. Roll out a portion (or half portion if space is limited) of the dough on a floured surface as thinly as possible — somewhere between a wonton and a thin pizza. Put about a tablespoon of filling (see recipes below for suggestions) on the dough and use a large plastic cup to cut a circle around the filling. Dampen half of the circumference of the circle with a bit of water on your finger and fold into a dumpling. Boil the dumplings a dozen at a time in a big pot of salted water until they float, no more than 3 minutes. At this point, you can freeze them in bags for later use. To prepare for serving, brown the pierogi in a skillet using a bit of butter or, to be very traditional, bacon grease. Pierogis may be baked in a casserole dish instead; simply spray dish and pierogis with butter-flavored spray and dot with butter. Yield: 72 pierogis

Kapusta (sauerkraut) Filling

1stick butter

1large onion, 1/4 inch diced

32ounces canned or fresh kapusta (sauerkraut), rinsed well to remove brine

Saute onion in butter until just soft. Add kapusta and brown. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow time for the filling to cool before assembling pierogi, otherwise they will fall apart when cooked. If making more than one filling, this one can cool while you prepare the others.

Cheese Filling

1pound ricotta cheese*

2eggs

Salt

1tablespoon sugar

Mix well. *A traditional recipe would call for farmer’s cheese, but we find it too dry. Note: Filling substitutions include potato filling, fruit, etc.

CRan-Raspberry Punch

by TERRI WAGNER

112-ounce can pink lemonade concentrate

12-liter bottle 7-Up

64 ounces cranberry juice

1 quart raspberry sherbet

Mix all ingredients together in a punch bowl.

HOW TO ORDER

Order Junior Women’s League of Canfield’s “Simple Pleasures” by calling Diane Smythe at 330-503-8202. The cost of $15 includes shipping.SClB