Artisan dairy producer Andre Kogut, for the past 12 years, has been making premium organic cheeses at his Blue Bay dairy in Mornington, south of Melbourne. Products include the delicious and versatile European cottage style cheese Quark. Vareniki are classic Slavic dumplings, usually filled with quark or fresh curd cheese, berries, mashed potatoes or other meatless ingredients. They are half moon in shape and are typically made using a yeast-free dough. The following recipe is designed to work well with Andre’s wonderfully textured Quark.
Classic Vareniki Dough
This recipe is for a fluffy yet slightly dense vareniki texture. To the bite they are slightly al dente, unless over boiled. For lighter, fluffier results you can add a little buttermilk or kefir (50ml); or baking soda (1 tsp).
Method
1. In a large mixing bowl add all ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon until a basic dough begins to form.
2. Turn out the dough mixture onto a lightly floured work surface and knead by hand, adding only as much additional flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Continue to knead for a further 12 minutes (20 in total), working the dough to stretch glutens well.
3. On your work surface cover the dough with the upturned bowl and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes. While the dough is resting prepare the quark filling for the centre of your vareniki.
Quark Filling
Method
Vareniki Folding and Cooking MethodTo Serve
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