Okay okay okay. The feature photo has already revealed my “secret” — I’ve never hand-made vereniki (Mennonite perogies) in my life. I’ve only ever watched my mother make them. For some reason, I never developed the skill myself.
And, thanks to the Country Perogy Shop, I’ll never need to learn, either!
Also, this way guarantees I won’t have any little verenikis come undone in the boiling water and spill their contents everywhere. Nope. These ones stay closed like they’re supposed to. They might be made by professionals, but I believe they are actually still made by hand!
I pair this deliciousness with farmer sausage, of course. I like to cook it in a cast iron pan that my mom gave me. She said it had belonged to her mother!
Knowing the farmer sausage is cooked in a cast iron pan that had belonged to my grandmother, makes it taste extra delicious. At least, I think so.
Buying from the Country Perogy Shop even just feels authentically Mennonite to me. I think that’s because the Country Perogy Shop originated just a few miles down the same road that I grew up on. Aw.
Also, they don’t just make Mennonite-style cottage cheese perogies (“vereniki!” Andrew declares). They make many different kinds, one of my favourite alternatives is the pizza perogy. It’s like eating a bunch of tiny pizza pops — which I consider to be a very GOOD thing.
Funny how the conveniences we have these days have actually turned what was once a time-consuming chore into one of the fastest easiest meals I could prepare.
There! Now you know the secret to my Mennonite cooking skills. Ta-da!