If I had to pick one favorite cookbook (besides my collection of family recipes) I think I would have to choose my collection of “Barefoot Contessa” cookbooks by Ina Garten. These have always been my “go to” sources for special occasions and everyday dinners. Her recipes are trustworthy and you are ensured a good result, if you follow her instructions. I have started collecting these cookbooks for my daughter who loves to cook. In the process, she has discovered Mrs. Garten’s genius in her simple and delicious recipes.
Beyond her recipes, I love Ina Garten’s attitude or philosophy on cooking and entertaining. She makes it fun, and through her words and bubbly personality, she makes sure that each dish is filled not just with lots of flavor, but also a lot of love. Whenever I get a new “Contessa” cookbook, I first read it from cover-to-cover. Beside the great recipes, her suggestions, comments, and recommendations for entertaining are always helpful.
Her primary advice when hosting people, is to insist on simple but delicious food. Next, she recommends that you need to have a well-organized plan for entertaining so you are not worn out the day of the event. Finally, and most importantly, she reminds readers that you are serving people you love. You want them to enjoy your efforts, and you to enjoy their company.
These days, I have found that I am cooking for more and more finicky eaters or people with serious food allergies or requests. Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming to make sure everyone is happy at the table.
Ina assures us that we do not need to stress or make it difficult. You may need to alternate a recipe slightly or serve something a little extra to make dinner safe for everyone to eat. I always try to make sure I have enough food and a mixture of dishes for everyone to enjoy. Sometimes I simply leave out nuts or substitute an ingredient to make sure that all allergies are addressed. Garten reminds us that everyone does not have to eat everything you serve. If you serve a big Sunday roast, be sure to add two or three hearty vegetable sides to keep any vegetarian guests happy and well fed.
We try to make our guests with special food needs feel like ‘guests’ and not a problem. Ina brings home the purpose of entertaining like this: Entertaining should be about fun and enjoy another’s company by sharing food.
Many Sundays over the years, we have enjoyed hosting our church choir for lunch. Our choir includes many college students and they are always hungry for a home-cooked meal. A few of the students, as well as our choir director, have food allergies. I have come to enjoy the chance to serve everyone and meet all their dietary needs. One of my favorite ways serve this group is to offer a ‘build your own’ food bar. We have tried many things: a potato bar with various toppings, a chili bar featuring vegetarian and regular meat chili. We have offered a taco or fajita bars and an array of different types of soup. The build your own pasta bar was a big hit and one of my favorites to prepare. It is a hearty meal and everyone leaves full and satisfied.
Pasta Bar Assembly:
To prepare for the build your own pasta bar, I begin with making a big pot of Bolognese with three kinds of meat. Next, I prepare a hearty vegetarian marinara sauce chock full of spinach, zucchini and eggplant chunks. Both of these can be prepared a few days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. I provide regular wheat and gluten-free noodles, being extra careful to be sure the noodles are different shapes so no one could mix up the gluten-free version with the regular. Be sure and set out olive oil and fresh Parmesan cheese for folks that simply wanted cheese and buttered pasta.
Three-Meat Bolognese Sauce
1 pound ground chuck
1 pound high-quality Italian sausage
1 pound thick cut bacon, diced or pancetta if available
1 cup celery, finely chopped
2 cups onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, finally chopped or shredded
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning or 2 tablespoons fresh mixed Italian herbs such as thyme, rosemary and oregano
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
2 28-ounce cans San Marzano tomatoes
8 ounce can tomato paste
6 to 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup fresh chopped basil
6 bay leaves
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup milk
In a large pan, sauté the ground chuck, Italian sausage, bacon. Drain if necessary. Add celery, onions, and carrots. Cook over medium to high heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Stir in Italian herbs and parsley. Cook for about a minute. Stir in tomatoes and tomato paste. Add garlic, wine, milk, and bay leaves. Simmer on low covered for two to three hours until mixture reduces and turns a darker shade of red. Stir in fresh chopped basil, salt and pepper to taste and additional garlic. Remove bay leaves.
You can make the Bolognese sauce several days ahead and store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze.
Hearty Vegetarian Marinara Sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cup diced onions
1 cup carrots, shredded
6 to 8 cloves of fresh garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 ounce can tomato paste
2 28-ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes, San Marzano if you can find them.
2 cups vegetable stock
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, washed
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1 inch dice
6-8 small zucchini, washed and cut into small rounds or half-rounds
*You can add any other vegetables that you prefer such as green beans, bell peppers, kale, cabbage, etc.
Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onions, carrots, and garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the herbs, spices, and tomato paste. Cook for about five minutes more, stirring frequently. Add the canned tomatoes, that you have crushed in the can reserving their juices, the stock, and the bay leaves. Simmer on low heat for about one hour, stirring often. Add in fresh vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Stir in balsamic vinegar. Remove bay leaves and serve hot.
If making ahead, allow to cool and store in the refrigerator.
Salad Assembly:
When serving a large group with allergies, I always serve a basic green salad and provide two or three different kinds of salad dressings on the side. I try to make homemade to ensure they are safe and all ingredients are known. I have learned over the years, to save any store-bought containers so that people can check the ingredient list. Sometimes gluten or nuts are hidden in pre-prepared foods and it is nice to be able to check the label to be sure.
Creamy Italian Dressing
I have celebrated the recipes that Maggie Waddell has shared with me over the years, but this may be my favorite and most used. I believe it was her Italian grandfather’s recipe, and the simple yet delicious dressing will steal the show.
Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 to 3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients for the dressing and store overnight in the refrigerator.
Mustard – Dill Vinaigrette
This is a delicious and fresh salad dressing.
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped or 1 tablespoon dried
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic pressed
2 teaspoons sugar
1 – 1 ½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients above and then slowly whisk in olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over your favorite salad greens.
Desert can sometimes be a challenge if serving a gluten-free or dairy-free crowd. Once, I made a delicious Meringue Torte Cake that includes Heath bar bits. I was so proud of my gluten-free dessert until I discovered that Heath bars contain nuts. While it is great for a gluten free option, not so good for nut-fee or dairy-free guests. Feel free to substitute mini chocolate chips for Heath bits.
Meringue Torte Cake
6 egg whites, at room temperature
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
Dash of Salt
1 1/3 cup sugar
6 regular Heath Bars or a bag of Heath bar bits
1 (13 ½ oz. container) non-dairy whipped topping
Beat room temperature egg white until soft peak form. Add in sugar, salt and cream of tartar and beat until sugar dissolves or until firm peaks form.
Place a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and draw two nine-inch circles. Spread meringue on circles. Place in a 275-degree oven and bake one hour. Without opening the oven door turn off heat and allow meringue to sit in oven for additional two hours.
Mix crushed Heath Bar (reserving about two tablespoons for topping) with whipped topping and spread between meringue layers. Sprinkle top with reserved Heath Bar bits. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Another trick that Ina Garten uses in her cookbooks are the mini dessert platters she creates. They are beautiful and function well for a crowd. She adds a mixture of sweets (some homemade and some purchased.) You can always buy a variety of baked goods, including gluten and dairy free options.
Dessert Platter Assembly:
For the dessert platter, remember to vary the shapes and colors. You can add a few ripe strawberries or other fresh fruit for color and a fresh option. Tucking in a few squares of good dark chocolate is never a bad idea. Plan to cut everything into small pieces and you can serve in paper muffin cups to keep everything separate.
Ina’s Outrageous Brownies
These are absolutely fabulous and will steal the show on your dessert platter. If you have someone that is allergic to nuts, simply omit the walnuts.
1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound, plus 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
6 extra large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules (I use 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cup chopped walnuts, optional
Pre-oven to 350° and butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1 baking sheet. Melt together the butter, one pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water or slowly in the microwave on low setting.
Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir, but do not beat, together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together one cup of flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the cooled chocolate mixture. It is important for the mixture to be cool or the extra chocolate chips will melt. Toss the walnuts (if using) and the final 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour. Then add them to the chocolate batter.
Pour onto a baking sheet and spread, if necessary. Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force any air to escape from between the pan and a brownie dough. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not ever bake.
Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate until ready to cut.
Lemon Glazed Cookies
This is an oldie but a goodie from the Junior League of Jackson cookbook, Come On In! I like to serve something tart along with something chocolate on a dessert platter. I have made these dozens of times and love the light and tangy flavor.
1 cup butter, at room temperature
1/3 sifted powdered sugar
1 cup al-purpose flour
2/3 cup corn starch
Lemon glaze:
2 ½ cups sifted powdered sugar
½ cup butter, melted
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Preheat oven to 350°. Using electric mixer at medium speed, beat butter and powdered sugar for one minute. Sift together flour and cornstarch. Slowly, add to batter and continue mixing until soft dough forms, about one minute. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes. Tops of cookies will not brown.
Meanwhile, prepare glaze by combining powder sugar, butter, lemon juice, and zest. Remove cookies to a rack and frost for the glaze while the cookies are slightly warm.
Soft Caramels
These are great to add varied shape and color to a dessert platter when they are wrapped in small pieces of parchment paper. While the recipe is easy to make you will definitely need a good candy thermometer and some extra hands to wrap the individual caramels once cut.
3 cups sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1½ cups light corn syrup
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Coarse kosher salt
Spray a 13x9 inch baking pan with non-stick spray and line with a piece of foil or parchment paper. This will allow you to easily remove the caramels to cut.
In a large, heavy bottom sauce-pan, combine sugar, whipping cream, corn syrup, and butter. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until candy reaches 248 on a candy thermometer (occasionally, I cook it to 240 for a chewier consistency) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Pour in prepared pan and allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a little coarse kosher salt and then allow to completely cool.
Remove from pan and cut into one-inch pieces. Wrap in individual parchment squares. Store in air-tight container for up to a month.
