Dough: Dissolve the yeast and a pinch of sugar in the warm water.
Sprinkle in a teaspoon of flour and leave for 15 minutes in a warm place.
Pour into a bowl, mix in the softened butter, sifted flour and salt, the milk and the beaten eggs, and knead into a smooth dough. Leave to rise until it has doubled in volume. Knead again and roll out.
To assemble: Cut (the dough) out in small circles in which you can enclose the filling in a semi-circle or canoe shape. Choose from any or all of the fillings given (below), and seal the edges carefully with a little milk. Either brush with egg and bake in a moderate to hot oven for about 10 minutes until golden brown, or fry them uncoated in deep fat.
Meat filling: Lightly fry 1 onion in 1 tbsp. oil or butter, add ½ pound minced beef or veal or chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Combine in a bowl with the seasoning and herbs and allow to cool.
Mushroom filling: Chop ¾-1 lb fresh mushrooms into quarters and cook gently in butter with finely chopped herbs for 15 minutes. Season, add a little chopped onion, chopped hard-boiled egg or rice or both, and enough sour cream to make a fairly moist filling.
Fish filling: Any white fish, though preferably firm, is suitable here. You will need ½ to ¾ pounds, weighed after boning. If the fish is cooked specially for the purpose, bring it to the boil once in a court-bouillon, remove and bone it.
Combine with 2-3 oz rice or cooked unsweetened semolina or sago, add seasoning and chopped herbs, especially dill, to taste, and chopped hard- boiled egg. A little anchovy essence or jellied fish stock will add greatly to the flavour of these pirozhki and keep the filling moist.
Note: " Pirozhki often come out rather dry because of the small quantity of filling which cannot...be moistened by the last-minute addition of stock. ...A (good) solution, I think, is to use stock either naturally or artificially jellified with gelatin. Add 2 teaspoons, finely chopped, to the mixture when it is absolutely cold from the refrigerator, bind with egg and use straight away...These tiny pasties (are) usually eaten with a clear meat, chicken or mushroom broth...
Source: The Food and Cooking of Russia, by Lesley Chamberlain Formatted by: Nancy Filbert, March 1995
