Recipes: Greek Chicken with Red Sauce, Lemon Angel Cookies and more

A Greek version of chicken cacciatore is stewed in tomato sauce much as the Italian classic, but the seasonings are quite different, we learned from two cooks who shared their recipes to help D.L. celebrate her great-uncle's 75th birthday. The only clue he'd given her was that the dish was made with chicken, tomatoes and lemon and served over pasta.

"My family is of Greek descent, so I am familiar with Greek cooking," wrote Tonia Papandropoulos. "I recognize the description of the chicken dish as it is very common in Greek cuisine and is called kotopoulo kokkinisto. The only part of the description that I do not know about is the inclusion of lemon in the recipe. Lemon can always be added by the person making the dish or by the person enjoying it."

Lou Midelas, whose parents immigrated from Greece to Tarpon Springs, Fla., 60 years ago, sent a similar recipe, but his involves sprinkling the chicken with the juice of a lemon before browning it. He also uses a stick of butter rather than the olive oil in Papandropoulos' recipe, and he titles the dish kapama. "We like it over spaghetti, orzo or roasted potatoes," he writes.

Greek Chicken with Red Sauce

Makes 8 servings

1/2 cup olive oil

1 large onion, roughly chopped

1 chicken (about 3 pounds), cut into serving pieces

1 cup red wine

2 cups fresh or canned chopped tomatoes

1 cinnamon stick

2 to 3 whole allspice berries

2 bay leaves

Salt and pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and saute the onion over medium heat. Add the chicken, and brown on all sides. Add the wine and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, allowing it to reduce. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Partly cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, chicken is extremely tender. Add a small amount of water if the sauce becomes too dry. Remove cinnamon stick, allspice berries and bay leaves before serving. Per serving: 413 calories (68 percent from fat), 31 g fat (6.8 g saturated, 17 g monounsaturated), 87.4 mg cholesterol, 22.3 g protein, 31 g carbohydrates, 0.7 g fiber, 178 mg sodium.

Summer Corn

I'm such a fan of corn on the cob that I rarely do more than grill or steam it, but on a recent visit to West Palm Beach we tried the esquites — Mexican-style grilled corn — at Rocco's Tacos & Tequila Bar. I had to get the recipe. I learned that the corn is fashioned after a traditional Mexican street food that Rocco had in Jalisco. It's perfect for a backyard barbecue.

Rocco's Esquites (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)

Makes 8 servings

4 ears sweet corn, husks intact

8 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 pound cojita or feta cheese, crumbled fine

1 cup chopped cilantro, or to taste

Ground chili powder (hot if you like) in a shaker

Sea salt

2 limes, cut into wedges

1. Pull the husk back from the corn just enough to remove the silk. Brush corn with mayonnaise and pull husks back around the ears.

2. Place corn on a hot grill and cook, turning to brown all sides, for about 6 minutes total. Remove from grill and, using tongs, pull back husks to form handles. Brush corn again with mayonnaise.

3. Divide cheese among 8 plates, and mix with cilantro. To eat the corn, sprinkle it with the cheese mixture and season to taste with chili powder, sea salt and lime juice. Makes 8 servings.

Per serving: 242 calories (63 percent from fat), 17.8 g fat (6 g saturated, 4.2 g monounsaturated), 30.5 mg cholesterol, 6.3 g protein, 17.2 g carbohydrates, 1.7 g fiber, 407 mg sodium.

Q. I made your Lemon Angels last year for Christmas and they were a big hit. However, I lost the recipe. I would love to have the recipe. — Marge Jankowski

A. The Lemon Angels recipe is well worth repeating — it is simple yet produces extraordinary cookies that are a lovely, light treat any time of year.

Lemon Angel Cookies

Makes about 48 cookie

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature

3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup confectioners' sugar plus more to coat

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 cups flour

1 cup chopped pecans

Vegetable oil spray

1. Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat an additional 3 minutes. Mix in the vanilla, lemon zest and juice and finally the flour, beating just to incorporate well. Stir in the nuts.

2. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment or spray lightly with oil. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful 1 1/2 inches apart onto prepared pans. Bake 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned on edges. While hot, roll in powdered sugar. Per cookie: 76 calories (60 percent from fat), 5.2 g fat (2.4 g saturated, 1.8 g monounsaturated), 9.6 mg cholesterol, 0.9 g protein, 6.9 g carbohydrates, 0.4 g fiber, 25.8 mg sodium.