*October 2010 COTM: BAREFOOT CONTESSA - Other Sources

[smtucker]

Our cookbook for October 2010 is the BAREFOOT CONTESSA COOKBOOK.

Please use this thread to discuss recipes attributed to Ina Garten but not contained in the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. These recipes could be from any of her other cookbooks or from online sources. When posting, please include the name of the book and page number, or post a link to your online source.

The Chowhound Team has asked me to remind you that verbatim copying of recipes to the boards is a violation of the copyright of the original author. Posts with copied recipes will be removed.

[JaneEYB]

Easy cranberry and apple cake p.205 in How Easy Is That?

It was very easy, the part that took the longest was going through the cranberries to remove the squishy ones (quite a relaxing process though). I think I preferred it at room temperature to warm. The fruit at the bottom are quite soft so it's not a pick-up and eat type of cake, needs a plate and fork. The cranberries were quite tart, which I like, but if you don't then you should add a bit more sugar.

[mandycat]

If this is the same recipe that was re-printed in the most recent Costco member magazine (made in a pie plate with fruit on the bottom and the cake batter poured over the top) I made this too. It was very good indeed although I think next time I'll cut back on the amount of cranberries and increase the amount of apple, more to give it additional body than to change the flavor.

[JaneEYB]

Sounds identical. Yes increasing the apple and reducing the cranberries would reduce the acidity too. Not sure how it would increase the body though as cranberries are probably more robust than apples.

[Gio]

I Love lamb... and that recipe looks sooo easy! Very different than the L-O-L I usually roast. I'm thinking Christmas dinner for a change. Thanks BreadCrumbs!

Did you know that Autumn is the best time to buy lamb? They birth in the Spring so have all Summer to romp and grow into tasty morsels for us mere mortals...

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Everyone! GIo, no, I didn't know that but I definitely believe it as that was likely one of the most tender lamb legs we've had. blue room I think the canned tomatoes would be fine, I'd likely buy the whole ones and quarter then as it was nice to have the texture of the tomato pieces and I'd be concerned the diced ones might just melt away.

[Breadcrumbs]

Easy Provencal Lamb - p. 134 - Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?

Forget air fresheners, if you want your home to smell absolutely fabulous, you must make this roast!! The aroma is intoxicating and the roast tastes even better than it smells.

First use of this recipe and book and once again, Ina made me proud. As promised, it was fairly straight forward in terms of prep. Use the mini-chopper to mix up the wet rub for the roast and chop tomatoes and onions to surround the leg in the pan. Honey is mixed w the veg and, drizzled on the dressed lamb. Just pop it in the oven and, in about 1.5 hrs, you're ready to eat.

What surprised me most about this dish was the flavour of the plentiful pan juices. . . sweet and rich with the honey rounding out the flavours of the lamb and the veggies. I would have been happy with a bowl of pan juices and a spoon!!!

The finished dish looked identical to the photo in the book. This would make a wonderful company dish if you have guests that are lamb-fans. Given the quick cook time though you'd need to be confident in the quality of your meat as some legs can be a bit tough and would be better suited to braising.

This is a keeper!

[JoanN]

I adore lamb. And have friends who do as well. I see a birthday dinner coming up. And . . . the recipe is on Epicurious. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo... Can't wait.

[blue room]

Ooh -- I'll be using canned tomatoes probably, but I'll try this one for sure!

[Rubee]

Linguini with Shrimp Scampi - BC Family Style, p. 106

This is different than the style of scampi I make - no wine, "lighter" and more lemony - but still delicious. I halved the recipe for the two of us. Easy too. While I boiled the fettucini, the sauce is made with garlic and shrimp sauteed in butter and olive oil. Remove from heat and add lemon zest, lemon juice, sliced lemons, parsley, and chili flakes. When the pasta is done, drain and toss. I served it with parmesan-herb garlic bread tonight.

Recipe link (slightly different from Food Network site):
http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recip...

[Rubee]

Parmesan Chicken, p. 82 (Barefoot Contessa Family Style)
Lemon Vinaigrette, p. 40

Delicious. The vinaigrette was simple enough. I combined salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh lemon juice in a glass jar and gave a few quick shakes. The chicken was a pretty straightforward Chicken Milanese - chicken pounded, dredged in flour, egg, and then bread crumbs mixed with fresh grated parmesan. I used store-bought breadcrumbs, and seasoned with Penzey spices (Aleppo, shallot salt, garlic and onion powder, oregano, thyme, s&p). Fried in evoo and butter, this came out crispy and juicy. What I really loved was it combined with the salad (I used butter/Boston lettuce) tossed with the vinaigrette. By itself I thought the vinaigrette was too salty and tangy, but with the lettuce on the chicken it was absolutely perfect. I ended up eating twice the salad that's in the picture because I wanted a forkful with every bite of chicken. Just a perfect balance of flavors. It made a great lunch today, and it was so good we had it as dinner too, making chicken sandwiches layered with garlic mayo, sliced tomato, and lettuce drizzled with leftover vinaigrette. I wish I had made a double batch.

Recipe link:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

[blue room]

Oh lovely! Thanks for posting this. I recently did her chicken piccata, I musn't forget to try this one too. "Straightforward", "balance", -- hard to find fault in her recipes!
I have to say the sandwiches you made sound every bit as good, maybe better, than the hot dish!

[blue room]

Chicken Piccata
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-piccata-recipe/index.html

This is boneless skinless chicken breast pounded (rolling pin) to a uniform thickness. The recipe specifies 1/4 inch, mine was an easy 1/2 inch, I'm sure. I think "piccata" is a classic dish -- is it mandatory to have it So Thin?
Dip the serving-size pieces into seasoned flour, then an egg wash, then seasoned (dry) bread crumbs. No mention of which seasonings to use, so I used a mix touted by Emeril Lagasse, very nice. It's here--
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/em...
A quick fry to brown both sides, then into the oven for 10 minutes.
A sauce goes with it-- many complaints on the Food Network website that the sauce had too much lemon juice! So I halved it, but used the prescribed amounts of butter and (dry white) wine. I thought it was perfectly seasoned, so did my SO.
I always thought Piccata used capers, but no mention of them in this recipe. Maybe that's only veal piccata?
I took a simple picture of just one piece-- not much to see and I didn't want it to get cold!

[smtucker]

Chicken Piccata should absolutely have capers. In a restaurant, I would send the plate back if they were missing. Of course, I love a good caper.

[smtucker]

ps. Lovely photo!

[blue room]

Thanks! I looked into this a little bit-- on the 'net, capers are mentioned with chicken piccata recipes but as an option. The only mention of piccata I could find in my 1 proper all-Italian book "(Essentials of..." by M. Hazan) was *liver* piccata, but no capers in that. She does include a veal *scaloppine* with capers-- and ham, anchovies and grappa. (That's probably what Ina Garten eats when she isn't cooking for the masses haha?)
M. Hazan does say what I suspected--the little vinegared bottled capers I have are not authentic--she says the flavor is altered and much sharper than the actual bud..picked in the morning..from the hillside..in the Italian sun..oh well. I like those little vinegar capers in pan bagnat sandwiches, though.
Couldn't find chicken piccata in Robert Carrier "Great Dishes...World" or in Bittman "Great Recipes...World" There are many many thin filleted chicken dishes, but with different names.
And to top it off, my copy of "Eat This, It'll Make You Feel Better" by Dom DeLuise :)
has only Veal piccata -- without capers! I guess it's not so classic as I thought it was--like Coq au Vin, I thought.

[Caitlin McGrath]

I flashed back to this conversation about what a piccata properly is or includes when I read this article about piccata in my local paper: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...

It talks about the need for acid (lemon juice), butter, and a piquant something like capers, but "classic" definitions are apparently not abounding. Interesting sounding recipes with it, too.

[blue room]

So interesting, thank you!

[smtucker]

I will need to amend my belief and now say "classic-for-me" piccata includes capers. I love these little briny jewels and this is one of the few ways I can get my family members to let me include them.

Like so many recipes, I expect that piccata varies from cook to cook, village to village and region to region.

[blue room]

smtucker, "World of Food" ( 1988, pg. 243)
"Beefsteak with Sicilian Capers"
Sounds pretty good, huh? I've found a few sources online for salt-packed capers so I can use the real thing next time. I'll save the vinegary ones for my
"classic-for-me" tuna sandwiches.

[The Dairy Queen]

I've already got that one tagged. Looks good, doesn't it?

~TDQ

[blue room]

Here's my problem--and I know I shouldn't complain--
(see pics--one in back yard, one looking down into chest freezer)
I have a bit of elk now, so I'm willing to try any and all --
but yes, it does look good!

[The Dairy Queen]

AH, yes, I call that the "what if you get one?" dilemma of hunting.

~TDQ

[smtucker]

I think much of the cooking of France would work well with venison. Let me assure you, my French cousins sure cook what they hunt. I do hope you will try some of the Wolfert recipes subbing out the protein.

[blue room]

Oh yes-- all beef recipes are 'fair game' haha -- your Bourguignon "riff" in this thread is exactly the sort of thing that turns out well. But I'm always searching for novelty, of course. Lucky for him that CHOWHOUND Home Cooking exists!

[The Dairy Queen]

Orange Pecan Wild Rice, Back to Basics pg. 164

This is pretty easy: wild rice, chicken stock, salt, unsalted butter (which I omitted as I didn't want the calories), brought to a boil then simmered for about an hour. Turn off heat, let steam (covered) for 5 minutes, then add more salt, butter (which I omitted), ground pepper, sliced scallions (which I omitted accidentally, I thought I had them at home), sliced green grapes (which I accidentally omitted--neglected to buy them, actually had them in my cart, the put them back because I couldn't remember why I needed them), toasted & chopped pecans, orange juice and zest. Tossed.

Even with the omissions this was AWESOME. Except for one thing. It was extraordinarily salty. She calls for kosher salt--I used sea salt. Maybe that was it? Or, maybe the butter, grapes and scallions that I purposely and accidentally omitted would have balanced the salt out?

More likely though, she has you add salt in two places. I have the feeling this was an error and you're only meant to add salt once.

I will definitely do this again, with about half the salt. Either with or without the scallions and grapes, though I want to try it WITH next time, assuming I remember!

~TDQ

[smtucker]

To substitute sea salt for kosher salt, you do indeed need to reduce by half.

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh my! No wonder, thank you! The funny thing is, I have kosher salt, too, and just didn't use it for whatever reason. Just grabbed the sea salt by habit, I think.

Thank yoU!

~TDQ

[smtucker]

If you have any rice leftover, I bet this would be delicious stuffed into a chicken, rolled into a pounded chicken breast or stuffed into a vegetable like a mushroom cap. In fact, I think that I will do just that someday.

[The Dairy Queen]

Or into a squash! But, maybe without the grapes?

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

I had no idea about this salt business. The things I learn here!

[blue room]

In an article about brining, Alton Brown says that 2 cups of Morton kosher salt weighs 1 pound, but it takes 3 cups of Diamond Crystal kosher to equal 1 pound.

[Caitlin McGrath]

This also discusses the different measures of the two brands by volume, and compares each to table salt: http://www.chow.com/digest/3426/measu...

Mostly, if I'm measuring salt for a recipe and the recipe calls for kosher salt (I generally use fine sea salt for cooking), I cut the measure in half.

[blue room]

TDQ---
"...then put them back because I couldn't remember why I needed them..."
started my day with a laugh!

[Breadcrumbs]

Thanks Gio, I'll definitely give escarole a try, sounds yummy. I totally agree about this being comfort food, its like having a big warm hug in a bowl!!!

[JaneEYB]

This looks great, it's one of my favorite soups so it's on the list for this week. I think I'll double the meatballs and freeze half for making the soup another time - having those ready will make the prep time so quick.

[Breadcrumbs]

Italian Wedding Soup - p. 72 Back to Basics

This is one of my all time favourite soups (to order when I'm out) so I was keen to try Ina's recipe and make this at home. If it hadn't been for the COTM, I don't think I would have realized Ina had a recipe for this soup, somehow I missed it when I first looked at the cookbook.

We really enjoyed this dish and I'm so happy to add it to my repertoire. I made the meatballs ahead and froze them so we can just pull out the amount we need and enjoy this soup quickly whenever we're craving it. Next time I'd double up on the quantity of meatballs since we seem to crave it more than I'd expected!!

We've had the soup w the spinach as Ina suggests and yesterday, I used baby arugula as I had some to use up in the fridge and it was excellent in the dish as well. My supermarket didn't have tubetini or stars so I purchased "Ditalini" - another small pasta that seemed to work well.

If you're making this in advance, I'd highly recommend leaving out the pasta until the night you want to eat the soup as it really does thicken the broth. We had some leftover the first night and it was a bit too thick for my taste the next day...though Mr bc preferred it thicker.

[Gio]

Another green vegetable that's frequently used in this soup, Breadcrumbs, is escarole. Rinse very well and roughly chop. And, you're correct about the macaroni....but then adding more broth would have thinned out the soup the next day. I love this soup. It's another version of Italian comfort food.

[blue room]

Vegetable Pot Pie, Barefoot Contessa Parties! pg. 255
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

Last week I ordered a leeetle bit of saffron from Penzeys Spices because I knew I would be doing this for COTM. I've never used it--or owned any--before now!
This was an expensive dish, I used asparagus TIPS, heavy cream, flat leaf parsley, little boiling onions--of course the saffron--a number of things I don't usually have and had to be bought special. At least I know now to have unsalted butter at the ready. Flaked sea salt? No, I used Morton kosher.
The filling is potato,asparagus, little onions, parsley, carrots, butternut squash.
(The display, both inside store and out in the parking lot, of all the different squashes and pumpkins was beautiful,all shapes sizes colors, oh I wanted one of each.

)

Sauce is made from chicken stock (Knorr's bullion--salty and pleasant, actually sort of chickeny, I know it's not ideal), butter-sauteed onion and fennel, flour, S & P, cream, saffron, and Pernod. Pernod is a licorice/anise flavored liqueur, so instead I put a big pinch of fennel seeds into a little vodka. Also a pinch into some very hot water. After an hour, the hot water tasted like lukewarm vegetable water and the vodka tasted like--licorice! So I used that instead of the Pernod, as it only called for a tablespoon.
The chopped vegetables get mixed into the cream sauce and topped with a pastry crust.
The crust is great--made with both Crisco and butter, flour, salt, ice-water--I'll use this elsewhere, perfect for many many pies I suspect. (And more and more I trust I. Garten recipes.)
I must say before baking this I tasted and tasted the filling--and thought "too sweet!"--was it the floral saffron taste, or the licorice candy fennel, or both??. But again, the recipe came out right--after baking there was no "sweet" -- it was a savory vegetable casserole, very good.
My SO said it was "great", and he's a truth teller when it comes to his dinner.
The book used an egg wash over the top for shine-- I prefer a more matte cream wash, with salt & pepper sprinkles.

[Gio]

Oh well done You!! Your finished pie is picture perfect.

It's daunting to use unknown ingredients for the first time. I felt really intimidated when we were doing the Fuchsia Dunlop month having to source all the Asian things I had never used before. Now I'd rather cook my own Chinese meals instead of eating in a restaurant or ordering take away.

[LulusMom]

Agree with Gio - gorgeous looking!

I can remember having to buy all new ingredients for things when I first started cooking. Now I've got all sorts of crazy stuff (as Gio said about Chinese month) - you'll find that you do end up using things the more you're used to them.

Anyway, great job!

[The Dairy Queen]

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower, Barefoot Contessa at Home pg 146

Large head of cauliflower cut into florets, arranged on a cookie sheet, drizzled with 3 TBSP EVOO, tossed with S&P, oven at 350 for 30-35 mins until tender and starting to brown. Take out, toss 1 cup grated parm + 1 cup grated gruyere (I think), roast 2 more minutes.

I used 1/2 cup parm, 1/3 cup mozz because a) I think 2 cups is too much (though delicious, I'm sure) and b) because that's what I had.

This recipe is simple, easy, a hit for sure.

Also, I've mentioned this in a couple of threads, but just in case: I have been making good use of this index of all of Ina's cookbooks. It's easy to scan the recipes, choose one that suits you, then go google it or look it up in the appropriate book. http://www.barefootcontessa.com/index... I'm sure she has even more recipes on Food Network than are listed here, but I've been having good luck with the index as it's a bit less hit and miss for me.

~TDQ

[blue room]

Popovers, Barefoot Contessa Parties! pg. 189

First time trying popovers, I knew I'd be doing these for COTM so I bought a popover pan, NordicWare, thick aluminum. But I'm almost 100% sure, just from observation, that any muffin tin / Pyrex custard cup / baking ramekin would be fine.
Made 2 batches-- I followed her instructions exactly the FIRST time--(no picture) and they were fine, but not as high as I would like--not like the pics I see online.
So the 2nd time... I switched from all-purpose flour to *bread flour* and ooomph-- there was a little elevation action.
The flavor of both was fine, I like the egginess, and for once, kosher salt was salty enough for me.
But does anyone know why my thick thick creampuff batter and this thin *pourable* batter can produce almost the same product?

[mebby]

Rosemary Cashews, Barefoot in Paris
Roasted unsalted cashews are warmed in the oven then tossed with a mix of melted butter, brown sugar, minced fresh rosemary, cayenne (I used chipotle powder) and salt. Super quick football-watching snack to accompany pan-fried onion dip from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. All I had were some pretty pedestrian roasted and salted (NOT unsalted) cashews and I think they'd be a lot better with good quality and unsalted cashews. I would also like a little more heat (although I almost always say that) and a bit more rosemary and I think adding the salt at the end would help them pop a little more. But they are salty, sweet and herby and I would definitely give them another go with better cashews and those adjustments.

[beetlebug]

Rosemary Cashews, Barefoot in Paris

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

Loved this. I bought whole unroasted cashew just because of your post mebby. I roasted the cashews and in a separate bowl, I melted the butter. Per some of the comments on the food network site, I mixed the cashews in with the butter first and then added the rest of the spices. I did double the amount of cayenne.

When I first ate them, I thought the flavor was great but the cashews weren't crunchy. But, now that they've cooled off, they are crunchy, addictive and delicious.

Quick and easy snack.

[BigSal]

Herb- Baked Eggs Barefoot in Paris p. 64
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...
This dish is similar to oeufs en cocotte and shirred eggs, but this recipe cooks the eggs at a much higher temperature and butter and cream is placed in the bottom of the dish rather than on top of the eggs. Hot spots in my oven were noticeable with this recipe. I had to turn the eggs to make sure they cooked evenly. This is a great way to cook eggs for a crowd and not have anyone waiting. I took some liberties with the recipe to make it a little lighter. I used two large eggs instead of three extra large eggs per serving and I used skim milk instead of cream.
Individual gratin dishes with cream and butter are placed under the broiler until it bubbles then add the eggs and the herb mixture (garlic, thyme, rosemary, parley and parmesan) and salt and pepper. Cook in broiler until the egg whites are almost set and rest 1 minute. I cooked the eggs for about three minutes and although the yolks were still runny, the whites were a little tougher than I would have liked. I will cook them a little less next time. This is a very versatile recipe and one could use any combination of herbs and savory toppings like spinach, mushrooms, ham or bacon.

[blue room]

" This is a great way to cook eggs for a crowd and not have anyone waiting." Hooray! I have "a crowd" once in a blue moon, but eggs are always a problem. How many eggs does this make?
This is the only Ina G. book I don't have, I think.

[blue room]

BigSal, I just found the (6 egg) recipe online--no need to reply--but thanks very much for the post!

[BigSal]

I made two servings (4 eggs) and placed the individual gratin dishes on a baking sheet. There could easily have been 4 more servings if not more, although this may impact the cooking time slightly.

[blue room]

Thank you, ma'am!

[liamsaunt]

This is one of my favorite breakfast-for-dinner recipes. My broiler is not the best so I have to seperate the yolks from the whites and give the whites a head start to get them fully cooked and still have a runny yolk. You can use any combination of herbs--last night I used chives and thyme. With some toasted bread and a salad, it makes a quick and delicious dinnner.

[The Dairy Queen]

Szechuan Noodles with Chicken and Broccoli--I'm not sure which book it's from...

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

I made this with modifications.

First of all, I didn't use her recipe for roast chicken breasts. I just had a bunch of chicken leftover from a roast chicken--some light meat, some dark--that I shredded up. (This, really, was my objective in choosing this recipe: use up the leftover chicken.

)

Second, I didn't have enough ginger, so, I just used what I had. It definitely could have used more.

I used about half the amount of oil (which was fine.)

I used Shaoxing Wine instead of dry Sherry and rice wine vinegar instead of the Sherry vinegar. I didn't have any scallions so I skipped that.

And, I only had two red bell peppers instead of one red, one green.

Anyway, this is a good way to use leftover chicken. I did think it was higher in fat than I'd normally want, but other than that, quick, easy and tasty. Next time, I'd probably cut the sauce in half, to reduce the fat content.

It was ugly, so, no photo.

~TDQ

[The Dairy Queen]

You know, now, 24 hours later now that the dish has had time to settle, I have to say, I don't love the raw garlic in this dish. Maybe my very very fresh CSA garlic was too potent or maybe one of my modifications messed things up, I don't don't think I'd make this dish again due to the raw garlic.

~TDQ

[clamscasino]

Eggplant Gratin, from Barefoot in Paris, pg 54

Ding ding ding, we have another winner! This was another, easy to put together, and very tasty dish. Half -inch slices of eggplant are fried in olive oil until browned and cooked through. They do absorb a lot of oil, but that is to be expected with eggplants. Then a layer of the slices is put into a baking dish (Ina does her in individual gratin dishes). One half cup of grated parm goes on top, along with some salt and pepper. I skipped that part because I added the s&p elsewhere...by mistake. No harm done. Then a cup of marinara sauce is spread on top. I used what was left of my roasted tomato and basil soup. Another layer of eggplant slices goes on and then the whole is covered with a custard mixture made from more grated parm, 2 eggs, half and half and ricotta cheese. Finally, a tablespoon of parm on top and into the oven.

Well, seems like a lot of people must be making lasagna around here this weekend, because there was not ONE container of ricotta at the local store. So I used a small curd cottage cheese and that worked fine. Served simply with "French style" bread from Beard on Bread, and it was a lovely, meatless dinner.

[clamscasino]

Lentil Sausage Soup from Barefoot in Paris, page 90

Made this a few nights ago. It's a fairly straight forward lentil soup recipe containing onions, leeks, garlic, carrots and chicken stock. For seasonings there are salt, papper, thyme, and the one that surprised me: cumin. A bit of tomato paste goes in there as well and at the end, some dry red wine or red wine vinegar. Ina calls initially for French sausage, but says in her intro that it's also delicious made with kielbasa.

Well, the store was out of turkey kielbasa (and Mr. Clam can't have the beef kind any longer, even though it's probably his all-time favorite food) so I used diced up Virginia ham. I think this recipe would have turned out much better (it was a little pedestrian) with the kielbasa, and on second though I should have subbed turkey hot-dogs. But all together, not too bad.

The only problem I had with this recipe was that it took WAY longer to cook those lentils than indicated. Ina calls for French green lentils "such as du Puy." Anyone know if that type cooks up more quickly than other types of green lentils?

[JoanN]

I recall reading somewhere, it may have been here, that the older the lentil, the longer it takes to cook--one reason you shouldn't combine newly-bought lentils with those that have been sitting on the shelf for a while. I don't think the type of lentil is the determining factor in how long it takes to cook as much as it is the age. And that's something that can be tough to determine, because who knows how long it was sitting on the market shelf before you brought it home.

[smtucker]

The duPays don't cook faster They have a deeper flavor and don't fall apart after being cooked. The cost difference is HUGE so I save those for very special meals.

My experience has been that fresher lentils cook faster than older ones, but around here finding a date on lentil packages is unheard of.

[clamscasino]

"finding a date on lentil packages is unheard of." And then there's the bulk bin, which is where mine came from. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I did think, hey, Mollie Katzen's lentil soup recipe takes much more time to cook than this recipe. Maybe I should pay more attention to the back part of mind LOL!

[greedygirl]

If I'm cooking puy lentils on their own, I find they take less than half an hour to cook to al dente. Any longer and they go a bit mushy.

[Karen_Schaffer]

Maple-Roasted Butternut Squash (from Back to Basics, I think)
http://www.barefootcontessa.com/recip...

This was fantastic! Cubed squash (I didn't use butternut, just some squash that I had) is tossed with olive oil, maple syrup, S&P, and garlic. Roast for 20-30 minutes, turn, sprinkle with chopped pancetta (I used bacon) and fresh sage leaves, roast another 20-30 minutes.

This is a savory and delicious take on roasted squash. There's only 2 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup, so it doesn't make the dish that sweet, and the pancetta/bacon, garlic, and sage give it great, savory flavor.

My cloves of garlic were gigantic, so I cut them up a bit rather than leaving them whole and unpeeled. The result is that they got overly caramelized, so I probably should have added them at the halfway point instead of right away (although I rather like that over-caramelized effect).

I think I will oil the baking sheet next time, as well as tossing the squash in oil (which I did in a bowl instead of on the baking sheet, easier to control). I lost too much of the lovely browning on the squash.

Major winner, I plan to make this again in the near future.

[The Dairy Queen]

Huh. I've been avoiding that recipe like the plague (B2B is the book of hers that I own) as it sounded too sweet to me. Thank you for reporting back as I might have otherwise ignored it forever!

~TDQ

[Karen_Schaffer]

I know what you mean. A lot of her recipes look like they'll be sweeter than I'd like too. But 2 1/2 tbsp of maple syrup isn't very much given that amount of squash. The dominant flavors were the squash and bacon, then the sage and garlic, with only a hint of the maple syrup. Hope you enjoy it!

[smtucker]

Riff on:
Beef Bourguignon
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

While shopping the freezer the other day, I discovered a 1.5lb beef shank, a cut from way back when I belonged to a meat CSA. I threw it into the fridge to thaw, and yesterday I used it to make this recipe [well, something based on this recipe.

]

I was actually inspired by an episode of "Everyday Foods" which is Martha Stewart's PBS show.

To start, I used 4 strips of bacon instead of the 8oz in the recipe. I then browned the beef [we actually had two pieces] well. I kept the meat intact, no cubes. I then poured off the fat, and used 2tbl to brown the onions. When the onions were brown, I added the garlic, tomato paste and fresh thyme, and sauteed until the tomato paste was cooked. [This is a Batali method, and it really cuts the acidity of the paste nicely.]

Add the meats [beef and bacon] back into the dutch oven, pour three cups of wine and 1 cup of water. I then did the Stevens parchment paper to create a seal, and place the pot into the oven set at 250º. There was no lighting of cognac. I skipped that part altogether.

About an hour and half later, I used a large sautee pan to brown the mushrooms, baby onions and carrots in a tbl of butter. I admit that I got impatient and didn't full brown the veggies. I tossed in 1 tbl of flour [hate the taste of flour in braised dishes] and worked it into a roux. Since the flour stuck a bit to the bottom of the pan, when I pulled the meat out of the oven, I grabbed 1/4 cup of the sauce from the pot and tossed it in to fully integrate the flour into the roux.

Dump everything into the dutch oven, and cooked for another hour. I removed the lid and decided to let it cook some more uncovered. I totally forgot to finish the dish with butter.

This was delicious in a braisey kind of way. The meat was broken down enough to eat around some of the nastier bits, the marrow had melted into the sauce, and the veggies still had some firmness and yet tasted of wine. The veggies gave off a bit too much water so there is far too much sauce for the amount of meat, and since I reduced the amount of flour, the sauce was not thickened. I am already dreaming of making an onion soup with the extra sauce.

I used a Lirac wine from the cellar that is a bit past its prime.

We would use this basic process again, keeping with the lesser cuts of meat.

[beetlebug]

re: Stevens method of using the parchment paper. I do that all the time as well. It doesn't matter which cuisine, Chinese, middle eastern, indian etc. My only problem is that sometimes I forget that there is water sitting on top of the parchment and I sometimes spill it back into the pot. My issue though.

[clamscasino]

Cauliflower Gratin, from Barefoot in Paris, pg. 156.

What can I say but "this is comfort food at it's best." Well the way I made it anyway....

This recipe calls for a whole head of cauliflower, broken into florets and boiled in salted water until "tender but firm." First change-up was to use half a head and to add steamed, diced potatoes to make up for the volume and to easily incorporate a starch into our dinner. Mr. Clam is a meat 'n potatoes kind of guy....

Meanwhile you make a fairly standard white sauce, starting with a roux. When it has thickened, one adds grated gruyere and parmesan. I subbed Swiss for the gruyere. Also added to the sauce are salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Then 1/3 of the sauce is put in the bottom of a baking dish, the vegetables are added and the rest of the sauce goes on top. Fresh bread crumbs are tossed with more grated gruyere and scattered on top. (I thought it could have easily used more breadcrumbs.) Finally a drizzle of melted butter, and into the oven it goes for about 25 minutes.

Turned out I only had a nubbin of parm in the fridge that grated, yielded only 1/4 cup instead of 1/2, so I made up for it with additional grated Swiss. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

[LulusMom]

That looks TOO good. holy cow, I'm wanting to dig in.

[blue room]

Oh pretty pretty picture there--I can smell it. But the potatoes you added--should they be *fully* cooked, or just steamed a little?

[clamscasino]

I wasn't initially going to fully cook the potatoes, but they got away from me...so, yeah, they were fully cooked. I used red potatoes BTW. This was absolutely heavenly on a dreary rainy night. I will be scarfing up the leftovers for lunch! Can't wait!

[The Dairy Queen]

Oh, I'd love to try this with my CSA cauliflower. I'll have to poke around and see if the recipe is online somewhere. Thank you for reporting on this!

~TDQ

[Gio]

Ask and ye shall receive:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

[clamscasino]

You're good! I should add that I didn't heat the milk before adding it to the roux. Thought it as an unnecessary step.

[Gio]

Good to know. I think I won't add that extra drizzle of butter on the top before baking.

[smtucker]

That does look lovely. The cauliflower is in at the markets, but my husband keeps curling his mouth when I suggest it. Maybe I just need to go without him. He would love this gratin I do believe.

[mebby]

I made this one a couple nights ago as well and it was everything clamscasino said -- ooey gooey gratin goodness. My husband is not AT ALL a cauliflower fan and slurped this up and voted it a keeper. The amount of cauliflower is actually substantial, but the bechamel, cheese and buttery breadcrumbs make it decadent and delicious. I followed the recipe pretty much exactly (using all cauliflower, no potatoes), including the drizzle of butter atop the breadcrumbs. It was a weeknight meatless meal for the two of us, served with roasted radicchio. Meatless, but not guiltless.

[JaneEYB]

I had a great pork tenderloin so was hoping to find a pork recipe in COTM but as has been noted, there is a distinct lack of pork in this book. So I went to Food Network and found a recipe Herb-marinated Pork Tenderloins from Back to Basics. The tenderloins were marinated in lemon zest and juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme and Dijon mustard. I didn't manage the full 3 hours of marinating but it still had a really strong flavor, particularly of lemon. I grilled it rather than doing it in the oven. The kids and I liked this a lot and I'll do it again.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/herb-marinated-pork-tenderloins-recipe/index.html

I served it with French String Beans from Barefoot in Paris p.160. Large-diced red onion and large-diced red pepper are roasted in a hot oven then sauteed with lightly cooked haricots verts. Loved this, great flavors - sweetness from the onions and peppers and crispness from the beans.

And for starch, Jill Dupleix's Crash-Hot Potatoes, which is my favorite potato recipe of all time. Check it out and I swear it will become s staple for you too. I make it with chopped fresh rosemary rather than fennel seeds.
http://www.jilldupleix.com/recipes/re...

[Karen_Schaffer]

I'm thinking of using that marinade with some pork chops, so thanks for the review. And those potatoes sound fantastic! Must get me some potatoes and try it out.

[Karen_Schaffer]

I did the pork chops using the lemon-herb marinade last night, got about 6 hrs of marinating in. There was a lemon tang on the surface of the chops, but the effect of the herbs seemed to disappear, even though I left plenty clinging to the chops (dried off the marinade, but left herbs/garlic on). I browned them in the frying pan and stuck them in the oven to finish coming up to temp, because they were quite thick. DH liked them a lot, I thought they were merely okay.

[JoanN]

Where have those potatoes been all my life?!?

And why are you telling us about them now when I'm trying not to eat carbs?

[Gio]

Prolific writer this Jill Dupleix, isn't she? Must try those potatoes and her Tombet recipe, a layered vegetable bake with tomato sauce.. Thanks Jane!

[beetlebug]

Good grief those potatoes look fabulous. I'm going to have to look at my CSA potato stockpile to see if I have any suitable ones.

[oakjoan]

The only caution is to make sure you don't set the oven to 200 degrees here in the U.S. This recipe is from Australia. It'd take a verrrrrry long time for your potatoes to crisp up.

[beetlebug]

Isn't it 200 degrees Celsius? I figure the oven at 425-450 Fahrenheit should do the trick.

[JaneEYB]

She actually recommends 230 to 250 Celsius which would be 450 to 480 Fahrenheit. I usually go even higher to 500F as I like a good crust on them.

[JaneEYB]

I always make a whole bag of small thin-skinned potatoes when I make this so I have leftovers to use to make frittata for lunch the next day. Which I did today with that and some leftover French beans with roasted pepers and red onions. Delicious lunch.

[BigSal]

Thanks for pointing out the Crash-Hot potato recipe. We made it tonight and it was a hit. We also used rosemary instead of fennel seed. Crispy and flavorful!

[JaneEYB]

So glad you liked it - it's one of those recipes that is so simple and so delicious you wonder why no-one had done it before (or at least I'm not aware of it).

[clamscasino]

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic from Barefoot in Paris pg 113

I've never made one of these "with 40 cloves of garlic" type dishes before, thinking "Who wants to peel 40 cloves of garlic?" But Ina makes it easy. You separate your cloves, plop them in boiling water for a minute, drain, and then the skins peel right off. Okay that is the recipe's first step.

Next, you brown seasoned, cut up chickens (the recipe calls for 2 - I halved it) in butter and olive oil. Those are then removed to a plate. The garlic cloves are added to the pan and sauteed for a few minutes. White wine and a bit of cognac are added, and you stir for a couple of minutes, scraping up the fond. Add chicken back in, sprinkle with thyme, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.

To finish, the chicken is removed to a platter. Some of the sauce is mixed with some flour to make a roux and added back to the pan. Cook a little more, then finish with a bit more cognac and a bit of heavy cream. You let that boil for another couple minutes, pour over the chicken and serve.

Now that WAS easy! Simple, quick and delicious too.

[The Dairy Queen]

Ooh, thanks for the heads up on the great peeling tip. I, too, avoid this kind of recipe for the same reason!

~TDQ

[LulusMom]

Yeah, thats one I like a lot.

[Gio]

Sautéed Cabbage, 2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties!
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

This couldn't be more simple and the end result is very tasty. A small head of cabbage is thinly sliced and sauteed in ... Butter... till tender. That's it. Well, it is seasoned with salt & pepper. Because I had what I thought was a large cabbage I included a half cup of fresh chicken stock too. It was a side dish for the Barefoot Contessa's Indonesian Ginger Chicken on page 125 and brown basmati rice cooked in chicken stock and seasoned with chopped cilantro and lime juice.

[LulusMom]

Sorry if I seem to be following you around Gio! I LOVE this cabbage recipe. So buttery.

[Gio]

Right, a stroll through the campus comparing cooking notes. Sounds very nice to me. Although it's raining here. Yes, the cabbage was tasty. I include cabbage a few times each month and this was a good addition to the various methods I use.

[LulusMom]

Put down the umbrella and come on down to this campus. Fairly nice day here.

It isn't a very popular vegetable, but I just love cooked cabbage. Something about the consistency. Love it in soups, and love this particular recipe.

[Karen_Schaffer]

I agree, cooked cabbage has such a lovely sweetness and silkiness. This recipe sounds great, and it's not even that much butter. Given some of her other recipes, I was expected her to call for at least twice as much.

Cooked cabbage has such a bad reputation, deservedly in cases where people boil it for hours, but who does that anymore? I wonder how many people these days have even eaten cooked cabbage. Growing up, we would have cabbage rolls occasionally, and would cook up the leftover bits of cabbage on the side (which I loved), but we never cooked cabbage by itself.

Btw, the link above didn't work. There's must be something funny about how the Food Network handles the links, because I did a search and got the same URL as you have above, but it won't work as a link. However, searching on Food Network for Barefoot Contessa Sauteed Cabbage will get anyone to the recipe.

[Karen_Schaffer]

I finally had a chance to make this sauteed cabbage, and it really is amazing. DH kept saying, "Really? Nothing more than butter, salt, and pepper?" It's astonishing how complex this simple combination was. This recipe will become a regular in our house for sure.

[Caitlin McGrath]

LLM, have you tried the Smothered Cabbage, Venetian Style from Essential of Classic Italian Cooking? I adore that dish, when I have time to cook it (takes an hour and a half). It's very simple, but the cabbage has a meltingly tender texture.

[LulusMom]

No, and that is a book I don't have. Can you tell me more?? Very intrigued.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Yes, I'll post the recipe here in a little bit.

Okay, I'm back. She says you can use green, Savoy, or red; I don't like red much, so I use green or Savoy. Here's a paraphrase:

2 lbs cabbage (I just use a mediumish one that's around that)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (I usually use a bit less)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 T. chopped garlic
1 T. wine vinegar (I use white wine or Champagne vinegar)

The cabbage needs to be cut very fine; I use the finest slicing blade of my food processor. Cook the onion in the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until it's deep gold, then add garlic and cook just until it's golden. Add the cabbage and turn it to coat in the oil, and cook until wilted. Add salt, pepper, and the vinegar, cover, and turn the heat very low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, until very tender. She says you can add 2 T. water during cooking if needed. When it's done, check seasoning and let rest a few minutes off heat.

This is great with any kind of grilled or roasted chicken, fish, etc., or just with pan-cooked sausages. I like leftovers cold, right from the fridge, but it also heats just fine in the microwave.

[LulusMom]

Thanks so much Caitlin. Looks/sounds like a wonderful side.

[Katie Nell]

This sounds amazing, kind of similar in the way that her carrots are cooked to, as far as on the stovetop for quite a while. I wish there were a less hands-on way to do those carrots too! I'm going to have to try the cabbage next!

[oakjoan]

There's a wonderful Paula Wolfert braised cabbage with glazed onions and sauteed mushrooms recipe that's just fab. Weird combo, but works very well.` It's a French recipe in her Med. Greens and Grains Cookbook and I'll be glad to paraphrase if anybody's interested.

[mollyomormon]

I would be interested!

[oakjoan]

mollyomormon: Sorry I've taken so long to paraphrase Wolfert's cabbage recipe. Hope you're still around.

3 Tbsps olive iol

AROMATICS
1 bay leaf
1 clove garlic
5 sprigs thyme

1 onion, thinly sliced

2 pounds cabbage, cored and cut into 2 inch wedges

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1 1/2 cups chicken or meat or veg stock. (I always use chicken)

1/3 cup dry, white wine

1 1/2 oz. chopped pancetta

12 small red or white pickling onions, trimmed, blanched and peeled. When I'm lazy, I just add another couple of regular onions diced instead of doing all the work to use the pearl onions.

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 lb. assorted fresh mushrooms (I use regular mushrooms and a few reconstituted dried porcini), thickly sliced

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced (I almost always just press it)

2 Tblsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 sprig of thyme

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a dutch oven. Add aromatics and sliced onion. Cover and let sweat for 5 minutes. Add cabbage, salt, 1/2 tsp of the sugar, 1/2 cup of the stock and the wine. Cook (she says to cover with parchment paper and the lid - I leave out the parch. paper due to laziness) over low heat for 1 hour. This can also be done in a 300 degree oven.

While cabbage is cooking, saute the pancetta with a Tbsp of the oil in a skillet (Add a little stock to keep it moist when necessary) over medium heat until nicely browned. Add the pearl onions (or chopped onions if taking the lazy route), the remaining 1/2 tsp. sugar, another 1/2 cup stock and salt and pepper. Cook this uncovered until onions are glazed and have browned. Add this mixture to the cabbage, cover and continue cooking it over low heat (or in oven)

Add the last Tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet, add the mushrooms and garlic and saute slowly, adding spoonsful of stock to keep the mixture moist. Saute them for 20 minutes and then add the parsley and thyme. Cook for a few more minutes.

Add the mushroom mixture to the onion/cabbage mixture, cover, and cook until the cabbage is "meltingly" tender. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Tip the cabbage mixture into a serving bowl and then reduce the remaining juices in the pan a bit. Pour the juices over the cabbage/mushroom mix, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

This is really delicious and worth the trouble it takes to make. It's not actually that big a deal.

[Gio]

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

This link works. Just tested it. Thanks Karen!

[Rubee]

Sautéed Cabbage from Barefoot Contessa Parties!

I agree - so simple but so tasty! I served it as a side dish to a roast chicken dinner. The leftovers the next day were delicious mixed with some leftover mashed potatoes, like colcannon.

[blue room]

Strawberry Country Cake, 2001 Barefoot Contessa Parties! page 128
OR
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

I mixed this up this afternoon--obeyed the instructions nearly to the letter for the cake itself, but (see pic) used fresh sliced peaches rather than strawberries for the middle.
I guess I'd call this a pretty, no-surprises dessert. Very straightforward-- a simple poundcake-like round to show off fresh fruit and whipped cream. Do this, add that, nothing tricky or time consuming--she calls for 4 extra large eggs, so I used 4 large and 1 medium, and the moistness was fine. Both lemon and orange zest is in the batter and you can smell it during the baking, even though it's only 1 teaspoon total. I liked that kitchen smell! This recipe makes two 8-inch layers--the picture below shows 1 layer sliced horizontally, ready to be assembled by stacking the 2nd half on top of the peaches, then adding remaining whipped cream. (The other layer frozen, there are just 2 of us.) When I thaw the 2nd one in 2 or 3 months I'll have no fresh fruit--but I'm thinking caramel-laced ice cream?
My SO said "excellent" but he was watching the local news (homicide!) at the time. Oh well.
I'd recommend this, but it IS meant to be split and filled, so have a filling in mind.

[smtucker]

That looks absolutely lovely. DId you add any citrus extract or zest to the whipped cream?

[blue room]

No, that didn't occur to me--I guess I was thinking "peaches and cream", and the cake was a separate project--but that's not a bad idea, to marry the two!

[Gio]

Broccoli and Bow Ties, 2002 Barefoot Contessa Family Style
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/in...

We liked this very much. Quick, easy, tasty: three words we like A Lot. I doubled the amount of each ingredient except the broccoli which came to 4 1/2 cups not 8 as the recipe calls for. And, to be perfectly honest the recipe calls for 1/2 pound of farfalle for 6 - 8 servings which I thought was out of balance. Since I was making this as a pasta dish, not a vegetable dish the change worked out very well.

Broccoli florets are cooked in a large "pasta" pot for 3 minutes then removed to a bowl. Cook the pasta in the same water till al dente. When done add the pasta to the bowl with the broccoli. While the pasta is cooking heat butter and oil, then cook garlic and lemon zest over medium-low heat for a minute. Take the pan off the heat, add 2 teaspoons salt, pepper and lemon juice and pour over the broccoli and pasta. Toss well. Adjust seasoning if necessary. Toasted pignoli are then sprinkled but I didn't use them. We did. however, grate parmigiano over each serving. Very nice dish. Next time I'll probably add some crushed red pepper flakes...I also served Caramelized Butternut Squash, pg. 101 from Barefoot Contessa .