Lidia's Kitchen

-Buongiorno.

I'm Lidia Bastianich, and teaching you about Italian food has always been my passion.

Just like that.

You got that right.

It has always been about cooking together and building your confidence in the kitchen.

For me, food is about gathering around the table to enjoy loved ones.

Your family is going to love it.

Share a delicious meal and make memories.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

"Lidia's Kitchen: Tradition to Table."

-Funding provided by... -Every can of Cento tomatoes is born in Italy, where they are grown and ripened in sun-drenched fields and then harvested by local farmers who select them just for us.

Cento -- trust your family with our family.

-It's the Italian way.

Prosecco DOC ros.

A toast of Italy.

-Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy -- handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

-I notice my cooking has changed as my family grows.

And in time, I have changed those recipes to create new traditions.

Heartwarming, full of flavor, deliciousness, brininess from the clams, pasta, tomatoes.

What more can one ask for?

I can always go for seconds.

Avocados -- it's not a traditional Italian fruit, but these days.

it is grown in Sicily.

So let's adapt with this modern take on a classic.

You're going to make this one.

It's good.

Pasta with meatballs -- though I didn't grow up with it, it's always a welcome dish for my family these days.

That's a good one portion.

Yeah?

Would you be happy with this?

I love knowing my recipes will live on with the next generation.

Kitchen work is never finished.

We need some garlic.

You know, certainly, I base my cooking on tradition, but I do some innovation in meatballs.

You know what I do?

I put the pestata, I put vegetables, and I think it's quite contemporary.

You know, as I think about my recipes, my family, my grandkids, I took some innovation from them, too.

They're much more conscious about eating salads.

Kale salad -- my grandmother didn't make kale salad.

She cooked kale -- cavolo nero, she made bruschetta with it, all that.

But my granddaughter Olivia, her specialty is a kale salad.

So it becomes part of our tradition.

I am glad to see their input, their freedom in taking a recipe that grandma does and making it into their own.

Will they become traditions?

Most likely, most likely.

So see what you can do with your recipe, or maybe even with mine.

And adapt them, change them, and they become part of your tradition.

Think I have enough garlic here?

[ Chuckles ] Okay, going to the kitchen.

See you there.

[ Indistinct conversations in distance ] Ready?

Zuppa di pomodoro con fregola e vongole.

In my family, we'll eat clams any way you prepare it.

I love linguine clam sauce, but this is a great alternative.

And it is kind of a tomatoey soup with clams.

So, let's begin with the basic -- the soup.

Oil, and since it's soup, you need a nice-size pan.

Let's get the garlic in there.

Okay.

I have a can of plum tomatoes.

Squash them and put that in.

[ Tomatoes sizzling ] And it's a soup, so we will need all of this water, right in here.

And this is the fregola.

It's almost like couscous.

But the Italians -- this is in Sardinia, this is used.

And we'll cook it in this soup.

But let's flavor it.

So, we have the garlic, the oil, lots of thyme, salt, peperoncino.

Okay, let's just make a little move here, and we'll work on the clams right here.

The soup can keep on cooking, and we'll bring it to a boil.

We will shuck the clams.

Once they're cooked, we'll take them out of their shells, we'll use their delicious juice, and we'll put it all into the soup.

So, let's open up the clams.

Plenty of garlic.

And these are littleneck clams, and they're delicious.

Once they open up, you leave them like that.

You can have the cherrystone, which are the bigger.

They're a little cheaper, maybe easier to find.

You can chop them up and put them in the soup.

But these are perfect just like this.

[ Pot sizzling ] A little peperoncino.

They don't need salt, because they're salty.

And you sort of loosen them up.

Some Prosecco DOC will make the sauce.

And we'll open up the clam, just like that.

Mmm.

Okay.

Cover that.

This is a simple, straightforward dish.

The fregola does take a good half-hour to cook.

So, you start the soup.

Once the soup has sort of amalgamated the flavors, throw in the fregola, let that cook separately, do the clams, and then pull it all together.

So, we have some time here.

I always entertain messages from my grandkids.

They have a direct line to Nonna.

Let's see.

Oh, Olivia.

Oh, sure.

"Nonni, I'm having friends over for drinks today and want to make an easy appetizer to serve.

Any idea?"

A bruschetta is the easiest.

Some good bread.

Grill the bread, and then you can put fillet of anchovy, a little peperoncino, and a drop of olive oil.

Mmm.

That's really good.

If figs are in season, slice some ripe figs on the bruschetta, drape it with prosciutto.

Mmm.

Another one.

Crunchy shrimp in the oven.

They're simple.

Coat the shrimp with a little bit of flavored oil.

Then, you dip them in bread crumbs, bake them in the oven.

They bake nice and crunchy.

So you have a lot of things to remember from what Grandma makes for you, but these, I think, would be a few quick ones.

Not only for you, Olivia.

You guys out there, you use it, too, okay?

Let's see where we are with this.

Okay, this is beginning to boil.

Let's add the fregola.

Bring it to a boil.

I'm looking at the clams.

Yes, this is ready.

We don't want to overcook it.

And let's fish them out.

And we want to save the delicious sauce.

Just like that.

Always leave a little bit at the end.

There always is some sediment with clams, and I can see some right in there, so leave a little bit at the end.

Let's see where we are with this.

Oh, the fregola is boiling away.

It takes just 30, 40 minutes.

That's all there is to it.

So, let that cook, the clams cool.

And we'll combine them and make this delicious clam soup.

Here I am, guys, relaxing and reading your messages, your questions, and all that.

And I just love it.

So keep on sending them.

Let's see, from Debbi.

"I have confidence that when I use your recipes, it is going to turn out great.

See the photo."

Oh, my goodness, it looks great.

Absolutely.

Now, let's see.

"This recipe has become a regular in my rotation.

I love that it is a complete meal in one dish.

My question is -- I know you are not a gadget-oriented person, but what three kitchen tools can you not do without?"

I have to have a good knife.

Good, simple chef knife.

With that, I like a paring knife, so I have the option of getting to the corners.

A good wooden spoon.

And I love my spider.

I do everything with it.

I pull the pasta out of the boiling water, I pull the calamari out of the hot oil.

My spider is the go-to.

Thank you very much for writing in.

I love to hear from you, so keep on writing.

So, the fregola is done.

I shelled the clams and saved the juice.

Let's put the clams right in.

Let's add the juice.

And again I always hold at the bottom.

You see, there's always a little bit of sand.

And just slowly mix it.

You don't have to even boil it, because the clams are cooked.

You don't want to overcook them.

Mmm.

That looks good.

Let me do some chopped parsley here.

Mm-hmm.

I think just a drizzle of oil.

And we're ready to serve.

I'll take a little bowl for Lidia, too.

I will use the bowl so that I don't dribble all over the place.

Look at this.

Delizioso.

Hmm.

Alright.

Let's pick a clam out for Lidia, too.

Okay.

Now, this looks inviting.

Alright, let me taste this.

[ Blowing sharply ] Mmm -- sweet, briny, a little acidity -- perfect.

Let's see how it goes with my Prosecco DOC ros.

Yes, I'll pour one for you, too.

Mmm.

Good match.

Buonissimo.

Hope you make it.

Insalata di avocado e Pomodori con aceto balsamico e mozzarella.

Tomato and mozzarella and balsamic -- it's a classic, of course, but avocado is ever more the rage in America, all over the world.

They even grow avocado in Sicily now.

And my kids love it.

So I said, "Let me put a little bit of avocado and sort of add another dimension to this classic salad or appetizer."

And I loved it, my kids love it, the family loved it, and I included it in the book, and I want you to make it.

What you will need is: some finely chopped shallots; balsamic vinegar; extra virgin olive oil; ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks; two ripe avocados, peeled and cut into chunks; and some mozzarella bocconcini, the small ones.

If you have the small ones, you cut them in half.

What I'm trying to do here is, their sizes match.

You know, cubed tomatoes, cubed avocado, and the bocconcini But if you don't find the bocconcini, cut the mozzarella that you have somewhat in a cube.

I like to put it over romaine hearts.

And I chop the romaine heart, too.

Makes a great appetizer.

It really is.

It's easy.

Buffet tables.

Presentation usually is, you know, in a bowl or in a platter, and let everybody take what they want, or unless you want it as an individual appetizer.

So I know I got you hooked on this one, because you're going to make this one.

It's good.

Rigatoni con Polpette di tacchino.

Meatballs.

This time, I'm making turkey meatballs.

I made lamb, pork, beef, mixture.

But today is turkey, and they're good, they're light.

And people kind of look forward to lighter things.

But, first, let me do a little pestata.

So, what is a pestata ?

Pestata -- "pestare" means "to chop."

And in Italian, it's usually done with -- in this case, I'm doing a little bit of garlic, carrots, onions, and celery -- all of that.

Okay.

Let's go with the pestata.

Okay.

And I'm going to take actually half of it for the stuffing and half of it for the sauce.

So... Half of that, and half for the sauce.

Let me put some salt... some grated cheese -- always good in the meatballs -- ...an egg... ...bread crumbs... ...and chopped parsley.

So, let's mix it up all together.

You want it all to get incorporated well.

Turkey meat is easier because it really is tender, and so you can do it with a spatula, no problem.

So, it's done.

And let's make our meatballs.

An ice cream scooper like this is great.

And you just make your meatballs.

And of course, you can get the kids involved.

They love doing their meatballs.

You know, it's -- as much as I enjoy meatballs, my kids enjoy meatballs.

Meatballs were not part of my growing up in Northeastern Italy.

We had polpette, and polpette are chopped meat like this, usually beef, a little bit of pork mixed in there, and then they were made kind of round and flattened, like little hamburgers, and just pan-fried.

And that was our polpette.

We didn't make it in the sauce or serve it with pasta.

And in Italy, it is not a mound of pasta -- spaghetti and two meatballs on the side.

That's an Italian-American tradition.

It's a great tradition, delicious, [Chuckles] but it's not a real Italian tradition.

So, I put them in the oven.

I like to bake them, let them form a crust, so I'm sure that they will not fall apart once I put them in the sauce.

Yes, some people fry them -- maybe a little flour and fry them.

You can do all of this, but I have a preheated oven at 450, nice and hot, for 10 minutes.

Just let them get a nice crust.

Here is another one.

"I tend to think of 350 as an all-purpose oven temperature.

But I want to learn more about the interaction between food and heat.

Why do we cook at low temps for long periods instead of high temps for short periods?

Does it make a difference?

Or is it the same?

With gratitude, Ruth."

Absolutely makes a difference.

Usually, when you cook things for a longer period of time, you simmer your roast or whatever, a lower temperature because you want to get into it, you want to break the fibers of the protein down so that it becomes fork-tender.

Now, on the other hand, if you're doing fish, all you want is crispy on the outside, some flavors, and then enough heat to permeate and to cook the fish to release it from the bone or whatever you're doing.

So it makes a difference.

While the meatballs are in the oven, baking, let's make the sauce.

Get a nice large pot and a heavy pot, because, you know this is going to be simmering for a while.

And here is our pestata, the one that we saved.

[ Pot sizzling ] We want that to cook a little bit.

In the meantime I will do the oregano.

I love this dry oregano on the branch.

You know, I love fresh herbs, but oregano I love dry, 'cause it really maximizes the flavor of oregano.

So, you just kind of... shake it up a little bit.

Not too much.

I have enough here.

I'm picking up the sticks, and this goes all right into the sauce.

Okay.

[ Pot sizzling ] I have some tomatoes.

-- the San Marzano.

You know I like those.

I crush them by hand.

Let's pour them right in.

[ Pan sizzling ] And you know, all the meatballs have to cook in there.

So we need liquid -- the water.

I'm going to just rinse this so we can collect all of this and put all the water in there.

Let's season it with salt... ...peperoncino, nice and spicy.

I'll let this boil.

The meatballs are baking.

I have some time, so let me see what you guys are up to.

Russell and Liz -- "We just wanted to share videos of my son, A.J., with your cookbook.

He loves your show.

If it was up to him, he would either be watching 'Lidia's Kitchen' or 'Sesame Street' at all times."

Alright, you're my kind of guy.

Let me just check this.

-Lidia!

-Are you reading Lidia's book?

-Yeah.

-You're reading it?

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-Oh, is he cute!

-Do you love Lidia?

Oh.

-Oh.

-Kisses for Lidia.

-Oh, my goodness!

A.J., alright!

You keep on watching "Lidia" and a little "Sesame Street," too.

Alright, love it, love it.

Thank you.

Thank you, guys.

Thank you for sending this.

And thank you for watching the show.

A.J.

-- mwah -- I love you.

Alright.

So, the sauce is boiling.

It's looking good.

And the meatballs should be ready to go into the sauce.

So let's check on the meatballs.

Okay.

Beautiful.

Look at the nice little crispy top.

But inside, it still needs to cook.

So we will put them right into the sauce.

And I'm going to lower the sauce.

I don't want the sauce to be rolling when I put the meatballs in there, because they may break since they're not completely cooked.

One... I will not stir them right away.

You don't want them to break apart.

Let them simmer away.

Let's see.

Sometimes when I don't want to go in there, but I -- you know, I get restless -- I don't want anything to stick -- I just shake the pan, just like that.

And it works.

Okay.

Let them simmer now for about 20 minutes.

We'll add the pasta just in time, and then we'll have a nice plate of rigatoni and meatballs.

Here is some more questions, answers, and all of that good stuff, and this is from Brenda.

"What kind of tomatoes do you use to make tomato sauce for pasta?"

Brenda, haven't you been watching my show?

Almost every show, I say "San Marzano tomatoes."

Those are the ones I love.

And San Marzano is a town around Naples, right by the Vesuvius, and -- but the tomatoes have sort of earned the name from that area.

And they're those long tomatoes, thin skin, not too many seeds, pulpy, and not too much juice.

And usually, if they're ripe, they are sweet, and they make the great sauce.

Whole San Marzano tomatoes in their juice.

Then, you squash them to a pulp and make your sauce.

Delicious.

Okay, the pasta is nice, al dente.

The rigatoni are waiting to be dressed for the party.

The meatballs are perfect.

Just a nice density.

Let's get a nice plate of meatballs out.

So, let's fish them out.

Rolling along, the meatballs.

A bit of sauce.

Okay.

Let's do a portion.

Now, I don't like when the pasta is actually smothered in the sauce.

So what I'm going to do is I'm going to pull out some sauce... ...and some meatballs here in case...I need to dress it.

And I'm going to throw the pasta right in here.

Fish it right out.

You can strain it, you can drain it, just do not rinse your pasta.

You know the old saying, you throw the pasta to the wall and if it sticks, it's done"?

Because that little stickiness, that's the starch.

That's where the sauce adheres to.

Ah.

And you mix it a little bit.

It's always good to have it a little bit al dente.

So, this way, when you finish and you saut your pasta in the sauce, it continues to cook and it absorbs the sauce in it.

That looks yummy.

Let me get a little plate for me.

I'm going to use my plate as an escort.

That looks pretty good.

I have in here... the meatballs that I saved for this dish.

Mmm.

And a little bit of sauce on top.

Not too much, just a little bit.

You can always put the extra sauce on the table.

Just don't smother your pasta in the sauce.

Don't let it be soupy.

I'm going to sprinkle a little bit of cheese.

That's a good one portion.

Yeah?

Would you be happy with this?

I know I would.

Now, Lidia will have just a little bit.

On this one, I didn't leave a meatball for Lidia.

But that's alright.

Don't you worry.

Chef never goes without.

I will put some cheese on mine.

So, now let me go steal a meatball, because I can't forget Lidia.

I got a place that nobody will know the difference.

We have the table all set.

Some good red wine, meatballs, rigatoni, all dressed, and some Pecorino.

A nice chunk of Pecorino Romano.

You can grate at the last minute.

Now, Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk, 100%, so it has a nice zest to it.

So, put that on the table and let them help themselves.

Let me taste this.

The sauce is light because of the vegetables.

The meatballs are even light.

Turkey and vegetables in the meatballs.

With this, of course, I will serve a good red wine.

And as I always say, Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

So, do come and join me for a good glass of wine and some rigatoni and meatballs.

-[ Singing in Italian ] -Now, my grandkids, see, now, the optimal situation is, when I evaluate their own recipe and I give it the seal of approval, that gives them sort of, "Ah, I've done something.

I've innovated."

-The food from this series is a celebration of the Italian dishes Lidia cooks for the ones she loves the most, from the traditional recipes of her childhood to the new creations she feeds her family today.

All of these easy-to-prepare recipes can be found in Lidia's latest cookbook, "From Our Family Table to Yours," available for $35.

To purchase this cookbook and any of her additional products, call 1-800-PLAY-PBS, or visit shop.pbs.org/lidia.

To learn more about Lidia, access to videos, and to get recipes, tips, techniques, and much more, visit us online at lidiasitaly.com.

Follow Lidia on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, @LidiaBastianich.

-Funding provided by... -At Cento Fine Foods, we're dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of authentic Italian foods by offering over 100 specialty Italian products for the American kitchen.

Cento -- trust your family with our family.

And by...