Lidia's Kitchen

-Buongiorno.

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

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

I'm showing off.

Does this look like a good meal?

So make it.

For me, food is about gathering around the table to enjoy loved ones, share a meal, and make memories.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

-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.

Authentic Italian cured meats -- Paolo Rovagnati, the true Italian tradition.

For over 140 years, Auricchio traditional, handcrafted provolone -- made in Italy.

Olitalia.

"From chef to chef."

-When it comes time to put food on the table, never mind finding the time to cook it, timing is everything.

Full of flavor with simple execution, this one-sheet wonder gets dinner on the table in no time.

My family has always loved this simple, cakey one-bowl treat, and adding the chocolate chips makes them even better.

Let's find the time to gather around the table together.

I remember, as a child, our courtyard had multiple functions.

You had the mulberry tree.

You had the fig trees.

And so you can imagine these fruits in the summer, kind of they would drop on the floor.

So in the morning, Grandma would open the gates, and the chickens, the ducks -- everybody would come and have their fill in the courtyard.

And when lunchtime came around, Grandma would sweep it, and it would be for human use thereafter.

There was always a wooden table under the tree and usually a bottle of wine for Grandpa, for sure.

And then, of course, the -- the -- the food was served family style.

If it was a guazzetto -- big pot of guazzetto -- with a board full of polenta and serving spoons, and that was lunch, and we would all sit and just enjoy, and the kids would run, and neighbors would come and visit sometimes.

Really, memories that I cherish.

Spicy sheet pan pork chops and broccoli.

In today's world, we are all pressed for time, and especially when you want to come home, you want to cook a good meal, and you don't have the time.

Well, this is a good meal, it's substantial -- pork chops and vegetables -- and it's all in the oven.

So let's season the pork chops.

Let's put some salt.

And nice-sized pork chops.

If you have smaller pork chops or if you decide to do lamb chops or chicken this way, which you can, then just be mindful of the cooking time of the meat and vegetables.

Let's put some oil.

Okay.

Now I'm gonna caress my pork chops.

Yeah, just like that.

I'm going to use that there.

And then I'm gonna steal some from here, so I don't waste any oil.

And this one goes here.

So you see what I'm doing?

I'm grabbing all the oil wherever I can.

Yes, you could have a brush and be elegant about it if you want, but I love the feel of the product.

It tells me a lot about the product.

So this is done, and in the oven, I have already a tray -- nice and hot, getting hot, so the pork chops will be seared on one side, and they'll have a nice color.

Here I am.

The oven is hot.

The tray is hot.

Let's close.

We want to keep the heat in there.

And here we are.

[ Sizzling ] You hear it?

It's like searing it on the stove, except no splatter.

And we're gonna put this back in the oven while we dress the vegetables.

Okay.

Oh, let's work the vegetables.

A little bit of legumes.

Nice balanced meal.

Chickpeas, and these chickpeas are canned chickpeas, or you can cook your own.

They're already cooked.

And then broccoli.

Here we have the broccoli florets.

I have that done already, but I'll just show you how I peel the broccoli just like that.

The skin of the broccoli.

You can just pull it right off like that.

Okay.

And let's cut this in small florets, because you want it to cook all at the same time.

It's all about the timing.

And let's season this.

And you know what I like to put in there?

This Tuscan pepperoncino.

So what is a Tuscan pepperoncino?

It's this pepperoncino green that you find in jars just like that, and you leave it whole, and it's nice, acidic, and it's peppery.

And it really adds a nice crunch.

And I'm gonna do also some of the juice.

That's it.

Some oil.

Salt.

I'm gonna just get in there.

Oops.

I lost -- I lost that one.

So once you put it there to bake, it is all dressed and seasoned.

So the vegetables are all dressed and ready.

And now let's check on the pork chops and see -- I want them nice and caramelized.

Mmm!

Mm-mm-mm!

Wow.

What an aroma.

You see?

And that wasn't hard at all.

Let's flip them over.

So far, so good, you see?

The coloring began on one side.

Just like that.

Look at this.

Okay, now we're gonna put this all around it.

And that's where the vegetables are gonna cook.

And let's spread them out nicely.

Just like that.

We want that juice in there, too.

We want the ceci in there.

And of course, you want to leave the pork chops uncovered, because you want them to get some more color.

We'll put a little bit of water -- just a little bit.

Everything else is seasoned.

Maybe a little bit more of salt, I'll put.

Maybe a little bit more of this juice.

You know, when you cook, listen to yourself, to your feeling.

Eh, maybe a little bit more of this.

It's okay.

Usually, you're right.

Okay.

Do we have enough oil?

Eh, maybe a little bit of oil, a little bit of everything.

And not on the pork chops, but on the vegetable, I'm concerned.

So I'm gonna put this in the oven.

And mind you, the oven is hot -- 425 degrees, because we want everything to be crunchy.

And this in the oven.

Now, it's been in the oven already about 20 minutes.

Maybe another 20, 25, half an hour, depending on how thick your pork chops are.

So let's put them back in the oven and dinner is gonna be ready.

[ Sizzling ] Buongiorno.

Welcome to my library.

Here is where I read your emails, watch your videos, and answer you.

And here I have a video with a group of gals.

I'd like to see that one.

-Lidia, we love your show.

Every year, this group of women gathers together for a fun-filled weekend, and the first night is always about food, and we like to prepare food in advance.

Can you recommend something that would be perfect to prepare ahead?

-Grazie, Lidia.

-Oh, thank you, ladies.

These kinds of things really warms my heart -- getting together and cooking and eating, a nice glass of wine and just chatting away.

And do I have an answer for you?

I would suggest some good pasta in the oven, like baked shells... like lasagna.

You make a good sauce, you get the good cheese, and you can make two trays, three trays, depending on how many people you have.

And you put it in the oven, pull it out before they all get there, let the lasagna or the baked pasta set, and then you cut it in small pieces on serving plates, or you can have them sit down and serve it as a meal.

And, you ladies, get some good wine.

Thank you, ladies.

Hope to hear from you again.

And here is an email from Mary, And she wants to know, "What is a 'mise en place,' and what goes into a mise en place?"

That's a good question, Mary.

The mise en place -- it's a French phrase, but everybody uses it.

"Mise en place" -- "to put in place."

That is all about pre-preparation of cooking a meal or a plate or a dish.

So certainly, all the things that go in and to make it -- whether it's onion, whether it's garlic, whether it's parsley, the vegetables -- absolutely.

Also the proteins.

Make sure that you prepare them -- whether it's a veal chop or a steak -- that you have your chicken, the pieces that you want to use, that you have your fish cut right, if necessary, that you have marinated it in time.

So you have all the ingredients in front of you, and you just go ahead and cook.

If you need wine, you need to have it there that you don't run around the kitchen looking for that wine while the chicken is burning in the pan.

You have to have it all a portato di mano, so you can take it and use it.

That's what it is -- getting yourself really ready.

Go over all the recipe, all the ingredients, and have them ready to go.

Thank you for the question, Mary.

Keep on cooking.

You're doing great.

So here is another email from Grace.

"I enjoy frying pork chops, but they always come out dry and hard.

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong?"

Well, Grace, the first thing -- you're doing everything right.

You're cooking, and that's great.

Pork chops are sensitive to temperature and to cooking time.

Make sure you don't overcook them.

If you want to get a nice, crisp outside, go on high temperature.

If you put a little butter in the olive oil, it will help their caramelization.

Season them right.

That is the secret of pork chops.

You don't want to undercooked them, but you don't want to overcook them.

Mmm, wow, the aroma.

It is bubbling.

It is ready to go.

So can you imagine you're coming like this to your table and you say, "This is for my family"?

They would love that.

Okay, so look at this.

I guess we're ready to plate, so you could bring it like that, or you could make a nice, little, fancy plate.

This one is maybe a nice one.

Here we are, so let's go with that.

Mmm.

So I think that some of the broccoli kind of falling off like that or standing up and then some on the side here like that.

That would look nice.

Like that.

Perfect.

Was missing those garbanzos.

Here we are.

That's a beautiful plate here.

Pork chops, broccoli, ceci beans.

Now, let's do Lidia's plate here.

A nice piece, just ready to be cut right here.

Nobody will ever know the difference.

Mm, mm, mm.

There it is.

And... ...you can plate them all, or you can put them back on the table just like that.

Just like that.

Now, let me taste this.

Complete meal in the oven.

Balanced.

Perfect.

Now, of course, you need some red wine with this.

And, you know, I didn't put many herbs, because you have the pepperoncino, but I don't mind decorating it with a little bit of rosemary.

How's that?

And if you have rosemary plants like I do, it comes rather easy.

Just like that.

So here we are.

This is a simple meal, a straightforward meal.

It's a balanced meal.

It could turn out into an elegant meal.

But also just the tray on the table and say, "Hey, guys.

Dive in."

Some of my favorite times in the kitchen has been teaching my grandchildren to grow into confident cooks.

And these days, even though they are living on their own, that doesn't mean they stop asking for advice, I am so excited.

Lorenzo is going to call.

And you know, he was always on the East Coast.

Now he is at Stanford on the West Coast.

I am so excited to hear what he's up to.

[ Video call ringing ] Hey, he called.

Lorenzo, how are you doing?

-Ciao, Nonna.

How are you doing?

-So how is Palo Alto?

-I'm just busy, you know, which is fine, 'cause I love what I do.

-Have you been cooking?

That's the question.

-Yeah, I have.

So I've been using a lot of your recipes that I can, like, put in the freezer or store away for a while.

And it's like, good for the week or good for the day when I'm just kind of, like, in a rush.

Recently, I made your cauliflower tomato soup, you know, just, like, starting with the pestata.

It was quite easy.

-Do you use the passata di pomodoro, which is tomato puree, if you will?

-Well, it depends on what I have around the house.

So if I don't have passata, I'll just grab some San Marzano tomatoes and reduce them a bit, just give them a nice sort of passata consistency.

-Yes, I gave you a recipe, but if you don't have, find something else, make your own rendition.

It is a vegetarian soup, and you can add the starch, you can add rice or pasta or whatever you like at the end just to kind of finish and fill it up.

And you can make it soupier, or you can make it denser, more towards a risotto.

So it's a very versatile kind of a recipe.

If you want to put a little proteins in there, that will bring it to another level of complexity.

But you know -- you know what grandmothers always add to soup.

I drizzle my little oil.

Do you do all those things?

-Yeah, I put, like, the tiniest drizzle of olive oil and a little bit of grated cheese on top.

That was really good.

-Well, you enjoy.

You have a great time.

Make sure that you eat well.

And I like this idea of cooking large format and freezing it for smaller occasions.

You know, when you open my freezer, when you come in my house, there's containers of all kinds of soups.

-Yes.

That's really good.

-Big kiss.

Love you.

-Love you, too.

Ciao.

[ Kisses ] -Beautiful.

My grandkids are all grown up now, no small ones, but it's great that they keep on calling, keep in touch, and keep on going.

A very normal way to end an Italian meal is with a cup of espresso and some cookies.

And these are simple ricotta cookies.

One bowl does it all, and they were Nonna's favorite -- Grandma's favorite cookies.

She loved her ricotta, and of course, she loved the cookies.

So let's begin by whipping up the butter a little bit.

[ Mixer whirring ] We'll add a little bit of sugar.

Let me just... start it.

You know why it's happening?

The bowl is very wide, but I want it because you can look into it and see.

So I'm gonna help myself a little bit to get the sugar and the butter together, and then I'm gonna continue to whip it.

So cooking is all about common sense.

And when something is not happening or goes wrong, I mean, your common sense will say, "Okay, maybe I should do this."

And that's what you do, just like I did here.

All right, let's see.

[ Mixer whirring ] Next go in the eggs, one at a time.

Let me put one.

And because the butter didn't and the sugar didn't melt right away, I'm extra beating this combination so we'll get it nice and smooth.

[ Bird chirping ] All right, let's get everything down.

My little bird is serenading me.

How beautiful is this?

Cooking outside in my backyard with the birds.

Beautiful.

[ Mixer whirring ] Okay.

Now let's put in the ricotta... [ Mixer whirring ] ...the vanilla.

Okay.

I am going to combine the flour and the baking powder.

Baking is all about steps and making sure that every step and everything is incorporated.

A pinch of salt.

And let's get back.

[ Mixer whirring ] Okay.

I'm going to switch to the spatula now because it's a thicker dough.

And the question is to get it all homogenized.

So we have to give it a little bit of elbow power here.

Ricotta cookies are good just like that, and traditionally they're either sprinkled with some powdered sugar or a nice royal lemon icing.

Very simple -- powdered sugar and lemon juice.

But my kids, they like their chocolate chips.

So this is my rendition of sort of chocolate chip cookies.

All right.

So could you do this in the stand-up mixer?

Absolutely.

Maybe you can go through the whole mixture.

But I didn't want to make too much noise here.

I wanted to show you, because certainly, my grandmother didn't have a stand-up mixer.

So you'll get yourself a baking sheet.

I put parchment paper on it, very nice and easy.

I prepare myself with an ice cream scoop like this.

So all the cookies are the same size, a little bit -- dip it in the water, and you make sure that you fill each one just perfect.

And on you go down the line.

Give them some space.

They grow a little bit.

They get puffy -- not too much.

They don't spread too much, but they do get a little puffy.

So give them enough space, and you've got yourself a lot of cookies.

They keep well in a sealed cookie can if you have.

But let me tell you -- they'll go before you can seal them anywhere.

You preheat an oven at 350 degrees, and anywhere from 16 to 18 minutes, and you got yourself some delicious ricotta cookies.

Okay, here we have another one from Joanne.

"I want to make my future Italian daughter-in-law, along with her Italian mother, proud at a shower I'm throwing."

Hm, you're throwing a shower, Joanne.

"Do we have a suggestion for what I can do other than the pizzellesg I'm making?"

Joanne, first of all, congratulations is in order, and you have big responsibility now.

You know, Italians have a lot of options for antipasto.

You can just make a beautiful spread -- get the best prosciutto, the best mortadella, delicious, different cheeses, fruits, nuts, and that's the beginning.

Then you can make stuffed vegetables -- vegetables in season.

Baked clams are also delicious.

Artichokes.

Braised artichokes are delicious.

You can make a salad of shrimps and beans.

Simple, delicious -- everybody likes them.

There's a lot for you to really bring to the table when it comes to an Italian sort of antipasto serving for your guests.

Congratulations, Joanne, to you and the whole family.

The cookies are ready.

They have cooled.

I made myself and you an espresso.

But let me plate it first.

Mmm!

Let's do like this.

And a nice, crispy one on top.

And I think there's room for one more just like that.

Okay.

Let me just open one for you.

[ Birds chirping ] Even the birds are excited about this one.

Now, look at this -- full of chocolate chips, nice and moist.

And the coffee's waiting.

Let me taste this first.

Mmm.

Mmm.

Now a little sip of espresso.

All is prepared.

The coffee's hot.

I'm inviting you, you know?

I have the coffee.

I have plenty of cookies for all of you.

So tutti a tavola a mangiare!

Mmm!

My fondest memories of my life are rooted in food -- in cooking food, in serving food, in eating food.

And there's no better place to be than at the table with the ones that you love.

Whatever you cook doesn't matter.

It is important that you get in the kitchen, that you have great ingredients, stay in the season and cook for your loved one and put it on the table and make sure that everybody knows that you're cooking for them, that it's gonna be on the table, and that they can come to the table, that they're welcome to the table, and then that place becomes a special place.

And usually, when, really, it's at its best is the grand finale, when we break into a song, and it's traditional, I think, that many a time in that courtyard or in Grandma's house around the table, the elders would start, and everybody would end in a sort of song.

And as children, we would run around, and I still hear this echo in my ears.

-[ Singing in Italian ] Oh, we have to learn some of the lyrics, but we're doing okay.

-Yeah.

Cin-cin.

-Brindisi.

[ Glasses clink ] -The food from this series makes Italian cooking easy for everyone and showcases simple-to-prepare recipes that require fewer steps, fewer ingredients, and less cleanup, without sacrificing flavor.

The recipes can be found in Lidia's latest cookbook "Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl," available for $29.95.

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... "Lidia's Kitchen" studio provided by Clarke, New England's official Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom and test kitchen.