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

♪ ♪ -Authentic Italian cured meats.

Paolo Rovagnati -- The true Italian tradition.

-Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy -- handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

♪ -Olitalia -- From chef to chef.

Italians, we love our vegetables and, of course, we love our pasta, but we love our fruit.

And whether it is sweet or savory, it always makes it to the table.

An eye-catching salad of shrimp and sweet melon is dressed up in a bright, minty pesto.

The sweet pizza topped with grapes and ricotta can be dessert, brunch, or a crowd-pleasing snack.

Try adding fruit to your table.

As children, we had our time calendar on the fruits that's coming because we would enjoy it.

We looked forward to it, actually.

We just knew what the season was for.

We knew where the first ripening was.

Some of the first fruits were the ground berries, strawberries, and then, of course, the cherries.

Those were very anticipated.

We had three cherry trees and I climbed up and down those cherry trees every time.

One tree had the big black Bing cherries.

Another one had the sour cherries.

And then, of course, after that, the apricots and the peaches -- the stone fruits -- would come in.

And figs.

Some of the figs had two maturity season.

Il fiorone, "the big flower," matured early, end of May, beginning of June.

Then the whole summer would pass and, come August into September, the second flowering of the smaller fig would come and they were part of our menu.

They were part of our treats as children, really, also having fun climbing up and down these trees.

Today it's a fresh day and I'm in the garden, after all, so, I'm going to make a shrimp salad.

I have some salted water boiling.

Let me get some bay leaves to give it some flavor.

These are shrimp.

Let's put it right in.

Okay.

Let me just give it a mix.

And I have some beautiful honeydew melon and some cantaloupe.

And the melon is simple.

You just take off the seeds, just like that.

Scrape them right out.

Okay.

So, how do you go about cutting a melon?

Let me show you.

Simple.

You can make melon balls, but, you know, with melon balls, you do have some waste.

And you know how I am about wasting.

I want to use everything.

So, I am going to make it into cubes.

And you go around.

Going to cut it just like that.

And in it goes.

♪ I'm looking at the size and I'm making them a little bigger because the shrimps are a nice-size shrimps.

And, again, cut it.

Just in slices, like that.

♪ Mm-hmm!

♪ Okay.

So, you can see this, in itself, the freshness of it.

So, I'm looking at the shrimps.

This is cooked for me.

I'm going to just fish it all out and I'll put it right in the ice water.

Let it cool.

Just like that, okay.

So, now, I'm going to clean up and we get to make the pesto.

Buongiorno.

Here we are in my little library, where I gather all my thoughts, write the books, and where I welcome you.

Joyce wants to talk wine.

She says, "I love how you always tell us what wine you are drinking with your meal at the end of the show...

I love wine with a meal too.

Are there any general tips for pairing wine with a meal?"

Wine.

Such diversity in different varietals of grapes.

There are judges that can tell you which are the best wines, but I think you are the best judge of what you would like.

And there are some basic criteria in wines that you can look for to choose.

White wine is usually acidic, lighter.

I would like it to be aromatic and it goes very well with fish, chicken.

Red has a lot of body, more tannins, and it's a bigger wine.

Goes with meats, braisings.

Rosé has a little bit more body.

It's a wine that can go either way.

So, rosé, springtime and summertime, is great if you want to replace the red wine.

Look at the different regions and begin tasting and see what you like.

Well, we're ready to make the pesto.

Basil.

Nice leaves of fresh basil.

Some mint.

And, you know, usually half and half.

Some lemon, lemon juice in there.

Let's see.

There's a pit here.

There's a pit here.

Okay.

Sometimes it's best to use a strainer right underneath or squeeze it in a little bowl and then use the juice.

Let's put this back on.

Let's put some salt in here.

Let's give it a whirl.

I think that's enough.

Some celery.

And, you know, I like to use the leaves of the celery and everything.

And so I'm looking at the chunks.

You know, the celery could be a little on the chunky side.

♪ Mm-hmm.

And I want to put some lettuce in there.

Let me open it up.

These leaves are more appropriate and they'll look nicer.

The outside leaves are a little greener and you can certainly use it for another salad.

Do I have enough here?

Let me just toss it a little bit.

I think I have enough.

Let's add the shrimps in there.

I think this needs a little bit of salting as a whole.

Now... ...let's take the dressing.

And you know what I tell you all the time about the dressing?

Save some because you don't want to overdress your salad.

You can always add, but taking it out is problematic, once you have put it all in.

Does this look good?

Fresh, nice.

So, let's plate it on this beautiful plate.

And I have some basil right here that I'm going to decorate it with.

I'm looking at the salad.

Okay, maybe I can make a frame.

And let's see.

And now, let's just kind of let it flow right into the plate, just like that.

Mmm!

Okay!

This looks good.

Oh!

I forgot Lidia.

Got to taste.

I think just like that.

And then I saved some basil.

A little basil will be just the decoration on top of it all.

So, here we are.

Inviting.

It's beautiful.

It's fresh.

So, let's bring it to the table.

And easy.

It's actually an easy setting.

So, here I go for the tasting.

Mmm.

Wow!

I didn't know it was this good.

[ Laughs ] I can just sit here and enjoy.

So, I'm going to finish this.

I may go for a little more.

Make sure you make it.

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.

Ah, grandkids.

What a pleasure.

And Olivia's going to call me [ Ring ] because she's having a party and here she is.

Hi, Olivia!

-Hello!

How are you?

-Alright.

Getting ready for your party?

-Yes, I'm having a few friends over on our roof, now that it's nice out, and I wanted to make a special drink and I remember you were telling me about something one time.

Can you refresh my memory?

-Well, there's many ways, but I love fruit at the basis of a drink.

I like strawberries.

Strawberries are really intense in flavor and they're not expensive and, you know, they're around.

So, if you make a simple syrup with some ripe strawberries, some water, some sugar.

And I put a drop of lemon.

And you let that sort of simmer, simmer until it concentrates and marries all those flavors together, but still have enough liquid left.

That's your basis of flavoring.

You can use the strawberries, as chunky as they are, and they're especially good, in that case, not only for the drink, but for a dessert.

You can imagine vanilla ice cream topped with these chunky strawberries, with the syrup flowing down.

Does that sound good?

-That sounds good, but what can I make it into a drink with?

-Well, certainly, you can make it into a Bellini.

-Now, you can take this simple syrup and strain it and make it into a smooth syrup and you use that in a nice wine glass or champagne glass and then you pour prosecco over it.

And this is what Bellini is all about.

-That sounds good.

-You like tequila?

-Yeah, that could be a good option.

-Okay, how would you do it?

Tell me.

-So, I think we could put the strawberry syrup in a shaker with some tequila, some ice, maybe shake it all up and put it in a glass with, I'm thinking, some lime wedge and mint.

I think that'd be so refreshing.

What do you think?

-Sounds very good to me.

And, on that roof up there, overlooking Manhattan, that should be pretty good.

-Yeah, it'll be a good party, so you have to come.

-I will.

Let me know when.

-Okay.

-Love you!

-Love you!

Thank you!

Bye!

-Okay.

See you then.

Ciao!

♪ Pizza for dessert.

It's a great dessert.

It's easy to make.

I'm going to show you how to make a double batch of pizza.

Half, you're going to use for dessert; half, you're going to leave for another time when you want a real pizza.

It's not too sweet and it's easy to make.

So, let's proof our yeast, first, in warm water.

A little mix.

And we have the flour and a little bit of sugar.

Salt.

Let's put this in the bowl.

Let's mix a little bit of olive oil with water.

Slowly give it a mix.

The olive oil with the water will bind the whole dough.

Let's put the yeast in there.

And, usually, we like our dough on the soft side because it kind of rises better, it becomes puffier.

When you put it in the oven, it becomes nice and risen.

So, but I'm looking at this.

It's a little too soft.

Always have a little bit of flour and even a little bit of water on the side.

This is all extra.

I think I need a little bit of flour.

Let me just use this to put in the flour.

And do it slowly because you don't want to over-flour it.

I'm going to put the dough to rise in a bowl like this.

Let's put a little bit of oil, just a little bit.

And we put the oil just to sort of lubricate the sides, so that the dough glides as it rises.

It doesn't encounter friction and rises as much as it can.

Nicey, nicey, as the Italian say.

And, ideally, a dough for bread, for pizza, whatever, sort of pulls off the sides and accumulates around the paddle or the hook.

So let me lower it a little bit.

And pick it up slowly.

And so the dough will come off the hook.

So.

We're done.

Oh!

This is great.

Nothing better than this dough in your hand, nice and soft and warm.

This is going to be just perfect.

Let's put a little bit of flour right here.

A little bit of flour on my hand.

It's good.

Feels good.

So, what is it telling me?

Needs a little bit of flour.

And I like it when it's soft like that because I know it will rise.

So, you know, you're saying, "Oh, Lidia, you're getting sticky there," but it's okay.

♪ And there's a nice sound to the right dough.

So, here it is.

Let's put it in here.

I usually cover it with a little bit of plastic wrap and let it rise for about an hour.

It should double in size.

Now, here also, there's an email from Lori about cutting boards.

She says, "I have just bought my first wooden cutting board and am curious about how you have maintained yours over the years."

A good cutting board is made out of strips of wood that have been aged and they're either glued together or compressed together.

The important thing in a cutting board is not to soak it in water because wood will take in water and it will warp on you.

But you need to keep it clean.

So, there are several ways that I keep it clean.

The old traditional way is coarse salt and half a lemon and you scrub the whole board all over and then, with a wet cloth, you take it all off.

I also, when I work on the cutting board with meat, I have a cloth that's been dunked in bleach and water.

I wring it and I wipe the cutting board thoroughly.

I put it under the water, land the board in the sink, not soaking in the sink.

Rinse it right away, put it back on its place, and dry it.

And then a little bit of olive oil, that's the finish that you want to give.

Good question, Lori.

We're ready to bake the sweet pizza.

Half of the dough has risen well and we're ready to put it in the oven.

So, a little bit of oil.

And let's get into the dough.

See how beautiful?

Look at this.

Look at this.

And it's sticky, so you just pull it off the sides, get it all together, and we're going to plop it right in here.

Hmm.

Just like that.

If it really gets sticky, you have flour here and just use a little bit of flour.

But, you know, the softer it is, the more it's going to rise, so.

It's a very workable dough.

Get it in the corners.

Aha!

"Lidia, you really like that sticky dough, don't you?"

Well, I like the end product, let's put it that way.

So.

This will even rise a little more by the time we're finished doing the topping.

So, the topping is grapes and a little savory rosemary.

Let's see.

These are -- Tsk, like this, that's from my garden.

Rosemary.

Love rosemary.

It's part of who I am, part of growing up.

I just love it.

And let's chop, chop.

And not too much.

You don't need too much of rosemary.

Okay.

We have the rosemary.

Let's put in the grapes.

I have some cut, some whole.

Could you do this with other fruit?

Yes, you could, as long as it's not too watery.

Some melted butter.

And here we go.

♪ ♪ Spread it out evenly.

This way, everybody gets a little piece of grape.

And a little bit of ricotta.

And I love desserts with ricotta.

Just little pieces of ricotta here and there.

And you don't need to do anything to the ricotta.

We'll put some sugar at the end on top of it all.

Some turbinado sugar.

It's a beautiful color, but it will retain also its crunchiness and it might make a crust.

♪ Okay.

A nice little piece of rosemary for decoration.

And you put it in a preheated 475° oven for about 20 minutes and then we'll enjoy it.

Dan, he asks, "When I do my cooking, when should I cover with foil or not.

What is the rule?"

You cover something that's cooking, whether it's foil or a lid, because you want to increase the heat in that pot.

But you also want the evaporation, the humidity, the steam, to stay in that pot and the steam will penetrate whatever you're cooking.

It will cook faster and through.

Then comes the point when you uncover this.

Now, you want the crust on top.

So, you remove the foil paper and you let the steam escape.

The sauce concentrates and a crust forms of whatever you're roasting.

So, I hope that helped you, Dan.

Good question and stay in touch.

Ciao.

The delicious sweet pizza is done.

It rested a little bit, so, let's get it out of the sheet pan.

Okay, so, let's slide it just like that.

I love this combination of flavors, grape and rosemary, so sweet and savory, then some ricotta in between.

So, let's see.

This is dried.

I have some fresh there I'll replace.

Although, it left its aroma.

And I'm looking at this, you know, how am I going to cut it?

You always got to make plans here, how many guests do you have and what presentation you want to make.

Cut it three.

♪ ♪ Just like that.

And... yes.

So, let me just kind of slide them over here and then I'll arrange them.

Mmm!

That's for me.

♪ And that's for me.

[ Laughs ] The chef always gets a little extra.

I think we deserve it.

♪ And, of course, this corner is going to be for me, so, I'm going to put it right here, close to me.

And let's return to the original flavors.

The rosemary recalls the flavor in the focaccia, the fresh rosemary.

But you see how simple and beautiful?

And it's not too sweet and it's not too cloy.

And, you know, sometimes, you know, you just might want to serve this with tea, teatime or coffee time.

♪ The dough is not sweet, but the grape and the sugar on top is, so, it's a beautiful combination.

And I'm going to continue to eat and drink, but, certainly, there's enough for all of us, so, come on over!

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

Salute!

♪ Fruit is a very important part of the Italian table, of the Italian culinary culture, and that means respecting the harvest.

Every garden in Italy has some fruit trees, be it cherries, peaches, pears, blackberries.

And then, of course, in the wintertime, the citrus.

We would store the ripe fruit to last through the winter and then cooking also with fruit -- the jams, the candied fruit, the dried fruit.

So, it's a whole cycle and so on they last and fill the year with deliciousness.

-[ Speaking Italian ] -Si!

-[ Speaking Italian ] -Si!

-[ Singing in Italian ] ♪ -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... ♪ 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... -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.

♪ ♪