Barefoot Contessa (2002–…): Season 16, Episode 1 - Miguel While You Were Out - full transcript

I'm the barefoot contessa,

it's summer
and the living is easy.

There's a fabulous summer lunch.

Roasted shrimp with feta
for my friend rori trovato.

We're making her incredible
salted caramel ice cream

from her creamery
in Santa Barbara.

Then it's dinner with Jeffrey
bursting with sunshine flavor,

summer garden pasta.

And it's over to you
for "ask ina."

From new recipe ideas
to tips and techniques

I'm answering your summertime
cooking questions.



Roasted shrimp with feta
is the perfect summer dish.

It's very mediterranean --

it's got feta and all kinds
of mediterranean flavors.

And I love to make it
in the summer

because you can make it
in advance

and throw it in the oven
when you need it.

My friend rori trovato
is coming.

She owns
rori's artisanal creamery
in Santa Barbara.

She makes
the most amazing ice creams.

She's gonna make me ice cream
and I'm gonna make her lunch.

So what I've been doing is

I heated about two tablespoons
of olive oil

and I cooked 1 1/2 cups
of fennel, just the fennel bulb,

for about eight to ten minutes
'til it's tender.



I've chopped the fennel
medium dice, not too big,
not too small.

I'm gonna add a tablespoon
of garlic, minced.

That's about three cloves.

Just add it right in.

You want it on low temperature
because you don't want
the garlic to burn.

What I'm doing now
is making the sauce.

Then I'm gonna combine it
with shrimp and feta.

So about 1/4 cup of
a good, dry, white wine.

I usually use Pinot grigio
but whatever you have.

And what that'll do is

just take all
the brown scrapings
off the bottom of the pan

and make a really good sauce.

Wine, fennel, garlic,
how bad can this be?

Okay,
now I'm gonna add tomatoes.

I need a 14 1/2 ounce can
of tomatoes,

the whole thing,
tomatoes and liquid.

And they're just
chopped diced tomatoes.

Two teaspoons of tomato paste.

It'll give it
really intense flavor.

And some oregano.

Now I usually don't use
oregano fresh because
it's so intense,

so I need about
a teaspoon of oregano.

What I'm gonna do
is crush it in my hands

and it really releases the oils.

And then a little pernod,

which is
fennel-flavored liqueur.

About a tablespoon,
just a splash.

About a teaspoon of salt.

It will really bring out
the fennel flavor.

And 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.

And this is gonna cook
for about 10 to 15 minutes

until all the flavors blend
really well.

Just think of these flavors
with shrimp and feta.

Okay, I'm gonna let that
simmer away.

So the key to this dish
is it's got sauce on the bottom,

shrimp that are roasted,

and then on top
it's a breadcrumb mixture
with lemon and parsley

that gives it
a really nice crunch

and then, of course, feta.

A little feta
never hurt anything.

It makes it taste wonderful.

So for the breadcrumb mixture

I just need a cup
of breadcrumbs

and I'm just using
white sandwich bread,

which I keep in the freezer
for times like this.

Okay, that goes into
the food processor,

the top goes on.

Instant breadcrumbs.

Perfect.

So we'll put 'em in a bowl.

And then I'm gonna add
lots of parsley and lemon zest

so it will have a great flavor.

I need three tablespoons
of chopped parsley.

Shrimp itself is
actually kind of bland

so I always like to sort of
bump it up with lots of
great flavor.

And I love
mediterranean flavors --

Greek things like feta,
olive oil, and tomatoes.

Perfect for shrimp.

Okay, so three tablespoons
of chopped parsley right in.

And one teaspoon of lemon zest.

My rasp, I love this.

Just be sure you just get
the outside of the rind.

You just want
the bright yellow part.

Okay, that should be
about a teaspoon.

Just think how sharp
that's gonna be

with the breadcrumbs
and parsley.

And then two tablespoons
of olive oil.

So that's great.

The olive oil is gonna make
the breadcrumbs toast
really well.

They'll be nice and brown.

Okay, I'm gonna check and see
how the sauce is doing.

Now this look great.

The fennel is
really nicely cooked,
the tomatoes are reduced,

and it's a great base
for the shrimp.

I have 1 1/4 pounds of shrimp

and I actually asked
the seafood shop to
leave the tails on

and I'll show you why
'cause they're gonna
sort of stick up.

So now off the heat,

I'm just gonna start
layering the shrimp
all the way around.

I just think it looks nice
if all the tails are going
in the same direction.

It takes an extra minute
to do it like this

rather than dump them all on,

but it just looks
so much nicer.

So at this point,
you can actually
assemble the whole thing

and leave it in the refrigerator

and then just throw it
in the oven just before dinner.

Rori and I like the same things
so I'm sure she's gonna love it.

Okay, that's the shrimp,
next the feta.

I always use Greek feta.

I just think
it's really good quality.

And I always say
don't crumble it, dice it.

In this case, crumble it.

You just want it to be all over
in this dish --

a little bit in each bite.

So I'm just gonna crumble it
right on top.

Just think when the fennel melts
a little bit when it's hot.

Mmm, it's so good.

Okay, that's the feta,
next the breadcrumbs.

So these are the breadcrumbs
that have lemon zest, parsley,
and olive oil in them.

Just mix them up
and then just spread them
all over the top of this.

Now how good is that gonna be?

So they'll get nice
and brown and toasted.

So that's once on a lunch
ready to go.

I'll just throw it in the oven
when rori gets here,

but for now
I'm gonna put it in the fridge.

The summer story continues next

when top ice cream maker
rori trovato shows me

how to make
salted caramel ice cream.

I'm making summer garden pasta
for dinner with Jeffrey.

And then, what else,
it's "ask ina."

People ask me all the time
what's my go-to comfort food

and sadly it's ice cream.

And my friend rori trovato
is here.

She has a creamery
in Santa Barbara, California

called
rori's artisanal creamery.

So I'm gonna make lunch for rori
and she's gonna make ice cream
for me.

So I made you shrimp with feta.

It goes into the oven
400 degrees for 15 minutes

and lunch will be ready.

Wow, that looks great.

What do you have here?

This is the ice cream base.

Can you talk me through
how you make it?
Sure.

Whisk together four egg yolks
and 3/4 cup sugar

until it's pale yellow.

When the sugar's dissolved
pour one cup of warm milk in.

Then pour the mixture
into a pan

and cook for about
three to five minutes

stirring constantly
until it thickens

and coats the back of a spoon.

Strain the mixture into a bowl
sitting over an ice bath

to stop the cooking process.

Stir in two cups
of heavy cream.

When the mixture is cool
cover with plastic wrap

and chill it overnight
in the refrigerator.

Next we're gonna make
the caramel.

That's basically burnt sugar.

Ooh, okay.

So we're gonna start
with 1 1/4 cups sugar.

Now you'll put that over
about a medium-high heat.

No water at all, just sugar?
No water at all.

Oh, okay.

So as that's starting to cook
it'll start to melt on
the bottom.

Rather than using a wooden spoon

I just prefer to use a fork
just to turn it a little.

This is so interesting,
i always do it with water.

It's much faster

and much more interesting
to do it with plain sugar

and let it just caramelize.

This is amazing,
this smells so good.

So when you start seeing
the liquid on the bottom there

that's the time
to stop stirring.

So now it's completely liquid

and now you just swirl it
until it's the right color?
Right.

I don't get it much darker
than that, a deep Amber.

Perfect.

You're gonna add the cream
and this splatters.

This is where you stand back.
Exactly.

That's 3/4 cup of cream.
Okay.

You're gonna put it now
into this bowl.

Okay, looks so good,
what's next, rori?

The sea salt.

Can't have salted caramel
without salt.

Two teaspoons.

It just takes that sweet edge
off of caramel.

And then we're gonna chill
that caramel.

Ooh, we've got ice, perfect.

And that'll chill it
much quicker.

It's really important
that this chills down

before you add it to the base

because there's eggs in here
and we'd make some
scrambled eggs.

Caramel for scrambled eggs.

It's the only way
you don't like caramel.

Actually I think
this is chilled now.

So now you'll add it
to the base.

Okay, can you get me a spatula?
Sure.

I'm just gonna pour it in
while you stir, how's that?

Isn't that gorgeous?

And it's actually
really important

that it's very, very cold
when it goes into the
ice cream maker.

So do I get to taste this?
As soon as you add the vanilla.

So you actually have
tahitian vanilla.

I always use
Madagascar vanilla.

And I love Madagascar,
but it's...

Is intense.
Much more intense.

How much goes in?
A tablespoon.

Now I definitely
have to taste it.
Now you have to taste it.

Gentlemen, start your spoons.
Okay, yeah, there you go.

Oh, that's so elegant.

It's like layer after layer
of flavor

and sweet and salt.

Oh my god,
it's just delicious.

So I think I have to get
the base for the machine.
Okay.

So I've been freezing this
for hours to make sure
it's ready.

And this is good and cold.

The colder it is the better.

And the thing about
caramel ice cream

is because of
all the sugar in it

it never gets really,
really hard,

which is actually
one of the things
i love about it.

Because I think ice cream
when it's a little soft
it's the best.

Now how long does this take?

It takes about 30 minutes.
Okay.

So that's dessert

and I'm gonna get lunch
out of the oven.

You want to grab the basket
and go outside?
Sure, great.

Oh, this is so pretty.

And shrimp with feta.
Oh my god.

Do you think there's enough
for the two of us,
come with me.

So it's shrimp with feta.

Oh my gosh.

You and I love
mediterranean flavors, right?

And that squeeze of lemon
is the perfect touch.

That last squeeze of lemon
really brings out everything.

I'm so glad you like it.

And actually,
you take some bread
you can dip it in the sauce,

which is just right there,
it's just fantastic.

I also decided
instead of having
some fancy presentation

it looked great in the pan
and so I just serve it
like that.
Oh yeah.

It's so earthy, like us.

Okay rori,
i can't hold that much longer.

Can we have ice cream
please, mom?

It should be ready about now.

I'm out of here.

Rori, this looks amazing.

It looks like liquid caramel.

Oh my goodness,
isn't this fabulous?

I think this is the perfect
temperature for ice cream

where it's like, really soft.

This is absolutely stunning.

Oh thank you,
I'm so glad you love it.

I love salted caramel ice cream,
who knew?

I'm making dinner
for Jeffrey next,

a fabulous summer garden pasta

with an incredible, fresh,
tomato sauce.

And then I've got
your summer questions answered

in "ask ina."

In the summer when I have like,
a million cherries in my garden

and so much basil,

I love to make
summer garden pasta.

It's really easy
and it's so good.

This recipe actually comes from
my friend Jean halverstam.

What a fabulous cookware store
in nantucket

and she's an amazing cook.

So I've got a big pot of
boiling water

with a splash of olive oil
and lots of salt.

So this is a pound
of capellini,

it's very, very thin pasta
and it cooks really fast,
three minutes.

Okay, give it a big stir.

And the sauce for this
is amazing.

It's a completely fresh
tomato sauce.

It's not cooked at all.

All you do is have
some cherry tomatoes

and macerate them
for about four hours

and all the juices
come out of the tomatoes
and it becomes this sauce.

I'll show you how I do it.

Pour 1/2 cup
of good olive oil

over four pints
of cherry tomatoes
that have been cut in half.

Add two tablespoons
of minced garlic

and 18 large basil leaves
julienned.

That just means
rolling them up like a cigar
and thinly slicing them.

One half teaspoon
of crushed red pepper flakes.

One teaspoon of kosher salt.

This salt really draws out
the juices of the tomatoes.

One half teaspoon
of freshly ground black pepper.

Just toss it all together,

cover it with plastic wrap,

and let it sit
at room temperature
for four hours.

Isn't that amazing?

It doesn't require
any cooking at all, love that.

Okay, I think the pasta
is ready.

So it's three minutes exactly.

That's why I love capellini,
it cooks so fast.

I'm just gonna drain it.

Oh, that's a lot of pasta.

Whoo, that's a lot of steam.

I'm gonna take
most of the water out

but not all of it
because I don't want it
to be dry.

Perfect.

Into a big bowl
just like that.

You don't want to let it sit
because the pasta's gonna
all stick together.

Not pretty.

And then pour all the tomatoes
right on top.

I mean, how gorgeous is that,
that just looks like summer.

And toss it all together
while the pasta's really hot.

And then it will absorb
all the flavors of the tomatoes

and garlic and basil
and olive oil.

Fabulous.

Next, lots of parmesan.

So 1 1/2 cups.

That's 1 1/2 cups,
it's a lot.

Just toss it all together

and all the flavors are just
gonna blend all together.

And if it seems a little dry

you can always add just
a little bit of olive oil to it.

But this looks gorgeous.

Okay, a little basil
for the plates.

Yeah.

Just julienne, stack 'em up.

Just roll 'em right up.

There, that should do it.

Fantastic, two bowls.

This looks like Jeffrey's
kind of dinner.

Whoa, lots of pasta,

lots of tomatoes.

And that's like,
dinner in one dish.

Whoa.

A little tomatoes,
a little basil.

Maybe some parmesan cheese.

Hi sweetie.
Well hi, what you got.

What do I always say,
make dinner and a man shows up.

I have some summer garden pasta,
want some parmesan cheese on it?

Yeah, that sounds wonderful.

Is that a good dinner?
Yeah.

That's for you.
Wow, this is good for starters.

This looks delicious.

How was you day?
It was actually great.

I made salted caramel ice cream
with rori, it was really good.
Really?

It's actually in the freezer,
i have it for dessert.
Bye.

Wouldn't I know
he'd go for the ice cream first.

Up next I'm sharing
summertime tips and techniques

and some recipes you'll love
for when the sun is shining

in "ask ina."

It's "ask ina"

and I've gotten
so many questions
about easy summer cooking

so I'm here to answer them.

What's the first one,
it's from Pam.

"Hello ina,
my question for you is

"are there any fruit types
of salads that I can serve
when it's hot out

"and I want something cold
and refreshing."

Actually Pam
I've got some great ideas

and my favorite one is
a watermelon and arugula salad.

I'm gonna show you
how to make it.

It's really summery
and it's delicious.

Start with 1/2 pound
of baby arugula in a big bowl.

It's a lot of arugula.

Add two pounds
of seedless watermelon
that's been 3/4-inch diced.

Then make the dressing.

For this you 1/4 cup
of freshly squeezed
lemon juice,

1/3 cup of olive oil,

a teaspoon of kosher salt,

and 1/2 teaspoon
of black pepper.

That all just gets
whisked together.

Pour enough of the dressing
over the arugula and watermelon
to moisten them

and then toss it all together.

Place the salad
on a nice serving dish

and then add big shavings
of parmesan cheese.

A little more salt
and that's it.

I hope you like
that salad, Pam.

It's great with chicken
for a light summer dinner.

Okay, what's next, I think
i have a grilled corn question.

Hi ina.

I was wondering
what's the best way to cook
corn on the cob on the grill,

directly on the grill
or wrapped in tin foil, thanks.

You know, Charlotte,
when you sent me that question
i didn't know myself

so I decided
I'm gonna experiment
and find out the answer for you.

I didn't know
if it would be better

wrapped in foil
or directly on the grill,

in the husk, with butter,
without butter,

whether it was better
to soak it.

So here's the answer.

Peel back the husk
of the sweet corn,

remove the silk,
all of it.

Then brush each ear of corn
with one teaspoon of
melted butter.

Just brush it
all the way around.

Then replace the husk,

put the corn on the grill
that's not too hot
for 20 minutes.

Turn it every five minutes
just so it cooks evenly
on all sides.

Then when it's time to take
the corn off the grill

peel back the husks
and sprinkle the corn with salt.

It will be delicious
and mildly smoky.

I actually learned a lot
i hope it works for you too.

Okay, what's next?

"Hi ina, summer's coming up
and I love grilling."

"I was wondering
what kind of fruit
would be best to grill,

"got any ideas,
thank you, Lisa."

I love grilling fruit,

it's fantastic because
as long as the grill's hot
you might as well make dessert.

There are a couple of things
about grilling fruit I like.

One thing is make sure
that it's something that's
firm enough to take grilling,

it's not going to disintegrate.

So I like grilling peaches,
but my favorite is pineapple.

Just grill pineapple,
drizzle it with honey.

You want to make sure
it's a ripe pineapple

and particularly
i like golden pineapples.

It's delicious.

I'll show you how I do it.

Okay, so you just peel
and core the pineapple.

Cut it into eight
to ten long wedges,

depending on
the size of the pineapple.

Brush the wedges
with a little bit of olive oil,

just enough so it doesn't stick
to the grill.

Then put it on the grill.

I do mine over charcoal

but if you have a gas grill
that's fine too.

Depending on the heat
it takes about six
to eight minutes on each side.

Then when it's tender and juicy
and slightly charred
it's done.

Put all the wedges on a platter

and drizzle over
1/4 cup of honey.

It's three ingredients,
one great dessert.

Doesn't this look
delicious, Lisa?

So that's it,
summer, easy cooking,
it's a great combination.

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