Just another way to make these fine old-fashioned pirozhki! The meat and cabbage filling is quite delicious and is a perfect complement to the dough. These turnovers make great appetizers and they’re worth the extra effort because they taste so good! For do-ahead appetizers, they can be fried, frozen and reheated.

Dough:
4-5 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoons salt
24.7 oz (or 700g) kefir or sour cream
1 cup oil for frying

Filling:
1.2 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup of milk
1 tablespoon (heaping) steak seasoning (or salt and pepper)
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/2 cup minced dill
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander (optional)

Makes 33 turnovers (pirozhkis).

To make filling:
Mix all the ingredients for filling in a big bowl.

To make kefir:
I often use my own kefir which is very easy to make. Put one table spoon sour cream in a 24.7 oz (700 g) glass jar. Cover it and set out at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours (in hot weather, it ferments faster) but not in direct sun light. Then you will have a jar of thick creamy kefir for baking purposes which you can refrigerate for up to a month.

To make dough: Sift flour into a large bowl. (Start with the 4 cups of flour. You may need to add more, a little at a time, as you knead the dough.) Make a crater in the center of the bowl, then add baking soda and kefir. Mix to form the dough. On a floured board, knead the dough until all of the ingredients are completely mixed up and the dough is smooth.

Cut the dough in three long thick bands then cut each band into smaller pieces which are about 2 inches across. Roll each piece with your fingers to form a flat disk not more than 1/2 inch thick.

You can roll out the pieces of dough with a rolling pin into 1/2 inch thick disks, too.

Place about 1 tablespoon of filling in the center of each disk. Fold the dough over the mixture and firmly pinch edges to seal. Form an oval shape.

Deep fry in a skillet of preheated oil until crisp and golden brown (medium heat) on both sides. Remove and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.