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 say it every time and I will say it over and over again.

There's nothing better than gathering all together around the table full of delicious food, sharing conversations and affections.

These potatoes can be served with every course -- brunch, lunch, dinner, side dish, with something grilled as a main course.

They just tie everything together.

The aroma of these rosemary chickpeas brings back so many childhood memories.

You say, "Just chickpeas, Lidia?"

Well, you have the rosemary.

You have the bay leaves.

You have the scallion.

You have peperoncino.

You have plenty of Italian flavor there.

My family loves this dish.

It comes together in one pan.

And my favorite part is the spice from the pickled peperoncino.

Just in case that's not enough, if they want another piece, they have it.

Cook, sit down and enjoy.

Tomorrow I have my lifetime friends coming over and I was thinking of making some polenta with mushrooms.

So while we're having this little chat, I am also double tasking, and Grandma made sure we did a lot of that.

Never waste time.

She would put us to work.

You know, the table -- it's a place where we could gather and really loosen up in a sense, absorb each other.

It is the most important part of our life, I think.

Actually there's a physiological element to it, because when you sit down to eat, your defenses are down, you're taking in, you have to take in because food nurtures you, keeps you alive.

So therefore, if you come to the table resistant, you will have indigestion.

They say it all the time in Italian.

Stay calm and... [speaking Italian] So you can digest.

But with that sort of letting our resistance down and opening up, other things can happen.

Communication happens at the table, especially teenagers, when they decide to do their own thing and parents want to talk to them.

At the table, they're relaxed, they're eating, and whatever conversation happens, that's a great place to really converse.

And sometimes you are by yourself because your children have grown, have left, because you had none.

The table still is a special place.

Think of yourself.

Treat yourself.

Do it for yourself.

You deserve it.

You need it.

And then invite somebody, your neighbors, your friends and cook and share through love, through food.

And it just permeates the persons that are sitting at the table with you.

Let's go and cook.

[ Indistinct conversations ] Alright.

Ready to go.

Cipolla e patate gratinate.

There's no place better to be than at the table with some good food, with family, friends, whomever, neighbors.

And there's nothing that pleases more people than some baked potatoes in some form.

And here I will teach you sort of a potato au gratin.

A little bit of oil, and I'll put this onion.

I'll begin.

I already -- I've been working, you know, prepping to get going.

And this is a sweet onion.

You want nice and kind of thick slices.

Because you don't want them to sort of disappear with the potatoes, but you want them to kind of become mellow and fold in with the potatoes.

So...

Okay, let me put some salt.

Salt pulls out the water from the onions.

And to flavor this dish, some of Lidia's favorite fresh herbs.

Bay leaf.

Of course.

I love sage as well.

Sometimes sage is very pronounced.

So how do I pull it out of the dish?

You put a whole branch just like that.

It will release all this flavor, and then you're able to see it and pluck it out if you want to.

And with this, we'll do a lot of potatoes.

Nice peeled potato like russet or Idaho.

Yellow golds are good, too.

This tip is black.

Okay.

And slice the potatoes not too thin.

You want them sort of to retain shape.

Put it in water.

This way sort of even loses some of its starches and it doesn't turn color.

I'm gonna wilt the onions just a little more.

I have some time.

Let's check in.

You send me a lot of messages, e-mails, texts, pictures.

And I love it all.

Keep on sending.

So let's see, where are we?

"Oh my goodness, Lidia!

My granddaughter is 14 and loves to cook, but she's not a fan of vegetables.

I had made your mashed potatoes, and she loved them.

We were experimenting, and she wanted to try carrots just like your potatoes.

She wants them all the time now!

Any other ideas?

Thank you.

Debbie."

Oh, yeah, Debbie, I have plenty of ideas.

Cauliflower -- get little florets, and you toss the florets in melted butter with some salt.

And then you make some seasoned breadcrumbs, and you coat those florets with the seasoned breadcrumbs, and then you bake them in the oven in a sheet pan so they get nice and crispy.

And you'll see she'll kind of... Like chicken nuggets almost.

She should like that.

So the onions are just right.

Still very al dente.

So now let's add the cream... ...and the milk.

Yeah.

Right.

So this is sort of making a base sauce.

And we'll drain the potatoes and throw the potatoes in.

Okay.

And then we'll bake this, but we'll top it with some good cheese.

Actually layer it with cheese.

So here I have some provola, and I'm gonna grate it.

I think this grater.

You know provola?

You see these things hanging in the Italian delis.

This is provola.

It's between a mozzarella and a provolone.

It's mild and it melts well and it brings that extra flavor to your dish.

So let's grate it.

Now, the provola -- if you buy the whole piece like that, usually has a wax coating on to keep it moist so it doesn't over dry like a dry cheese.

So make sure that you take that off.

And I'm getting close to -- You know how many times as a kid I got my knuckles grated, too?

So be careful.

And what I'll do is this last piece.

Cut it up.

Some grated cheese in there.

Toss the grated cheese with provola.

It sort of keeps it separate so it's easy to layer.

So the potatoes have cooked somewhat.

We're gonna bake them in a container that you can bring it to the table and it's gonna look nice.

Let's butter the base and the corner just like that.

I think I've got it.

Let me salt the potatoes, the milk, the cream.

They all need salt.

So this looks good.

And I'll remove the bay leaves.

Let's see.

The sage.

It's all out.

Alright, let me start layering things up here and putting it in the oven.

I want to make two layers.

And now let's put half of the cheese.

Alright.

Mmm.

There's a lot of cheese here.

Things that tend to bubble up in the oven and then you have to scrub the oven, put it on a baking sheet like this.

You put in a preheated hot oven, 400 degrees.

I cover it first with foil because you want the inside to cook.

400 degrees, half an hour.

Uncover it and let it cook for another half-hour.

It'll get nice and crispy and good.

Here is Lidia with some more questions, answers and all of that good stuff.

This is an e-mail from Carol.

"I love your show and your recipes.

My husband is not a fan of rosemary, but I want to make your smashed garlic rosemary potato recipe.

What is a different herb that would work?

Thanks!

Carol."

Oh, that's very considerate of you, Carol.

A sprig of thyme is good.

Sage is good with potatoes.

The whole onion family is good with potatoes.

And, of course, garlic.

Thank you for writing in, Carol.

Try those.

Let's see if he likes them.

And keep me posted.

You know, these potatoes can be great for breakfast or brunch, so let me make a quick egg my way.

And a little bit of olive oil.

And I know you guys all have a problem with eggs and how can I crack it and put it in the pan?

Do I crack it over the pan and whatever?

Get yourself a little espresso cup just like that and just pour it in.

There's one.

There's...two.

There's three...and four.

A little oregano.

Not too much.

Just a little bit.

Okay.

Mm.

Salt... and moderate heat.

And I like to cover this so it slowly cooks the top of the eggs, so it's not just the bottom heat.

This way, it's going to cook the top.

Now, how would I serve this?

Ha, ha.

Well, here is our beautiful potato gratin.

Let me get a plate so I'll show you how I'd like to plate it.

And, of course, a little Lidia plate.

And I'm seeing through this cover how the eggs are doing.

And while they're cooking, let me check just who's writing what, who's telling me what.

My grandkids write.

This is from Ethan.

"Ciao.

Nonni.

I had a group of friends over last night, and I made the baked ziti with zucchini.

I followed your recipe step by step.

So of course everyone loved it!

Thanks, Nonni!"

Ha.

Isn't that nice?

Let's see.

Wow, Ethan!

That looks like a good one.

This is beautiful.

Thank you.

I'm very proud of you, Ethan.

Okay, these are looking good.

If you uncover it, then you take the steam out and it doesn't cook from the top as fast.

So let's go.

And...Lidia.

Mmm.

Alright, so there you go.

Let's separate the egg, slide easily underneath.

And if you feel you have a little bit of oil, you have a paper towel or something, just touch it like that.

And here it is.

Lidia's.

Alright.

I'll take this one.

Mmm.

And you can see, you can have a whole brunch crowd over and have your potatoes and just shovel the eggs out for each one of them, or just leave it like that.

Let them help themselves.

That's one.

This right here and you're ready.

Ah, so let me go into the egg and the whole works.

This looks good.

This could be a lunch, too.

Or a dinner, but certainly a brunch.

Mm.

Oh, all these flavors, all those herbs, oregano, sage, bay leaves, all my favorite.

And, of course, who doesn't love potatoes, onions and egg?

So everybody will be happy with this one when you bring it to the table.

Ceci al Rosmarino.

How about some legumes?

You know, I love my chickpeas and I have a great recipe, I think -- Ah.

Rosemary chickpeas.

Simple.

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs.

We used to have hedges of rosemary.

I mean, literally hedges separating two courtyards.

We used to play hide-and-seek in those hedges, and it would be difficult to find you because, you know, it's a dense hedge.

But then I would be smelling like rosemary for two days, and I loved it.

Chickpeas were also very common.

Usually Grandma had them in the garden.

They grow.

They're sort of like a bush plant, almost like string beans, but they have little pods.

We used to eat them green, too, when they were still green, like peas.

But you let them mature, the pods dry and you just pull them out and let them finish drying.

And that's legumes for the whole winter.

So for this dish, you need dried chickpeas, some carrots cut in pieces, bay leaves, olive oil, garlic, scallions, rosemary, of course, and some peperoncino.

Now, if your chickpeas are dry, then you have to reconstitute them.

You soak them in plenty of water until they plump up again.

The night before is best.

And then you drain that out and you cook them with all of the ingredients that we have here.

The rosemary, you can put a whole branch in there, or you can take the needles, peel it off the branch and chop it up and let it permeate the whole dish.

It comes together very mellow, very delicious and very intense in flavor.

And also you can make it and it will stay almost for a whole week in the refrigerator with no problem.

As a side dish, you can make it next to a pork chop.

You can put it next to fish, even if you have some left over and you don't know, you feel like pasta, yeah, you can use it as a condiment for pasta.

Add some good cheese and some parsley and you got yourself a pasta dish.

The chickpeas are great, you know, just the whole chickpeas.

But another sort of result is if you sort of half mash them.

Take a potato masher and just break some of the chickpeas and leave some whole and you can imagine where I'm going.

It's almost like a rocky mashed potato next to your proteins.

Or you know what?

If you make a bruschetta, that's delicious.

Just put it on a slice of grilled bread.

Drizzle a little bit of oil and you got yourself a great bruschetta.

Certainly you have enough flavor here.

You say, "Gee, just chickpeas, Lidia?"

Yeah, well, you have the rosemary.

You have the bay leaves, you have the scallion, you have the peperoncino.

You have plenty of Italian flavor there.

Costolette di maiale con funghi e peperoni sottaceto.

Everybody loves pork chops, especially if they're nice and spicy.

I like them that way.

So pork chops with mushrooms and pickled peperoncini.

Sounds good?

It is good.

Get yourself some nice pork chops.

And, you know, if the pork chops have a little bit of fat in them, it's okay.

Otherwise they do become dry.

So let's season with a little bit of salt.

Some olive oil and a nice cast-iron pan is perfect for this.

Lightly floured.

And when you do pork chops or any chops like that, you want that nice caramelization in there.

Let's see.

Hmm.

Okay.

Okay.

They're all touching the bottom.

That's what I want.

Some onion and thyme.

Let's get to the mushrooms.

Nice, clean mushrooms and assorted mushrooms.

Even all champignons or something will do, the white mushrooms.

Let me just do it this way.

How's that?

So the pork chops are big.

I don't want to cut the mushrooms too small.

So those are some shiitake.

These are the royal trumpets.

These are beautiful.

The champignon.

Oyster mushrooms.

Yeah.

Okay.

I think this should be enough.

Mm-hmm.

Aha.

Okay, I got that.

And so I want that to caramelize nice.

Let me check who's on.

Who's trying to reach me?

Oh, sure.

I get that all the time.

Miles.

That's my grandson.

"Grandma.

I was fishing and caught some striped bass.

What do I do with it now?

Any recipes/ideas?"

Boy, I have 1,001 recipes/ideas.

I have one with mushrooms and onions, celery, a little bit of tomato.

It's delicious.

I'll e-mail it to you.

You'll like that.

Thank you, Miles.

Keep on fishing.

This looks okay.

So here we are.

And this oil is still good.

Let's get right on cooking in here.

And I'm gonna put the onions in kind of big chunks, too.

Let this wilt a little bit.

And then throw in the thyme and I'll throw the whole sprigs.

Then I can always pull the stem out.

Let's put the mushrooms in there.

You put some salt.

And here I have the peperoncino.

They're pickled.

They're spicy.

And the juice -- I use that for cooking, too.

So let's say how many?

Oh, I would say two each.

So eight.

Alright?

And I'm gonna use some of the juice as well.

And I'll make it a little fancy today.

I'll do it with a little Prosecco DOC.

You could do it with wine.

I always tell you, you cook with what you drink and sometimes I drink with what I cook.

You never know.

Alright.

What makes it Prosecco is the first fermentation of wine, then the second fermentation under pressure, which captures the bubbles under pressure.

And when you open it, it goes pop.

Aha!

So let me put the pork chops in there again.

This.

And this.

Let's throw in the peperoncino, and I'm gonna deglaze, but a little bit for Lidia and some for the pork chops.

Mm.

Salut.

Good.

So you let the alcohol evaporate a little bit out and then we'll put the stock in there because it has to cook through.

I'm gonna save some just in case I need it later.

Cover it.

And once it is bubbling away, I'll lower it.

And this will take about 20 minutes to half an hour.

Check it.

Depends on the thickness of your pork chops.

Turn it now and then.

We'll clean up and dinner is ready.

So here is another e-mail.

Let's see who wants to know what.

This is from Steve.

"I cook a lot of chicken, but I'm getting tired of the same old, same old.

What other main dishes could I make to substitute the protein?"

You know, certainly in the fish world, you have a lot of options.

Whether it's a flatfish, whether it's a salmon, whether it's tuna, whether it's shrimp, whether it's clams, they're all proteins.

So I love hearing from you guys.

Keep on writing.

It's my rest time.

Take my mind off everything.

I connect with you and hear what you got to say.

So, Steve, lot of options.

Keep on cooking.

I'm glad you're cooking.

The pork chop should be done.

Let me just chop up some parsley.

Give it some freshness.

Okay, so let's take a look at these pork chops.

Wow.

Delizioso.

They look great.

Let's just sprinkle the parsley.

You don't have to even mix it in.

So let's serve it up.

So let me collect a little bit of this goodness and the peperoncino.

A little bit of...sauce.

Mm-hmm.

That looks like a good portion.

Now Lidia's pork chop.

How is that?

For Lidia.

Let me bring it to the table.

Just in case that's not enough.

If they want another piece, they have it.

But I have mine.

And, of course, a little bit of Prosecco DOC.

Let's pour it for you guys.

I need a little freshening up right here.

Okay.

So it's time for me to taste.

So let's go on this side here.

A little pork, a little piece of mushroom.

Look how delicious this looks.

Mm.

Delicious.

The sweetness of the onions.

And then comes the little piquant from the peperoncino.

And I invite you.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

And I'm gonna cheer to you, to my pork chops and to Lidia.

-[ Singing in Italian ] -Even a simple recipe will help you improve your chops.

[ Laughs ] -[ Laughing ] -I like chops.

-Awesome.

-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...