Fried pastries with peas
Description
Perfect with tea and coffee. Fried pea-filled buns are one of those dishes that helped people survive during the hardest times of famine, yet even today, when store shelves are overflowing with food, many Ukrainian children still ask their moms and grandmas to make these very buns ;) You won't understand until you've tried them, but pea-filled buns are truly among the tastiest I've ever had. Moreover, even people who aren't particularly fond of peas in soup or as a side dish will happily devour these buns—I know from personal experience. The recipe for fried pea-filled buns isn't particularly complicated. If desired, you can adapt it for vegetarian diets by simply omitting the pork cracklings from the filling (replace them with butter). Although, I must say, they're much tastier with cracklings. Serve cooled or slightly warm.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Heat the water (until slightly warm), dissolve the yeast in it, add sugar and a couple of tablespoons of flour. Cover and place in a warm spot for half an hour.
- 2
Step 2
Add the remaining flour (be sure to sift it!), salt, and egg. Knead into an elastic, firm dough. Place it in a warm, draft-free spot for one and a half to two hours, or until it doubles in size.
- 3
Step 3
While the dough is rising, sort, rinse, and boil the peas until fully cooked (it's better to soak them in cold water beforehand).
- 4
Step 4
Purée the peas using a masher or blender, and season with salt.
- 5
Step 5
Cut the bacon or fat into small pieces.
- 6
Step 6
Peel and finely chop the onion.
- 7
Step 7
Fry the bacon, stirring, until evenly browned. Add the onion and cook for another 2–3 minutes until golden. Add to the pea purée and mix well.
- 8
Step 8
Pinch off pieces of dough the size of an egg, shape them into flatbreads, place the filling on them, and seal the buns :).
- 9
Step 9
Fry on a well-heated pan with vegetable oil over low heat on both sides. Serve hot with sour cream and garlic sauce—simply mash garlic with salt and water, then drizzle over the buns. Or, as they say in Ukraine, smachnOho! :)