No Skinny Pierogi

The lineage of the pierogi, a deceptively simple boiled dumpling filled mainly with mashed potato, is murky and contentious, with Poland, Russia, Ukraine and others laying claim. There’s Europe’s Middle Ages introduction to Chinese dumplings along the Silk Road, the arrival of potatoes from the Americas and the first appearance of pierogi in a Polish cookbook in the 1600s. There’s also speculation they were brought in from the Medieval state of Kievan Rus by St. Hyacinth, the patron saint of pierogi. (That’s right, they have a patron saint.) But the availability of homemade pierogi in Humboldt — for sale, anyway — began in January with Jewel Chomicki, owner of the Pudgy Pierogi.

With a braid trailing over one shoulder, Chomicki smiles and passes plates of butter-fried pierogi stuffed with potato, caramelized onion and cheese, and topped with more onions, through the window of the red Pudgy Pierogi tent at the Arcata Farmers Market. Each one is shiny with butter, crispy and browned on the sides, tender along its edges and hot enough inside to make you huff a bit when you bite into the creamy filling. A satisfying trio of them come with a dollop of sour cream, a side of sauerkraut and, if you spring for the Polish Plate, a snappy-skinned cut of local grass-fed beef kielbasa from Tule Fog Farm.

“We have so many wonderful food influences around here. I’m just so honored to share the legend of the pierogi,” says Chomicki, who grew up in Eureka but has never seen them on local menus. The recipe she uses is handed down from her Long Island Polish grandparents on her mother’s side, most often cooked by her grandfather. “It’s quite traditional, and the inclusion of the potato, caramelized onion and cream, those three ingredients Poland lays claim to.” Sour cream in the dough is another Polish touch, she says, not Russian. “There’s some argument over that and vodka.”

The other argument is whether to use egg in the wheat flour dough but Chomicki comes from egg people. Kneading thoroughly and resting the dough, she says, is the secret to keeping the skins tender. “You need to give it a good solid 10 to 12 minutes [of kneading]. Some people try to skimp and do five minutes,” she says with a small sigh. “You gotta use a little muscle in it.” A massage therapy instructor at Loving Hands Institute, she’s got plenty, and is still kneading and rolling her dough by hand, despite making batches with 32 cups of flour. “I really need to use my hands I guess,” she says with a laugh, adding, “It’s a cardiovascular workout. I’ll start to breathe deep and my heart rate goes up,” like taking a brisk walk. She admits she’ll likely have to use a mixer eventually, but she’s not there yet. “You can feel it yourself when the dough is ready.”

Once it’s rolled and cut into circles, Chomicki spoons the mashed potato, sour cream, salt, pepper and caramelized onion filling onto them. Then she takes each one in hand and pinches it closed. She then boils the pierogi and finishes them in a hot pan with butter and more onions. Mostly she makes pierogi fresh the night before the Arcata Farmers Market and transports them in coolers to be fried on site. But now and then she’ll roll and stuff a batch right in the tent as “a showmanship thing.”

The Pudgy Pierogi stand is Chomicki’s first foray into the food business. “I felt well equipped because we had worked with it so much at home,” she says, especially in big batches. “That’s the only way,” she says. “It’s an involved process, so to set up your station for a small amount … once you have everything prepped, there’s a lot of steps and so it’s best to make a lot.” For a small family gathering, 75 or so will do it, but Christmas is a larger group effort, including Chomicki’s three children. Everyone comes together, talking and sharing family stories as they form the dumplings.

“It’s neat to create these little guys that are their own beings … they’re precious little pudgies,” says Chomicki with a giggle. It was her daughter who first called them pudgy, to which Chomicki replied, “You don’t want no skinny pierogi.”

Chomicki will, however, make a vegan pierogi, making up for the missing butter, egg and sour cream with mushroom and sauerkraut. She’s also hoping to come up with a gluten-free recipe that “all those poor people that can’t have wheat can enjoy.” The Pudgy Pierogi sometimes offers sweet potato dumplings and ones with cheese-stuffed mushrooms tucked inside. “It’s endless,” she says, “you can get so creative.” And she’s open to suggestions from patrons.

After starting out bringing 200 pierogi to the Arcata Plaza, the stand is now selling out at 400, so it seems Humboldt has embraced the little pudgies. This week, Chomicki awaits word on whether she’ll get a spot in the Arcata Farmers Market for the upcoming season. If that doesn’t pan out, there’s always the lineup of summer festivals and Friday Night Markets. Down the road, she hopes to add her partner Mike Nenza’s homemade sauerkraut, including his “stunning pink” blend of green and purple cabbage.

For now, Chomicki will be kneading, rolling and stuffing all kinds of pierogi for the stand. Just not any skinny ones.

Jennifer Fumiko Cahill (she/her) is the arts and features editor at the Journal. Reach her at (707) 442-1400, extension 320, or jennifer@northcoastjournal.com. Follow her on Instagram @JFumikoCahill and on Mastodon @jenniferfumikocahill.

This article appears in Snow Much Fun.