Meatless Monday: Sweet Potato Pagach

We're quickly coming up on Good Friday, when my family will eat pierogies, as our one meal on the day of fasting. To prove that Slovaks are masters at carbo-loading, my recipe today is for pagach: bread stuffed with mashed potatoes or cabbage. How awesome are we Slovaks? We put mashed potatoes in our dumplings and in our bread! 

Pagach is a traditional Slovak dish, often eaten on days of fasting from meat. There are tons of recipes out there for the bread portion of the dish. They are typically made with a milk and/or egg and/or a considerable amount of fat. That can be absolutely delicious, but it is not necessary. In the past, I've made pagach with a simple, yeast/flour/water pizza crust recipe. This time I made it using the Slovak bread recipe my family has been eating my whole life. It's white bread, that is just the tiniest bit on the sweet side. It tasted just like the pagach my mom made as a kid. Frankly, you could make this with any bread/roll yeast dough you'd like. It will work; and it will be delicious.

Pagach doesn't take as long to make as bread, since the dough only rises once. However, it's a time consuming meal. My mom tells stories about her Bubba (her Slovak grandma), who would cook and clean all day, then serve up great meals. Bubba made pieorgies every Friday! Every week! Now that my mom is the Bubba in our lives, we only make them once a year, because even with a team of us, rolling and pinching dough, it takes a few hours to make 'em. I tell you this, so you can see that pagach comes from a cultural tradition of time consuming meals. When my mom was growin up, it was no big deal, because moms and grandmas were at home, in the kitchen, cooking all day. If this recipe seems a little lengthy, just make it once in a while. But make it. You won't regret it. 

Lastly, you absolutely can, and should, serve pagach with loads of caramelized onions. The onions can be served on top of a slice, or you can put it inside with the other ingredients. I left them out this time, since I know that I'm just a few, short weeks away from the caramelized onion glory that are pierogies. 

Sweet Potato Pagach
   bread

2 cups warm water

6 tsp dry yeast
3 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
5-6 cups white flour
   filling
3 tbsp olive oil

6 cups chopped cabbage (about 1x1 inch pieces)

3 cups broccoli florets (fresh or frozen)

2 cups chopped kale (packed)

1/4 cup sliced green onion

1 large sweet potato

2 medium white potatoes

1/4 cup vegan sour cream or plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk

1-8 ounce package of vegan cheese shreds (optional)

1. In a large bowl, whisk the water, yeast, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Let this mixture stand for about 5 minutes, until foamy. This is called proofing the yeast. 

2. Add about 5 cups of the white flour. Stir, with a wooden spoon, until it comes together in a ball. If the dough is very wet and sticky, stir in more flour, a couple tablespoons at a time. You want the dough to be firm enough to knead.

3. Turn the ball of dough out onto a clean, floured surface and knead for at least 5 minutes. If you've never kneaded bread before, take a look at this short video for a demonstration. You want the dough to be elastic, but still firm. If the dough is sticky, add more flour to your kneading surface, so it will incorporate in as you work the dough. When the dough has reached a smooth, elastic, firm quality, and it is no longer sticky/taking in more flour as you knead, place it in a large bowl. Cover with a thin, clean kitchen towel.

4. Place the bowl in a draft-free, warm location and allow to rise until doubled in size. You have to use your best judgement here, because how it will look when double is dependent on the size and shape of your bowl. In my house it typically takes 90 minutes or so for the first rise. 

5. While the dough is rising, prepare the filling. Start by tossing the cabbage and 1 tablespoon of oil, then spreading on a cookie sheet or roasting pan. Bake in a 400 degree oven, for about 20 minutes. The cabbage should be softened and be browned on some edges. Repeat the oil and baking process with the broccoli, baking for 15 minutes. You want softened broccoli, but it doesn't need to be crisp or browned. Then repeat again with the kale and onions, but bake for just 8-10 minutes. The cooked kale ought to be wilted and some pieces a little bit crispy.

6. Peel the sweet and white potatoes, and cut into roughly 1 inch cubes. Boil in lightly salted water, until the potatoes are tender. Drain the cooked potatoes. Add the sour cream or milk to the potatoes, and mash, to your desired consistency. They can be super whipped and creamy, or left a bit lumpy. Whatever you prefer. 

7. When your dough has doubled, punch it down and knead it a minute or two, on a lightly floured surface. The dough may get sticky during the rising time, in which case you'll want to knead in a bit more flour during this step. After kneading, divide the dough in half. Add more flour to your kneading surface and use a floured rolling pin to roll the dough out to the size of the largest baking sheet you have***. Mine was an oval about 18x12 inches, and about an inch thick. Transfer the rolled dough to your parchment-lined baking sheet

8. Gently spread the mashed potatoes on the dough. Then sprinkle with the cabbage, broccoli, kale, and cheese (if using). 

9. Roll the remaining piece of dough, so that it is about 2 inches larger than the bottom piece (roughly 20x14 inches). Carefully place this dough over the bottom crust and filling. Pinch the edges of the dough, to create a tight seal. You may need to use a fork and you may need to fold the bottom edge up over the top, a bit. Cut 4-5 small slits in the top of the pagach, to allow steam to escape. 

10. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until the crust is a deep, golden brown. Allow to rest about 5 minutes, then slice and serve (with our without caramelized onions). 

***If dealing with such a large piece of dough seems daunting, you can make two smaller pagach, rather than a single large one. Or you could even make several smaller ones. Don't let the dough intimidate you. Just make it the way that works for you!