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Recipes from Ina Garten

Three delicious recipes from the Barefoot Contessa?s kitchen

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By Sonia Rao | November 2, 2018 | Recipes

By Sonia Rao, (c) 2018, The Washington Post

Tomato and Eggplant Soup

6 servings

Ina Garten says all the flavors of a good marinara sauce are in this hearty soup.

She offers this stabilizing technique for dicing the eggplant (and other round vegetables): Cut in half lengthwise, then place each half cut side down on the cutting board.

Make ahead:

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 1 month.

Image

: All the flavors of a good marinara sauce are in the hearty Tomato and Eggplant Soup.Photo by Goran Kosanovic for the Washington Post.

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons good-quality extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 pound purple eggplant (unpeeled), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 41/2 cups)

2 medium onions, chopped (2 cups)

2 cups cored, chopped fennel bulb (from 1 large bulb)

6 cloves garlic, minced (at least 2 tablespoons)

3 cups homemade or good-quality chicken broth

28 ounces canned crushed tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

2 teaspoons dried fennel seed

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 to 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or more as needed

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

28 ounces canned whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano

Freshly grated or shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving

 

Steps

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a medium pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, stir in the eggplant; cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. You may need to add a little more oil if the eggplant is sticking, and/or you may need to cook the eggplant in two batches. (If you do the latter, make sure to return all of it to the pot before proceeding.)

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, then stir in the onions and chopped fennel bulb; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened but not browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant, then add broth, crushed tomatoes, fennel seed, oregano, thyme and crushed red pepper flakes, the salt (to taste) and 2 teaspoons of black pepper.

Pour the can of whole peeled tomatoes and their juice into a food processor; pulse just until the tomatoes are coarsely chopped. Stir that blended mixture into the pot; once the liquid starts to bubble at the edges, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes (uncovered), stirring occasionally.

Taste, and add more salt and/or pepper, as needed. Serve hot, in large bowls, topped with the cheese and drizzled with a little oil.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 340 calories, 6 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 25 g fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1,380 mg sodium, 9 g dietary fiber, 17 g sugar

 

Triple Chocolate Loaf Cakes

20 servings (makes two 8 1/2-by-4 1/2 inch loaves)

Bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate chips go into these moist tea cakes. Making two means you'll have one to save for a "chocolate cake emergency," says Ina Garten.

Garten recommends Pernigotti brand cocoa powder, which is available via online gourmet purveyors.

Make ahead:

The loaves can be wrapped well and kept at room temperature for up to 4 days. You can wrap and freeze them in zip-top bags for up to 3 months.

Image

: Bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and chocolate chips go into the moist Triple Chocolate Loaf Cakes. Photo by Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post.

Ingredients

16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pans

2 tablespoons plus 2 cups flour, plus more for the pans

1 cup boiling water

5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, such as Lindt, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (see headnote)

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup loosely packed dark brown sugar

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 

Steps

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Use a little butter and flour to grease then dust the inside of two 81/2-inch-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pans, then line the bottoms with parchment paper.

Pour the boiling water into a 2-cup liquid (glass) measuring cup, then add the bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder and coffee granules, stirring until smooth. Let cool for 15 minutes.

Sift together the 2 cups of flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl. Combine the walnuts, chocolate chips and the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour in a separate bowl.

Combine the 16 tablespoons of butter and both sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low; add the eggs one at a time, and then the vanilla extract, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Alternating in thirds, add the flour mixture and the melted chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, to form a thick batter. Stir in the nut/chips mixture by hand, until evenly distributed.

Divide the batter evenly between the pans; bake (middle rack) for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Test in a few places, because you may poke into a melted chocolate chip.) The tops may crack; that's okay. Cool in the pans for 30 minutes, then loosen the edges of the cakes with a rounded knife to turn out the cakes onto a wire cooling rack. Discard the parchment.

Cool to room temperature before slicing or storing.

Nutrition:

  350 calories, 4 g protein, 42 g carbohydrates, 20 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 29 g sugar

 

Pear Clafouti

6 servings

This variation on a French classic - basically pear and pancake batter - comes from Daniel Rose, an American chef who owns restaurants in Paris and New York.

You'll need a half-dozen 6 1/2-inch gratin dishes; you can also use a single, shallow baking dish that's large enough to accommodate all the fruit.

Recipes adapted from "Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks," by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, 2018).

Image

: Pear Clafouti, a variation on a French classic, is basically made of pears and pancake batter. Photo by Goran Kosanovic for the Washington Post.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons plus 2/3 cup sugar

Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup sifted flour (sift before measuring)

3/4 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon pear brandy

Pinch of finely grated star anise (use a Microplane grater)

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

4 ripe Bartlett pears

Finely grated lime zest, for garnish (optional)

 

Steps

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the gratin dishes on two rimmed baking sheets.

Stir together the 2 teaspoons of sugar and the seeds from the vanilla bean in a small bowl. Use the butter to grease the gratin dishes, then sprinkle them evenly with the vanilla sugar.

Combine the eggs and the remaining 2/3 cup sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer; beat on medium speed, until well incorporated. Reduce the speed to low; add the flour, cream, milk and brandy, beating to form a smooth batter.

Whisk in the pinch of star anise and the salt by hand; let the batter mixture sit for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, peel the pears and cut them in half lengthwise. Discard the stems. Use a melon baller to core the pear halves, then cut each half crosswise into 1/4-inch slices, keeping the shape of the pear half intact. Carefully transfer each half to a gratin dish, placing it flat side down at the center. You can fan the slices out slightly, to fill the dish. Fill in the sides with any extra pieces of pear.

Divide the batter evenly among the dishes; the pears should be only partially immersed. Bake (middle rack) for 40 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned.

Serve hot or warm, sprinkled with the lime zest, if using.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 360 calories, 6 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 17 g fat, 10 g saturated fat, 155 mg cholesterol, 220 mg sodium, 1 g dietary fiber, 38 g sugar

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