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.

-For over 140 years -- Auricchio traditional handcrafted provolone.

Made in Italy.

-I just love having people over for dinner.

The conversation...the laughter...the singing.

There's nothing better than to be around a table full of good food and good friends and family.

I learned to make this dish when I moved here.

A great Sunday meal.

Celebration with your family, Italian-American style.

A big pot goes a long way in serving a table full of hungry guests.

Even the small ones love this kind of crunchiness.

I'm guiding you through this.

Some of my favorite recipes.

It's like telling you a story, you know?

They're different flavors, but they all take you to Italy.

This dessert can be made in almost any flavor and fruit combination, but this is one of my favorites.

-Would we decorate it?

-Oh, I'm going to leave that up to you.

It melts quickly, so eat it fast as it is very delicious.

And of course, I love it when you join me.

You're invited.

Work is never finished in the kitchen.

There's always something to do.

Cleaning beans.

All kinds of beans.

You know, in the time I grew up in the Italy -- Istria that I grew up, we had family dinners, but also there was a commonality about people, neighbors joining in, and the door would be open and the neighbor's kids would come at the door and would lean against the door and look at us eating.

And I remember my grandmother says, "Do you want some?"

And of course, you're supposed to say no right away.

You can't say, "Yeah!"

You're supposed to be polite.

"No, no, no.

I don't need to eat."

"You sure?"

"Okay, I'll eat."

And right away they...

So it was kind of -- I remember that whole thing.

You had the politeness, you know, the respect.

One funny thing, though, I remember my mother -- My brother was a fussy eater.

One day she cooked this minestra, We were hungry.

We came from the beach and we ate.

My brother wasn't going to eat.

He didn't like it.

"Okay," she said, "I'll get you something else."

She went next door.

She asked the neighbor, "What are you cooking?

Give me some of that.

I'll give it."

So she went.

She brought it.

He loved it.

And so, you see, you used, uh, neighborly cooking for all kinds of situation.

At my house, certainly, the invitation is always open.

And I think that's what you should practice at your house.

Okay, this should be enough.

Off to the kitchen.

[ Indistinct conversations ] I'm ready to go.

Did you get that?

-And...good -Rollatini di Manzo.

Buongiorno.

Benvenuti.

You're always invited in my kitchen, to cook with me or to eat with me.

Whatever you'd like.

And today we're going to make a special Italian-American beef braciole.

First of all, we'll make the stuffing.

So the stuffing, it's a great way of using old bread that you have.

We have cheese here.

We have a lot of good flavorful elements, so I think that water is fine.

And you just let it soak, let it come back to a soft state.

And I will make the rest of the filling.

Scallions.

And I use the whole thing, even the green part.

I'm gonna just chop it up a little bit more so that it stays in the stuffing.

Okay.

Parsley.

Love parsley.

And it's very good for you.

Prosciutto cotto.

We use a lot of prosciutto cotto, which is cooked ham.

And I'm going to do it in little pieces because I want it to be in the stuffing.

Now, could you put prosciutto?

Absolutely you could put regular prosciutto, but, uh, you know, as I said, this is a great Italian-American, and I followed the tradition here.

Okay.

Here I have some dried garlic.

The powder.

Grated cheese.

Well, yes.

Why not?

And provola.

This is a young provola.

Provola is in the mozzarella family.

You know, it melts just like mozzarella, but it has more flavor.

Just grated like that.

I cleaned the wax off of the cheese itself.

Now I'm going to use the bread.

Just get the water out of it.

You want the moistened bread.

That's what will sort of pull the stuffing all together.

And if you have kids in the house, they love to do this.

And you get in there and you just mix the stuffing all together.

And this is the stuffing.

So let's address the meat.

This is an eye round, and it's a tough meat.

And that's perfectly fine because it cooks forever until it falls apart.

So this is about three pounds.

So let's cut it in half.

And this is how it's a nice way to measure.

And then we'll cut this again.

This is half.

And this is one braciole, and this is another braciole.

And then you just cut.

Whenever I butterfly or I open a piece of meat, always hold my palm on top and you literally feel where the knife is going.

So I don't want to go all the way through.

I'll just butterfly it like that.

Let's see.

Four, and then there I'll get another four.

And... Now, do I want to use the dentals?

Well, the dentals break a little bit the fiber, the muscle fiber.

A little bit of salt on each, just on the inside.

And now we go with the stuffing.

And you just roll it in.

Keep in mind that the cheese will melt in there.

The meat will cook and tighten up.

And you seal it here.

But you could tie it with a string if that makes you more comfortable I'm going to continue to make them and stuff them, and then I'll clean up and then we'll come back, and I'll show you how to cook them in a delicious sauce.

I'm relaxing here in my kitchen.

And you know, guys, I like to check on you, what you're up to.

Let's see who sends me messages.

And this one is from Jim.

"I live alone so I like recipes that make even better leftovers... if I can reinvent them the next day instead of just reheating."

Certainly you have the idea, you know?

There are certain basic sauces that you can make, like, let's say, a batch of marinara sauce.

Simple.

Bolognese is another one.

You put it in pints in the freezer.

It's one of those sauces that keeps on giving.

Soups are the same way.

Soups, you know, you make a basic soup, vegetable.

Then you can add sausages, you can add pasta, you can add chicken, and keeps on going.

Enjoy, Jim, and thank you for the e-mail.

Okay, we're ready to cook these babies here.

A little salt on the outside, and we'll roll them gently in the flour.

I'm waiting for the oil to get nice and hot.

[ Sizzling ] Get them all in so they all get caramelized nice.

Be a little attentive because we're going to make the sauce right in there, so you don't want to burn the bottom.

You want to use those bits and pieces which will flavor your sauce.

So let's see how they're doing.

And we don't need to really cook it.

All you want is to kind of brown so the meat has the flavor.

Alright.

This looks good in here.

You see all those little caramelized pieces.

They really add flavor to the sauce.

And I'm going to put in the onion.

If you see that it's almost burning up a little bit, put a little bit of liquid in there.

You can put anything.

A little bit of water I do.

Just that's it.

Deglaze.

And this way you don't waste all that goodness on the bottom.

And then we'll return everything.

This looks good.

Let me put this right back in.

Red wine.

Decent good wine.

Wine that you would drink.

Let's put peperoncino.

I like that spiciness.

Bay leaves.

And I'm going to put one, two, three because they're nice and fresh.

If they're dry, put one or two extra.

And the tomatoes.

I crushed it by hand.

The San Marzano peeled tomatoes.

And let's pour that in there.

Okay.

The fire now should be full speed.

You want it to get back to the boiling point as soon as you can.

I want to slosh out so I don't lose any tomato.

And you will need all this liquid.

If there's not enough liquid, you add a little bit more water until your meat is tender and you like it.

So, you know, trust yourself.

Now, I love oregano.

I like fresh herbs, but oregano I like dry.

You keep it like this, usually in a plastic bag, and you just use what you need.

I think this is enough.

Put it on parchment paper so you can collect it.

And you just pour it right in.

Just like that.

So, what am I -- I'm looking at this.

I put the salt for the meat, but I didn't put it for the tomato.

Bring it to a boil as soon as possible.

Once it starts bubbling, we'll lower it a little bit.

Cover it and let it cook.

Check it in 45 minutes for doneness.

You should be close.

Oh, I have another one.

It is from Brian.

"It was so great seeing you the other day.

We forgot to ask you, what should we cook up for the hungry firehouse?

Your neighborhood firefighter, Brian."

You guys, I love having you around.

You know, pasta is always loved by everyone.

You can make the sauce and have your meal with your buddies.

Ciao, Brian.

Thank you.

Mmm!

You see it reduced nice.

Look how nice the sauce is.

And you can dress a lot of good pasta with this.

The meat is cooked.

So let's get serving.

One is enough I think.

And I'm going to pull out the toothpick, and it's hot, yes, but you know.

You see how soft and tender the meat is?

Okay.

Let's get the other one.

Let's...

Okay.

And where is Lidia's?

I got the biggest one.

I like that.

I'll leave my toothpick in.

I can handle this stuff.

Yeah, absolutely.

And when you serve this, I always leave a little pot of the sauce on the table.

I put an extra little pot.

Two.

So let's see what happens inside.

Mmm.

You see how tender it is?

The aroma of the stuffing.

Delicious.

Mmm.

Mmm, I remember Sunday morning, I was teenager, and then the aroma wafting of something good cooking.

It's a great sense of home.

This is good.

Also it keeps.

it reheats very well.

It freezes well.

All kinds of goodies from this big pot of braciole.

Cavolfiore croccante al forno.

You know, a lot of time I go through my own cookbooks.

What else can I show you?

Ah, this is actually was one of my favorite.

And it's spicy crispy roasted cauliflower.

And what happens is this little florets of the cauliflower becomes nice and crunchy because what do I do?

So let's see the ingredients.

Fine dried breadcrumbs.

Grated pecorino romano.

Another grated cheese, or you can combine the two cheeses.

Teaspoon -- just teaspoon of garlic powder.

Just give it a little bit of that powder.

Some salt.

Unsalted butter, melted.

It needs to be liquid.

And then the cauliflower cut into florets.

You line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Parchment is important.

You don't want to have to scrape all the cheese from your baking pan.

Add the cauliflower florets into the melted butter, and you toss, toss so that the melted butter coats the florets.

Then you combine the breadcrumbs, the cheeses, the garlic, the onion powder, and some salt.

So you have this mixture of flavored breadcrumbs.

Take the cauliflower florets, drain them out, and throw them in the seasoned bread, a little bit at a time so you really get the bread sticking to all sides of the florets.

And you bake the whole thing for about 30 minutes in this hot 425-degree oven, and you'll get this crispy florets ready to eat.

This is a good hors d'oeuvre.

And you know what also?

My kids love it.

Even the small ones love this kind of crunchiness just as it is, but a little dunking sauce, a nice marinara, spicy, goes good with this.

You need a dipper.

Like the idea?

Try it.

Semifreddo Malaga.

I always invite you at my house, but at the end of the meal I have to give you some dessert.

And today is a semifreddo.

A very simple to make and delicious.

Semifreddo.

"Somewhat cold."

Ice cream, but not frozen solid.

So we're going to soak the raisins with dark rum.

A zabaglione is egg yolk.

Here I have vin santo and sugar.

Equal parts of each.

For the zabaglione, all you need is the egg yolk.

So you have to kind of divide it.

And you save the white.

That's the egg yolk.

The white is here, and we're going to whisk that up also.

But the important thing is usually the measuring is one-third, one-third, one-third.

Eggs.

And this is the vin santo.

And always make sure that it's well mixed before you put it over the heat.

And you put it in a bain-marie.

What is a bain-marie?

The hot water underneath almost to the boiling point, and it heats it from the bottom.

And you keep on whisking.

And nice and easy, not too hot, because if you have the water boiling underneath, you're going to make a frittata.

And it takes a while.

My grandmother used to make it for me in the morning and she would make caffe latte.

She would pour the coffee into the hot zabaglione, and that was nourishment to begin the day.

So, what do you do when you whisk like this here?

If you're by yourself, sing.

I know my grandmother, my mother, would sing, and maybe just to remember my mother and all the songs that she sang while she cooked for us.

And she used to love... [ Singing in Italian ] Something like that.

But what it means, you know, "Let's cheer together, and life is sweet."

The tradition in Italy.

you know, singing is another element in the kitchen.

So you see how this is getting creamier and creamier, like a custard.

And you see the folds on top.

This is what you want.

When you're looking in, you can see the bottom of the dish.

Then you know that you're there.

And put it on ice.

You just mix it until it cools off completely.

So let's collect everything so it doesn't dry out on the side.

And you go back to it now and then and mix it until it chills.

And then we'll assemble the semifreddo.

And here it is, from Pat.

"I'm an older lady who lives alone.

It's hard to cook for just one.

All ideas are always appreciated!"

Here are some ideas, Pat.

How about pesto?

It freezes well in portion size.

And you can make it anytime, pull it out.

Braised beef, braised chicken, all of that.

As long as it has a little sauce, it freezes well, it reheats well.

So, Pat, you're the best person you can cook for.

Cook for yourself and then anybody else that joins your table.

Okay, so we're all ready to assemble.

Let's strain the raisins.

We're going to use the raisins and some of the rum.

Let me put the vanilla in the zabaglione.

That's number one.

Let's mix that.

Then the whipped cream.

Okay.

The egg whites, the meringue, that also gets folded in.

Nice and gently.

You don't want to deflate them, the meringue.

Very simple.

Clean bowl.

Must be.

If you have anything in the bowl, a little fat or something, the meringue won't happen.

And you can put a little bit of cream of tartar.

That helps the meringue really rise and whip up.

Let me fold in the raisins now.

The raisins that are kind of filled with the rum.

Just folding in.

So that's the actual semifreddo.

And the amaretto are the cookies.

And we are going to just moisten them a little bit.

Not too much of the rum.

Just a little bit to give it some moisture.

Let me see.

You don't want to put too much alcohol because then it will not freeze for you.

That's it.

And a loaf pan.

You line it with the plastic wrap, and we begin to sort of layer the semifreddo.

On the bottom, which will ultimately be the top, because we'll invert this once it's frozen.

That's it.

Let's put... Let's get it in the corners.

Another layer of the soaked amaretti.

Corner.

Okay.

Let it settle in.

And you gently wrap it just like that.

Put it in the freezer.

Overnight is best because it is such an airy mixture that it takes a while to freeze.

And we'll invert it and slice it, and it is delicious.

Let's see what other e-mails I have here.

"I'm not very versed on the nuances of wine, but want to educate myself on the bubbly kind.

What's the difference between sparkling wine, champagne, and prosecco?

Cin-cin, Nancy."

Good for you.

You're in good spirits.

Now, sparkling wine is wine of no particular denomination that any winemaker can make.

In the champagne case, the juice of the grapes that make champagne must be grown in the Champagne region of France.

Prosecco is from an area in Italy, from the Veneto and the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.

So cin-cin, Nancy.

Now you got to taste.

You got to taste prosecco and the rest.

Enjoy.

Julieta cara.

You came at the right time, huh?

-Yes, I did.

-You came to visit Nonni.

Do you know what I made?

A semifreddo.

-Ooh!

-Alright.

And a semifreddo is easy to make.

And you know what I did?

I chilled this, so this way.

Look at this.

Mmm!

-Wow.

Looks good.

-Looks good, huh?

You and I are going to share.

-Okay?

-Okay.

-So this one is for you and for me.

Okay.

And then this one, how would we serve it for our guest?

-Would we decorate it?

-Oh, I'm going to leave that up to you.

Look at this.

It looks good, huh?

-Looks delicious.

-Alright.

So you decorate that.

I think I would just put a little bit of whipped cream on here.

What do you think?

-That looks good.

-Just a little bit of whipped cream?

-Yes.

-Okay.

-Put a little mint leaf.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, that's pretty.

-And what else would you put on?

-Can we put some of the cookies?

-Yeah.

Go ahead.

That's it.

-Should I pour us some prosecco?

-Absolutely.

A little prosecco DOC goes wonderfully with this.

-Yeah, this one was good.

This can be yours.

-Alright.

It's from the Veneto and Friuli, where we come from.

Okay.

Well, first of all, a cin-cin.

Salute.

-Salute.

-Good.

Now I want your opinion on this.

-Okay.

-Mm.

-Mmm.

-And you know, what do we do at the end of the show so the people that have been -- -We've got our line.

-Which is?

-Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

-You heard the lady.

She's inviting you.

So come and visit with us.

Tutti a tavola...a mangiare.

Ciao.

Cin-cin.

Mmm.

[ Women singing in Italian ] You can watch the show, or I can give you a lesson.

-[ Laughs ] -A private lesson.

-I'll go with number two.

-Private lesson, yeah?

-Yeah.

-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...