A new recipe book by storyteller cook and author Zuza Zak (you may know her from Polska and Amber & Rye) welcomes you into the comforting world of Polish dumplings, or pierogi. This celebrated specialty of the country comes in many forms – sweet, savoury, gluten-free and vegan. Delve deep into regional recipes and discover the history that each variation of these delicious dumplings brings with it, as well as exciting modern variations. All of them will give you satisfying results that can range from the simple to expertly intricate.

NUTTY MINI DUMPLINGS

Krokiety dumplings are often stuffed with minced (ground) meat, rolled and cut into portions, then fried in breadcrumbs until golden and crispy. They are even sometimes made using pancake dough. In the west of Poland, however, potatoes are king, and therefore potato krokiety are more common. These ones aren’t stuffed; the dough ingredients are simply mixed together. The addition of nuts adds to the flavour and texture, and I love the fact that they are so small you can just pop them in your mouth in one go. They can be an accompaniment to meat with surówka (slaw) or be eaten on their own or with some vegetables as a light meal.

SERVES 4-5

For the dough

600g floury potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed

200g walnuts, finely chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3 heaped tbsp plain (all-purpose) flour

2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra to serve

100g dried breadcrumbs

Oil, for frying

Salt and white pepper

In a large bowl, combine the mashed potatoes, chopped walnuts, lightly beaten eggs, flour and parsley. Mix well to combine and season well with salt and white pepper.

Using wet hands, form about 60 bite-sized balls (a little smaller than a walnut) out of the dough and roll each ball in the breadcrumbs. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add the balls and fry in batches until golden brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve with chopped parsley and the accompaniments of your choice.

SMOKED FISH ZEPPELINS

Zeppelins, or kartacze, are popular in the north-east of Poland. The name derives from those massive, egg-shaped airships that were around at the start of the 20th century. Traditionally, the filling is meat, but on rare occasions they are served with fish.

Makes 4-5

For the filling

½ onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter

300g smoked haddock, finely diced

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp fresh dill

salt and white pepper

For the dough

1.2kg floury potatoes, peeled

Squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

½ onion

2½ tbsp potato flour or cornflour (cornstarch)

For the topping

½ onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp butter, plus extra for frying

Chopped fresh dill

Soured cream

In a frying pan, fry the finely chopped onion for the filling and the onion for the topping together in the 2 tablespoons of butter until golden, then allow to cool.

Combine the smoked fish with the egg yolk, dill and the fried onion for the filling (reserve the other half for the topping). Season well.

Weigh 400g of the potatoes. Boil in a large pan of water until tender, then mash until smooth. Grate the remaining potatoes using a box grater so that they turn to a liquidy mush.

You can squeeze a little lemon into these if you don’t want grey dumplings (I don’t mind in the least!).

Put the grated potatoes in a large square of muslin (cheesecloth) over a bowl and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Discard the liquid, but reserve the potato starch (the stuff in the bottom of the bowl). If the potato dough doesn’t want to stick once you’ve made it, then just add the starch into the mixture when making the dough, as this will make it stickier without the need to resort to too much flour (which can make your dumplings too heavy).

Place all the potatoes – the cooked and raw – in a bowl and add the potato starch (with as little liquid as possible).

To make the dough, grate the onion into the potatoes using the smallest holes of the box grater (so that it’s mush), season the mixture well, then sprinkle in 1½ tablespoons of the cornflour (cornstarch) with one hand while mixing with the other, until everything is thoroughly combined.

Place the remaining tablespoon of cornflour on a plate, so that you can roll the zeppelins in it before you cook them. Form the dough mixture into a ball, then take tennis ball-sized chunks out of it and form smaller balls. Flatten them in the palm of your hand and place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the middle. Wrap the long sides around and seal.

Roll your zeppelins in the cornflour and leave on the plate. Continue this way until all the dough and filling is used up. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.

Boil the zeppelins 2–3 at a time. Once they float to the top, give them 3–4 minutes more, then remove with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess water.

While you are cooking the zeppelins, heat the fried onion you have reserved for the topping in a bit more butter and cook until crispy. Serve the zeppelins with the crispy onions and fresh dill on top and soured cream on the side.

HONEY DROP DUMPLINGS

Sweet dumplings can be eaten at any time of the day, but they’re most commonly enjoyed as a second breakfast (or brunch in the modern world) or as a podwieczorek (a late-afternoon snack). I find that the comforting sweetness of these fluffy dumplings makes them an ideal brunch food. While this is a super-simple recipe, the dough needs time to rise so the dumplings become fluffy when they cook – so leave it to rise while you get the other elements of your brunch ready.

Serves 4 as part of a brunch spread

For the dough

250g (1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 tsp caster (superfine) sugar

100ml (scant ½ cup) warm milk

½ tsp dried yeast

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tbsp salted butter, melted, or unsalted butter and 2 pinches of salt

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp good-quality honey

Handful of raisins, soaked in 2–3 tbsp milk

For the topping

1 tbsp butter

2 tbsp dried breadcrumbs

To serve

Soft brown sugar

Crème fraîche

Sieve the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar, warm milk, yeast, egg, melted butter, vanilla extract and honey.

Mix everything well with your hand to form a dough – it will be quite sticky at first. This mixing is to make sure that the dough becomes smooth and comes cleanly away from your hand, about 5–7 minutes. Incorporate the raisins and their soaking liquid into the dough. Cover with a clean dish towel and leave for 50 minutes in a warm place to rise.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil. If the dough is soft, take teaspoonfuls of it and plop them straight into the pan of bubbling water. If the dough is harder and can be rolled, then use your hands to make little cylinders 2–3cm (¾–1¼ in) in length. When they float to the top (which will happen almost immediately), give them 1 more minute and remove with a slotted spoon, shaking off any excess water, and keep warm. Cook the dumplings in batches (about 10 at a time, depending on pan size) and set aside once cooked.

Meanwhile, for the topping, heat the butter in a pan and fry the breadcrumbs until they are medium brown.

Put the cooked dumplings straight into the pan with the breadcrumbs. Toss to coat in the breadcrumbs, sprinkle with soft brown sugar and serve with crème fraîche.

Pierogi by Zuza Zak (£18, Quadrille)