The Community Table Project is about sharing signature recipes from everyday folks, and creating a sense of community around food. If you make a signature dish you think is great, send me an email at baconhound@gmail.com and let’s talk!
Edmonton is a perogy kind of town. Everyone has some sort of connection to the Ukrainian staple and they all have their favourites. Virginia is no different in that respect. She grew up eating and making perogies, and she loves them still to this day. Where Virginia differs from most of us is she has created over 2 dozen different varieties of perogies. I couldn’t wait to see what she would make for us.
The Cook:
Virginia Potkins.
Virginia is a perogy master, who developed the skill as a child under the watchful eye of her step-grandmother. She makes over 2 dozen kinds of perogies with flavours like Reuben and Mushroom Medley, in addition to the classic varieties.
The Dish:
Vegetarian Greek Perogies.
Virginia has been making these particular perogies for about 5 years, after many attempts to get the filling just right. She prefers to make the filling the night before to let all the flavours marry and believes that giving it that extra time takes this recipe from good to great.
The Story:
The perogie dough recipe hand-written in the first cookbook Virginia ever had
Talking to Virginia about her deep history making perogies it’s amazing to watch her light up. She tells the story of learning the ins and outs of the recipe from her step-grandmother at the age of 8. She would help peel potatoes, knead the dough and make the filling with her step-grandmother by her side, cigarette dangling from her mouth, and offering words of patient encouragement.
The comfort and safety she felt by the woman’s side, followed her to the front step where she would sit and enjoy the fruits of their labour, smothered in butter and sour cream.
Today, Virginia still uses the same dough recipe she learned so long ago from her step-grandmother, but her fillings have certainly evolved. And every batch she makes, she likes to image that whoever is eating them is filled with that same feeling of comfort that she felt on the front stoop of her step grandmother’s house so long ago.
The Recipe:
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- 1 cup crumbled feta
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/4 cup kalamata olives
- 2 tbsp tzatziki sauce
- 50 g fresh spinach leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients
filling
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Big thanks to Kunitz Shoes and The Italian Centre Shop for coming on board and sponsoring The Community Table Project. The support of strong community-minded companies like these help make content like this possible, so go see Kunitz Shoes next time you’re in need of quality shoes and cool socks, and The Italian Centre Shop for everything you need to make these recipes at home.
Baconhound is an Edmonton food blog, focusing on the best restaurants and dishes in Edmonton and beyond. Phil Wilson is a food writer and also the host of the Canadian food podcast, Off Menu. Find it in the iTunes store and on Stitcher.