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.

-Authentically Italian -- Prosecco DOC.

The Italian sparkling art of living... -For over 140 years Auricchio traditional handcrafted provolone, made in Italy.

-Traditions live and grow with each generation.

Old ones are carried on, while new ones are forged.

Thanks to Olivia, this salad has become a part of our family meals at home.

She has taught me to massage the kale for the best outcome.

And now I make it all the time for Olivia, Ethan, Miles, Lorenzo and Julia.

They all love it.

This is my go-to sauce.

I made it as a child with my grandmother Rosa, and now make it with my grandchildren today.

-I know how to make it, but it's always easier to come pick them up from you.

-I have a stash for you, as always.

Grandma Erminia was the expert maker of this gnocchetti di gris.

I still make them today, remembering a good stock is key to make this dish a success.

Now I pass my traditions on to all of you.

Make traditions.

Tradition, for me, it's kind of going into a comfort zone.

Tried-and-true recipes that has lasted through generations, even if it's altered a little bit, if it has the basic smells, tastes, it is tradition.

But also tradition is represented when I see my grandkids doing some things that I did.

I remember, you know, when I was young and the marinara sauce was perking on the stove, and you know, you're hungry, just to take a nice piece of bread, crack it right from the bread loaf, dunk it in, sort of like a little snack.

You know, it gave me an idea of what was in the pot.

Now Ethan does it all the time.

He comes by with a piece of bread, whatever sauce I'm cooking, dunks it in.

He says, "Grandma, I'm just checking."

Tradition is like an anchor.

It's important because it holds you in a certain place.

It holds you where you are, where you come from.

You are anchored when you cook within your traditions.

[ Indistinct conversations ] I'm ready to go.

Did you get that?

[ Indistinct conversations ] -Yeah.

Insalata di cavolo nero con avocado e pistacchi .

Salad is always a great way to begin a dinner.

And this salad is Olivia, my granddaughter's, favorite.

It's a kale salad with some avocados, some eggs, and a great dressing.

Here is the curly kale, which we're going to be using in this salad.

And it's rather tender, but you still want to take it off the stem just like that.

Let's see.

Let me take this out.

And just like that.

This is the cavolo nero, the black kale that we use a lot in Italy and Tuscany.

But there are different textures.

So, either you make it with this -- and this is a little tougher -- or you make it with the curly kale.

I'm going to make it with the curly kale tonight.

So, let me just break it up a little bit.

And you can cut it.

But you know, I like to use my hands.

I want to be gentle to my vegetables.

I'm going to put it in a bowl.

And this is the bowl that I'm going to dress it in.

And it could be also the bowl that you presented it to the table, or unless you want to plate it.

My granddaughter Olivia -- she loves this.

And she says, "Grandma, when you make your salad, you can massage the kale," so now I massage the kale.

What does that mean?

It really tenderizes it.

You can see that it's already kind of relaxed in the bowl.

So, let's make the dressing -- garlic... some mustard.

And I like to put the egg yolks in my dressing -- salad dressing -- because they give that creaminess and body to the dressing.

I'm going to save the white part, because I'm going to chop it up and put it in the salad.

You know?

Okay.

I'm going to put a little bit of salt... and vinegar.

So, you always ask, "How much vinegar versus oil?"

I like it maybe half and half -- maybe 40% vinegar, 60% olive oil.

But it's up to you.

Just let's give it a whirl.

[ Food processor whirring ] Okay, it's nice and smooth.

So, let me chop the egg whites so we are all ready when I begin to dress my salad.

Okay.

So, let's put the eggs in there.

And I am going to add pistachio.

I love pistachio nuts.

And I love nuts in a salad.

If you're dealing with Italian pistachio, pistacchio di Bronte.

Bronte is a town in Sicily, and it is the best pistachios that you can get.

Sweet, delicious, and that kind of pistachio nut.

So, I'm going to toast them lightly because that brings out the flavor of it.

So let's dress the salad just like that.

And a good way of toasting nuts is just in a pan on top of the stove.

You can put them in the oven, but like this, you can keep it under control.

So, I'm going to toss this.

There's enough dressing.

Everything is -- mmm-- juicy.

Alright, let's work the avocado.

It's not traditional Italian, but now everybody loves it.

And the Southern Italy has a nice climate, conducive to growing avocados.

So, I usually do just like that.

You twist it around.

And again, let's see this one.

Let's remove.

And you know, yeah, you can pull it out and chop it.

But you know what I do?

I do it kind of the easy way.

I just take a little spoon, and I just do little pieces of the avocado.

It is easy, and you get the whole avocado, everything, out of it.

So let me check.

Okay.

They're toasty.

Let's just let them cool a little bit, let me finish the avocado.

Okay.

That looks yummy.

Let's chop the pistachio just roughly.

You can give them a quick whirl in the mini chopper before you make the salad.

Let me throw this right in.

Okay.

And let me toss it.

So, you know, if you feel that you need some more dressing -- I see everything dressed.

You know, the leaves are dressed, there's a moisture to it.

But you can always add a little bit of oil, a little bit of vinegar.

Even if you're short on your dressing, that's okay.

So if you feel like you want to make it, you know, for a buffet, absolutely.

It is a good salad to do that.

It has resilience.

And maybe a little pepper.

Let's add the Lidia touch here.

This could be a whole meal.

With a nice piece of country bread, a slice of prosciutto, just like I have here, and you're done.

I am going to plate this.

And a little plate for me.

Now, you can plate it with a fork, but also these tongs are really great because they get you a nice portion full.

And I'm gonna put this one right here.

Another one right...here.

Mmm!

A little bit for Lidia.

Wow.

Let's collect a little bit of the richness of the products that have -- Sometimes when you make salad and you have pieces of nuts or something, they tend to fall to the bottom.

But then you just top your salad with it, just like that.

And let's bring it to the table.

And...that's done.

So let me taste it.

I want to get a piece of the avocado.

I want to get the kale.

Mmm.

The acidity in there -- really good.

The pistachios kind of crunch.

It's easy.

I make it all the time for Olivia, of course.

But that's not to say that Ethan, Miles, Lorenzo, and Julia don't love it.

They all love it.

So a big bowl like that could even make a lunch.

With a few slices of prosciutto, we're done.

Marinara.

When something is cooking, guess who appears.

And this time, it's my grandson Ethan!

-Hello.

-You came from college?

-I did, and I brought you a little gift.

-Ah!

Mamma mia!

Give a -- Ooh, I love you, love you.

[ Smooches ] Oh, I love this.

I can cook anything now.

-[ Chuckles ] Alright, let's see, do we have a little vase here?

Yeah.

Maybe we'll put it right here.

-Love this.

-So, I thought, you know, you like to cook, you're away in college.

Marinara sauce -- the simplest sauce and the best thing.

You love it, and I made it a thousand and one times.

Do you know how to make it?

-I know how to make it, but it's always easier to come pick them up from you.

-The jars, huh?

You like the jars?

But I'm gonna give you a once-over again because I want you to make it.

Your friends, I'm sure, like it.

It's so simple.

So, empty the tomatoes -- San Marzano tomatoes.

Let me give you this.

You know how Nonni -- Wait.

Where are you going with that?

You know that Nonni doesn't like to -- Go ahead.

Slosh everything.

That's it.

Put it in there.

I made you wash your hands.

Now squash it.

You know how Grandma does it.

-Right.

-In the meantime, I will begin the sauce.

So, just a little simple olive oil.

Keep an eye here, too, you know?

Good olive oil.

Not too much.

Alright.

Some...garlic.

Alright, let's get the garlic just golden.

You know those tomatoes?

-Yeah.

-What are they?

-San Marzano?

-Oh.

You're on top of things.

And what makes the San Marzano tomatoes so good?

Thin skin, a lot of pulp, not too much juice, not too many seeds.

That's what makes it all so good.

Okay, pour it right in here.

And always pour away from you.

[ Oil sizzling ] Go ahead.

Go, go, go, go!

All of it.

Now we're gonna season this.

Some salt.

Let me see how much, you think, salt you might need.

I think that's good.

We all like our peperoncino.

-I like the marinara sauce spicy.

-Yeah?

Okay.

I like some basil.

Give me two branches of basil.

A whole branch, with lots of leaves.

Go ahead.

Throw it right in there.

Eh?

I always put the branch like that, and so this basil really lets out all the flavor.

Then, I take -- -I can smell it.

-Yeah.

-It smells good.

-Then, I pull that out.

And at the end, I just shred some fresh.

I want you to go in the oven, because I made some cauliflower nice and crunchy.

So get it out of the oven, bring it here, and we'll put it on the plate.

You dress your vegetables -- bread crumbs, grated cheese, some seasoning, oregano, a little bit of oil.

And 10 minutes in the oven, it's done.

Yeah.

I think, you know -- Why don't you arrange it?

Nice and easy.

Elegant.

That's it.

That looks good.

And you can make this in school instead of those bags of chips or whatever else.

-I don't buy chips.

-That's my boy.

[ Laughs ] Mmm!

Okay.

-The easiest things to cook are something that you can just throw in a pan and throw in the oven, in my opinion.

-Isn't it?

And a piece of bread.

You know, when I was a little girl and the sauce was perking on the stove -- You know, you're hungry, you can smell it -- I always used to -- -Give it a little taste?

-Steal -- Here.

Yeah, okay.

You want to?

Go ahead.

You do it.

I'll do it my corner.

-You got to do it with me.

-Oh.

You got to do this together, huh?

Grandma and grandson.

[ Both blowing sharply ] Mmm.

20 minutes, and it's done.

Even like this.

You like the freshness?

-Yeah.

-Just like that.

Okay.

Get some sauce in there.

That's it.

Oh, okay.

A little more or what?

That looks good.

And this, you know, when you're making it, you can let it cool, but then you can put it in a jar.

You can put it in the refrigerator.

It stays for a week or two, no problema.

And to make this beautiful, clip a little basil and put it somewhere.

Yeah, put the leaf in the sauce and this right here.

Can we have a fork?

Can we taste this?

-I don't think we need a fork for this.

-Oh, no?

-I think we just kind of go... -Is that what you do at college?

-...and dip it.

-You know, I love to touch my food with my hands.

-It's the best utensils.

-That's it.

You got it.

So let's do it this way.

Forget the forks.

-Forget about it.

-Forget about it.

Mmm.

And just like that, you got marinara sauce.

-Just like that.

I'm gonna need a few jars to take home.

-[ Chuckles ] I have a stash for you, as always.

But you know what?

I have five grandchildren.

That makes a big stash.

Gnocchetti de gris.

When I think about gnocchi de gris, as we call gnocchetti, somehow a happy feeling comes over me.

It's a feeling where the family is all together.

Even as a child, had this big bowl of soup with this gnocchetti.

We all loved it.

We had firsts, seconds.

And it always graced the table around the holiday time.

My kids love it, my grandkids love it, and I make it often.

It's easy to make.

It's delicious.

They are like little gnocchi, but made out of farina.

We call it gris.

Farina is cream of wheat -- the fast-cooking, but not the instant.

One egg.

And of course, you can multiply this recipe for as many people as you like.

A little bit of salt.

Whisk that.

And butter at room temperature.

To this, you add the farina all at once, just like that.

And what's important here is to give it a good blend, that it all blends together into a homogenized mixture that is nice and firm.

And we'll cook them right in the soup.

And you know, I used to remember my grandmother.

My grandmother was dressed all in black.

It was usually with the little babushka, black.

And she had her apron, and she would sit.

She would make two or three times this, and put it right between her legs in the apron.

And she would mix this and get it all into -- So there's visions of Nonna Rosa.

And thereafter, you know, my mother made these, my aunts, everybody.

But it is a tradition of that area.

You know, I was born in Istria.

Istria became Yugoslavia, and then we escaped back into Italy.

And that whole area, gnocchi de gris is the national dish, if you will.

Grandma would let it rest a little bit.

We could cook it like this if you're in a hurry right away.

But if you let it rest like this, with a little bit of plastic wrap like that so it doesn't form a crust -- You let it rest, and this one is ready to go.

As simple as that.

So now we're ready to put them to cook, and we'll shape them in a little canal.

So you need two spoons.

Just wet them.

And you go towards the border.

And then, with this spoon, you push just like that, and you put it right in.

Let's go to the next one.

And you try to make them all the same size.

Just like that.

Very easy.

You don't want them to break apart.

These are actually fun once you get the knack of it.

The kids will love it.

I know what you're thinking.

You said, "Oh, I'll get a bigger spoon.

I'll get it quicker."

But then there will be big ones.

You don't -- You want nice and dainty ones, because they do double in size.

This is everybody's favorite dish.

Everybody loves it.

Let me pressure it good in.

And voil.

So, you can see how cute they are.

We will put the lid on, let them simmer for about 15 minutes -- 15, 20 minutes.

Then, let them just rest and serve them.

One of my favorite times of the day is when I get a chance to chat with you guys, because I'm curious.

I want to connect.

You send me the e-mails, and I want to respond.

So let's see what's doing today.

Sherrie -- "Your recipe for gnocchi is wonderful --" All capitals.

Good.

"I finally decided to try your gnocchi recipe.

They are so tasty and really fun and surprisingly relaxing to make."

And she sends me a photo.

Oh, they look good.

Brava, brava!

It looks like you have your technique on gnocchi covered.

Beautiful dressing.

You know, something -- onions and tomatoes.

Gnocchi are delicious in themselves.

Butter and sage will do.

Just some cheese will do, some tomatoes.

Keep on making those gnocchi, Sherrie.

Oh, here's Katherine.

I have another e-mail.

"I made gnocchi for the second time and used a food mill.

But I felt like it made the potatoes gummy.

What do you think I am doing wrong?"

Well, potatoes are starch, and when they're cooked, if you mix them too much, they become kind of gummy and pull-y.

So you take a potato ricer -- you know, that mill that you've seen all the Italian grandmas having.

That will make the potatoes fluffy.

Let them cool, and then you knead them.

And don't over-knead them, because if you over-knead it, it becomes gummy.

So don't handle those potatoes too much.

I hope that helps.

I'm here all the time.

Just send your questions, your comments.

Your photos, too.

I love seeing you.

So, the gnocchetti de gris have been resting in the soup, and they are ready -- ready to be served.

Sometimes they might break a little bit in the soup.

No worry.

You know, Lidia is, "Okay, the second time, you'll get them right."

But whatever you have in there, the gnocchetti that are left, fish them out, strain the stock, and then any little piece that's left in the strainer you throw away.

And you put the gnocchetti that you fished out back into the stock, and you're all set.

It at least is a little clearer.

You don't waste the gnocchetti.

The second time, they're gonna be perfect.

I guarantee you.

So let's go to the table.

Let's bring it to the table.

And you know what?

Lidia has to taste this.

So let me put a little bit of gnocchetti con gris for me.

And... these are mine.

I'm gonna let them cool.

And I'm gonna just put a little bit of cheese right in there, just like that.

And what's a good idea is that you do bring the cheese to the table.

And you can have a chunk of cheese and have them grated or just like that, with a spoon, ready to serve.

First, fish out the gnocchetti, just like that.

Look how wonderful they look.

How many would you serve?

I think, you know, what do we have?

4, 5, 6, 7.

Yeah.

That looks good.

Let's put some stock.

Mmm.

Alright.

That looks beautiful.

So, now let's make some Bellini.

What is Bellini?

You've had it.

It's peach juice and then some prosecco on top of it.

But you can make Bellini of any fruit.

Boil the fruit or roast the fruit and then process it.

And then you add prosecco to it.

It's as simple as that.

This drink was created, or so they say, in Venice.

I'm close to Venice, and I'm also close to this drink.

I like it.

But I'm gonna taste a little bit of the Bellini first.

You know, you begin with a toast.

Salute.

Viva la.

Mm-hmm.

This is so wonderful.

So, let me taste this and tell you how it really is.

So, gnocchi, usually de gris, you cut them in half.

I want to show you how they look inside.

They're cooked thoroughly.

If they're not cooked thoroughly, you'll see, like, a darker spot in there.

But these are cooked thoroughly.

And I'm gonna get a little more soup.

Mmm.

Che buoni.

Delizioso.

You know, there's nothing that takes you into a memory lane like food -- like the flavor, the smell of food.

It takes me always to a special place.

Gnocchi de gris always takes me to a very warm and special place.

And sometimes, you know, that's what we do for ourselves.

You know, today, this week has been so-so week.

I'm gonna make myself a nice soup, and I'm gonna make gnocchetti de gris.

And then I feel a hundred times better.

So, let me take another.

Mmm.

Che buono.

So, let's cheer to this plate of gnocchetti with soup.

All the best.

Enjoy your family, enjoy your friends, or just enjoy it by yourself, because you deserve it.

And I deserve it right now, and I'm gonna eat it.

So, as I always say, tutti a tavola a mangiare.

Salute!

I have been cooking for 50 years, and it's a gift.

And along the way many people have contributed, making me understand.

And still, to this day, I travel, I always pick something up.

I love going in small towns, and in the kitchen are families.

And there's always -- I mean always, always -- I pick something up and I take it away.

Do I take it as is?

Sometimes, yes.

But sometimes it stimulates an instinct in me, a new creation or a new idea.

And I feel that, you know, I need to share it evermore, like people have shared with me, because that gift, that knowledge is not mine to keep.

It needs to be passed on.

-[ Singing in Italian ] Do you think you need some with some croutons?

-I like it without it.

-You like it just... -Mmm.

Delicious.

The -sound effects.

Wait, Nonna.

I know you're eager to get in there, but, Julia, what does it feel for you to be in the kitchen with Grandma and Great-Grandma?

Do you look forward, as you grow up, to cook evermore?

-Yeah, especially because you and I cook a lot around Christmas and Easter.

-Alright, so, we have it down on record.

-Brava.

Brava.

-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...