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: Meals & Memories."

-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.

-Grana Padano -- authentic, Italian, rich in tradition, yet contemporary.

-It's the Italian way.

Prosecco DOC ros.

A toast of Italy.

-Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy.

Handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

-Olitalia -- from chef to chef.

-It's important to be inclusive at the dinner table.

And that means cooking dishes that everybody can enjoy.

In one pot, you have legumes and vegetables.

Each bite boasts a sweetness balanced by the tartness of the balsamic.

-They smell so sweet.

-They smell like great strawberries.

A match made in heaven.

Serve it as you like -- over cookies, ice cream, or simply as is.

Make it your own.

-I would take this and then just -- Can I eat it?

-Of course you can.

[ Laughs ] Whether you're watching your carbs or gluten free and longing for spaghetti, this is the recipe you need.

Simple and delicious.

Anyone can pull up a chair to this table and mangia.

Something for everyone.

Life is an evolution.

And so it has been with me and my food.

We evolved together, from the farm with grandma and the animals to having restaurants in America.

But food has changed.

Gluten-free, nut allergies, pescatarians, vegetarians, vegan.

All of this is a reality in today's life.

And as a chef and as a restaurateur, you need to be flexible in providing these things.

And people should feel free to come in and know that they might have an option, that the chef will respond to their needs.

No problem to adjust a recipe.

Food is very pliable and very giving.

Zucca con fagioli cannellini.

Sounds good.

I love it.

I'm using here butternut squash, but you can use any squash you have.

So let's start with some olive oil.

Let me just crush some garlic, just like that.

Oh, okay.

I'm gonna just throw in the butternut squash that I cut.

Now let's pick up the fire a little bit.

And I'm gonna put some bay leaves in there.

Always count the number of bay leaves that you put in, because that's the number of bay leaves that you're gonna put out.

And I'm gonna put some of the bay leaves in the pot where I'll make the balsamic reduction.

I'll also put some rosemary in there.

So, what is a balsamic reduction?

I use the balsamic vinegar you can buy -- not so expensive regularly -- some honey, and we reduce that to about half.

You strain it to remove the herbs, and you're ready to go.

Let me season this with some salt, some peperoncino, just like this.

[ Oil sizzling ] To this, I will add some water.

And that is enough.

And I'll let this cook slowly.

Balsamic vinegar will reduce.

This will cook slowly, covered.

And then, in about 20 minutes, we'll come back and we'll add the cannellini beans to it.

I got some time.

Let's see what you're up to and what you send me.

What questions.

I have an e-mail here from Jan. "Does balsamic vinegar have a shelf life?

I had a small forgotten bottle in my cupboard.

It seems thicker, sweeter, and had a pleasantly sharp vinegar taste.

What are your thoughts?"

You're aging your own balsamic vinegar, Jan.

It's good.

Vinegar has the acidity that really bacteria doesn't thrive in it, and it actually dehydrates the longer you keep it.

So it condenses, it gets richer and gets sweeter and gets syrupier -- all of those things.

So yes, use it.

Absolutely.

Still very good.

Good question, Jan. Ciao.

This squash is just perfect.

And here I have the cannellini bean -- fagioli in Italian.

You always tell me you want to learn Italian, so let's do it.

Squash -- zucca.

Zucca.

So I cook the cannellini beans.

Or you can use even from the can.

Whatever you'd like.

Let's add them to the squash.

You just want to warm them up.

You don't want to make a mush out of it.

Let that sort of warm up.

The last minute, I'm gonna add some scallions.

Scallions is another one of my favorite vegetables.

And I'll go right into the green part, too.

You want to use it.

That's good stuff.

This is good enough.

Let me remove the bay leaves.

We're counting.

Are you counting?

Yes.

Okay.

And I'm gonna add the scallion the last minute.

And the scallion, you just want to wilt a little bit.

So I'm gonna use the wooden spoon.

I think the wooden spoon is more gentle than the tongs.

And that looks good.

So these are two great vegetables.

You should have at a table when you have all kinds of meals, when you have a lot of proteins or whatever.

But whoever comes to your table, you want to be ready for them.

You want to appreciate what they are all about.

And it smells really good.

This is how I would serve it, with a spoon there.

Let them help themselves.

If you're serving this for a lighter meal, a little fettunta.

What is fettunta?

"Fetta" is "slice."

"Unta" means sort of greased.

But it is a bruschetta that's brushed with fresh oil and just rubbed with a little bit of garlic.

I would like a little prosciutto right here, of course.

And let's put... This is the balsamic reduction.

You see how it coats the spoon.

And...just like that.

That's good.

Delicious.

It really is good.

You can taste a little bit of the sweetness, the honey.

And with this, what would go good?

Some rosato.

The color comes out of the amount of the contact of the juice of the grape with the skins.

So minimal account gets the color.

It also gets a lot of flavors.

I like even the color match here.

And a piece of bread for me.

And I'm gonna take a little bit of this wonderful blend here.

Mmm!

Finger-licking good.

So, of course, a little bit of the balsamic reduction too.

I could begin to cut this and all of that.

But how about just biting into it?

Huh?

You like that?

I like that.

Delicious.

The sweetness of the squash, the sort of creaminess of the beans, and then the acidity of balsamic vinegar, the crunchiness of the bread.

Really delicious.

Let's see if I was right about the rosato.

Mmm!

Delicious.

It has a lot of flavor, nice acidity, and it goes perfect with the sweetness of this.

Perfect meal.

So I'm gonna continue to eat, and you start cooking.

Delizioso!

-Fragole all'aceto balsamico.

-Fragole all'aceto balsamico.

Guess who came around.

Julietta.

My Julia.

-Yes.

-And we're gonna make some strawberry marinade and then serve it with cookies, whipped cream.

-Sounds yummy.

-Yeah?

All right.

First thing is to clean the strawberries.

I wash them.

Okay.

And then you slice them, just like that.

So you are in your junior year?

-Yes.

-Okay.

This and one more year and Georgetown is goodbye.

-Done.

Yeah.

I can't believe it.

-Yeah.

Did you have a good time there?

-I did.

I made so many new friends that I love so much.

And all my friends love to cook.

-They do?

-Yeah.

-All right.

Last time I was there, we cooked with the girls, right?

-Yeah.

-Did they have a good time?

-Yeah, they did.

They loved it.

Keep on asking when you're coming back.

-Okay.

Next year.

-They smell so sweet.

-They smell like great strawberries.

-Do you remember when I was little and we used to go pick the strawberries in your yard?

-You knew exactly when they were ripe and which one you liked.

-I remember.

-My girl from the beginning.

This is a little powdered sugar.

And just sprinkle around.

And what the powdered sugar will do, it will pull out the juices of the strawberries.

Give it a toss.

But you love your balsamic vinegar.

-I do.

-So let's -- You can toss again.

Just enough to kind of wet the strawberry.

A condiment, you know?

-Like dressing a salad?

-Yes.

So that looks pretty good, huh?

-Yep.

-All right.

So why don't you bring the glasses here?

-Okay.

Here.

-Okay.

You want to put that there?

-Yeah.

-So why don't you do it?

Spoon it in here.

Pile it up nice and high.

Okay.

You see how simple?

Here I have some whipped cream.

And, of course, a simple cookie with it.

-Ooh.

I love those cookies.

What are they called again, Nonni?

-Oh, the savoiardi.

That's the ones you like.

-Right.

-So now let's build this.

So go ahead.

Build your.. -From here, should I do it?

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Now, it's best if you let it marinate, but okay.

-Should I put in yours, too?

-Sure.

-And don't just slop it.

Go with the spoon -- -That's exactly what I was going to do.

-[ Laughs ] I know that.

Put the spoon perpendicular, like this.

That's it.

And you see?

And it goes in the center, so you don't go all around.

Now... -Yours?

-Absolutely.

You know, just walk around with it.

That's it.

Be comfortable in the kitchen.

You've been all your life in this kitchen.

-I have.

-You know how to get around.

The center, down.

Not around.

That's it.

Let the food fall.

But it's okay to use your hands.

Your hands are clean.

So this looks beautiful.

So bring it all back to the table.

Now, how are you gonna set it up?

Okay.

That's good.

The cookies.

That's good.

We have the whipped cream.

That's great.

-Nonni, can we put some mint on there?

-Oh, what a great idea.

You are Nonni's girl, aren't you?

-Yes.

I love mint.

-Okay.

Okay.

Go ahead.

I think a nice cluster like that would look beautiful.

-Like that?

-That one is nice there.

Oh, it looks beautiful.

And where would you put this one?

-Maybe, like, right there.

-Okay.

That's good.

So now it's time to dig in.

-Could you dip a cookie in there and just eat it like that?

-At the table, you can eat anything you want in any way.

What would you do?

Show me.

-I would take this and then just -- Can I eat it?

-Of course you can.

[ Laughs ] -Mmm.

-Let me try.

You know -- -Are you gonna do it, too?

-So maybe I should do it with the -- -Yeah.

Different cookie.

-With the shortbread cookie.

It's different.

Mm.

You see?

Holds it up.

-It's like a little strawberry shortcake.

-You know, it's so wonderful to have you here.

If it's even for a half a day, it's wonderful.

Dammi un bacio.

Just like that.

spaghetti di zucca con salsa pomodoro piccante.

Something for everyone.

And here, the vegetable is the star.

And this is spaghetti squash.

The first thing is to bake the squash itself.

[ Blade creaking ] It's a tough cookie.

There you go.

And keep your fingers away.

So now we're gonna go down the middle.

Oh, my goodness!

This is a tough one.

Okay.

Let's go this way.

Ah.

So let's clean the seeds out.

All right.

Okay.

Some salt.

Just like that.

Let's put some oil all over.

Just like that.

And then you turn it upside down on the parchment paper.

You know, parchment paper is really great.

You put it wherever you bake so you don't have to scrub the sheet pan.

Just like that.

Oh.

I have a preheated oven at 425 degrees, and let's bake it for 25 to 30 minutes.

You want it a little bit al dente so we can scrape the inside out.

So that is the spaghetti part.

Let's get the spice going.

The peperoncino.

I call them peperoncino, but they're actually cherry peppers in a brine.

And you get them just in jars like that.

They're great.

You keep them in the refrigerator.

They last.

They're great for antipastos.

They're great for sauces -- to put in sauces.

And let's just -- another one like that.

Okay.

So how do you clean them?

Simple.

Like a pepper.

It has the stem.

Cut that out.

Cut it in half -- like a pepper.

Let's get the seeds out.

Let's just cut them in little strips.

If you have a seed or two, don't worry about it.

Actually, the spiciness is a lot in the seeds.

And now we're gonna make the sauce for the spaghetti squash.

Let's chop some onions.

Little bit of oil.

Get the onions going.

[ Oil crackling ] And I'm gonna put the peperoncini right in so it begins to flavor the onion.

I said spicy, didn't I?

Yes.

Let's do that.

Okay.

And passata.

What is passata?

Passata is that raw tomato, nice and ripe and sweet, and made into a sauce.

What I'm going to add to this is the oregano.

Of all the spices, I like -- the herbs, I like the fresh ones, of course.

I have them growing all over the place.

But for oregano, somehow it's more intense and it's better if it is dry.

I like it.

Always get it in a bouquet sort of format like that.

And you use as you go along.

Just kind of twist it around as much as you'd like and put it back into the plastic holder or whatever.

Parchment paper is a great way of collecting whatever you're doing, whether you're grating cheese, whether you're grating lemon.

It collects it, and this way you don't have to pick it off the table or the cutting board.

And let's put that right in.

Well, I'm going to add now the passata.

And you can see it's nice and thick, so it goes a long way.

You need to add some water.

Of course, I always kind of wash my can so that nothing gets wasted.

But in this case, you need even a little bit of extra water.

Okay.

So here we are.

Gonna let this cook for about 15, 20 minutes, and it's going to be done.

I always like to make time for you guys.

And you know what?

I'm curious.

I want to know what you're up to and what you need help with.

So let's check my e-mails.

Ben is writing in, "What is Lidia's favorite vegetarian recipe?

Rochelle, my partner, is a vegetarian, and we would like to make more vegetarian meals at home."

Oh, you know, Ben, I love my vegetables, and there's never too many vegetables in my kitchen.

But the best rule for vegetables is do seasonal vegetables.

Springtime, all of those new kind of salads and peas and favas.

Summertime, tomatoes and eggplant.

Fall times, all of those beautiful squashes and all that.

And wintertime deals with some of the legumes.

The legumes are good for you too.

So I hope that you and Rochelle have a good time and enjoy your vegetables, just like Lidia does.

The spaghetti squash is cooked.

It's baked.

To test it, just put a little paring knife in there, and the skin will be a little tough, but inside you will feel that it is soft and ready.

You don't want it mushy.

You want a little resistance even in there.

Here it is.

Look how beautiful it is.

What we have to do is now we have to scrape the spaghetti right out of here.

Look at this, how it comes out.

I want to get as much as I can out of here.

See?

Good to the last strand.

Let's do the other.

Mm.

Beautiful.

Just like this.

And, you know, I can't help but think when I look at something like that... You know what my grandma would do with all of this?

With the leftover squash, outsides and all of that?

Even if they were raw, if you were cleaning, she would give them to the pigs.

That was food for the pigs.

And I used to help her cut that.

So you're asking me where my cooking began.

I cooked for those little piggies.

Now I'm gonna take some of the passata sauce that I made.

I want to take enough to dress it.

The peppers in there.

Look at this.

And let's get it all in.

Just like that.

And you see?

Clean.

You don't have to wash.

The spaghetti squash is cooked.

It doesn't need a lot of cooking with the sauce -- just to dress it.

Why am I using this?

Because that sort of pulls it together.

I want the strands to separate and to take in the sauce.

Just like that.

Now, doesn't this look just like spaghetti?

[ Chuckles ] But this is it.

I'm gonna put the cheese on, just like with pasta.

Spaghetti pronti.

Let's do a little bit of serving and tasting.

Of course.

A little Lidia plate.

All right.

Okay.

It looks like -- just like spaghetti with spicy tomato sauce, but it is all vegetarian, all vegetables.

Lidia's little piece.

And this is generous, generous.

But I just want it to look good for you.

I wanted you to see it.

Does it have to be that generous?

Well, it's vegetables.

It's light.

Just a little pepper and a little sauce.

That's it.

Let's bring it to the table.

And Lidia.

Okay.

Oh, I have one.

I'll take another one.

I'm gonna put a little bit of cheese here.

So...okay.

Buonissimo.

Sweet, crunchy, tomatoey.

Just like pasta.

Spicy.

And with this, I think a nice glass of sauvignon will be perfect.

Sauvignon has that kind of herbal quality to it, kind of grassiness, and this fits well.

So let's see.

Salute.

Perfect.

Perfect, perfect.

I have buffalo mozzarella here.

Buffalo mozzarella is always a great choice.

You know what I'd do?

I would do just like that.

How do you like that?

Like that.

That looks good.

And let me do for the other one, too.

So I'm looking -- Oh.

A little bit of decoration here.

Fresh basil.

And on this one, too.

Just like that.

And I'm gonna shred a little basil here.

Let me taste how it tastes with the buffalo mozzarella.

Mmm.

It is so delicious.

You could also make shavings of grana cheese like that if you don't have the buffalo mozzarella.

Look at this.

Just like that, with your potato peeler, you make shavings on top, and you have another option for cheese.

So I'm gonna eat this because it's delicious.

And I leave you, I think, with a darn good recipe.

So when you feel like it, make it at home.

Your family is going to love it.

And as I always do, I invite you to my house.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

It is challenging for a chef when they're presented with gluten-free or low-fat.

So they have to look -- What do they have?

What ingredients do they have that they can make a vegan dish or a vegetarian?

Love pasta but can't have carbohydrates?

How about spaghetti squash?

How about a bruschetta?

Yes.

With beans and vegetables and butternut squash.

But you can't have the bread.

So roast a big piece of butternut squash.

Put the cannellini in there and present it that way.

Everybody should always be welcomed at the table.

They should feel that they belong no matter what their needs are.

And us chefs are quite equipped to satisfy the needs.

In today's world, we have all the tools.

[ Singing in Italian ] [ Singing in Italian ] [ Singing in Italian ] [ Singing in Italian ] [ Singing in Italian ] -Okay.

That was a good one.

-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.

-Grana Padano -- authentic, Italian, rich in tradition, yet contemporary.

-And by...