Lamb and Mushroom Pirog

Lamb and Mushroom Pirog is one of my favorite dishes to cook around the holidays. It’s a great seasonal choice for Easter, but it’s hearty enough for winter celebrations. I usually make it for Christmas parties. It is one of those dishes that looks complicated to make, but in fact it is very simple.  Best of all, it can be made ahead and frozen, which makes it perfect for dinner parties.

This dish always inspires me to fire up the samovar, which is the centerpiece of Russian hospitality. I usually serve this with a potato dish, dilled cucumbers and cold borscht. Our family cold borscht recipe is also very basic, but amazingly tasty with just beets, sour cream, green onions and pepper. (I prefer cold borscht to hot even in winter time, because the chances of splattering or spilling beet juice is so much higher with hot borscht.)

I'm including the pirog recipe here.  I borrowed it years ago from my mother, who had the recipe in a cookbook.  The cookbook is long gone, and I don't even know the name of it.  The recipe is probably very close to the original, so if anyone recognizes it and can send me the name of the cookbook I would be grateful. Otherwise, I hope you will try it and enjoy this wonderful, warm comfort food.

Lamb and Mushroom Pirog

Dough Ingredients:

½ cup warm water

1 package yeast

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup butter at room temperature

3 ½ cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 egg yolk

Filling Ingredients:

3 tablespoons of butter

2 pounds sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill weed

½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

1 ½ pounds ground lamb

Make the lamb filling:

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a four quart sauté pan.  Add the mushrooms and cover and cook at medium heat for about five minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove cover, turn up heat and cook off the liquid.  Mix in the flour, dill weed and sour cream.  Stir and cook until heated through and blended.  Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Rinse pan and add the ground lamb.  Brown the lamb and break up the meat.

Drain off the fat and add the mushroom mixture.  Salt to taste.  Cover and chill.

Make pastry dough:

Place warm water in a large bowl.  Add yeast.  Wait five minutes.

Grease the inside of a large bowl with the olive oil and set aside.

Stir in salt, sugar, and eggs.  Cut butter into small pieces and add to liquid.  Add flour and mix until moistened.

Shape into a ball and place on a floured board.  Knead until smooth and elastic.

Place dough into the greased bowl and turn over once to coat with oil. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about one hour.

Assemble:

Grease a baking sheet and set out a second ungreased baking sheet.

Knead on floured board to expel air bubbles.  Pinch off about 1/2 cup and set aside.  Shape the larger piece into a ball and place on a floured surface.  Roll dough into a rectangle about 10” x 18”. Lay the pastry across the ungreased baking sheet.

Spoon cold lamb filling onto the dough at one end.  Shape the filling into a compact rectangle leaving space around the three outside edges..

Fold the exposed dough over the filling and pinch the bottom edge up over the sides.

Place the greased baking sheet face down onto the pirog.  Supporting with the lower pan, invert the pirog onto the greased baking sheet.

Roll out reserved dough to create decorations.

Baking (Immediately):

Let rise about 20 minutes.  Brush with egg and water mixture.  Prick top in six to eight places with a fork.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes.  Serve hot, cutting into squares.

Baking (Make Ahead):

Cool the unbaked pirog.  Wrap and either freeze for several days or chill for 24 hours. 

If frozen, remove from freezer about eight hours before cooking. If it thaws more quickly you may move it back into the refrigerator until you are ready.

If chilled, remove from the refrigerator and let sit for about 40 minutes at room temperature.

Brush with egg and water mixture.  Prick top in six to eight places with a fork.  Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

Per Serving: 319 Cal (46% from Fat, 23% from Protein, 31% from Carb); 18 g Protein; 16 g Tot Fat; 8 g Sat Fat; 6 g Mono Fat; 1 g Poly Fat; 25 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 208 mg Sodium; 122 mg Cholesterol