Uszka are tiny pierogi filled with wild mushroom and onion filling. Sometimes sauerkraut and mushroom filling is also used. Uszka translates to ´little ears´ in Polish. They are usually served with Christmas Eve Borscht – Barszcz Wigilijny. The filling is simple and easy to make, but shaping the uszka is a bit time-consuming. Considering we are making them once a year – they are really worth it. Delicate pierogi dough filled with mushrooms almost melts in your mouth and combined with clear beet soup is really wonderful.
Below you will find an authentic recipe with step by step photos. The recipe below focuses on the mushroom filling. For more detailed instructions on how to make the best pierogi dough, shaping, storing and freezing instructions, check out this post: the best pierogi dough.
See all our Polish Christmas recipes.
Ingredients
Here´s what you need to make this recipe:
- pierogi dough
- mushroom filling
For the mushroom filling you will need:
- Dried wild mushrooms – preferably porcini mushrooms.
- You could also use fresh mushrooms, such as cremini (baby bella) mushrooms but dried porcini mushrooms have more flavor and are more traditional for this recipe. If you’re using fresh mushrooms, just chop them finely and sautee in a pan until soft. It’s important to cook them over high heat until the water released from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned.
- Onion and butter to cook it.
- Bay leaves and all spice berries to flavor the mushrooms while they´re cooking.
Filling variations
Uszka can be made with two types of filling, either:
- wild mushroom filling (what the recipe is calling for)
- or this sauerkraut and mushroom filling (from the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi recipe)
How to make uszka step by step
STEP 1: Rinse 3.5oz/100g dried wild forest mushrooms (I used porcini mushrooms), add to a medium pot with 2 bay leaves and 1 allspice berry, add enough water to cover the mushrooms. Cook over low heat, partially covered, for about 30 minutes until tender. Strain and squeeze out the water. Reserve the water for Christmas Eve Borscht! Discard the bay leaves and allspice berry.
STEP 2: Heat 2 heaped tablespoons butter in a pan over medium heat, add 1 large finely chopped onion. Cook for about 8 minutes, until soft and translucent.
STEP 3: Add the cooked and drained mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
STEP 4: Transfer the content of the pan to a food processor bowl, blitz until of almost paste consistency, season with salt and pepper to taste (you can also grind the mushroom filling in a meat grinder). Fill a plastic bag with the mushroom filling and cut its corner.
STEP 5: Roll out the pierogi dough (ýou’ll need 1/2 of my recipe) very thinly, about 1-2 mm / 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 cm / 1.5 inch squares. You can also cut out rounds if you wish (but it takes more time).
STEP 6: Squeeze a little bit of filling onto each square. You can also apply the filling with a teaspoon.
STEP 7: Shape the dumplings: Fold over in a triangle shape, press the edges together to seal (if it’s not easy to do, wet the edges all around each square with a bit of water). Wrap the two ends around your finger and press.
Cook the uszka: Arrange the shaped dumplings on a kitchen towel, lightly sprinkled with flour, cover with a second kitchen towel (so that the dough won’t dry out). Boil in salted water, about 15 pieces at a time, for about 1-2 minutes, starting from the moment when they float to the water’s surface. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. You can coat them in a small amount of butter so that they don’t stick to each other (only if you’re serving the uszka right away and not freezing them).
STEP 8: Serve in a bowl of clear red borscht. Enjoy!
Other pierogi recipes:
I have a separate post, where I talk about all the traditional and modern pierogi filling ideas.
Here are my recipes:
- sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi
- potato and cheese pierogi the American way (cheddar pierogi)
- pink pierogi with spinach and feta filling
- vegan pierogi, with spicy lentil and sun-dried tomato filling
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Uszka – mushroom-filled pierogi for Christmas Eve Borscht (video)
Ingredients
- 3 ½ ounces (100g) dried wild mushrooms preferably porcini mushrooms
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 allspice berry
- 1 large onion 100g / 3.5 oz
- 2 heaped tablespoons butter
- salt and black pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Rinse the mushrooms *, add to a medium pot with the bay leaves and allspice berry, add enough water to cover the mushrooms. Cook over low heat, partially covered, for about 30 minutes until tender. Strain and squeeze out the water. Reserve the water for Christmas Eve Borscht! Discard the bay leaves and allspice berry.
- Heat the butter in a pan over medium heat, add finely chopped onion. Cook for about 8 minutes, until soft and translucent.
- Add the cooked and drained mushrooms to the pan and cook for a few more minutes.
- Transfer the content of the pan to a food processor bowl, blitz until of almost paste consistency, season with salt and pepper to taste (you can also grind the mushroom filling in a meat grinder).
- Roll out the pierogi dough (ýou'll need 1/2 of my recipe) very thinly, about 1-2 mm / 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 4 cm / 1.5 inch squares (see photos). You can also cut out rounds if you wish (it takes more time).
- Apply the filling with a teaspoon, or squeeze it from a plastic / pastry bag. Fill a plastic bag with the mushroom filling and cut its corner. Squeeze a little bit of filling onto each square.
- Fold over in a triangle shape, press the edges together to seal (if it’s not easy to do, wet the edges all around each square with a bit of water). Wrap the two ends around your finger and press.
- Arrange the shaped dumplings on a kitchen towel, lightly sprinkled with flour, cover with a second kitchen towel (so that the dough won’t dry out).
- Boil the uszka in salted water, about 15 pieces at a time, for about 1-2 minutes, starting from the moment when they float to the water’s surface. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon. You can coat them in a small amount of butter so that they don’t stick to each other (only if you’re serving the uszka right away and not freezing them).
- Serve in a bowl of clear red borscht.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Many recipes call for soaking the mushrooms, but I don’t usually do that. You can soak them for a few hours if they have a lot of sand (it will fall at the bottom of the bowl). I didn’t notice any sand in the mushrooms that I usually buy. I rinse them briefly with water just like I rinse fresh mushrooms.
- You can cook the uszka right away or freeze them. How to freeze uszka: place them on a plate or chopping board, it should be well sprinkled with flour. The uszka should be placed apart so that they don‘t stick to each other. On the next day (or when they‘re frozen) transfer them to a plastic bag or container. Cook the same way as fresh, uncooked uszka.
- Filling variations:
- The mushroom filling can be made from dried wild mushrooms / fresh wild mushrooms / fresh button or cremini mushrooms. Dried wild mushrooms are more readily available than fresh wild mushrooms so this is what I’ve used. The best are porcini mushrooms. Alternatively, you can use the button or cremini mushrooms. The filling made from the wild mushrooms will have a deeper ‘mushroom flavor’. If you’re using fresh mushrooms, just chop them finely and sautee in a pan until soft. It’s important to cook them over high heat until the water released from the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned.
- Sauerkraut and mushroom filling, the same as for the sauerkraut and mushroom pierogi.
2 Comments
Erik
15 November 2021 at 18:47I made this last year and it was great. I enjoy picking wild mushrooms in the forest and I am currently eying my jars of dried boletus from this summer and counting the days until Christmas Eve. Fantastic recipe, the dough had good texture and the mushroom flavor shone.
Aleksandra
15 November 2021 at 19:36Thank you for your comment, Erik. I’m glad you liked the recipe!