“Buyers care not only about the discount applied to a single product but also whether it is possible to assemble an entire meal more cheaply by taking advantage of the weekly offers. Therefore, when creating promotions, we strive to ensure that attractive prices are applied simultaneously to different high-quality products that complement each other. For example, this weekend, a kilogram of chilled salmon slices and pieces will cost 9.99 Eur, while “Clever” Lithuanian weighed potatoes will cost only 0.29 Eur. It is important that fresh potatoes can be not only an inexpensive side dish for fish – they can also be used to prepare an entire dish, such as kugel, potato pancakes, or casserole. So, by cleverly combining weekly offers, you can not only save when buying individual products but also plan the whole family menu for several days more cheaply,” says G. Kitovė.
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To take advantage of promotions and special offers, it is worth remembering to use the “Iki” loyalty card or mobile app at the checkout. You can find all the useful weekly “Iki” food promotions, which make it easy to plan your menu, and the best offers for other products here: www.iki.lt/leidiniai.
And to make it even easier to turn this week’s offers into delicious lunches or dinners, “Iki” culinary chef Jolita Tamoševičienė shares three recipes and tips that will be useful when preparing them.
Sour cream – not just for salads: try it as a sauce for pork
This week a 20% discount is applied to various types of fresh pork at “Iki”, and “Dvaro” sour cream costs 1.99 Eur. Although sour cream is most often used to dress salads, soups, or potato dishes, it can also become the base for a creamy sauce. Such a sauce is especially suitable for fried pork, and by adding onions and spices, you can prepare a hearty dinner from a few simple products.
“For the pork to brown nicely, it is important not to put too much meat in the pan at once. If the pieces are too crowded, the pan’s temperature quickly drops, liquid starts to separate from the meat, and it begins to stew rather than fry. If there is more meat, it is better to fry part of it separately and set the browned pieces aside for a moment,” advises “Iki” culinary chef Jolita Tamoševičienė.
Pork steaks in sour cream and onion sauce
Ingredients: 4 pork loin steaks, 2 medium-sized onions, 250 ml meat broth, 200 g “Dvaro” sour cream, 2 tbsp flour, 1 tsp dried thyme, salt, black pepper, a splash of oil, parsley for serving.
Preparation: pat the pork steaks dry, season both sides with salt, pepper, and thyme. Heat a splash of oil in a pan and fry the meat over medium-high heat on both sides until nicely browned. Remove from the pan and set aside briefly.
In the same pan, add thinly sliced onions and cook until softened. Pour in the broth, stir well, and return the pork. Reduce the heat and simmer until the meat is cooked through.
Mix the sour cream with flour and a few tablespoons of warm liquid from the pan. Gradually stir the mixture into the sauce and heat over low heat until it thickens. Season with pepper and, if needed, a little more salt. Serve sprinkled with parsley, with mashed potatoes, rice, or your favorite grains.
Cottage cheese – not necessarily sweet: try savory cottage cheese patties
Cottage cheese often first goes into sweet cottage cheese pancakes, casseroles, or is simply eaten with berries, but it is easy to turn it into a hearty savory dish. Greens, hard cheese, and spices are especially suitable for this. And this week you can experiment inexpensively – 1 kg of “Bitutė” cottage cheese costs only 3.69 Eur at “Iki”.
According to J. Tamoševičienė, when preparing savory cottage cheese patties, the most important thing is to adjust the amount of flour to the cottage cheese itself.
“Different cottage cheese can have varying moisture content, so the amount of flour indicated in the recipe may not be exactly the same every time. Add enough flour to make the mixture formable, but don’t overdo it – the more flour, the firmer and less fluffy the patties will be,” says the “Iki” culinary chef.
Savory cottage cheese patties with Parmesan and dill
Ingredients: 250 g “Bitutė” cottage cheese, 1–2 eggs, 1–2 tbsp flour, 20 g grated Parmesan, 1–2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, salt, black pepper, olive oil for frying, sour cream or Greek yogurt for serving.
Preparation: place the cottage cheese in a bowl, add an egg, flour, grated Parmesan, and chopped dill. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add another egg; if too wet and hard to shape, add a little flour.
Form small balls with wet hands and flatten them slightly. Heat a splash of oil in a pan over medium heat. Fry the patties for about 2–3 minutes on each side until nicely browned.
Serve warm with sour cream or Greek yogurt and optionally sprinkle with fresh dill or other greens.
Weekend duo: potatoes only 29 ct/kg, salmon – 9.99 Eur/kg
From September 3 to 6, “Iki” offers two especially attractive deals: “Clever” Lithuanian weighed potatoes will cost only 0.29 Eur per kilogram, and 1 kg of chilled salmon slices and pieces – only 9.99 Eur. You can prepare a somewhat unusual weekend dinner from them and enliven the usual taste of fried salmon with a fruit salsa.
“Sweet fruits go well not only in desserts. For fattier fish like salmon, a combination of sweetness, acidity, and spiciness works very well. You can choose nectarines for this – mixing them with avocado, red onion, lime juice, and hot pepper creates a fresh garnish. It is best to choose a ripe but still firm nectarine for the salsa – then, when diced, it will hold its shape,” advises J. Tamoševičienė.
Spicy salmon with nectarine and avocado salsa and roasted potatoes
Ingredients: 4 salmon slices or pieces, 700 g “Clever” Lithuanian potatoes, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp ground hot peppers, ½ tsp cumin, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, 1 tbsp lime juice, olive oil, 2 tbsp butter, salt, black pepper.
For the salsa: 2 nectarines, 1 ripe avocado, ½ red onion, 1 small hot pepper, a handful of fresh cilantro or parsley, 2 tbsp lime juice, 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of salt.
Preparation: wash the potatoes well, cut into wedges, mix with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in an oven preheated to 200 °C until soft and nicely browned.
In a bowl, mix smoked and hot paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powders, lime juice, a splash of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Coat the salmon on all sides with the mixture and leave for a few minutes.
While the salmon marinates, prepare the salsa. Dice the nectarines and avocado, finely chop the red onion and hot pepper. Mix everything with chopped cilantro or parsley, lime juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt.
In a well-heated non-stick pan, cook the salmon for about 3 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Add butter to the pan and, as it melts, spoon it over the salmon several times. The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the pieces.
Serve the salmon with nectarine and avocado salsa and oven-roasted potatoes. You can additionally drizzle lime juice before serving.
G. Kitovė reminds that it is easy to take advantage of the best “Iki” offers – useful promotions, various discounts, and special offers are announced in “Iki” store leaflets, on the website, and in the mobile app. Shoppers will also find personal offers there and, by participating in the loyalty program, collect points that can be exchanged for valuable prizes or discounts.
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