Tag Archives: Barefoot Contessa

{Party} Barefoot Contessa, new easy recipes, and Austin

08 Monday Aug 2011

Posted by in Family, Food, Recipes, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook, Travel

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Austin was wonderful.  HOT, but wonderful.  We always stay with Son #1, his lovely wife and now, Olivia!  Since Olivia is our first grand child we are over the moon with joy and we delight at her every move.  She is crawling and charming us with her smile.

While in Austin our kids always make it a  point to try new, well-reviewed places to eat.  I’m pretty sure I gain weight each visit but come away wishing Orange County, California had 1/4 of the fabulous places to dine.  I’m giving you the list, just in case you visit Austin sometime soon.

+ Walton’s Fancy and Staple

 

This little gem is owned by Sandra Bullock (yes, that one) and her sister.  the pastrami sandwich on pretzel bread was the best pastrami sandwich I had eaten in a very long time.  I unfortunately ate it all which left me with no room for one of their fabulous desserts.  The cafe also sports a florist and small gift shop.  It was wonderful.


+ Eastside (I actually mentioned this HERE)

I had eaten here a visit ago with Jamie’s mom (DIL).  We’ve decided to make it a tradition.  The food is delicious and many of the ingredients are grown on the grounds.  They even have a chicken coop with a wide array of chickens, their eggs are from those wonderful chickens.

This little rooster was very small for a rooster.  The baby chicks above are so cute.  I didn’t take a picture of the mom but there are a wide variety of chickens at Eastside.

+ Haddington’s

 

+ Franklin Barbecue (this was mentioned in a recent Bon Appetit as the best barbecue in the nation!  It didn’t disappoint but you have to arrive before they open to get in line.  Once they run out of brisket, ribs or any other delicious meat, they close)

When we got home I was ready for some simple recipes for easy summer meals, 87 degrees, not 107 temperatures.  I had tried a couple of recipes from Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten’s “How easy is that?”.  Even though this recipe requires the oven, I think you will enjoy the fresh flavor of the green herbs and summer is the ideal time for salmon, right.  I prepared this with rice and a mixed green salad.  Super easy and so delicious.

image via the kitchen designer blog

Roasted Salmon with Green Herbs

Serves 6

1 (2- to 2 ½-pound) skinless salmon fillet
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup good olive oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup minced scallions, white and green parts (4 scallions)
½ cup minced fresh dill
½ cup minced fresh parsley
¼ cup dry white wine
Lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the salmon fillet in a glass, ceramic, or stainless-steel roasting dish and season it generously with salt and pepper. Whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice and drizzle the mixture evenly over the salmon. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together the scallions, dill, and parsley. Scatter the herb mixture over the salmon fillet, turning it so that both sides are generously coated with the green herbs. Pour the wine around the fish fillet.

Roast the salmon for 10 to 12 minutes, until almost cooked in the center at the thickest part. The center will be firm with just a line of uncooked salmon in the very center. (I peek by inserting the tip of a small knife.) Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Cut the salmon crosswise into serving pieces and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Hope you are staying cool and enjoying the final weeks of summer.

Easy Barefoot Contessa pasta night

20 Wednesday Oct 2010

Posted by in Entertaining, Food, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

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In my quest to prepare several new (to me) recipes out of Ina Garten’s “Back to Basics” cookbook before the October 26 release of her new cookbook, “How easy is that?” I have been trying a few of the easier recipes.  I work full time and sometimes when I get home from work I don’t feel like cooking a multi-stepped, overly involved recipe…you understand, right?

Since my photography lessons (self taught) aren't up to speed just yet, I borrowed this from Google. It's not what the pasta the recipe calls for looks like but you get the jest of the overall image.

So…I made Pasta with Pecorino and Pepper last week.  Wow, is it delicious and super easy.  I confess I took the time to pick up an Italian ‘tagliarelle’ pasta…they carry this at most specialty markets and even had a version at Trader Joe’s.  I also bought the Pecorino cheese at Trader Joe’s.  I grow fresh parsley almost year round so I had that on hand.

This recipe has a fresh herb taste and is very delicious, in my humble opinion.

(Could this picture be any smaller?)

To go with this I prepared Garlic Ciabatta Bread (from the same book).  I personally loved this bread, hubby thought it was good but not his favorite accompaniment to a pasta dish.  I usually make a basic sour dough bread with butter, Lawry’s garlic salt and Parmesan cheese (brown under the broiler) bread. I thought the Garlic Ciabatta Bread was so fresh and flavorful, it’s a winner in my book.

This really is a great book and the recipes are pretty easy.

PASTA WITH PECORINO & PEPPER

Ingredients

* 1 tablespoon whole black Tellicherry peppercorns

* Kosher salt

* 1/2 pound dried Italian egg pasta, such as tagliarelle

* 1 cup freshly grated aged Pecorino cheese (4 ounces), plus extra for serving

* 2 tablespoons heavy cream

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

* 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Place the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and crush them until you have a mixture of coarse and fine bits. (You can also grind them in a small food mill or coffee grinder.) Set aside.

Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package until al dente. Ladle 1 cup of the pasta cooking water into a glass measuring cup and reserve it. Drain the pasta quickly in a colander and return the pasta to the pot with a lot of the pasta water still dripping.

Working quickly, with the heat on very low, toss the pasta with 1/2 cup of the grated Pecorino, the crushed peppercorns, cream, butter, parsley, and 1 teaspoon salt, tossing constantly. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved cooking water. Off the heat, toss in the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino. Serve immediately with a big bowl of extra grated Pecorino for sprinkling.

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GARLIC CIABATTA BREAD

Ingredients

* 6 large garlic cloves, chopped

* 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

* 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves

* 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

* Freshly ground black pepper

* 1/2 cup good olive oil

* 1 loaf ciabatta bread

* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Let me know what you think.

Working my way thru Barefoot Contessa’s Back to Basics cookbook

08 Friday Oct 2010

Posted by in Entertaining, Food, Simple Meals for the Avid Cook

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As I mentioned previously, Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) has a new cookbook coming out titled, “How easy is that?” on October 26th.

I’ve linked to Amazon for the book but only because it was where I borrowed the images from.

When I read about her new book I suddenly realized that I had started out cooking out of her last cookbook, “Back to Basics” with great enthusiasm and then I got busy or something.  I hate making excuses, not very good at it.  In any event, I decided that between now and the 26th, I would start preparing a few recipes each week from book #6 (BtB).

Last evening I prepared Mustard-Roasted Fish.  I’ve posted the recipe below (courtesy of foodTV website). The only modifications I made was to use Trader Joe’s frozen tilapia (they didn’t have red snapper) and it was delicious.  The sauce is mild but flavorful and, the best part, this recipe is super easy.  I made her Roasted-Broccoli Parmesan which was also very easy and tasty.  You can find the recipe HERE.

Mustard Roasted Fish

Fish (Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics)

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INGREDIENTS:

  • 4 (8-ounce) fish fillets such as red snapper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 8 ounces crème fraiche
  • 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 2 tablespoons minced shallots
  • 2 teaspoons drained capers

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (You can also use an ovenproof baking dish.) Place the fish fillets skin side down on the sheet pan. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper.

Combine the crème fraiche, 2 mustards, shallots, capers, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Spoon the sauce evenly over the fish fillets, making sure the fish is completely covered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it’s barely done. (The fish will flake easily at the thickest part when it’s done.) Be sure not to overcook it! Serve hot or at room temperature with the sauce from the pan spooned over the top.