kielbasa | Wee Needle

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While I love summer because I can lay out in the sun and read, I don’t enjoy cooking in the summer because it is usually too hot in the house and too hot for me to feel like moving much. However, when the temps finally drop, I love cooking! Last night was one of those nights.

I’m 100% Polish so I pretty much use butter and onions in anything and everything. I especially love good pierogis and Polish sausage. I like Kasia’s brand pierogi because even though it is is a bit more pricey, the dough has a really fabulous texture that browns nicely in butter….and onions. Now, I grew up on true kielbasa. While it’s good, I actually prefer smoked beef Polish sausage. I like Klement’s and Hillshire Farms. They both taste generally the same and I usually go with whatever is on sale.

Here is what I made last night:

Follow these steps to be successful!

1. Thaw frozen pierogi. (I also had to thaw the kielbasa because I had previously frozen it when I got home from the grocery store). Everything just cooks faster when it’s not frozen.

2. Chop onions to preferred size. Meanwhile, heat pan on medium. Add butter. I don’t measure. I just take a big heaping spoonful. It should be enough to cook onions and pierogis. Butter should sizzle.

3. Add onions to pan. Stir/move vigorously to get them evenly coated in butter. About 2 min.

4. Add thawed pierogi to pan. Allow it to cook on each side for about 2 min. A slight browning will appear. While pierogis cook, cut kielbasa into 3 – 4 inch lengths. After you’ve flipped pierogis once, add kielbasa to pan. I put all the pierogis on one side and all the sausage on the other (as seen in the pic). Continue to flip pierogis and rotate kielbasa and stir onions for about 10 min. If you have enough butter, nothing will stick. Add more if it seems like it is sticking. I also put the lid on to kind of get all the flavors/aroma to mesh together.

5. When it’s ready, put on plate – with lots of tasty onions on top – and add a side of sour cream.

I also made acorn squash in the oven. Once it’s cooked, I flip the halves right-side up and add lots of butter (surprised?), brown sugar, a dash of chinese five spice powder and a dash of curry into the “bowl” of the squash. I take a fork and stab it around to get the flavors to mix/permeate. I put the oven on warm/low and just let it sit in there while I cooked the ingredients mentioned above. The aroma of onions, kielbasa, and spicey squash was to die for!!!!

So here it is plated: