Ep 4. Italian at Home

Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics season 7 episode 4 is titled "Italian at Home" and is a must-watch for Italian cuisine lovers. In this episode, host Ina Garten shares her favorite authentic Italian recipes that are perfect for a cozy night in with loved ones.

First, Ina demonstrates how to make a classic Italian dish, spaghetti and meatballs, but with her own twist. She makes the meatballs with ground turkey instead of beef and spices it up with garlic, onion, and fresh parsley. Ina also shows how to make a delicious marinara sauce from scratch with San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.

Next up, Ina shares how to make a hearty and comforting minestrone soup. She combines cannellini beans, zucchini, leeks, and pancetta in a pot to create a flavorful broth. Ina also adds a Parmesan cheese rind to the pot to give the soup an added depth of flavor. She serves the soup with crusty bread and a dollop of pesto on top.

Ina's third recipe is for a savory and satisfying chicken piccata. She shows how to pound the chicken breasts thin before coating them in a mixture of flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs. She then pan-fries the chicken in butter and olive oil until crispy and golden brown. Ina finishes the dish with a tangy and delicious sauce made with lemon juice, capers, and white wine.

For a light and refreshing side dish, Ina shares her recipe for a simple but flavorful tomato and mozzarella salad. She combines ripe cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, and mozzarella pearls in a bowl before drizzling it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for a perfect balance of acidity and sweetness.

Last but not least, Ina shares her recipe for a sweet and indulgent Italian dessert, panna cotta. She combines heavy cream, vanilla, and gelatin to create a silky-smooth texture, then serves it with a homemade raspberry sauce.

Throughout the episode, Ina shares helpful tips and techniques for creating authentic Italian dishes at home, such as using San Marzano tomatoes for a rich and flavorful sauce and serving pasta with a ladleful of starchy pasta water to help the sauce cling to the noodles.

Overall, "Italian at Home" is a delightful and informative episode of Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics that is sure to inspire viewers to try their hands at making delicious Italian dishes in their own kitchens.