Ina’s Garlic Bread

For the sides I made roasted asparagus and garlic bread.

• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1 loaf ciabatta bread
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic in the bowl of a food processor and process until minced. Add the parsley, oregano, salt and pepper and pulse twice.

Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan and add the garlic mixture. Remove the pan from the heat.

Slice the ciabatta bread in half horizontally, and spread the butter on 1 half. Spread the garlic mixture on the other half of the bread, and put the halves together. Wrap the bread in aluminum foil.

Place the bread in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Open the foil, and continue baking for an additional 5 minutes.

Best garlic bread I’ve ever had by far. It tasted so fresh and flavorful.

I made the asparagus according to this recipe.

Last night I made delicious pasta according to a recipe from the chef at Nick & Toni’s. He was on Ina’s show a few weeks ago and I was salivating as I watched him cook up this divine sauce:

• 1/4 cup good olive oil
• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 cup vodka
• 2 (28-ounce) cans peeled plum tomatoes
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 1 to 2 cups heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until translucent. Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano and vodka, and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, drain the tomatoes through a sieve, crush them with your hands, and place them in a 5 quart oven proof pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions to the tomatoes and cover with a tight lid. Place the pot in the oven and cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pot from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside.

Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency, and return to the pot.

Reheat the tomato sauce and add enough heavy cream to make the sauce a smooth consistency. Add the fresh oregano and salt, to taste, and simmer for 5 minutes. Toss the sauce with the pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, to taste. Serve.

It was perfection, really. A very unique flavor and nothing beats a homemade sauce.

I also used my new pot! I decided to go ahead and give Giada’s line for Target a try. This braiser pan looked great and the price is hard to beat ($70). A similar one at Williams Sonoma is upwards of $250!!

So far I love it!

And I made these for dessert!

Seriously, easiest thing I have ever made! I simply melted the chocolate in a bowl over another bowl with boiling hot water and drizzled the melted chocolate over the strawberries. I then placed them on parchment paper and popped them in the fridge.

Done!

For tonight’s dinner I made another recipe from Ina Garten’s cookbook. It was delicious! So easy and so perfect!

Tuna Salad

• 2 pounds very fresh tuna steak, cut 1-inch thick
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
• 2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black, plus extra for sprinkling
• 2 limes, zest grated
• 1 teaspoon wasabi powder
• 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (3 limes)
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 10 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
• 1 to 2 ripe Hass avocados, medium diced
• 1/4 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)
• 1/4 cup red onion, small diced

Directions

Brush the tuna steaks with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the tuna steaks in a very hot saute pan and cook for only 1 minute on each side. Set aside on a platter.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the olive oil, salt, pepper, lime zest, wasabi, lime juice, soy sauce and hot sauce. Add the avocados to the vinaigrette.

Cut the tuna in chunks and place it in a large bowl. Add the scallions and red onion and mix well. Pour the vinaigrette mixture over the tuna and carefully mix.

Enjoy!

I did it! I finally made venegret! I feel like a legit Russian now!

This is such a classic Russian dish and totally a part of my childhood. I am so proud of myself for finally making it myself!

It is really simple but takes a little bit of time.

I used my lovely friend Vika’s recipe and it turned out great!

Venegret
(serves 2-3)

Ingredients:

3 beets
2 medium size potatoes (red, white, yellow, whichever you have on hand)
1 small onion
2-3 pickles chopped
1 cup of peas (I used frozen)
3 carrots
salt

Directions:

1. Boil Beets until tender. This will take over an hour (close to 1 1/2 hours for me), so start well in advance. Once the beets are done, drain immediately and soak in cold water. This will make peeling the beets 1000 times easier. You’ll be able to take the skin off with your fingers. You can also do this a day in advance to save time.

2. Peel the potatoes and carrots and boil until tender (I boil them together to save time). Be careful not to overcook the potatoes because then you’ll have mashed potatoes with beets (which isn’t such a bad idea either, now that I think about it)

3. Chop onion and pickles into small pieces. I do this while the potatoes and carrots are cooking.

4. Defrost the peas.

5. When the potatoes and carrots are done, chop them into small cubed pieces. Same for beets.

6. Combine everything in a bowl, add mayo, oil, or a dressing of your choice, and enjoy!

P.S. I am wearing a traditional Russian apron that was gifted to me by our friends from Moscow.

Here is the finished product! I woke up and popped the berry strata in the oven for 40 minutes and by the time I walked Belle, checked my email, and got dressed it was all done and had infused the house with the most delicious smell!

Once again for the recipe click here.

I made Giada’s berry strata tonight and now I’m salivating just thinking about how good it is when it comes out the oven. It’s going to sit in the fridge overnight and I’m really hoping that we can enjoy a late, snow covered breakfast tomorrow with this as the main dish!

For the recipe head over here.

P.S. It’s so easy and so good.

Tonight I decided to make the soup that I have been drooling over since I saw it in the cook book I got for Christmas.

It’s Ina Garten’s Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup and it was gold in a bowl. It was perfect.

• 5 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh portobello mushrooms
• 5 ounces fresh cremini (or porcini) mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon good olive oil
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 sprig fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon minced thyme leaves, divided
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Clean the mushrooms by wiping them with a dry paper towel. Don’t wash them! Separate the stems, trim off any bad parts, and coarsely chop the stems. Slice the mushroom caps 1/4-inch thick and, if there are big, cut them into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

To make the stock, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot. Add the chopped mushroom stems, the onion, carrot, the sprig of thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. Add 6 cups water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. You should have about 4 1/2 cups of stock. If not, add some water.

Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the remaining 1/4 pound of butter and add the leeks. Cook over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the leeks begin to brown. Add the sliced mushroom caps and cook for 10 minutes, or until they are browned and tender. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine and stir for another minute, scraping the bottom of the pot. Add the mushroom stock, minced thyme leaves, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the half-and-half, cream, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and heat through but do not boil. Serve hot.

I also made steak (grass fed from local farm), sweet potato fries, and roasted asparagus.

I got the idea to roast the asparagus from the lovely Sara.

Steak (not on the grill)

• 2 ribeye steaks
• Olive oil
• Pepper
• Salt
• Garlic
• 3 or 4 bay leaves.
• A1 Sauce (or something similar)

Rubdown the steak with all the ingredients (I recommend grating the garlic for maximum effect) and let sit for at least half an hour. Heat oil in a pan and pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a glass casserole and tin foil. Remove the bay leaves and place the steaks in the heated pan (medium heat). Cook 4 minutes on each side for medium well done. Next transfer the steaks to the casserole dish and cover with foil. Cook in the oven for 8 minutes. Let rest for 2 minutes before serving.

Sweet potato fries

• 1 large or 2 smaller sweet potatoes
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Paprika
• Wax paper

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Cut potatoes into wedges and put in ice water for 30 minutes (this will ensure that they remain crispy). Lay wax paper onto baking sheet. Remove potatoes from water and toss with olive oil, salt, and paprika. Arrange on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes and then go in and flip them. Bake for another 10 minutes and serve! They go great with aioli.

Asparagus

As Sara recommends: Misted with olive oil, dusted with salt and pepper, roasted for 10-13 minutes at 425. I also grated some garlic on top for a slight kick!