I picked up Cyprus: A Culinary Journey by Marianne Salentin-Träger, and I was immediately blown away by the photography. Even though not technically a Greek cookbook – the island of Cyprus is further east, off the coast of Turkey – the recipes are definitely of influenced by Greek cuisine.
Despite beautiful photos, the recipe for Meatballs with Oven Chips required less illustration and more instruction. Since there was no temperature guidance or size suggestions to prepare the meatballs, I ruined the first two batches over too high heat, burning the outside and leaving the interiors raw. I finally settled on medium-low heat, which resulted in tender, flavorful insides and crisp exteriors. Likewise, I kicked the heat up to 400 degrees to cook the potato wedges after nearly 45 minutes at 340 degrees (the only temperature indicated in the recipe) produced soft, baked wedges, not crisp chips.
While the end result tasted wonderful, a third of the recipe ended up in the trash thanks to vague instruction. Unless you have experience making meatballs or other Greek dishes, skip this book.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced with poor recipe instruction.
This book is for: Adventurous, experienced cooks looking for a taste of Cyprus
Other recipes to try: Baklava rolls with walnuts, Oven Omelette, Banana Cake
The verdict: Last week’s rib-eye takes the win.
Meatballs with Oven Chips
A recipe by Franz Keller
4 servings
600 g. (about 1 1/3 lbs.) raw lean beef from the haunch, freshly ground at the butcher’s (ground round)
4 shallots
1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 medium organic eggs
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 to 6 Tbsp. breadcrumbs, softened with a little milk
3 leaves of wild sage
Salt, pepper
A few drops chile oil
Serve with 20 leaves wild sage
8 medium potatoes (deep-fried or oven-baked)
Olive oil (not virgin)
• Mix the ground beef with the other ingredients, and season with salt and pepper. Form into meatballs and fry in olive oil until done.
• Peel the potatoes and cut into wedges. Deep-fry the wedges in normal (not native) olive oil over a medium heat, like chips. Deep-fry the remaining sage leaves in oil, too.
• Alternatively (and easier than deep-frying), put the potato wedges on a baking tray, sprinkle with some olive oil, season with salt and bake until crispy in a fan-assisted oven at 170 degrees Celsius (340 degrees Fahrenheit) for approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
• Serve the meatballs with the potato wedges and sage. Sprinkle everything with freshly ground sea salt!
Recipe printed with permission from C&C Publishing
This article appears in September 2016.