Ep 19. Italian Restaurant Food at Home

In Barefoot Contessa season 13 episode 19, titled Italian Restaurant Food at Home, Ina Garten shares some of her favorite recipes inspired by Italy, but with a twist. Instead of going to a restaurant, she shows her viewers how to make Italian favorites right at home.

The episode showcases a variety of dishes that Ina has tweaked to suit her taste. She starts off by demonstrating how to make a bellini using frozen peaches instead of the traditional fresh ones. She also adds a splash of raspberry sauce to make it more flavorful. Next, she makes a homemade mozzarella and tomato salad with a balsamic dressing.

For the main course, Ina prepares a pasta dish that is a cross between two popular Italian dishes - Bolognese and carbonara. She demonstrates a quick and easy way to cook the pasta, leaving it perfectly al dente. She also shares her version of the Bolognese sauce, which is lighter than the original but still packed with flavor. However, the twist comes in the form of adding a creamy carbonara-like sauce to the dish, instead of the usual grated parmesan.

Ina also shows how to make a simple side dish of roasted vegetables with lemon and garlic. She uses a variety of in-season vegetables, such as asparagus and bell peppers, which adds not only flavor but color to the dish.

For dessert, Ina makes a decadent Italian hazelnut torte. She grinds roasted hazelnuts into a fine powder, which becomes the base of the cake. She then adds a layer of chocolate ganache and a thin layer of raspberry preserves. The cake is finished off with a layer of whipped cream and a sprinkle of chopped hazelnuts.

Throughout the episode, Ina shares tips and tricks for making the dishes ahead of time and storing them, as well as how to make substitutions based on individual preferences. She also emphasizes the importance of using fresh, quality ingredients and letting them shine through in the final dish.

Overall, Italian Restaurant Food at Home showcases Ina's ability to take classic Italian dishes and put her own spin on them, resulting in delicious and approachable recipes that can be made right in the comfort of one's own kitchen.