Making Ina's Recipes at Home: How Easy is That?

[anneofcleves]

Could you use Israeli couscous instead of orzo? I ask because I have decided that I like the couscous, texture and shape, better than orzo. Even though they are both pasta, I prefer one over the other for some reason. 

 

eta Another question: How would I go about substituting pineapple juice for the lemon juice? Do you think it would work? I just got done eating some sweet and sour sauce that is pineapple based on bulgogi rice and I am craving the pasta salad now but want it to be pineapple-ey. The little hole in the wall sub sandwich and rice place makes the sauce on top of the stove and they really need to bottle it. 

It's pasta salad, so it's easy to modify.  You could certainly sub Israeli or Lebanese couscous for the orzo - just make sure it's not overcooked.  I wouldn't sub Moroccan couscous, though, since it's more delicate.  As for pineapple, you'd probably have to experiment with the proportions of pineapple juice.  I think it needs a certain amount of acidity from lemon for tartness, but you could sub in a portion of pineapple juice.  And if you're using pineapple juice, I think cilantro would a little better in it than basil.  (Don't tell Ina I said that.)

Edited April 7, 2016 by anneofcleves

[RabbiBeth]

I made Ina's "Engagement Chicken" last night.  Oh.  Em.  Gee. Let's just say my husband of 20 years DID propose to me again!  Try it!  If you love lemony chicken, this is for you. 

[chessiegal]

On 4/6/2016 at 3:54 PM, chessiegal said:

I'm going to my pot luck "Fun Lunch" end of the month, and was thinking of bringing a pasta salad. Does anyone have an Ina favorite?

I ended up taking her shrimp and feta orzo salad, but subbed grilled salmon for the shrimp because I knew 1 of the participants is allergic to shrimp. It turned out great and was a big hit. People asked for the recipe.

[snarktini]

Her soups are my favs. The provençal soup with pistou is amazing. So is the cheddar corn chowder and pappa al pomodoro. I could basically live on those. The wedding soup is great but it's really about the meatballs. The provençal and wedding soup involve so many ingredients I hardly ever make them, though.

And obviously she does a lot of chicken. I saw a couple of people mention the lemon chicken as too lemon-y. I love it! But I reduce the time and make it as a party appetizer, where a few bites isn't overwhelming. My friends used to request it for parties. I also love her Indonesian ginger chicken for the same application. Both grilled, always. 

Her french potato salad with the niçoise add-ons has attended many, many potlucks to great reviews. As has the orzo with roasted veg and feta. The lasagna with turkey sausage and goat cheese is out of this world, but I stopped making it because it was just so indulgent I felt like I couldn't justify it. All the cheeses also get expensive.

Only two recipes have ever bombed for me: the white bean soup, and the roasted shrimp which everyone else loves. Maybe it was lousy shrimp? TBH, her recipes are generally so reliable I assume I'm at fault when it fails. The one I've had to modify heavily is the turkey meatloaf -- it's way too bland, which is not something one normally says about BC recipes! I halve the meat (two trays of turkey) but keep everything else at full proportions. That's been a reliable hit and it freezes well. (The only good idea I ever got from Rachael Ray is to put BBQ sauce on meatloaf, and to cook in muffin tins for potlucks.)

I don't really know her newer recipes as well even though my mom keeps giving me the cookbooks every year...I discovered her in my late 20s when I was still coming into my own as a cook. Barefoot Contessa the cornerstone of every party I threw for at least a decade!

Edited August 27, 2016 by snarktini

[Bastet]

Quote

Her soups are my favs.

My favorite is her cream of wild mushroom soup.  I use one more type of mushroom than she does, use less butter to cook the leeks, use my regular stock (which is made with plenty of mushroom stems) rather than making her specific quick-cook stock for this recipe, and use all half-and-half rather than half-and-half and cream, but it's still fundamentally her recipe.  Whenever the weather turns chilly, I make it.  Good thing I live in a warm climate, or I'd live on it.

[3pwood]

1 hour ago, snarktini said:

... Only two recipes have ever bombed for me: the white bean soup, and the roasted shrimp which everyone else loves. Maybe it was lousy shrimp? ... 

As I recall, the only ingredients for the roasted shrimp are olive oil, salt, & shrimp.  If the olive oil were rancid, I think you'd know it as soon as the bottle was opened -- I can't imagine what could be wrong with the salt -- so that leaves the shrimp.  I don't use anything real cheap or real expensive, usually Costco's 20/25 (sometimes U15, which is the size specified in the recipe) -- cook within a day of buying & keep chilled until then -- peel & leave the tails on, pat sort of dry, toss with oil & salt.   Then 400 degrees, 8-10 minutes, shaking/tossing partway through -- what could go wrong?

 

Please give it another try -- believe me, it's well worth it! 

[snarktini]

1 minute ago, 3pwood said:

As I recall, the only ingredients for the roasted shrimp are olive oil, salt, & shrimp.  If the olive oil were rancid, I think you'd know it as soon as the bottle was opened -- I can't imagine what could be wrong with the salt -- so that leaves the shrimp.  I don't use anything real cheap or real expensive, usually Costco's 20/25 (sometimes U15, which is the size specified in the recipe) -- cook within a day of buying & keep chilled until then -- peel & leave the tails on, pat sort of dry, toss with oil & salt.   Then 400 degrees, 8-10 minutes, shaking/tossing partway through -- what could go wrong?

 

Please give it another try -- believe me, it's well worth it! 

Thanks! They were bland and tough (could have been poorly handled /refrozen, or overcooked, or both). Nothing that couldn't be corrected. I trust the recipe is fine although my experience didn't convince me about the benefits of roasting. It was one of the few times I made a recipe for a dinner party without testing in advance, and it was such a bummer.

I don't actually cook a lot of seafood. I adore it and am in general a really good cook, but it's not something I've developed good instincts for. (I mostly buy sustainable meat/seafood, and that's incredibly expensive to experiment with.) 

[Bastet]

Tough makes me wonder if it was overcooked, which can happen in less than a minute with shrimp.

Edited August 28, 2016 by Bastet

[chessiegal]

I thought the roasted shrimp called for 4-5 minutes. I do it in my Breville counter top convection oven, pre-heat the oven, and watch it like a hawk. As soon as the shrimp turn pink, I take them out. They are perfect every time. (the recipe I use calls for crushed garlic in addition to salt, pepper, and olive oil).

[3pwood]

The recipe says 8-10 minutes (preheated), which is what I've always used with great success (lower end of the range for smaller shrimp).  Maybe time is shorter in a convection oven?  Regardless of the clock, they must be pulled out as soon as they turn pink, however much or little time has elapsed.

[Bastet]

Yeah, I look at the shrimp, rather than the clock, so I can't say for certain how long I cook shrimp, but I can't imagine I've ever cooked them 8-10 minutes.  More like five.

[chessiegal]

I set the timer for 5 minutes, and usually pull it out around 4 minutes or a little more when it turns pink. I know my Breville convection oven does cook things faster, based on other foods I've cooked in it. I love this oven - perfect for 2 people and much better than heating up my big Jenn-Air propane fueled oven.

[Gam2]

I always use the extra large shrimp. Once it's starts to curl and turn pink, it's ready. It will continue to cook as you pull it out of the oven and let it sit a couple of minutes. It really doesn't matter whether you roast it or fry it or sauté it-you must watch it carefully and as I said, once it curls up and turns pink it's done. There's about a 30 second window between perfect and overcooked when it comes to shrimp. Once you get the hang of it, you can do it perfectly every time. Of course, every one's oven or stove top is different so you just have to figure out how your's works. Keep trying. 

[biakbiak]

Though I am not certain what you mean about "bland" the roasted shrimp is just a cooking method and her base recipe tastes like shrimp and she pairs it with her thousand island or her orzo/feta salad where the flavor is in the dressing. I often roast the shrimp but add various spices when I toss them in salt and olive oil before roasting.

[snarktini]

21 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Though I am not certain what you mean about "bland" the roasted shrimp is just a cooking method and her base recipe tastes like shrimp and she pairs it with her thousand island or her orzo/feta salad where the flavor is in the dressing. I often roast the shrimp but add various spices when I toss them in salt and olive oil before roasting.

This was a roasted shrimp cocktail recipe from Back to Basics, with only oil, salt and pepper. I probably cut back on her salt amount -- you know Ina! -- and that was a mistake as my shrimp was underseasoned. Even if there is a sauce I believe every component should be seasoned and delicious on its own! (Personally, I would rather eat good shrimp solo, undipped.) So I just needed more salt and pepper, maybe a longer time to let the salt and oil permeate. For this application I probably wouldn't want to add additional spices or aromatics that might compete with the cocktail sauce flavors. 

I have never had a problem cooking shrimp correctly in a pan or on a grill. But it was my first time roasting.

[ariel]

We love Ina's Lobster/Corn Chowder.  Right now where I live,  lobster is on sale through Labor Day & corn is plentiful at the farmer's markets.

[snarktini]

23 hours ago, ariel said:

We love Ina's Lobster/Corn Chowder.  Right now where I live,  lobster is on sale through Labor Day & corn is plentiful at the farmer's markets.

It's unfair that peak corn season is summer, and my favorite Ina corn recipes (corn pudding and cheddar corn chowder) are cold weather food. I sauté corn in butter and freeze it so I can make chowder from local farmstand corn in winter. :)

The more times you type "corn" the weirder it looks.

[autumnh]

55 minutes ago, snarktini said:

It's unfair that peak corn season is summer, and my favorite Ina corn recipes (corn pudding and cheddar corn chowder) are cold weather food. I sauté corn in butter and freeze it so I can make chowder from local farmstand corn in winter. :)

The more times you type "corn" the weirder it looks.

As the producer of some of the best sweet corn in SE Michigan, I say buy it up from your local farmers market and can it! or use a vacuum sealing bag....you have it all year long! We would make sure we staggered planting so that we'd have some until Labor Day!

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, snarktini said:

It's unfair that peak corn season is summer, and my favorite Ina corn recipes (corn pudding and cheddar corn chowder) are cold weather food. I sauté corn in butter and freeze it so I can make chowder from local farmstand corn in winter. :)

The more times you type "corn" the weirder it looks.

Move to San Francisco, I have made both those dishes in the last few weeks because we have only had one day above 70 in August.

Edited August 31, 2016 by biakbiak

[snarktini]

54 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Move to San Francisco, I have made both those dishes in the last few weeks because we have only had one day above 70 in August.

Ha, I live in Oakland. We've been in the 70s over here but my house captures heat (it's still 79 according to my hall thermostat at 8p) and of course I don't have A/C so heating up the stove is a drag. But this summer it was certainly more possible than some, that's for sure.

My parents live in Brentwood, a major corn area. We're getting to the end of the season so I'll be doing one last farm stand run this weekend to stock up!

[biakbiak]

9 minutes ago, snarktini said:

Ha, I live in Oakland. We've been in the 70s over here but my house captures heat (it's still 79 according to my hall thermostat at 8p) and of course I don't have A/C so heating up the stove is a drag. But this summer it was certainly more possible than some, that's for sure.

 

Okay next time I have them on the menu, I'll invite you over to the foggier side of the bay!

Edited August 31, 2016 by biakbiak

[snarktini]

41 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Okay next time I have them on the menu, I'll invite you over to the foggier side of the bay!

best.forum.ever!

[jcbrown]

I'm in Sunnyvale where it does get warm but I cook according to what I want to eat, not the calendar, so I've done soups all summer. :-) Seems like we have our own little Bay Area Barefoot Contessa fan club here!

[larapu2000]

An FYI on shrimp buying, if you think the shrimp is low quality:  look at the ingredients listing and avoid all products with tri-poly phosphate.  They pump the shrimp with this solution to help preserve it, but it is what makes things like shrimp and scallops "weep" in the pan.  Kroger actually has a product under its newer label, something about honesty or freshness, I forget.  Also, I generally use gulf, Mexican, or South American shrimp because they taste better than tiger shrimp from Asia (in my opinion).

I cook the corn chowder up to the point where you add cream and freeze that si that I can enjoy that beautiful Midwestern corn in the dead of winter, I just add the cream when I hear it up!

[annzeepark914]

I'm afraid to eat shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico (thanks to the oil spill and different marine animals which now have deformities).  And I don't want shrimp from Thailand, where the farming practices are suspect.  Just can't stand to pay $20/lb for North Carolina shrimp (they're so delicious!)--that's too much.  So I'm left with buying Wegman's shrimp which come from a farm in Belize but I trust Wegman's staff to be keeping an eye on how it's run.  Hope I'm not making a mistake. The shrimp are ok but not like the NC shrimp ;>(

[chessiegal]

I'm going to my Fun Lunch December Holiday Lunch on the 15th and bringing Ina's scalloped potatoes. I've made them before and they are so good!

[rhys]

We had her wedding soup as part of our Thanksgiving meal. Divine

[annzeepark914]

Thanks for the idea, rhys.  I just made the Italian Wedding Soup tonight and miraculously, it came out divine.  I was greatly concerned because although the meatballs were wonderful, the soup was like water.  Then, I tossed in half the meatballs and let it simmer and added a bunch of seasonings (made it with boxed chicken broth) + a little sugar.  Threw in the baby spinach, poured into bowls, topped with shredded Parmesan and all of a sudden it was fantastic soup. With this recipe you really have to "make it your own".

[Westiepeach]

Ina's recipe is the only wedding soup I make. Comes out perfect every time. I make my own chicken bone broth and it really makes a difference. I also simmer parmesan cheese rinds in the soup and it really brings the flavor to a new level!

[Bastet]

Y'all made me look up the wedding soup.  I hate beef meatballs, but the chicken/chicken sausage meatballs in this recipe sound good.  I love soup with spinach in it, and the addition of dill sounds good, but I hate cooked carrots (raw is fine, but once it's cooked, carrot turns into something I just can't stand).  So I'd have to leave the carrots out, but otherwise that looks like a tasty soup! 

[annzeepark914]

It's the chicken sausage mixed in with the ground chicken that is so delicious! I got mild raw chicken sausage but even that had a tiny bit of zip to it (got it from Whole Foods).  I had to stop myself from eating too many meatballs, and put them in the soup.  I think I'll use this recipe for the meatballs to make chicken burgers too.  

[Bastet]

I prefer - by a factor of, oh, infinity - pork sausage, so there aren't a lot of chicken sausages on the market that I don't find a disappointment.  But there's one at a local sausage shop that I freakin' love, so I'll use that when I try this recipe.  Maybe week after next, when we're supposed to get rain (I'm one of those people who needs "soup weather" to eat soup).  I'll report back.

[MargeGunderson]

Now I know what I'm going to make this weekend - thanks, everyone!

[Spunkygal]

Has anyone tried dry brining a chicken before roasting it Ina's way? The last time I followed her recipe, the chicken wasn't as moist as I thought it would be. So I was thinking of dry brining about two days in advance then the day before roasting completely dry it off and let sit in the fridge overnight before roasting the next day. 

[justspiffy]

1 hour ago, Spunkygal said:

Has anyone tried dry brining a chicken before roasting it Ina's way? The last time I followed her recipe, the chicken wasn't as moist as I thought it would be. So I was thinking of dry brining about two days in advance then the day before roasting completely dry it off and let sit in the fridge overnight before roasting the next day. 

That's how I prepare my Thanksgiving turkey. Try it!  It works!

[Bastet]

I always brine the turkey breast for Thanksgiving, and always brine my pork chops because I prefer the super thin-cut ones, and those are hard to keep moist.  I've never bothered to brine a whole chicken before roasting it (I've brined chicken breasts when just using those, but not often), but it couldn't help but be anything other than good, so go for it.  I use a traditional wet brine, so I have no tips on dry brining, but look forward to hearing how it goes.

[Spunkygal]

@Bastet, can you still achieve crispy skin on the turkey breast with a wet brine? Just wondered if you are able to thoroughly dry it after brining. Thanks!

[Bastet]

Yes, I rinse and dry after brining.

[larapu2000]

I made Ina's hazelnut truffles today for Christmas gifts, along with 50 pounds of other candy.  I like to shove a whole toasted hazelnut in the middle a la Rocher style, and roll them in chopped hazelnuts before coating them with chocolate.  Delicious!

[LilaFowler]

I made Ina's Curried Chicken Salad today since Mr. Fowler wanted something with curry.  It was a huge, massive, tremendous hit.  I omitted the raisins and the cashews and added carrots.  So delicious!

Edited December 18, 2016 by LilaFowler

[Spunkygal]

@LilaFowler, although this is not probably substantial enough for your hubby, I have a no-fail cheese soufflé which is baked in a casserole dish and has curry in it. It does not require separating eggs or doing anything special. The curry cuts through the richness of the cheeses and is a subtle flavor. I get rave reviews everytime I serve it, usually to other ladies. It has about 1,000 calories but I serve it with roasted Rosemary potatoes and roasted asparagus. 

I will definitely try the chicken curry salad you recommended! 

[biakbiak]

I love that Chicken Curry Salad, I usually sub grapes for the raisins because I like the texture better and serve it as a lettuce wrap.

[Bastet]

I substitute grapes for the raisins, too (because I hate raisins; way to ruin a good grape!).  I usually just serve it as a salad, but I like the lettuce wrap idea to turn it into an appetizer -- thanks!

[Mondrianyone]

I truly hate raisins.  I even have a T-shirt that says "Raisins Ruin Everything."  But for some reason I don't hate dried cranberries--I think it's the little bit of tang.  They also don't seem to acquire that gummy, semi-dried snot texture of raisins.  So I put craisins in my curried chicken salad, and in most other recipes that call for raisins.

[annzeepark914]

Mondrianyone:  there's a t-shirt at signals.com (a catalog that has the funniest sayings on t-shirts) that says something about how you react when you find out that what you thought were chocolate chips in cookies turn out to be the dreaded raisins.  It's funny.

[MargeGunderson]

My people! Raisins are Satan's candy.

[annzeepark914]

I have found that chopped currants are not too bad a substitute for raisins.  A better sub is Craisins.

[Mondrianyone]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Mondrianyone:  there's a t-shirt at signals.com (a catalog that has the funniest sayings on t-shirts) that says something about how you react when you find out that what you thought were chocolate chips in cookies turn out to be the dreaded raisins.  It's funny.

The one that says that's why "I have trust issues"?  I can relate!  It's a fun site--thanks!

[annzeepark914]

Yes--that's the one.  Cracks me up every time I see it in the catalog.  I just bought the Books t-shirt for my daughter and the Engineer one for son-in-law (so fitting!!)

[Spunkygal]

3 hours ago, annzeepark914 said:

Mondrianyone:  there's a t-shirt at signals.com (a catalog that has the funniest sayings on t-shirts) that says something about how you react when you find out that what you thought were chocolate chips in cookies turn out to be the dreaded raisins.  It's funny.

@annzeepark914, I've enjoyed your posts all this time but you're just now telling me about signals.com? Girl!!! I could have had my shopping done months ago. We love our tees!