Greek-style potatoes simple and savoury

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This article was published 26/06/2013 (4825 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thanks this week go out to Mavis Minuck, who answered the call for lemon roasted Greek potatoes, and to Kristina Goertzen, who responded to a reader request for cappuccino Nanaimo bars.

This week, Judi Shawcross is hoping someone can help with an old Free Press recipe for borscht that uses sour salt (another name for citric acid). Her mother had the recipe but has misplaced it. Jean Wilson is looking for a recipe for sweet yellow hotdog relish. She recently found a version at a farmer’s market with ingredients that included cucumbers, cauliflower, peppers, dried mustard and whipping cream. It reminded her of an old favourite and she’s hoping someone can help her replicate it. Marilyn Hnatiuk is looking for a recipe for the Vietnamese salad from Hu’s on First, the Asian restaurant that closed last year. It featured angel hair noodles, julienned carrots and cucumber, bean sprouts, pork and a sprinkle of peanuts. Finally, a reader is looking for a recipe for rhubarb muffins.

If you can help with a recipe request, have your own request, or a favourite recipe you’d like to share, send an email to recipeswap@freepress.mb.ca, fax it to 697-7412, or write to Recipe Swap, c/o Alison Gillmor, Winnipeg Free Press, 1355 Mountain Ave. Winnipeg, MB, R2X 3B6. Please include your first and last name, address and telephone number.

 

Lemon Oven Roasted Potatoes

1.4 kg (3 lbs) potatoes

80 ml (1/3 cup) olive oil

Juice of 2 lemons (about 60 ml or 4 tbsp)

10 ml (2 tsp) salt

2 ml (1/2 tsp) pepper

7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) dried oregano

500 ml (2 cups) chicken broth, or more

 

Preheat oven to 200 C (400 F). Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into wedges. Place in pan 5 cm (2 inches) deep and large enough to hold potatoes in a single layer. Toss potatoes with olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Add broth. Bake for about an hour or until tender and golden brown and sauce has begun to thicken slightly.

 

Tester’s notes: I love this recipe. It’s very easy and makes for tender, flavourful potatoes that would be a great accompaniment to lamb, chicken or pork. I used Yukon Gold potatoes, which yielded a nice, creamy texture. I also threw in two cloves of garlic, finely minced. Baking times may differ slightly, depending on the size of your wedges and pan. My potatoes took about 70 minutes to get golden and soft and for the sauce to thicken up.

 

Cappuccino Nanaimo Bars

125 ml (1/2 cup or 114 g) unsalted butter

60 ml (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

75 ml (5 tbsp) cocoa

1 egg

5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

375 ml (1 1/2 cups) chocolate cookie crumbs

250 ml (1 cup) unsweetened flaked coconut

125 ml (1/2 cup) walnuts, toasted and chopped

 

Filling:

80 ml (1/3 cup or 75 g) unsalted butter, room temperature

22 ml (1 1/2 tbsp) custard powder

60 ml (1/4 cup) whole milk

10 ml (2 tsp) instant coffee powder

10 ml (2 tsp) vanilla extract

750 ml (3 cups) icing sugar, sifted

 

Topping:

225 g (8 oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped

30 ml (2 tbsp) unsalted butter

 

Preheat oven to 175 C (350 F). Grease bottom and sides of an 20×20 cm (8×8 inch) square pan with vegetable oil or spray.

For base: Melt butter and stir in sugar. Sift cocoa into mixture and blend well. Whisk together egg and vanilla extract and add to mixture. Blend in chocolate cookie crumbs, coconut and chopped walnuts until evenly incorporated. Press into prepared pan and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then chill for 20 minutes.

For cappuccino filling: Beat butter until smooth and beat in custard powder. Heat milk with coffee powder to dissolve and cool to room temperature. Add milk to butter mixture and stir in sifted icing sugar 250 ml (1 cup) at a time, combining well. Spread over base and chill while preparing topping.

For topping: Melt chocolate and butter over a pot of gently simmering water. Pour over vanilla filling and spread to cover evenly. Chill for 30 minutes.

To serve, slice with a hot, dry knife into bars. Garnish with a chocolate covered coffee bean, if desired.

 

Tester’s notes: A good take on the popular Canadian classic. The coffee makes a counterpoint to all that Nanaimo-y sweetness. (As a hardcore coffee fan, I might even add a bit more.) Kristina likes to heat the milk and coffee powder before she does anything else so that it comes to room temperature by the time she needs it.