Varenyky | Evercooked

What this moment held

What stood out

Varenyky connect to Sviat Vechir and to the way traditions evolve through repetition.

Made for

Ukrainian Christmas season

Learned or inherited from

Ukrainian Christmas Eve tradition in my husband's family

Inspired by

Sviat Vechir and the flexibility of varenyky dough

Make the Dough

In a stand mixer, whisk the flour and salt. Heat the butter and water together until the butter melts. Pour into the flour and mix with a dough hook until smooth. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can knead the dough by hand. It will take about 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Roll and Cut

Divide the dough into small pieces and roll it through a pasta machine, gradually reducing thickness until the third-thinnest setting. No pasta roller? You can roll out the dough by hand using a rolling pin. Just aim for a thin, even sheet, about the thickness of fresh pasta. Cut into 3-inch rounds using a cookie cutter or glass.
Fill and Seal

Place 2 frozen cherries in each round. Moisten one half of the edge with water and press to seal.
Freeze or Boil

Place on a sprayed baking sheet and freeze if not cooking right away. Boil in water for about 5 minutes, or until tender and floating.
Serve Warm

Top with sour cream or crème fraîche. Add extra cherries on top if you like.

The dough can be kneaded by hand or mixer, rolled by hand or pasta roller, then filled, sealed, boiled, or frozen.

Keep freezing big batches so they are available during the Christmas season.

See the full dish story and other preparations for Varenyky.