Though I have a Russian great-grandmother, I cannot claim that this recipe has been handed down in any way. I was hunting for something in the dumpling family that would hit the spot on cold wintry days (and those early nights), and this fit the bill! It's from a textbook about Russia which my daughter borrowed from the library. The recipe takes a bit of time and energy, and I made a mess of the "fold in the filling" part the first few times. However once I had the hang of it, the recipe became easier and - a big bonus in my opinion - it is one of those recipes that you can clean up after as you go. So by the end of your hour's labour, you have a panful of hot tasty "pies" and a largely clean kitchen! Tip: try to fold in the filling by starting at the edges of the circle of dough, and working your way to the centre. I also found it easier to pinch together if I tilted each dumpling "up", so that I pinched the "top" closed, instead of trying to pinch together the "side".