LIDIA: Buongiorno!

I'm Lidia Bastianich.

And teaching you about Italian food has always been my passion.

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

So what does that mean?

You get to cook it yourselves.

For me, food is about delicious flavors... Che bellezza!

...comforting memories, and, most of all, family.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

♪ ANNOUNCER: Funding provided by... ANNOUNCER: 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.

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

ANNOUNCER: Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy.

Handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

ANNOUNCER: Authentic Italian cured meats.

Paolo Rovagnati, the true Italian tradition.

ANNOUNCER: And by... LIDIA: We Italians like our salad after our main course, not before.

Hence, we go beyond just the head of lettuce.

I put my twist on the traditional Tuscan favorite panzanella, with the addition of fennel, cucumbers, and shrimp.

This eye-popping colorful salad is a play on Calabresa flavors.

Juicy oranges paired with sweet purple onions create a perfectly refreshing bite.

It's easy to liven up your green salad with the addition of crispy apples, rich provolone, and a bright lemony dressing.

There's always time for salad.

Italian style salads.

Salad is always on an Italian table.

No matter what the season is, there is a salad for that season.

So whether it's in the springtime, the radicchio zuccherino, the small chicory that we love so much up in the Trieste/Istria region.

In the wintertimes, the endive, red cabbage, white cabbage, shredded very fine.

But that's not all we make salads of.

We make salads including fruit, including vegetables.

Boil string beans and some potatoes.

One of the best salad you ever had.

Toss it together.

So a salad is important and almost necessary.

It refreshes you.

A lot of times in Italy, dinner is all about a salad.

A nice green salad, a few slices of prosciutto, a little chunk of cheese.

And salad is also a way of trading proteins.

A lot of fish salads going.

You know, combine.

Frutti di mare.

Calamari salad.

Us in Italy, we can make a salad almost of anything.

We are in Italy, in Sant'Angelo di Romagna, and I want to teach you how to make panzanella.

Let's cut some tomatoes now.

These beautiful tomatoes.

This is a cuore di bue, as they say, which means the beef's heart tomato.

So here we are.

Oh.

Mamma mia.

So, this, what I'm looking for here, you know, this part is a little green, so I'm going to kind of cut it out.

It didn't get to mature in the center, but the rest is perfectly delicious and good, and I'm going to cut it about the same size as I have the bread.

And you want to leave the juiciness of the tomato in, you know?

You don't want to take the water out because the bread is going to absorb it all, and it's going to be delizioso.

Okay.

♪ We'll put the tomatoes right in the bread.

Fennel.

I'd like a little bit of fennel in that.

When you buy a fennel, a whole head like this, it's beautiful.

You just kind of clean the outside tough leaves.

It has a heart in the middle, and I cut some of that out.

That's it.

That's the hard part.

And so now we'll cut it very thin.

And...do I want big pieces?

Well, I'm getting towards the bottom here.

Okay.

This is the right pieces, just like that.

♪ Scallions.

This is spring onion.

I found these in the market, and shopping is the best part of actually cooking for me.

And let me see.

Maybe I'll cut it in half.

And then... And I love to use some of the green part of the -- All the way up to here.

Absolutely.

Let's use it all.

So you can see how the flavors are really building up.

And a little cucumber.

Let me just peel it.

♪ And if you leave a little bit of skin, I don't mind.

I like it.

I do that also when I use eggplant, you know, because the skin has a lot of the nourishment.

Just make sure you wash it before.

♪ So I'm looking at this.

You know, the round.

What are the sizes?

The round could be, like, fine, but also you can cut it just like that to give you another kind of size.

♪ Just like that.

Just the aroma of each ingredient, you know, is just wonderful.

All right.

So here we are.

And now the shrimp.

Will I have space here to toss all of it?

I would say so.

I will do it nice and gently.

A little bit of salt, first of all.

Now, keep in mind, the shrimp, they have flavor because I cooked them in a court-bouillon with some celery, carrots, and onions, but I need the salt for the rest.

A little bit of fresh pepper.

[ Crackling ] And some vinegar and olive oil.

♪ Olive oil is such an essential part of the Italian cuisine.

And I know you all love it, So let me just toss this.

♪ Okay.

So...

So, this is ready.

I'm going to let it rest so the bread absorbs the sauce.

I'll call my friend down, Elisabetta, and we'll have a good chat.

Welcome.

Benvenuti.

Yes, I'm in Italy, and I'm inviting you to come with me.

And here we have a question from Joyce.

And 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?"

Are there any general rules?

Not really.

I think it's getting to know your wine evermore.

Here I am in the Garda region, and it's one of the big wine-producing regions of Italy.

They produce everything from white to red, but they're really known also for their sparkling.

Yes, I like a nice, crispy white wine when you have fish or a light meal.

Red wine if you're getting into tomatoes and meats and so on.

But you know what, Joyce?

A good rule to remember and one that I like is think of Spumante, a sparkling wine, whether it's white or it's a rosé.

A sparkling wine will take you from the opening, from the antipasto, to the dessert with no problem.

So, when in trouble, don't know what to do, think sparkling.

You'll love it.

Thank you for writing.

I'm in Italy having a great time, and I will respond to your questions.

I'm going to finish dressing this salad, and I have my dear friend Elisabetta.

Come stai?

ELISABETTA: Bene.

Grazie.

LIDIA: Ecco.

You know, you have olive oil in your veins.

ELISABETTA: Yes.

LIDIA: Tell us a little bit about family, about olive oil.

How did you get involved?

ELISABETTA: We are in the olive-oil business since 50 years ago.

Me and my brothers are involved in this business.

We try to do our best to give the special product to the consumer.

LIDIA: Great idea.

And I do want you to taste... ELISABETTA: Yes.

Thank you.

LIDIA: ...my panzanella.

ELISABETTA: Oh, yes.

LIDIA: And it has your oil, so... ELISABETTA: Fantastic.

LIDIA: Okay.

Good.

Enjoy.

ELISABETTA: Thank you very much.

LIDIA: Enjoy.

So, you know, it's always great to have an expert with us.

What do you think?

ELISABETTA: Mm!

LIDIA: Good?

Is it dressed correctly?

ELISABETTA: Perfectly.

Not too much.

It's the right quantity of vinegar, right quantity of extra virgin olive oil.

This is perfect.

Very good.

LIDIA: Ah, bene.

Oh, I got the seal of approval from my dear friend Elisabetta.

ELISABETTA: And it's very healthy, this dish.

LIDIA: So I really appreciate you being here and sharing with my friends out there, now your friends... ELISABETTA: Yes.

LIDIA: ...what you're doing and your passion for olive oil.

Grazie.

ELISABETTA: Thank you very much.

Thank you.

♪ LIDIA: Some of my favorite time in the kitchen has been teaching my grandchildren to grow into confident cooks.

And these days, even though they're living on their own, that doesn't mean they stop asking for my advice.

Sharing recipes.

Cabbage salad with speck.

Hi, Lorenzo!

LORENZO: Ciao, Nonna.

How are you?

LIDIA: Okay.

How are you doing?

LORENZO: I wanted to call you because I found a new recipe that I tried out and I wanted to share it with you.

From time to time, I go through your books looking for something new and exciting that I haven't tried yet, and I found this cabbage salad with speck, and I immediately thought, "Oh, my gosh.

I love speck."

And I had to try it out, and it went absolutely perfectly.

It was absolutely delicious.

LIDIA: So it was a hit?

LORENZO: It was a great hit.

My friends had never tried a warm salad like this before.

LIDIA: Let's talk about speck.

You know, you love speck.

Speck is from Alto Adige.

And Alto Adige is right next to Fiorè, up -- further up in the Alps.

And they cure and smoke part of the ham.

So it's different.

It's not on the bone.

And it has a little bit of smokiness.

And it's like a prosciutto, and it's delicious.

So tell me.

How did you do?

What did you do?

LORENZO: Well, I followed the recipe pretty closely, and I had cut up the cabbage, toasted the speck, let the fat render, get it crispy.

And then I was really surprised by the warm vinaigrette aspect of it, where you pour the red-wine vinegar in the pan, and it sort of deglazes the pan and gives you a warm vinaigrette for the salad.

How did you think of that?

LIDIA: This is a traditional recipe they use up in that area.

But, you know, cabbage is very resilient, and so the warmth of the dressing kind of mellows it a little bit, and it makes it better.

And it's great, especially in the -- in the months -- in the winter months where the green salads are not to be had.

So cabbage salads were made.

LORENZO: That's interesting.

Could you also use other heartier greens with this?

LIDIA: Oh, absolutely.

Red cabbage.

Regular.

You know, the cabbage head.

And Savoy cabbage.

Or you can mix.

It's a salad that keeps well, you know?

It's great when you have, like, buffets, you know, and you want to put a salad out there.

And it will hold pretty good, and it's nice and crunchy.

And when you have anything leftover, you put it on sandwiches.

Pumpernickel bread or rye bread, a little bit of mustard, some prosciutto cotto, and then some of this cabbage salad makes a great sandwich topper.

LORENZO: That sounds really delicious.

I have some left over, so it might be a good idea to make some sandwiches for the week, and I'll make sure to send a picture when I do.

LIDIA: I am so proud of you.

You're on your way.

You have your own apartment.

You're working.

You're cooking.

All right.

Keep on calling Grandma whenever you're stuck on a recipe or you want to share something great that you did.

Okay...?

LORENZO: I will, Nonna.

Te voglio bene.

LIDIA: [ Speaks Italian ] Talk to you soon.

Ciao.

Ah!

Nothing better.

Nothing better than a te voglio bene from a grandson.

I am in Civita, one of the most beautiful hamlets in Italy.

It is in the Pollino Park, not too far from Cosenza.

And, actually, in the distance, you see the Ionian Sea, so it has it all.

It's a beautiful little town.

And I am going to make a delicious salad, a salad that is made in this area but also all over Italy.

It's orange-and-onion salad.

As simple as that.

And, here, we have the... [ Speaks Italian ] And it's a late-harvest orange.

So, what's important is that you -- of course, that you go around and cut the pith, as well, away from the orange.

I'm looking around.

Let me do it with this.

♪ And I think, when you make this salad, just get the amount of the oranges and clean them all at once, and then you spread out your salad, because it's a really easy salad, okay?

♪ Let's just slice it.

And... just slices like this.

Not too thin.

♪ ♪ Okay.

The oranges are prepared.

And just let it kind of -- We'll line the plate with the oranges, just like that.

And this is a great salad for buffets.

It's a great summer salad.

You can make it in advance.

It keeps well.

I like it kind of a room temperature, the oranges.

You might like your oranges chilled a little bit.

Tropea onion is quite researched around the world when in season.

It is sweet, it is delicious, and it is from Tropea.

♪ So, if you get a chance, absolutely make sure that you get an opportunity to taste it when you're here in Calabria.

So, make the little rounds, just like that.

And you don't need acidity.

I'm going to use just oil.

Just mound it right in the middle, like that.

Little bit of salt over the onions, a little bit over the oranges.

A drizzle of oil.

♪ And that will make a great dressing, just the oil, and some fresh -- I like fresh pepper and coarse pepper.

That gives it that extra kind of touch, just like that.

And you just want to decorate, maybe, a few leaves of parsley here and there, and not even so much for the flavor, but just for the beauty of it.

This salad looks pretty good to me.

It's easy, it's fresh, and it's right in this setting, in Calabria.

I want to taste one.

Oh, I'll take this one.

And I'll take some onions, of course, just like that.

And I'm gonna drizzle, a little bit, the olive oil, just like that.

Maybe a little bit more pepper.

And I'm going to taste it, because I always do that for you, tell you how it is, so that I tempt you.

I tempt you enough for you to make one.

♪ Mmm!

It's a perfect harmony.

It's a sweet, savory, acidic, crunchiness.

It really is a delicious salad.

Certainly, if you can, make it to Calabria and taste these delicious products.

But if you can't, making this salad at home will give you great results.

♪ To making a salad dressing, there's a formula.

And usually it's three to one.

Oils, about three parts of oil to one part of acidity, vinegar.

Or you can get your acidity from fruit, from citrus -- orange, lemon, lime is also a delicious way to go.

You want to emulsify it.

You want to give it a little bit of body.

Think about mustard and just whisk it up well in there, or honey does, also, the trick.

It really brings a little sweetness to a dressing.

Then, I like to emulsify it, sometimes with cooked egg yolks.

So if you have all your oils and vinegars, in the blender, you put in one or two of the cooked egg yolks, and it really emulsifies it well.

For this lettuce, some good oil, of course, and also some balsamic vinegar.

Balsamic vinegar has a lot of complexity, and it really adds a lot to the dressing itself.

So let's put the olive oil.

Now, you know, balsamic vinegar comes in regular and comes in the tradizionale.

For a salad, a regular good balsamic vinegar will do.

Garlic.

You see, I crushed this garlic like this, and it really releases the flavor.

Let's put it right in there.

Pinch of salt.

Just a sprig of thyme.

And let's put the whole thing in there.

And it's as simple as that.

Seal it and just let it rest there for half an hour.

And the flavors of the garlic and the thyme will really infuse your dressing.

We'll start a salad.

You need your mixed greens, and I'm gonna use the apple.

And I like to leave the skin on -- on the apple because it gives it color, gives it nourishment.

Just make sure that you wash it first.

Okay.

I have some lemon juice.

Let me make the dressing.

Get some salt.

So just a little bit.

And olive oil.

And the ratio -- usually it's 1/3 of the acidic, which is lemon juice or vinegar, and 2/3 of the oil part.

You just put it in one of these masonry jars.

Sometimes when I like to densen up my dressing, I put egg yolk -- cooked egg yolk -- in there.

So, the dressing is ready.

And here I have some arugula.

You can make it all arugula.

You can make it mixed just like that.

I happen to like arugula, and especially with cheese, it's great.

To talk about the cheese, I'm gonna have the expert himself, Alberto.

-ALBERTO: Ciao, Lidia.

-LIDIA: Benvenuto.

-How you doing?

-ALBERTO: Thank you.

Fine.

-Very fine, thank you.

-LIDIA: Good, good.

So, I'm teaching them -- you know, my special friends out there in America -- Italian food, and we are in Cremona, in Italy, in his hometown, where his cheese is produced.

In America, we see these cheeses hanging all over.

Can you explain to us a little bit about these cheeses?

ALBERTO: In the case of a salad, I suggest to use a sharp provolone.

This is a provolone aged over 12 months, and it's perfect, in my opinion, to use in a salad.

Then we have the extra, the stravecchio, that is over 18 months, and it is a different taste.

LIDIA: So it's progressively more complex?

ALBERTO: Exactly.

LIDIA: And I'm gonna cut myself a nice slice, just like that.

I can see that it is still moist and soft.

ALBERTO: It's the particular of provolone.

LIDIA: So it must aged, but not too salty.

The way that you keep it is that, at certain point, you put a wax covering on the cheese so it doesn't dehydrate, so it doesn't dry up... -ALBERTO: Exactly.

Exactly.

LIDIA: ...so that the saltiness remains minimal.

-And I'm gonna put apples.

-ALBERTO: Perfect food.

Salad and cheese is a perfect mix.

LIDIA: Okay.

So, I'm gonna use an oil-and-lemon-juice dressing.

-Is that okay with you?

-ALBERTO: Yes, perfect.

For the salad, that's perfect.

LIDIA: And, you know, I always tell you, when you're dressing your salad, do not throw all the dressing in at once.

You see, you just want all the leaves to be covered with the dressing.

Now, I like my cheese nice and kind of -- like shreds like this.

ALBERTO: Should be delicious.

I like very much like that, but you can also cube or shred.

LIDIA: And then we have also a third guest coming, and we'll introduce her in a minute.

Just let me get the salads in the plates.

So, Alberto, you are four generations, right?

-ALBERTO: Yes.

-LIDIA: Four?

The company was started by your great-grandfather.

ALBERTO: Yes, in the surrounding of Naples, 141 years ago.

LIDIA: But you know what?

What I was impressed when I came to visit was meeting your mother.

Your mother -- Nonna Mimma, you call her.

-ALBERTO: She's the really boss.

-LIDIA: She's the really boss.

Should we call her in?

Should we -- -ALBERTO: Yes, of course.

-LIDIA: Okay.

Nonna Mimma, venga, venga.

-ALBERTO: Come in.

-LIDIA: Come on in.

Come on in.

Oh!

Il tuo regalo.

Bearing gifts.

MIMMA: [ Speaking Italian ] LIDIA: Oh, bearing gifts.

[ Conversing in Italian ] Mwah, mwah.

[ Speaking Italian ] What are the secret that she has for us in cooking this cheese?

MIMMA: [ Speaking Italian ] LIDIA: She said, what the qualities of it is, it's very flavorful, so it imparts the flavor.

You can do it with pizza.

You do your baked pasta.

You can do eggplant parmigiana, all of this.

So, it is delicious, brings a wallop of flavor, and it makes whatever you're doing nice and creamy and crispy.

You know, we're at the table, and we're talking all about the family, so it's befitting that we taste some.

It looks like it's gonna be tasty.

ALBERTO: It is very good.

Real good.

LIDIA: Mmm.

You like it?

-ALBERTO: Wonderful.

-LIDIA: Yeah?

ALBERTO: Wonderful.

[ Conversing in Italian ] LIDIA: This is my gift to her.

She said -- [ Conversing in Italian ] ♪ You know, for us, it's almost necessary to have a garden.

My mother, from the beginning, she insisted, "Take the grass out.

Let's make a garden."

And so we took a whole plot on the side of the house, and we have just about everything that we need there.

We have parsley, we have celery, we have savoy cabbage, we have scallions, we have garlic, we have onions, we have Swiss chard, we have beets, we have radicchio, we have tomatoes.

And Grandma wouldn't have it any other way.

And so we agreed a lot on our garden, and we collaborated, and she worked very hard at it.

I'm happy because I learned a lot from her.

I can make many meals out of my garden.

And, as always, Grandma's songs carry me, us, to those tables, wherever they may be.

[ Singing in Italian ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: 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.

ANNOUNCER: 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.

♪ ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Funding provided by... ANNOUNCER: 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.

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

And by... ANNOUNCER: Olitalia.

"From chef to chef."

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