Pierogi Leniwe (Polish Lazy Dumplings)

Vintage recipe from St. Mary's Polish Church, McKeesport, PA. The name for this thick and delicious noodle stems from the fact you mix the cheese right into the dough. You don't even have to stuff the dumplings! It is an easy dish and very tasty. Meatless, it was a Lenten favorite years ago. We need to save these old-time recipes before they are gone forever! NOTE: You can substitute regular cottage cheese rinsed and drained VERY WELL. The farmer cheese called for is very similar in texture to cottage cheese; it is not the solid formed sliceable cheese you sometimes see... And the buttered breadcrumbs are key! It IS a Polish recipe, you know.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Yields: 40 dumplings

Ingredients

• 2  lbs  dry-curd cottage cheese or 2  lbs farmer cheese
• 4  large eggs, beaten
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 10  quarts water

• GARNISH

• 1  cup  breadcrumbs, lightly toasted in
• 3  tablespoons butter, in a frying pan

Directions

1. In a medium bowl mash the cheese with a fork. Stir in the eggs, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the flour, all at once.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and divide it into 4 pieces. Roll each piece out into a rectangle 12 inches long and 2 inches wide. Cut each piece on the diagonal into about 10 pieces.
3. Bring 10 quarts of water to a boil and add the remaining teaspoon salt. Reduce the water to a lightly rolling simmer and add 1/3 of the dumplings to the pot. Simmer, uncovered, until they float to the top.
4. Remove them with slotted spoon and drain. Continue until all dumplings are cooked.
5. Serve with a garnish of buttered toasted bread crumbs.