Latest news with #InaGarten
Business Insider
2 days ago
- General
- Business Insider
We made Ina Garten's easy 5-ingredient summer pasta. It was delicious and basically cooked itself.
Ina Garten's summer garden pasta only requires a few basic ingredients. We marinated our tomatoes and basil in olive oil for four hours — the wait was definitely worth it. The noodles only took five minutes to make, and the delicious dish required barely any cleanup. Ina Garten is famous for recipes that are just as easy as they are delicious, from her Greek salad to her blueberry-ricotta breakfast cake. One of Garten's most popular summer recipes is her summer garden pasta. It's also essentially a no-cook recipe, since the only time you'll need to use your stove is to boil the pasta noodles. It's important to note that while Garten's summer garden pasta only has a few simple steps, you can't whip it up right before dinner. To create the sauce, Garten marinates the tomatoes, basil, and olive oil for four hours before serving with the cooked pasta, so it requires some planning ahead. Despite some extra steps, the end result was a delicious and easy dinner that was impressive enough to serve at a summer dinner party. We had two Business Insider reporters put this recipe to the test — here's how it stacked up in terms of flavor and how easy it was to make. Ina Garten's summer garden pasta requires just five main ingredients. To whip up her dish, you'll need: Angel hair or another kind of dried pasta noodles Parmesan cheese Cherry tomatoes Minced garlic Basil leaves For seasoning, you'll also need "good" olive oil — Garten wouldn't have it any other way — plus salt, freshly ground black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. We tried making the recipe with angel hair pasta, like Garten recommends, and with spaghetti. Both types worked well with the dish, showing how versatile it is and how you can make it using any kind of pasta you might have lurking in your pantry. We started by halving the cherry tomatoes, the stars of this pasta dish. Anneta opted for cherry tomatoes on the vine, while Erin purchased 2 pints of cherry tomatoes from her local Trader Joe's. Both worked for this dish, though the pint of tomatoes was slightly easier to prepare. Garten's recipe calls for 4 pints of cherry tomatoes to serve six. Since we were making a much smaller portion, we cut the recipe in half. We then prepared the other ingredients for the marinated tomatoes. Per Garten's recipe, Anneta minced three cloves of garlic and julienned nine basil leaves. By placing all the basil leaves on top of each other and slicing through them a few times, she was done julienning in a matter of seconds. This is really the extent of the prep you need for the entire dish. You can also make prep even easier by using jarred minced garlic. After all, Garten claims that store-bought is fine in a pinch. We threw the ingredients into a glass mixing bowl. We seasoned everything with half a teaspoon of salt, a few dashes of red pepper flakes, and freshly ground black pepper. To top everything off, we soaked the tomato mixture in olive oil. We used about half the olive oil Garten recommends. It was enough to cover the tomatoes and create a base of "sauce" at the bottom of the bowl. We gave everything a good mix and then covered the bowl with plastic wrap. Garten recommends letting the mixture sit at room temperature for about four hours, so find a good spot in your kitchen and don't put it in the fridge. We loved the ease of this meal — it reminded Erin of slow-cooker meals she's made in the past, since it's somewhat of a set-it-and-forget-it meal, other than making the pasta noodles. Just before the four hours were up, we made the pasta noodles. We added olive oil and salt to the pasta water before boiling it, per Garten's instructions. Anneta made the recipe with angel hair pasta, while Erin opted for spaghetti noodles she already had in her pantry. The cooking times will vary slightly depending on which pasta you use, but Garten recommends cooking your noodles al dente. Since angel hair pasta is so thin, it cooks much faster than other types of pasta, making this recipe even quicker and easier to make. As the pasta cooked, we gave the tomato mixture another quick stir. We were instantly hit with a delicious scent, reminiscent of a plate of bruschetta. With a smell so fresh and crisp, we understood why Garten decided to throw "garden" into the name of her dish — cherry tomatoes and basil might even be two ingredients you grow yourself in your home garden. Once the pasta was done cooking, we threw the noodles into a bowl with the tomato mixture and added the grated cheese. We followed Garten's advice and added freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves before tossing everything together in the same pot we made the pasta in. The Parmesan cheese really made the sauce come together, and allowed it to coat the noodles. The easy pasta dish looked beautiful, and it tasted just as good. Marinating in Garten's mixture for four hours gave the cherry tomatoes a rich and intense flavor, and the olive oil, seasonings, and Parmesan cheese combined to create a rich sauce that coated every noodle. We couldn't stop snacking on the tomatoes as we tossed the pasta together, and Anneta said she'd definitely make these tomatoes again for a cheese plate or Greek salad. Anneta thought the angel hair pasta was the perfect foundation for this dish. After her first bite, she completely understood why Garten recommends it. The airy and fluffy noodles balance out the richness of the tomatoes perfectly, ensuring that the pasta is still light, exactly what you want on a hot summer night. Erin thought the spaghetti noodles also sopped up the delicious sauce and provided a more filling dish — it really depends on your own personal preference. We'll definitely be making Garten's summer garden pasta again, even when the season ends. While we're both huge fans of pasta dishes drenched in heavy meat sauces, we loved how Garten's pasta was simple yet rich — and unbelievably easy to prepare. Between prepping the tomato mixture and cooking the pasta, we only had to clean a few dishes, and the actual cooking time took less than 10 minutes. This recipe was easy enough for a beginner cook to master, but still worthy of serving at a summer party. Combined with the fact that you might have most of these ingredients lying around, we'll definitely be adding this Ina Garten dish to our repertoire of recipes.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wishbone Kitchen: TIME100 Creators 2025
Credit - Charles Sykes—Bravo/Getty Images After being laid off from her day job in the pandemic, Meredith Hayden became a full-time private chef for a family in New York. In 2022, she went viral for social media posts documenting her aspirationally cheery daily routine in the Hamptons—plucking herbs from the garden, grocery shopping, and preparing vibrant, elegant meals—under the name Wishbone Kitchen. Since then, the brand has flourished, drawing more than 2.7 million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Hayden's joyful, accessible approach to cooking has earned her comparisons to industry greats like Ina Garten and Martha Stewart—praise she doesn't take lightly, especially given her early struggles to be taken seriously. 'Femininity isn't always embraced in professional kitchens,' Hayden tells TIME. 'I had a lot of people in the industry tell me that I was only really good for bachelorette parties and ladies' lunches.' Staying true to her vision has paid off: this year, the 29-year-old released The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook, which features recipes inspired by summers in the Hamptons and her childhood on Nantucket. The title became a New York Times best seller. 'I'm just glad to have found my people,' she says. Data and insights powered by #paid Write to Annabel Gutterman at
Business Insider
5 days ago
- General
- Business Insider
Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad will transport you to Greece, no passport required
I tried Ina Garten's Greek panzanella salad. The easy dish features cucumber, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and homemade croutons. Garten's salad is fresh, juicy, crunchy, and oh so perfect for summer. As the child of Greek immigrants, the classic Greek salad was always a staple of the family dinner table. I've taken that dish with me no matter where I've lived in the world, often making it for a quick and healthy lunch or dinner. While there are some rules I'll never break when it comes to the recipe — stop adding lettuce! — I love trying new versions of the classic Greek dish. And when I stumbled on an Ina Garten recipe featuring homemade croutons, I knew I had to try it. Turns out, it's one of the best . Before assembling the salad, I needed to make the homemade croutons. After dicing my bread into cubes, I added ¼ cup of olive oil to a large sauté pan and allowed it to heat up. I knew the pan was ready by using a trick I learned from Martha Stewart. If you sprinkle a few drops of water on top and the oil begins to sizzle, it's hot enough. I added my bread cubes to the pan and seasoned them with salt and pepper. Garten recommends cooking the bread cubes over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, until they're lightly browned. Don't be afraid to add more olive oil if you need! While the croutons were cooking, I began chopping my veggies. After about 10 minutes, my croutons were ready. My croutons had turned a lovely golden brown, and I knew they would look beautiful in the salad. It was time to assemble the Greek panzanella salad! I threw the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into a large bowl and tossed everything together. Then, I whipped up the vinaigrette. I added the red wine vinegar, minced garlic, dried oregano, and Dijon mustard into a small bowl, sprinkling one teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper on top before I whisked everything together. As I continued to whisk, I slowly added ½ cup of olive oil to make an emulsion. Just like that, my dressing was ready. I poured my vinaigrette over the veggies, then added the feta, olives, and croutons. My salad looked beautiful. I lightly tossed everything together and let the salad sit for 30 minutes so the flavors could develop. Then, it was time to dig in! Garten's Greek panzanella salad is a beautiful dance of fresh flavors and crisp textures. It's crunchy, juicy, and so colorful, making it a perfect dish for summer. The homemade croutons were worth the extra effort, and I recommend adding smoked kalamata olives for an even bigger burst of flavor. I've made this for two different potlucks with friends, and it's always been a huge crowd-pleaser. I can't wait to make it for my parents, who are huge fans of Garten's Greek orzo salad. As a Greek American who just got back from Greece, I can confidently say the Barefoot Contessa knows how to honor our cuisine.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The Over 100-Year Old Coffee Brand Ina Garten Depends On
Like many people, Ina Garten appreciates a good cup of coffee. She's open about the fact that, in her house, it's her husband, Jeffrey, who makes the coffee; and a fine job he does. In 2018, Garten, otherwise known as the Barefoot Contessa, shared a video on Instagram (below) of him making the perfect pot of coffee. Viewers can see him scoop the coffee out of a paper bag emblazoned with a blue truck and the name Dallis Bros. Garten confirmed in 2014 to Bon Appétit that, "The coffee I drink is from a company called Dallis Brothers." The company, founded in New York in 1913 by Russian-born brothers, Morris and Abe Dallis, began by selling its house-roasted beans door-to-door in Brooklyn and Queens by way of a horse-drawn wagon. Garten famously believes in using good ingredients, so her stamp of approval on any given item causes her fans to pay attention. While she loves the flavor of Dallis Brothers coffee in the morning (alongside her simple, go-to breakfast of Irish oatmeal), it's feasible to assume she uses the same brand in her recipes that call for brewed coffee — like her chocolate cake and coffee granita. It may even play a role in her recipes that call for ground coffee, like her coffee-rubbed New York strip steaks. Dallis Brothers Coffee makes small batch and higher-end coffees, so it's a great example of a small business that wasn't afraid to change with the times. That could help explain how it continues to thrive over 100 years after its founding. Read more: Bologna Brands That Use The Highest Quality Ingredients And The Ones You Should Avoid Ina Garten isn't one who believes in secret ingredients. On the contrary, if she puts something into one of her recipes, you can count on the fact that it's one she recommends. Not only does she share these items and brands in several of her cookbooks, she also lists many of them on her website and discusses them freely in interviews. While some of her choice brands are on the fancier end (like Urbani White Truffle Butter), others are approachable and attainable, like Libby's brand canned pumpkin and Hellman's mayonnaise. Another of Garten's favorite products, Hecker's flour, is an old New York-founded company just like Dallis Brothers Coffee. It was also founded by two brothers (John and George Hecker) who immigrated from England and began their flour business in 1842. Rao's, the company which makes Garten's preferred jarred pasta sauce, began as a restaurant in New York City in 1896 and became one of the most renowned restaurants in the city, with tables that are nearly impossible to get to this day. Even the Barefoot Contessa's favorite cookie brand, Tate's, hails from New York (Southampton, to be specific), but was founded more recently compared to these other brands (1980). Being from New York certainly isn't a prerequisite for becoming an Ina-approved product. There are plenty of brands on her list that are from other states and countries. The only question now is who makes better coffee, Alton Brown or Jeffrey Garten. For more food and drink goodness, join The Takeout's newsletter. Get taste tests, food & drink news, deals from your favorite chains, recipes, cooking tips, and more! Read the original article on The Takeout.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Ina Garten's calming culinary empire
This is an updated version of a story first published on Oct. 23, 2022. The original video can be viewed here. She's one of the most beloved cooks in the country, Ina Garten, known as the "Barefoot Contessa." She has written a recent memoir, and her cookbooks have sold millions of copies. Her weekly television show has run for two decades, earned seven Emmys, three James Beard Awards and millions of devoted fans who tune in as much for the cooking lesson, as the cocktail party that typically follows. So when we first visited her in the summer of 2022, we were surprised to see that Ina Garten isn't quite as freewheeling as you might think. As remarkable as her culinary chops may be, Ina Garten's success hinges on hard work, shrewd business sense and leaving nothing to chance. Whether she's whipping up one of her signature chicken dishes, slinging cosmos for her real-life friends, or scooping ice cream – Ina Garten is a calming presence in the kitchen, taking the mystery out of cooking. She has built a culinary empire by making it all look effortless. Ina Garten: I know people don't believe this. But I'm really a nervous cook. And I'm sure every recipe's gonna turn out wrong. So I'm incredibly precise. Sharyn Alfonsi: Even now? Ina Garten: Even now. I'm there with cookbook going, "Is it a half a teaspoon or a whole teaspoon?" Sharyn Alfonsi: Are you really? Ina Garten: I follow my own recipes exactly. Because I've spent so much time getting the balance of flavors and textures and everything right. I'm really not a confident cook. Sharyn Alfonsi: I would think that you were, like, you know, swigging wine and tossing in herbs. Ina Garten: Let's keep that image going. How's that? Ina Garten and correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi At 77, the image of Ina Garten, with her denim shirt, chic scarfs and signature bob, is as reliable as the tried-and-true recipes she's built her reputation on. Those recipes are a roadmap for home cooks from a home cook. Ina Garten: People like Bobby Flay have worked in restaurant kitchens all his life. And he can just throw things together. You know, I've watched him. And he's such a brilliant cook. I'm not that person. I didn't have that experience. Sharyn Alfonsi: When you say you're testing and testing, yourself at first, how many times do you have to make something before you get it right? Ina Garten: Sometimes ten times, sometimes 25 times. Sharyn Alfonsi: Really? Ina Garten: And then I'll print out a page and give it to one of my assistants and watch them make it. And you, it so surprises me what people do. I was making lentil salad, warm French lentils. And she was putting in garlic in it. I said, "What are you doing?" And she said, "Well, it said cloves, cloves of garlic in it." And I was like, "No, it's cloves, not cloves of garlic." And I thought, "I never would have made that mistake. But somebody else at home is gonna make that mistake." So I just want you to feel like I'm right there beside you, just kind of guiding you through the recipe. Garten has been guiding viewers from her home in East Hampton, New York for 20 years. Ina Garten: I love these tomatoes. Sharyn Alfonsi: Do you really do the gardening? Ina Garten: Well, I point. Sharyn Alfonsi: So, yes. Ina Garten: Yes. It may seem like she grew out of the rich Long Island soil, she did not. Born in Brooklyn, New York, Ina Rosenberg grew up in Stamford, Connecticut. Her dad was a doctor. Her mom, a dietician. As a teenager, she was instructed to stay out of the kitchen and excel in school - she did both. She met her future husband, Jeffrey Garten, while she was 16 years old and, four years later, they were married. Jeffrey, a lieutenant in the 82nd Airborne, later took her backpacking through France. She came home with an ambitious mission. Ina Garten: So I got Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." And I just worked my way through those books, which were very complicated recipes. I mean, there were ingredients in each recipe that was another recipe in itself. And I loved that challenge. Sharyn Alfonsi: You never went to cooking school. Ina Garten: Never went to cooking school. Sharyn Alfonsi: Was Julia Child's book your cooking school? Ina Garten: Julia Child was my cooking school, yeah. Exactly. Her actual degree was in economics. At 26, she had a job at the White House, analyzing nuclear energy policy for the Ford administration. Jeffrey worked around the corner at the State Department. Each weekend, Ina says they'd devote their time to less bureaucratic pursuits like making a great dinner party look simple. Ina Garten: To this day I follow this. I never made something for a dinner party I hadn't made several times. So I would, on Monday I would make the roast leg of lamb with tomatoes with duxelles, which are minced, finely minced mushrooms for Jeffrey for dinner. Sharyn Alfonsi: Lucky man. Ina Garten: And then I make it again on Wednesday. And then by Saturday I knew how to make it. And the poor guy would go, "Oh, this is delicious. What is this?" After a thousand dinner parties and two administrations – at 30 years old, Ina had burned out of life inside the Beltway. In 1978, she saw an ad in the back of the New York Times for a 400 square foot "speciality food store" in Westhampton, New York, called, "The Barefoot Contessa." "The Barefoot Contessa," Garten's first store Sharyn Alfonsi: But you had never been to the Hamptons. Ina Garten: I'd never been. Sharyn Alfonsi: You didn't know anything about running a store. Ina Garten: I knew how to make 12 brownies for my friends. But I certainly didn't know how to make 100 brownies. I didn't even know how to cash out the register or slice smoked salmon or I mean to me, brie was a like a foreign language. Sharyn Alfonsi: So was it confidence that allowed you to do that? Or was it that you were being naïve? Ina Garten: I have a very low threshold of boredom. And I was really bored with my job. And I just thought, "This is really exciting. This is what I do for fun. And now I can do it professionally." And so I just thought, "I'm just gonna jump in," thinking-- "Well, how hard could this be?" Oh, my God. It was really hard. The Gartens say they double mortgaged their house. Ina told us she was working 20 hours a day to keep up with the crowds who came to gawk at the goods and load up on lobster salad. Soon, she opened a bigger shop in East Hampton. Ina Garten: It's very deliberate. I was always doing research. You know, it looked like I was just having a good time of, you know, wandering around having a party. But it was all careful and deliberate. A calculating businesswoman, Ina Garten elevated the food scene –and soon had finicky Hamptons clientele falling over themselves to have the Barefoot Contessa cater their weddings or Thanksgiving. Ina Garten: And every year we would pack up the orders Wednesday night so people could come in Thursday morning. And I would use the van out-- out-- next to the store as a refrigerator. And one year, it was like 33° when I was going home. And I thought, "Nobody wants frozen Thanksgiving dinner." So I drove the van home. And I set my alarm for every single hour, all night to turn the heat on for a few minutes, and then go back to sleep. Sharyn Alfonsi: To keep the turkeys warm. Ina Garten: To keep the turkeys-- well, the turkeys we roasted in the morning. But, like, the vegetables and the sides and all that stuff. After 18 years, Garten decided to sell the Barefoot Contessa in 1996. Ina Garten: So, I mean, one minute I'm making 1,000 baguettes. And the next minute I have nothing to-- I mean, nothing to do. Sharyn Alfonsi: How was that? Ina Garten: It was horrible. And I thought, "You know, I'm 50. Maybe that's the end of my career." Hardly. The lull lasted 9 months before Garten started writing "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook," the first of 13 cookbooks, ten of which have become New York Times Bestsellers. Crushing big name chefs by remembering the lessons learned at her specialty food shop. Ina Garten: I realized later what I knew was what people wanted to eat at home, which was roast chicken and roast carrots and chocolate cake and coconut cupcakes and things that I knew from the store people bought and took home. Sharyn Alfonsi: You weren't trying to say, "Here's everything I know." You were saying, "Here's what you need to know." Ina Garten: Yeah, here's what will make you happy at home. Her latest cookbook, "Go to Dinners," was inspired by the pandemic. And again, Ina is in every detail. Sharyn Alfonsi: One of things about the book that is not by accident is that you can put it on the counter, and it doesn't flop shut. Ina Garten: I'm so glad you noticed that. Early on, Garten sought out a printer in Japan so her cookbooks would lie flat and wouldn't close while cooking. She designed them to have white space for notes, and pictures as guides. Simplicity is non-negotiable. Sharyn Alfonsi: Do you ever throw something out because it's too difficult to make? Ina Garten: Absolutely. If I get to a point in a recipe and I go, "I'm never gonna make this recipe again," everything goes in the trash. And if you're exhausted by the time you finish that, you're -- it's not good for the party. Sharyn Alfonsi: So you're thinking about the party above all things-- Ina Garten: I'm always thinking about the party. The party got real big, real fast after Ina was invited to be on Martha Stewart's show. An outtake caught the eye of a food network executive. Ina Garten: She said that I was making something. And I took a spoonful of it and tasted it and go, "This is really good." And-- and the Martha Stewart crew said, "Cut. You can't talk with your mouth full." And I was like, "Why? It's a cooking show." Garten told network executives she didn't want a show, but eventually, gave in - with a caveat. Instead of an adoring studio audience, she insisted on a more intimate affair, in her kitchen. She directed the cameras to come closer, so it felt like a dinner party. Sharyn Alfonsi: One of the things I'm fascinated by is that there are a lot of people who watch your show who don't-- Ina Garten: Don't cook-- Sharyn Alfonsi: --cook. Sharyn Alfonsi: What do you think the appeal is? Why are they watching you cook? Ina Garten: I think there was a time when mom was in the kitchen cooking for us. And-- I think people feel like they're just hanging out with me and I'm cooking for them. Sharyn Alfonsi: When you're cooking, you're not-- it's not about, "Look at me." Ina Garten: Oh, it's never about, "Look at me." I'm like, "Don't look at me." I'm just the opposite. It's funny, I-- I have a friend who said, "Everybody else is, like, 'Look at me. Look at me. You know, pay attention to me.'" And I'm like, "Well, this is what I do. You can do whatever the f*** you want to do." And I'm just having fun here. The fun came to a screeching halt for Ina and everyone else during the pandemic. Unable to film her show, or cook for her friends, Garten turned to Instagram. Offering practical advice to home cooks and stirring up some fun. Jeffrey and Ina Garten with correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi Two cups of vodka and more than 3 million views later, with the lock down over, we wanted to make sure Ina didn't have to drink alone. Sharyn Alfonsi: Do this and Jeffrey arrives. Ina Garten: Hi sweetie. You know Sharyn, right. Jeffrey Garten: I know Sharyn, hi Sharyn. Ina Garten: So we made a red grapefruit paloma for you. Jeffrey Garten: Wow. Mr. Garten had a successful career on Wall Street and served as the dean of Yale's business school, but millions of viewers know him simply as Jeffrey. Sharyn Alfonsi: Ina has called you her muse before. What is she to you? Jeffrey Garten: Well, she's the center of my life. Ina Garten: Aw. Jeffrey Garten: She's actually the font of enormous amount of fun. And she is the center of the home. That's what she is to me. Ina Garten: Thank you. That's not bad. The couple has been married for more than 50 years. Sharyn Alfonsi: Is this a typical day at the house? You just have a cocktail? Ina Garten: Oh yeah, we have cocktails all the time. Sharyn Alfonsi: Do you? Jeffrey Garten: Couple of times a day. Sharyn Alfonsi: And that's the secret to a happy marriage. Ina Garten: That's exactly right. Jeffrey Garten: Just delicious. Ina Garten: Thank you. The next morning, we went looking for carbs. But in the Hamptons the corner shop doesn't sell donuts. Ina Garten: This is Carissa's Sharyn Alfonsi: So cute Ina Garten: Isn't it wonderful? Garten took us to her favorite local bakery for a taste of the good life. Sharyn Alfonsi: What is it that you love about this spot? Ina Garten: Well, first I love Carissa's because it's two local women. And the two of them have built this extraordinary place with great quality food. It's—they use local ingredients in almost everything. And they're here every day. And it just feels like what I used to do. It feels like coming home. Ina Garten: Oh, look how fabulous that is. Wow. Sharyn Alfonsi: Oh that is fancy pants. This is just what I would typically have for breakfast. Ina Garten: Exactly. Sharyn Alfonsi: This is all lovely. But the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich is like $20. A lobster roll is $38. Ina Garten: But, you know, first of all, it's organic. It's local. And things are expensive here. But it's not just a piece of white bread. It's on a roll that Carissa made. And one of the luxuries of being here is that you can make a really good quality product. Garten's life isn't all french pastries and rose colored cocktails, but we thought it's pretty dang close. She may still be a nervous cook, but Ina Garten has nailed the recipe for a good life. Ina Garten: I want to do what I love doing. And I want to do it really well. And then I want to have a life. Sharyn Alfonsi: Julia sold French food, right? Martha sold perfection. You're slinging fun. Ina Garten: Well, I just think-- if you're not having fun what's the point, really? Produced by Michael Karzis. Associate producer, Katie Kerbstat Jacobson. Broadcast associate, Elizabeth Germino. Edited by Matthew Danowski.
