Around the World in 80 Foods: Russian Piroshki ala Thanksgiving Leftovers😁
Okay, so I know that we are all LOOOOOONNNNNGGG past Thanksgiving by now, but seeing as it took me two weeks to digest all of those Thanksgiving goodies just so I could roll out of bed in the morning, I ended up being a little behind the 8 ball in sharing this recipe...but, hey...there's always next Thanksgiving, right? Enjoy everybody! (you can always use this recipe CONCEPT for when you're up to your thighs in leftovers from some other festive occasion! Anyway, here's a fun, Russian stuffed dough pocket-inspired recipe for great on-the-go lunches, breakfasts or dinners that uses up those luscious leftovers from our beloved fall FEAST DAY!
You will need:
Leftover (raw) yeast roll dough
Mashed potatoes (preferably garlic flavored!)
Seasoned stuffing (or UN-stuffing, as we sometimes like to call it) with apples, walnuts, sauteed onions and celery
Baked acorn squash
Roast turkey
Cream cheese
Homemade cranberry sauce
Salt/cracked black pepper to taste
Roll your leftover dough into a log and divide into pieces, the sizes depending upon how big you want your piroshkis to be. Roll each ball out into a thin circle, about 1/8" thick. Smear a generous daub of cream cheese in the middle, add a spoonful of cranberry sauce on top, and then layer the rest of your ingredients in whatever order you want, with a dash of salt and pepper on the top. Make sure to stuff your piroshkis generously but still leave enough room on the outer edges to bring all corners together and pinch in the middle. If you want, you can cut several lengths of string and gently wrap them around your dough pockets (horizontally, vertically and crosswise) so that your piroshkis bake into the shape of mini-pumpkins (like in the photograph :) ). Place your stuffed dough pockets seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, turning over halfway. You can cool them on a wire rack and freeze them for a future breakfast, lunch or dinner, or eat them fresh and hot. Either way, this is a great way to use your Thanksgiving leftovers! Enjoy!
