A friend of mine who authors a food blog and I were talking the other day about which cookbooks we like to cook from the most and we both agreed that Ina Garten's recipes are amazing. They always work, they always taste perfect, and they are usually pretty easy with fairly common ingredients (with the exception of her obsession with truffle butter and all things truffle). Now, Ina's recipes usually start off with 2 sticks of butter so in no way am I claiming that she is a healthy chef, but, nonetheless, I do cook from her often.
I love to read her cookbooks cover to cover (which I can't say that for some chefs.) She has wonderful insights from her years spent as a caterer for Barefoot Contessa, the specialty food store in the Hamptons she owned. Her frank and simple style is refreshing! She loves France and has a wonderful cookbook dedicated to her food experiences there.
A really nice thing about her is that she is one of those Food Network Super Star Chefs so pretty much all her recipes from her cookbooks are free online - a bonus for me since I only own 3.
Her personal website Barefoot Contessa has a tips section where she goes through and reveals all the secrets of her trade and the things she uses on a day-to-day basis that make her cooking life easier. She put most of these tips in her most recent cookbook, How Easy was That? But here they are online with where she buys them.
I will leave you with a few of my favorite of her recipes that I make OVER AND OVER!
First the most amazing summer side salad, Panzanella Salad. It's an Italian dish utilizing all the delicious veggies of summer featuring homemade croutons (which are AMAZING! I recommend doubling the batch because they just disappear while being cooked). Another recommendation that isn't suggested in the actual recipe is if you plan on eating this over the course of a few days, keep the croutons separate as they will go soggy if kept with the rest of the salad - of course I have eaten it this way MANY times and it is still as delicious as ever but I just love the olive oil infused crunch that those freshly sauteed croutons bring!
Here is the recipe, now can't you just wait for summer to get here so you can whip it up?
Panzanella Recipe by Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa Parties!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 small French bread or boule, cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
- 20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped
- 3 tablespoons capers, drained
For the vinaigrette:
- 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 1/2 cup good olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper, yellow pepper, red onion, basil, and capers. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.Another of her recipes that is Peter's favorite dish is the amazing Tuscan Lemon Chicken the flavor of this chicken is so bold and very lemon-y, which we LOVE. I often add about a tablespoon of Balsamic Vinegar because it tastes soooo good! You can cook this over the grill (which is the best option) but during the winter months you can also roast it in the oven at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes then flip and check for doneness around 5 minutes then flip it again and broil it for like 2-4 minutes (be sure to watch it at this point!) to give it that slightly charred look of being grilled. The chicken should register 160 degrees then let it rest as directed in the recipe below.
Tuscan Lemon Chicken by Ina Garten from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics
Ingredients
- 1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened
- Kosher salt
- 1/3 cup good olive oil
- 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, halved
Directions
Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice,garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.
When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.Hopefully these recipes have revealed the amazing-ness of Ina Garten. She has so many more just flat-out good recipes in all of her cookbooks and wonderful advice for entertaining. If you haven't tried her recipes yet, search for her online or go to your local library and check out her books - you won't regret it!
- Madeline
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