Pregame Platter: Ravens at Cleveland

Ravens at Browns, Sunday Sept. 21, 1:00 p.m., FirstEnergy Stadium, CBS

For the first time this year the Ravens hit the road, and their destination is their old home. By some odd stroke of fate (luck? bad luck?) I’m friends with lots of native Clevelanders who, make no mistake about it, view Baltimore, from a football franchise-stealing perspective at least, in the exact same unflattering light as Baltimoreans do Indianapolis. Couple that with the fact that this is the Ravens’ third-straight division game, against a Browns team that looks much improved this year, and we should have ourselves one outstanding game.

What to Eat: Cleveland’s a heavily ethnic city with large populations of people with Slavic roots. They, like I, love pierogies. This recipe comes from my friend Lisa’s Polish family.

Dough:

• 2 tablespoons of melted butter
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups flour

Whisk together all liquid ingredients, then add salt and flour and knead until dough is formed and elastic.

Filling:

• 1 pound potatoes
• 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Salt & pepper to taste

Boil potatoes until soft, then mash until smooth. While potatoes boil, sauté onions in butter until translucent. Mix mashed potatoes, sautéed onions, cheese, and salt and pepper together. Roll dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut into 2-3 inch circles. Put about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in center, then fold in half and pinch edges to seal. Drop into boiling salted water. Watch and periodically loosen from the bottom. When they float to the top, they’re done (about 10 minutes). Makes 24-30.

If you want someone else to do the cooking, Ze Mean Bean Café in Fells Point (1739 Fleet St.) prepares a mean pierogi. Try the Slavic sampler, which includes one holupki, three pierogi, one potato pancake topped with homemade applesauce, and a side of Polish kielbasa.

What to Drink: Wash down those delicious dumplings with a Cleveland Rose cocktail, invented by Cleveland bartender Hilary Tennaro.

• 1 1/4 ounces gin
• 1 1/4 oz. blanco tequila
• 1/2 oz. yellow Chartreuse
• 2 1/4 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 2 1/4 tsp. Lillet Rouge
• 1 tsp. ginger syrup

Combine all ingredients in mixing glass over ice and stir until chilled. Strain into chilled glass and garnish.

If You Go: Despite its inability to shed its underwhelming national reputation (“The Mistake by the Lake,” where the Cuyahoga River once caught fire), Cleveland’s actually a great town with a vibrant food and drink scene. Sample Great Lakes Brewing Company’s fine array of beer at its brewpub, at 2516 Market Avenue. The Westside Market (1979 W. 25th St.), the city’s oldest, has more than 100 vendors who sell everything from fresh produce to homemade Slovenian sausage.

In the Warehouse District, Holy Craft! (1276 West 6th St.) has 40 beers on tap, including local selections like Fat Head’s Spooky Tooth, a 9 percent imperial pumpkin ale. Melt Bar and Grilled in Cleveland Heights (13463 Cedar Rd.) features grilled cheese offerings ranging from the kindergarten (plain old bread and cheese) to the Cleveland cheese steak (flavorful braised pulled beef brisket, garlic mushrooms, sautéed onions and peppers, rosemary onion aioli, and provolone). If you’re feeling bold or stupid, take on the Melt challenge. Finish a monster sandwich with 13 different cheeses, three slices of bread and a pile of hand-cut fries and slaw (it’s more than five pounds of food) without any help or trips to the bathroom, you win a T-shirt or pint glass, a $10 gift card, and a spot in the Melt Challenge Hall of Fame.

Attempting the challenge could be the true mistake by the lake.