Food Fight: Pierogies Versus Brats

WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA PATCHERS SAY:

Milwaukee has its brat race. Pittsburgh has people dressed up as pierogies – hello, Jalapeno Hanna! – race around PNC Park on summer nights in baseball season.

That’s how important the pan-fried, microwaved or even grilled edible is to Pittsburghers: The stuffed pasta delicacies are welcome at Pirates, Penguins, college football and -- most of all -- Steelers tailgates.

Potato, onion, cheese, you name it, these treats are consumed around Pittsburgh at a rate 11 times higher than any other U.S. city, according to one survey. Doused in butter, slathered in onions or sour cream - no 'Burgh bash is complete without this version of comfort food.

At in Coraopolis, Nadia Gordan and her daughter, Galina Romanyuk, show Moon Patch contributor Lizabeth Gray how to craft and stuff these little envelopes in anticipation of Sunday's super feasts.  Their more exotic fillings include sauerkraut and prune, but their biggest seller by far is potato and cheese.

WISCONSIN PATCHERS SAY:

In Racine, WI, the No. 1 place for the No. 1 Super Bowl food is Danny's Meats & Catering at 1317 Four Mile Road.

Caledonia Patch Local editor Denise Lockwood says the shop is, hands down, the best place around the Milwaukee area to buy brats, with 12 different types of the German sausages. Owner Dan Johnson also has a full-service butcher shop that also features many hard-to-find items.

Johnson has been making brats for 23 years ,and he's used the same recipe for his original brat, which has 15 different spices. He also offers brats with jalepeno and provolone, and feta cheese stuffed in them.

Johnson is friendly and willing to share his culinary expertise on how to grill those German favorites. He'll also offer up ways to make them even more delicious with specialty mustards, breads and toppings.



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