Ina Garten - Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

Copyright 2008 by Ina Garten

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.clarksonpotter.com

CLARKSON POTTER is a trademark and POTTER with colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Garten, Ina.
Barefoot Contessa back to basics: fabulous flavor from simple ingredients / Ina Garten; photographs by Quentin Bacon.1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Cookery. 2. Barefoot Contessa (Store). I. Title.
TX714.G3635 2008
641.5dc22 2008010658

eISBN: 978-0-307-88549-4

Food styling by Cyd McDowell
Prop styling by Philippa Brathwaite

v3.1

One of the pleasures of writing cookbooks is that its this handmade object in a world where everythings manufactured. I particularly love that I get to collaborate with so many people who I adore and admire, and the result is better than what any one of us alone could have created. First and foremost, I want to thank my dear friend Sarah Chase, who writes wonderful cookbooks ( Nantucket Open-House Cookbook among others) and who constantly inspires me with her recipes and ideas. I also want to thank my assistant, Barbara Libath, whos by my side all day every day shopping, baking, tweaking, and suggesting until the recipe I have in mind is exactly right.

For me, photographs are a very important part of my cookbooks; I want you to see the photograph and feel like licking the page. My friend Quentin Bacon takes the most beautiful photographs. Cyd McDowell makes luscious food and Philippa Brathwaite brings beautiful china and linens for us to use. Some of my happiest days are the ones we spend working together.

And then theres the book itself; my brilliant editor, Pam Krauss, knows exactly when to say the right word to keep me on track and when to step out of harms way when my obsessions kick in. She makes me look so much smarter than I am. Marysarah Quinn and I have more fun than should be legal working on the book design together; thank you for putting up with me. And thank you to Lauren Shakely at Clarkson Potter and Jenny Frost at Crown for always believing in me. And of course, my wonderful agent, Esther Newberg, who is always on my side, no matter what.

And finally, theres my sweet husband, Jeffrey, who, no matter what I serve him, thinks its the most delicious thing hes ever eaten. I love making him happy and his delight keeps me looking for the best recipes I can possibly make.

what the new food trends are, but I have to admit that food trends really dont interest me. One year, everyones cooking with foam. The next year, theyre doing improbable flavor combinations like oyster ice cream. Ughno, thank you! It turns out that what I need from a recipe is pretty simple: I want an easy recipe that I can hopefully make in advance, and when friends arrive, I want the house to smell wonderful. (And I wouldnt mind if they thought I was a great cook, too.) Thats not too much to ask, is it? Maybe thats why Im far less excited by trendy new ingredients or fussy cooking techniques than I am by the basics; I dont see any reason why we cant buy perfectly good ingredients in a grocery store, cook them simply, and serve an absolutely delicious meal that will delight everyone at the table.

When I talk about getting back to basics, though, Im not talking about simple mashed potatoes or a plain roast chicken. What truly fires my imagination is taking ordinary ingredients and cooking themor pairing themin a way that unlocks their true flavors. What turns a loin of pork into a delicious roast that tastes rich and full of flavor? How can I transform a butternut squash into a silky soup with a balance of spicy and sweetor a salad that pushes the squashs flavor in an entirely different direction without over powering it? Cinnamon in an apple pie can overwhelm the delicate apple flavors, but my to bring out the appleness, combined with sugar and a buttery crust. They fill my house with the tart-sweet smell of baking apples, and nothing I add will make that taste any better.

The same goes for the cooking techniques I rely on. Other than a standing mixer and a food processor, I rarely use any appliance more high-tech than a food mill or a mandoline. I care about the quality of the ingredients I buy, and youll find tips throughout this book that will help you get the best out of your purchases, too, as well as answers to some of the most common questions Ive been asked over the years. (When you own a specialty food store, as I did for almost twenty years, you get asked every imaginable question. Also, when you need to dice fifty pounds of butternut squash, you figure out pretty quickly the fastest way to peel a butternut squash without losing a finger.) Each recipe has tips on how to know when youve done it right.

Instead of looking for new ideas, Im just looking for old ideas and finding the best ways to make delicious food. Thats what I mean by getting back to basics. I hope you enjoy making lots of the recipes in this book, that your house is filled with wonderful smells, and that your friends think youre brilliant, too.

I want the house to be filled with delicious smells.

There are so many ways to unlock the flavor of food and its the thing Im always exploring when I cook. Close your eyes the next time you eat a piece of chocolate cake; did it really taste like chocolate or did the fudgey-looking icing just trick you into thinking it would taste like chocolate? The best chocolate desserts have a depth of flavor that hits you in a few waysboth sweet and bitter, with a winey complexityand its my goal to bring out that complexity to reveal the true essence of chocolate in my chocolate desserts. Every dish in this book has one special element that brings out its true essence.

Sometimes its not something in the dish, but how you finish the dish that makes the difference. A friend once mentioned that she had made my Orzo with Roasted Vegetables from Barefoot Contessa Parties many times, and although it was always delicious, she felt it somehow tasted better when I made it. Her comment gave me pause because my friends a wonderful cook and theres nothing very tricky about that recipeits eggplant, peppers, lemons, orzo. So why would hers taste different from mine?