Welcome! This is “Staying In,” a Sunday newsletter with recipe ideas for your week ahead. Every other Thursday I also publish a “Going Out” edition where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations and follow RR on Instagram at @rileysrecs. Enjoy!
Beloved Food Network star Ina Garten is making the media rounds. Last week, she released her new book Be Ready When The Luck Happens. It’s a memoir that details her hard-earned success building the Barefoot Contessa empire and chips away at the facade of her storybook marriage to Jeffrey.
Like I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, Barefoot Contessa At Home was my first cookbook (look at the little sticky notes with pairing ideas that still cling to its pages!). Her approachable recipes were perfect for a 15-year-old learning how to cook and made me feel sophisticated and capable.
So because Ina is top of mind for me, this week I’m making more Barefoot Contessa recipes. I’m really excited to cook and eat dishes that brought me so much joy in high school. It’s like falling in love with The Office all over again.
P.S. If you want even more Ina content, I enjoyed this roundup of takeaways from Ina’s memoir on Cup of Jo.
P.P.S. An Ina Garten memoir released the same week as Sally Rooney’s Intermezzo??
DINNERS
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Basil | Broccoli Rabe with Garlic | Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes | Lamb Sausages
Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower | Beef or Chicken Skewers
Seared Tuna with Mango Chutney | Rice
LUNCH
Spinach with Goat Cheese, Basil, and Cherry Tomatoes
DESSERT
Coconut Cupcakes
Notes:
Swap in whatever starch you want for all of this week’s dishes. I chose potatoes and rice, but you could easily make farro, sweet potatoes, orzo, etc.
There’s not a lot to say about the broccoli rabe recipe (and you could definitely just wing it), but here are Ina’s directions for broccoli rabe.
This might seem like an unforgiving week for vegetarians, but you could definitely combine the lentils and cauliflower for a complete meal or swap the chicken and goat cheese for a meat alternative.
For the salad, I’m just using leftover ingredients from dishes throughout the week, like the goat cheese from the chicken dish.
As per usual, I’m buying my sausages and skewers at either New Seasons, Edelweiss or Gartner’s.
Yeah, I’m making cupcakes! Does it have to be a child’s birthday to eat a cupcake? I have an actual birthday to celebrate this week (my brother), but he’s Celiac so these cupcakes aren’t even for that.
Chicken with Goat Cheese and Basil
In this recipe you get to do fancy home-chef stuff. You take skin-on chicken breasts and shove a piece of goat cheese and a basil leaf underneath the skin flap before baking. Skin flap is maybe the grossest word I’ve ever typed for this newsletter, but trust me when I say this is easy and painless and not gross at all.
Baking time is about 35-40 minutes so in theory you could get the chicken in the oven, turn on a rice cooker, and send off a bunch of emails before everything comes together perfectly at the same time. I do suggest pairing this chicken with Ina’s broccoli rabe and mustard potatoes instead of rice, but do whatever you have the bandwidth for.
Mustard Roasted Potatoes
Roasted potatoes can be tricker than they seem — how much should you salt? Do you halve or quarter? In Ina’s world, the secret to crispy perfectly seasoned potatoes is a high-heat oven and a mustard dressing. You’ll bake at 425 for about 50 minutes. Serving size is six meaning you’ll likely have leftovers the next day, which is ideal for pairing with another entree or reheating with eggs the following morning.
Stewed Lentils and Tomatoes
It’s not quite stew season in my book — I feel like if the temp is over 70 it’s not time for soup even if it is October— but these stewed lentils are “fall forward.” They’re a warm accompaniment to any entree and contain hearty spices like thyme and curry powder. And, because they’ll simmer for 30-40 minutes, they can be cooked while you make the sausages. Efficiency!
Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower
Cauliflower is in season. I feel like I should recommend going to the farmer’s market, getting a high quality bunch, and then roasting simply. Not today. Drench it in parmesan and gruyere.
Seared Tuna with Mango Chutney
Last week’s Lemon Fusilli with Arugula reminded me of how Ina nails the promise of simple without sacrificing flavor. Most of her recipes are one to two paragraphs long, require few ingredients, and even fewer tools. This tuna recipe is no exception. The fish is seared simply, getting all of its flavor from the vibrant mango chutney served alongside it rather than any marinade or rub. The chutney is a balanced, with equal parts sweet from mango and orange juice and spice from jalapeño and ginger. I would bet that this dinner comes together in under 30 minutes.
Coconut Cupcakes
I’ve made Ina’s coconut cake, which is festive and great for your next birthday party. But sometimes eating a layered cake feels like a lot, whereas eating a cupcake or two feels manageable. Cupcakes aren’t just for birthday parties — they feel like they’re made to be a weeknight dessert. Don’t worry, I won’t be putting Peeps on top. That’s just Ina being extra. Me eating cupcakes on a Tuesday, on the other hand, is not extra.
Riley- I appreciate this list. I’ve always loved Ina’s ability to updress a fresh ingredient. And this piece is a great reminder.