Never Trust a Skinny Cook
Here are a couple of my favorite Barefoot Contessa recipes. Ina has never, ever steered me wrong. First, a very tasty onion dip with carmelized onions. Carmelizing onions is not hard or complicated, just oil and onions over low heat for a half hour or so. Chips and dip do not get any better than this.
Pan-Fried Onion Dip Recipe
2 large yellow onions
4 T butter
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise
Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.
Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer (use a paddle attachment if you have one). Beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well by hand. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
Next, these recipes are good on their own and great together. Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Moroccan Couscous
First the chicken. Forty cloves of garlic sound like a lot. But cooked slowly, for a long time, very mellow. You can serve with this with bread and spread the garlic on like butta. I modified Ina's recipe so I could cook in the crockpot because the times I've made it I wanted to step away from the house for a while. It's just been easier this way. Ina's original recipe is on the Food Network site. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic-recipe/index.html
Crockpot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves
1 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 T Cognac
1 1/2 c dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 springs Italian parsley, optional
kosher salt and ground pepper
2 to 3 lbs chicken pieces (on the bone--can cut up a whole chicken or two if you do that sort of thing)
Lightly smash cloves of garlic with side of knife, then peel. (Ina says to separate the clvoves ad drop them in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds and then peel. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me, but who knows.)
Wash the chicken and dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to the crockpot and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour garlic mixture over chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with thyme and parsley leaves. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, on high for about 3-4 hours.
Ina makes a sauce with the drippings and one more tablespoon of Cognac plus 2 T of flour and heavy cream each. I'm sure it's good, but I don't think I've tried it.
I have looked a few times for this recipe online, but have only found other versions from Ina that I don't like quite as well as this one. This is from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook.
Moroccan Couscous
2 c. (3/4") diced butternut squash
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 carrots (3/4") diced
2 medium zuchinni (3/4") diced
2 T olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
1 /2 c chicken broth
2 T butter
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t saffron threads (I left this out because saffron is expensive and I have no idea if it would take it from great to exquisite)
1 1/2 couscous
2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degreses.
Place butternut squash, onions, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 2 t salt, and 1 t pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until all the veg are tender, turning once with a spatula.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, the cumin, saffron and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken sstock over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Also fabulous are her Lemon Chicken with Croutons and French Green Beans, which I'll post another time.
Pan-Fried Onion Dip Recipe
2 large yellow onions
4 T butter
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 t ground cayenne pepper
1 t kosher salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonnaise
Cut the onions in half, and then slice them into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions) Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes, until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool.
Place the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer (use a paddle attachment if you have one). Beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well by hand. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
Next, these recipes are good on their own and great together. Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic and Moroccan Couscous
First the chicken. Forty cloves of garlic sound like a lot. But cooked slowly, for a long time, very mellow. You can serve with this with bread and spread the garlic on like butta. I modified Ina's recipe so I could cook in the crockpot because the times I've made it I wanted to step away from the house for a while. It's just been easier this way. Ina's original recipe is on the Food Network site. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/chicken-with-forty-cloves-of-garlic-recipe/index.html
Crockpot Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
3 whole heads of garlic, about 40 cloves
1 T butter
2 T olive oil
2 T Cognac
1 1/2 c dry white wine
1 T fresh thyme leaves
2 springs Italian parsley, optional
kosher salt and ground pepper
2 to 3 lbs chicken pieces (on the bone--can cut up a whole chicken or two if you do that sort of thing)
Lightly smash cloves of garlic with side of knife, then peel. (Ina says to separate the clvoves ad drop them in a pot of boiling water for 60 seconds and then peel. Sounds like more trouble than it's worth to me, but who knows.)
Wash the chicken and dry with paper towels. Season liberally with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat the butter and oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. In batches, saute the chicken in the fat, skin side down first, until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn with tongs or a spatula; you don't want to pierce the skin with a fork. If the fat is burning, turn the heat down to medium. When a batch is done, transfer it to the crockpot and continue to saute all the chicken in batches. Remove the last chicken to the plate and add all of the garlic to the pot. Lower the heat and saute for 5 to 10 minutes, turning often, until evenly browned. Add 2 tablespoons of the Cognac and the wine, return to a boil, and scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour garlic mixture over chicken in the crockpot and sprinkle with thyme and parsley leaves. Cook on low for 8-9 hours, on high for about 3-4 hours.
Ina makes a sauce with the drippings and one more tablespoon of Cognac plus 2 T of flour and heavy cream each. I'm sure it's good, but I don't think I've tried it.
I have looked a few times for this recipe online, but have only found other versions from Ina that I don't like quite as well as this one. This is from her Barefoot in Paris cookbook.
Moroccan Couscous
2 c. (3/4") diced butternut squash
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 carrots (3/4") diced
2 medium zuchinni (3/4") diced
2 T olive oil
Kosher salt
pepper
1 /2 c chicken broth
2 T butter
1/4 t ground cumin
1/2 t saffron threads (I left this out because saffron is expensive and I have no idea if it would take it from great to exquisite)
1 1/2 couscous
2 green onions, white and green parts, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degreses.
Place butternut squash, onions, carrots, and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 2 t salt, and 1 t pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until all the veg are tender, turning once with a spatula.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the butter, 1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, the cumin, saffron and allow to steep for at least 15 minutes.
Bring the chicken stock just back to a boil. Place the couscous and cooked vegetables in a large bowl and pour the hot chicken sstock over them. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve warm or at room temperature.
Also fabulous are her Lemon Chicken with Croutons and French Green Beans, which I'll post another time.
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