Cherry Varenyky

Ingredients

• Flour — 450 g
• Kefir (room temperature) — 250 g
• Egg — 1 pcs
• Oil — 1 tbsp
• Salt — 1 tsp
• Sugar — 1 tsp

Steps

1. Sift the flour into a deep bowl, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar, a tablespoon of oil, crack in the egg, and pour in the room-temperature kefir; knead well by hand until you have a soft, pleasant-to-the-touch dough.
2. Form the dough into a ball, cover with a clean towel, and let it rest for 15–20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the cherries (see sub-recipe "Cherry Filling").
4. Lightly dust the table with flour, roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 5 mm, and cut out circles with a cookie cutter or a glass.
5. Place 3–4 prepared cherries and a little cornstarch on each circle (a trick for thick syrup), then tightly pinch the edges of the varenyky.
6. Bring water to a boil in a large pot; carefully lower the varenyky into the boiling water and immediately stir gently with a slotted spoon to prevent them from sticking to the bottom.
7. Once the varenyky float to the surface, cook them for another 3–4 minutes.
8. Remove the cooked varenyky with a slotted spoon onto a plate and serve hot — drizzle with honey, add sour cream, or sprinkle with sugar to taste (see sub-recipe "Serving"). Enjoy!

Cherry Filling

• Cherries (pitted)
• Sugar
• Cornstarch

1. Pit the cherries; place the berries in a colander and leave for about half an hour to drain excess liquid.
2. Sprinkle the cherries with sugar to taste and mix gently — this will sweeten the filling.
3. When forming each varenyk, place 3–4 cherries and a little cornstarch — the starch will thicken the cherry juice during cooking and prevent it from leaking out.

Serving

• Honey
• Sour cream
• Sugar (for serving)

1. Serve the varenyky hot; drizzle with honey, add sour cream, or sprinkle with sugar as desired.