We have been having some hot days lately, Vancouver. Pierogies, especially done Dorothy's way, are not your typical summer food.

But you can chase away the heaviness of pierogies with cold prosecco, and you know... it works. Pierogies and Prosecco in the summer - I will take it.

Kim Rossell lives in the apartment above the shop. If you have ever been to this year's Campesino Summer Pop-Up, marvelled at the space, and wished that you lived in this space... well... too bad... because Kim lives here. Janaki and the team turn her apartment into a pop-up shop whenever pop-up time arrives, and all of her books and personal dishes and furniture get stored away in the garage, or in her bedroom, for the duration of the pop-up run. She really and truly is a huge part of the Le Marché St George family.

Kim works as a body worker at the Fairmont Pacific Rim, but has plans to hold massage therapy sessions in her apartment above the shop. For fun, she tangos. I have never seen her dance - not yet - but every single time I run into her she is either running to tango practice or coming from a tango session.

This dish is really all about comfort, and the recipe is not in the pierogi itself... but in the sauce. It is rich and decadent and is the absolute perfect thing to eat when in the dead of winter in Edmonton.

Winter is a long way from now (we hope) so put this in your roster of easy meals to make when the cold days arrive. You can make pierogis from scratch, but for convenience's sake (and to perfectly demonstrate the sauce Dorothy (Kim's mother) adds on to those pillowy puffs of pure goodness), Kim opted to use frozen pierogies.

Dorothy's Pierogies
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes. | Serves 3.

Ingredients
12 frozen pierogies
1 litre water
3 medium white onions, diced
5 strips of bacon
1 can of evaporated milk
olive oil + 1/4 cup of butter
salt and pepper to taste

1) Set your oven to broil and broil the bacon strips for five to seven minutes each side or until fat has mostly rendered and the bacon looks crispy. Drain on paper towels, and slice into bits. Set aside.

2) Set a litre of water to boil. Dice the onions.

3) Heat the olive oil and butter to medium heat. Once hot enough, fry the onions and bacon until onions are fragrant, slightly caramelized, and translucent and the bacon is crispy. Turn the heat down.

4) Boil the pierogies until it floats to the top. Drain, and fry on a separate skillet with olive oil and butter until the outside skins of the dumplings are slightly crispy and brown.

5) Add evaporated milk to the bacon and onion mixture and let the flavours mingle into the cream. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6) Toss the crispened pierogies into the evaporated milk, bacon, and onion sauce and serve.

We ate these pierogies on a table adorned with peonies and washed these dumplings down with prosecco. Pierogies, Prosecco, and Peonies. How's that for a delicious and visually-appealing alliteration?

Photographs: Issha Marie

Some notes: Linen napkins and Janaki Larsen ceramics can be found in our shop location or here, in our online shop.
Kim Rossell is now taking massage therapy bookings in her apartment above the shop. Simply e-mail her at kim. rossell (at) gmail (dot) com.