Russian Pelmeni

First, quickly prepare the dough for the pelmeni, carefully follow steps 1-10 from the Cheese Dumplings Recipe. But you can also prepare it in the classic way, according to my recipe for Pelmeni which was on the website before.

So, at the end, you get 2 balls of dough that you let rest 10 minutes before shaping the dumplings. Cover them with a bag, so that the dough doesn't form a skin in the meantime.

While the dough is resting, combine the minced meat with 1 finely chopped onion (I pass it through the mincer together with the meat), 1 egg, 2 teaspoons of salt and a little ground black pepper.

Mix everything well with your hands, so that all the ingredients blend together.

Roll out each ball of dough (along the way) with the rolling pin into 2 large sheets, approximately 1.5-2mm thick.

Dust with flour throughout this process, should you notice the dough still sticks to the table.

Cut out circles from this sheet, about 4-5 cm in diameter. For cutting, you can use special shapes, or a glass/cup/lid.

The most exemplary pelmeni are the smallest. Mine have 4cm in diameter, but my mother's have 5 cm because she doesn't have the patience to shape them when they are so small.

Place some meat in the middle of each circle. Take a small amount with the tip of a fork and be careful not to touch the edges of the dough, otherwise the edges will not stick well when sealed and you will be left without meat filling when boiling.

Shape the pelmeni like this:

- bring up the sides of the circle and pinch to glue them together with your fingertips;

- then go down with these pinching-gluing movements along the left side of the half-circle;

- and along the right side;

- then connect the pointy edges of the dumpling together and and secure them tightly.

This is how our meat dumpling is ready. For safety, go down once more along the side to make sure that it won't come loose when boiling.

This is how you form all the dumplings. As you shape them, arrange the dumplings on a plate or cutting board well dusted with flour.

By the way, they can be frozen raw and boiled when needed, without prior thawing. They are a good back-up for when you don't have time to cook or you want a more special treat.

I place them in the freezer on the plate, until they harden, then I make portions which I store in bags and use them as needed.

Once you've finished shaping the dumplings, place a large 5 liter pot over heat. Fill about 2/3 with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt.

When it comes to the boil, add the pelmeni in the boiling salted water and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the dumplings are cooked, carefully remove from the water with a skimmer or a metal sieve and place in a large bowl.

Add a little butter on top, shake the bowl carefully until it melts and is evenly distributed among the dumplings.

I sometimes like to add fish and some onion fried in oil, but I don't always feel like it.

Serve immediately warm or hot, with sour cream and, maybe, a little ground black pepper on top. We also add a drop of vinegar and a little salt, that's how we used to serve them at home.

By the way, if you want to reheat the cold dumplings, you can fry them. Place them in a pan and cook, carefully mixing until they brown nicely. My husband loves them even more on the second day, cooked like this.

Enjoy!