DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Monthly Archives: June 2010


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Pelmeni

One of the saddest days of my college life happened when Pelmeni closed. Pelmeni was a tiny little restaurant in Madison that served just that – pelmeni, or Russian dumplings. They had meat or potato or mixed and you could get it spicy or plain. There were piles of sour cream in the cooler and a few sodas, too. Not spicy enough? They had bottles of some sort of magical spicy sauce that you could dump onto the pelmeni.

So. Dang. Good.

I was devastated when they closed. Where else was I going to be able to get such a filling meal for only $5? I searched everywhere for pelmeni – in grocery stores, other restaurants, everywhere. I finally gave up and tried making my own version. The verdict? I think it came out pretty close to the original State Street restaurant.

Pelmeni

To make the dough:
2 cups flour, sifted
7 fluid ounces of cold water
1 egg
1 teaspoon salt

 

To make the filling:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

To make the topping:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon Sriracha chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Sour cream, to taste

  1. Place flour in a large bowl. Make a dimple in the top of the mound and crack the egg into it. Add salt. Gradually add cold water and knead.
  2. Knead dough until smooth and elastic, about 15 – 20 minutes.
  3. Combine all filling ingredients and mix until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.
  4. Roll the dough into a rope 1 inch in diameter. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
  5. Roll the pieces into circles 1/16 of an inch thick.
  6. Place a teaspoon of filling into the center of the dough and pinch the edges to seal the pelmeni. The pelmeni will be in the shape of a semi circle. Bring the two pointed ends together to form the final shape.
  7. Mix the butter and vinegar together and set aside.
  8. Boil the pelmeni in salted water for 3 – 5 minutes.
  9. Toss pelmeni with the topping ingredients
  10. Toss the cooked pelmeni with the butter and vinegar and garnish with a dollop of sour cream, a dash of curry powder, a sprinkle of cilantro and a drizzle of Sriracha!

 


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Tater Tot Casserole

I had the privilege of trying this delicacy for the first time last year. As much as I hate to say this, I actually kind of like it. A lot. And I have a few little secrets that make it even better.

1. Red pepper flakes, and lots of ’em.
2. Baking the casserole without cheese to get the tots crispy

I apologize in advance for the photo. I think it’s dang near impossible to take an appetizing photograph of this monstrosity of a meal.

Tater Tot Casserole
serves 8

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound frozen green beans
1 pound frozen corn
2 10.75 ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 32 ounce package tater tots (I like the mini tots)
1.5 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

  1. Preheat oven to 350F
  2. Sauté the onion in a large pot until cooked. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
  3. Mix in green beans, corn, and soup. Stir in red pepper flakes until well-distributed.
  4. Spread mixture into a casserole dish and top with tater tots.
  5. Bake 30 – 45 minutes, or until tots are golden brown and casserole is heated through.
  6. Top with cheese and broil until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.


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Back With a Kick – Caffeinated Doughnuts!

It’s been a long long long time since my last update. The rest of my senior year was a whirlwind and it was gone before I knew it. The wedding is slowly creeping up on us and there is so much left to do. I thought life would be a little less busy post-graduation, but I guess not!

As an apology for my hiatus, I give you caffeinated doughnuts. Jared, a friend of mine, came up with this idea and we brought it to life during spring break. We made a few without the caffeine – if you choose to do so, omit the caffeine pills and powdered sugar from the glaze.

Caffeinated Doughnuts
adapted from allrecipes.com

For the doughnuts:
2 .25 ounce packages active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening
5 cups all purpose flour, divided
1 quart vegetable oil

For the glaze:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 caffeine pills (like NoDoz), crushed to a fine powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar, or to taste

  1. Place warm water in a bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
  2. Mix together the yeast, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening, and 2 cups of flour in a large bowl with a wooden spoon.
  3. Mix in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl.
  4. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Set in a warm place and let rise until doubled in size.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out until 1/2 in thick. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter*. Cover with a cloth and let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double.
  6. Melt chocolate chips over a double boiler or in the microwave. Mix in butter and  corn syrup until smooth. Whisk in powdered sugar and crushed caffeine pills and add vanilla. Taste – if it’s too bitter, add more sugar.
  7. Heat oil in a large pot to 350F. Carefully place doughnuts into the oil. Turn the doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry on each side until golden brown. Remove from the oil and allow to drain on a wire rack. Dip in glaze while still hot and allow to cool completely on wire rack.

*Note: if you do not have a doughnut cutter, use whatever else you may have around the house! When we did this, we used a glass to cut out the doughnut and then used a shot glass to cut out the hole.