Cooking Instructions:

Pierogi Dough:

1. Place flour in a large bowl. Add sour cream and stir until the dough begins to come together.
2. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead gently with your fingertips, lifting the dough off the counter and dropping it down (the dropping technique is key for delicate and pliable dough), taking care not to overwork it. Knead until the ingredients are blended and the dough is slightly smooth on the outside and slightly sticky when poked, about 2 to 5 minutes.
3. Gather into a ball, wrap in plastic, and let rest for at least 20 minutes while you are making the filling.

Make the filling:

1. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme and paprika. Cook until the onions are soft, about 2 minutes.
2. Crumble the ground pork into the pan, breaking up the chunks. Sauté the mixture until the liquid starts to evaporate and the pork loses its pink colour, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. The mixture will start to brown and may stick slightly to the bottom of the pan. This is essential for flavour; just continue stirring.
3. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and cook until the mushroom juices have almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the dill and parsley. Taste again and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside to cool while you roll out the pierogi dough.

Shape and fill the pierogies:

1. Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, using lightly floured hands, pinch 1 Tbsp portions of the dough and roll them into balls, about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. You should end up with 36 to 40 balls. With a rolling pin or dowel, gently roll out each ball into a 3 x 3 1/2-inch round disk, about 1/8-inch thick on a well floured surface. Keep the dough balls and disks covered as you work so they won’t dry out.
2. Stir the meat mixture again just before filling. Hold a round of dough flat in your palm, dust off the excess flour, and spoon a generous tablespoon of the filling onto the centre of the dough.
3. Fold the round in half to enclose the filling. Seal the pierogi by pulling the edges away from the filling and pinching them together. To ensure a proper seal, pinch the edge with a fork. Set the filled pierogi on a baking sheet and cover with a dry towel until they are all filled. (Pierogies can be frozen at this point).

Cooking the pierogies:

1. Once the water is boiling, drop the pierogies in batches, stirring occasionally. When they float to the top, cook for another 2 to 4 minutes.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. With a slotted spoon, remove pierogies from the boiling water. Without crowding the pan, add the drained pierogies and cook until golden brown and puffy on both sides.
3. Serve with caramelized onions and a dollop of sour cream.

Caramelized onions:

1. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook over medium heat until they begin to turn translucent, about 7 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes or until onions have begun to turn brown.
2. Add vinegar and sugar and cook 5 to 7 minutes longer until onions are glazed and sugar has completely melted.