The Pierogi Lady is a bona fide Ohio institution. Anchored in Akron, the house dumplings can be found on restaurant menus throughout the region in classic and creative ways. For example, a Cleveland joint makes its Polaco Taco using the Lady’s oversized pierogi as a shell that folds around a link of Hungarian sausage. You can also follow The Pierogi Lady to interesting events such as the annual Dyngus Day celebration. My Pierogi Lady’s food truck description boasts more than 130 pierogi versions in everything from sweet potato to wild mushroom, and although you might not find all those flavors at once, a more traditional version of the house pierogi is well worth some love and attention.
And you can buy that sort of treat locally from the freezer section of gourmet grocers to enjoy in the comfort of your home, whenever you like.
Case in point: The potato, cheese and bacon pierogi. Plump frozen pockets are neatly packaged, awaiting the prescribed treatment: the label advises pan-frying, and that approach yields crisped, buttery pockets, still tender despite their time in the heat. The shells give way to the promised soft and comforting combination of potato, cheese and bacon.
What makes these pockets so delicious? First, there is a LOT of filling, enough the that pockets take on a dome shape. Second, the ingredient label gives away a few trade secrets. The Pierogi Lady uses cream cheese in the pasta recipe – and it gives the shell extra richness. Finally, there’s an artisanal touch that balances filling generosity with structural integrity (that is, they hold together).
You can learn more about The Pierogi Lady on its Facebook page, facebook.com/thepierogilady. There you’ll learn that the Lady is actually a two-person project comprised of one lady and one fellow: the two teamed up and got married after she’d already established a following. It’s all good; interesting backstories make for better eating.
We found our package locally at Weiland’s.
