When you don't feel like making the perogie... you can make some Roasted Garlic and Dill Perogie Sauce

Posted by Marianne Cablooshki

From the grocery store, coupled with a delicious sauce

I've been anxious to get cooking for this blog. The problem: It's the middle of summer. No one likes cooking in a small, enclosed kitchen at any time - much less the middle of a humid summer. So as far as cooking goes, I've been trying to look for no-cook recipes, like cucumber and yogurt varieties. (Let me just say - yogurt, dill, and lemon juice with cucumbers equals a wonderfully refreshing pick-me-up)

So unless I soaked in a tub of cold water before and after the experience, that wasn't going to work.

But alas! There are half-decent perogies for sale in at least one grocery store in my city!!

This leads me to making the sauce, and nothing else. Blast that little air conditioner (but only for a couple of hours) and get saucy.... I've developed this recipe from a common white/bechamel sauce.

So, out with the recipe....

Roasted Garlic and Dill Perogie Sauce

1 garlic head, roasted (see instructions below)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp fresh, chopped dill

2 cups milk

to taste - salt and pepper

To roast garlic - cut the head of garlic in half (without removing paper skin), and place on a greased pan. Place in oven pre-heated to 325 F. Remove after 10 minutes. Mash.

Melt butter on medium low heat. Add mashed roasted garlic and chopped dill. After thoroughly mixed, slowly add flour, while constantly mixing. Once the flour is mixed in, Gradually, (at first with only 2-3 tbsps) add milk a small amount at time. Again, mix constantly while adding. When it is completely mixed, season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir vigorously every 2-3 minutes. As the sauce become more hot, stir more often, until it becomes thicker.

Do not make this sauce too thick - as the perogies are fairly heavy, a very heavy sauce on them makes it a little overwhelming. Keep it a little light, and focus on the flavour.

Preparing the perogies: As always, after the water boils, put perogies into water and wait for them to pop up to the top. For this sauce, I've decided to fry them in some good 'ol fashioned butter (cause I had a hankering today), and then spoon the sauce over top.

The husband's reaction: Nodding approval, an eager desire to eat more again. "Smashing success"

Suggested filling: Keep it simple with any of the following combinations: potatoes-cheddar, potatoes-ricotta-dill, potatoes-onion