-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!

"Lidia's Kitchen: Gather Around the Table."

-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.

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

-Olitalia, from chef to chef.

-Reframe the idea of cooking as a moment for yourself, not a chore -- you deserve it.

It's nice to treat yourself to a salad, especially this colorful one served with cheese toast.

Go ahead and treat yourself to these veal chops stuffed with cheese, served over a bed of cabbage.

And don't forget to set the table.

"Treat yourself."

One thing about being a nurturer and feeding other people is not to forget yourself.

Treat yourself.

I know I have my little treats that I like as a child.

You know, I love chestnuts.

I love the chestnut puree with some simple whipped cream on top.

And, you know, I used to love whipped cream cones.

For me, that was a treat.

And, you know, we come from that area that used to be Austria Hungarian, so it was called the schlag cone, which means whipped cream.

And today, well, I have a lot of favorites, I -- good wine.

I like a good white wine.

A nice blend of a white wine.

I enjoy my Port -- aged Port.

At the end of meal, I don't need dessert.

I will take a glass of Port, and if I have some cheese with it and a little pear, that would be beautiful.

Treat yourself.

Don't forget yourself.

What do you like?

Radicchio, endive and pecorino salad.

You know, sometimes you feel like treating just yourself and you don't want to cook a big meal.

Well, this is a nice salad, has a lot of diversity -- a treat for you, you deserve it.

So here I have some fontina cheese.

I have some bread toasting on one side, some pecorino cheese; just mix it.

And when you have cheeses like this one, that melts quickly, toss, toss, toss the two cheeses and -- you see -- it makes them flow better.

And now we're going to put these on top of the toast.

The toast is toasting on one side.

We want to get the other side with some cheese.

Good to the last drop.

Just press it a little down.

You want the cheese to sort of be pressed down.

Let it heat a little bit, begin to melt, and then we'll flip it over.

And this will be served with the salad.

Radicchio like this, which -- and you can cut the salad.

You can rip it sometimes, you know, just ripping a salad is a good feeling.

Radicchio is in the chicory family.

So is endive.

So it has a little bitterness, which is really good.

So let's flip these toasts.

Just quickly flip them over and the cheese will melt and will make a nice crust.

Okay, let the crust -- now, cheese, you have to be careful because cheese melts and browns rather quickly.

And if it -- if you let it cook too much, it becomes bitter.

So we'll keep an eye.

And, you know, your nose is a good guide for this.

You can smell right away when the cheese is kind of coming on that burning edge.

So the endive, cut it a little bit like this.

And these are salads that you can basically find year-round.

You can make it with other salad.

But I like the crunch of the salad.

And then there's this bitterness and sweetness that I like.

So let's check on the toast, I need to sort of press it down a little bit.

Now we'll make a little bit of the dressing.

I like white wine vinegar.

And usually how much white wine, how much vinegar, how much oil you put -- usually, you know, about -- a little bit more oil than vinegar, I usually put.

Some salt, and I'll put the salt in the dressing as well as a little bit in the salad.

Some fresh pepper.

Okay.

And... Let's put all of the salad in here, because this is where we're going to mix our insalata, there's a little bit more space.

You need a little bit room to toss the salad.

In it I'll add some chives.

♪ And the parsley, I'm looking at it.

Well, I kind of like also the leaves of the parsley, but just let's do it a little bit.

Just like that.

So nice pieces of parsley.

Not the chop-chop usual.

And some walnuts.

And again, let's chop a little bit.

Not too much.

I toasted the walnuts.

You know, you always toast the nuts because it really brings out the flavor.

Now.

Let me check on these.

Yeah.

Okay.

♪ Nice and toasty.

We had some bread; here I had some already made, some additional one.

And this goes great with the salad.

Absolutely.

Now, the apple -- the apple is Granny Smith apple.

Very abundant all over.

And I like them in little matchsticks just like that.

Should I cut a little more?

Maybe another little piece.

Okay.

Yeah, that looks good.

Let's toss this -- I have the dressing on the bottom.

I have to get to the bottom.

And I want all the ingredients to get mixed up, but I also want the dressing to coat.

It looks like there's enough dressing.

Very nice.

And this is great family style.

Yes, you can bring it in a bowl just like that.

But a platter also kind of really showcases this wonderful salad full of colors.

And of course, a little plate for Lidia.

And this is a salad that you have to serve when you dress it, because the vinegar will sort of wilt it.

So whenever I put a plate in the center and you make it come down, fall where it may.

You know, sometimes food has its own way of settling into beauty.

And a little bit for Lidia.

Here is the salad.

Now, this is a beautiful salad for a buffet table, but also you can think of this making smaller portion, put a few drapings of prosciutto or prosciutto cotto or a nice buffalo mozzarella next to it, and you got yourself an antipasto or a main course.

To add some complexity, some pecorino cheese.

Pecorino is 100% sheep's milk and it's real pronounced.

Pecorino is a kind of a piquant cheese, and just shavings like that.

Now, you can shave it on the box grater.

You can just cut pieces and put it on.

But I think, you know, this potato peeler does the job.

Okay.

So should I taste for you?

Of course.

I need to tell you.

And I am curious, too.

Nevermind.

Okay, so let's... Mm.

Refreshing.

Good, acidic, bitter, sweet from the apples.

You have your salad, and it's complex and delicious.

You have some cheese toast here.

Nice and crunchy.

Goes perfect with this.

And some rosé prosecco.

This could be a little party for yourself.

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.

Grandchildren -- love them, and then they leave you!

They go off to school, go off to college.

But they always call and they always love to be treated.

And I'm waiting for Julia because she's coming home and she wants a treat.

Here she is!

-Hi, Nonni!

-Come stai!

How are you doing?

-I'm good.

How are you?

-Oh, you're looking good.

-Thank you.

-Good.

You're learning a lot of new things?

-Yeah, I'm definitely taking a lot of classes.

It's really fun here.

I love it.

-You're in Washington, you're in Georgetown.

Do you get a chance of going around the city and appreciating, like, they have the cherry blossoms?

-Yeah, it was so pretty.

And this past weekend, we also rented a car and drove to Virginia to a tulip farm, which my tulips are behind me.

-Now, you're going to be coming home soon, and I know you like your special treats.

And I was thinking a fruit, a bread pudding or something.

What do you think?

-That sounds yummy.

-Bread that's leftover a day or two -- you whisk the egg, you put the cream, you put a little vanilla, maybe might put a little bit of almond in there.

The bread soaks all of that up.

It's a great recipe because you can do it with the berries, you can do it with cherries, it's just endless.

So, Julia, how do I serve this to my princess?

-I always love strawberry and blueberries.

It's a good pairing.

-Even better, when you come home next time, you're going to make this bread pudding for me.

That will be my treat.

-Yeah.

-Okay, Coca.

You have to go to class?

Because usually when you want to get rid of -- -No, it's not that I want to get rid of you!

I actually do have class.

-You do?

I thought so.

Love you!

-Okay, love you.

-Ciao.

-Bye.

-Cheesy veal chops with cabbage.

This is an elegant dinner for friends that you really love, or people that really deserve in your life, or a special occasion.

So we are going to make stuffed veal chops.

Look at these beauties.

Even the bees know what's good.

But could you substitute?

Of course: you can do chicken breast, you can do pork chops.

Just be mindful of the cooking time, but you can replace a meat of your choice.

What will we stuff it with?

Well, some cheese that melts.

And I have some Piave here.

It melts quite nicely.

We'll add to this grated cheese, so it gives it more flavor, but also it doesn't stick together.

So whenever you have a sort of a semi-soft cheese that will stick together, if you throw in some grated cheese, that will keep it separated and flowing.

And I'm going to put some of it aside because at the end, after I make this stuffing, the last step is top them with this cheese and put them back in the oven and have the cheese really melt and be delicious.

So the stuffing, scallions, the white and the green part, okay.

I think that's good enough.

I don't think it needs any salt because the cheese is very savory.

I just want to mix it together just like that.

And then ultimately I'll make it in little bundles of stuffing and put it in the veal chop.

So let's work on the veal chops now.

This is indeed a beautiful veal chop.

Here there's a little bit too much fat.

I'm going to clean a little bit of that out.

This is the membrane that sort of holds everything together, so you don't want to take it all out.

And I am going to just kind of saw my way through the meat and, you know, under my finger, I feel how deep I'm going.

So take your time and get the feel of it, you know?

Okay.

And mallet.

In this case, I'm going to use the flat.

And you don't want to bang the heck out of it.

You just want to open it up a little bit.

For time's sake, I opened these up before, and I'm going to need some toothpicks because I'm going to tie it in with a toothpick.

Oh, my.

The bees have found us.

They have good taste, too.

So I'm making, like, a little... Just like that.

Just like a little...

There we go.

♪ And you close it in -- two, three toothpicks will do because then we'll put it in a little bit of flour, we'll fry it, and it will tighten up into position.

One is done.

Let's do the next one.

♪ I am sealing everything good.

So let me clean up and let's get this dish finished.

Welcome back to my library, to my secret getaway, where I meet with you.

It's like a secret meeting here, you know?

But I love hearing from you, and I love being able to answer some of your questions.

So here I have a question, and it's a fun question about Italian cinema.

Kevin says, "My girlfriend and I are having an Italian themed movie night.

We are cooking one of your recipes and want to know what Italian movie you would suggest to pair with it."

Kevin, I don't know what you're cooking, but here is what I would do.

The movie is "Big Night."

That's very much my story, if you will, coming to America and trying to do the traditional food that I remember, but being faced with this Italian-American cuisine, which was very popular and which was very delicious.

So which one do I cook?

I related to that movie very much.

If you want to do a recipe maybe of my region.

"Amarcord" -- "Amarcord" was a movie that was around Venice and that area; doesn't have particular food in it, but you could make a nice polenta to bring the viewers to that area of Italy.

But have fun.

That's a fun idea.

Absolutely.

Oh, ready.

We are ready to go.

A little bit of salt, and we begin to just flour.

Now, you know, you have to handle them gently because they have the stuffing.

They're not cooked yet.

Not too much flour.

Just a little bit.

So... they're lightly floured.

You need a nice wide pan, and we're going to use one pan.

Everything in here.

We're going to fry the chops.

The oil.

You want it nice and hot.

So let's do it.

One.

And let's see.

I'm trying to fit them all in nicely.

Two.

Nestle them in there.

Four.

Let's see, no, this way, makes more sense.

And that will take some time because you want some nice and caramelized.

Let's get the Savoy cabbage ready.

Let's cut it in half.

Core -- let's get the core out.

One.

Okay.

And let's cut it in shreds, just in shreds, like that.

Mm-hmm.

Let's loosen it up a little bit.

And, you know, it looks, gee, that's a lot of cabbage, but cabbage goes down to half of its volume -- even less.

So let's see.

It's coming along, and the chops and all the whole pan is going to go in the oven, so it's going to finish cooking.

But you want to give that kind of seal of flavor before you move on with it.

Here is one.

Here is two.

And here we are.

So we're going to go right and continue cooking right in here, I'll put a little bit of oil.

So, when you're frying those chops, you got to be careful not to burn because you want to continue right in this pan and cook.

I want to put a little bit of butter in there.

Okay.

Just a little bit of sage.

Let the flavors come out.

And now we'll put the cabbage right in there.

Some salt, some wine.

Let's put the bit of wine.

And that's gonna deglaze the bottom.

Little stock -- chicken stock, vegetable stock, whatever you have.

Just keep in mind also that the cabbage has its own water and will release some.

And we're looking here for enough water for the Savoy cabbage to cook, for the veal chops to cook through, and still remain with a little bit of juice at the bottom.

So, the cabbage is wilting.

And when it's halfway there, this is where you add the chops right on top of it.

So let's nestle the chops right on top of the cabbage.

Just like that.

Let's see.

Maybe...

I'm trying to fit them in nicely, you know, snug them in just like that.

Let's see.

And...

This one right here, everybody is in, and now cover it with foil paper and put it in an oven, 375 degrees.

We leave it there for 20 minutes.

You uncover it, add that cheese on top of it that we have sort of stashed on the side, and you put it back in the oven so it forms that nice crusty top from the cheese.

And it's a delicious dish.

So, here I have another email asking what kind of white wine I cook with, and she wants to know and learn more about wine.

Well, I like to cook with the wine that I like to drink.

And most likely I will serve with what I'm cooking.

A big rule of thumb: fish, white meats, white wine goes well.

You're talking about ossobuco, braised short ribs, braised beef stew, all of that: red wine.

So, you know, it has something to do with the color, the intensity and the magnitude of all the wines.

Taste them; if you're going to drink it, if you would like to drink it, then you use it for cooking.

And if you don't finish wine, save it and use that wine for cooking in the future.

Well, thank you all for being here.

Till next time, keep on asking questions and keep on sending them in.

Does this look delicious or what?

So let's plate.

I am going to do it both ways for you so you can see -- I'm going to individually plate them and then I'm going to family style plate them.

So...

The cabbage is full of flavor, of cheese, of chop.

So I think that's enough for one person.

And then let me take the chop and just put it like that.

And you don't need to do anything.

You'll want the crustiness on top of that chop, just like that.

Maybe I have here some sage, just like that.

Now, let's do it family style.

But you know, I am family, so I'm looking at a little piece for me.

Where could I get a little piece?

Well, here, this piece, nobody will ever miss it.

And that's my little piece.

A little chop for Lidia.

Okay, now... ♪ ♪ One.

Two.

And three.

Okay!

Here we are.

Family style.

Does this look nice?

Do you want to come over?

I'm inviting you.

Absolutely.

Let me taste this first.

Okay.

This, a bit of cabbage...

It is so delicious.

Italians -- work with our hands.

The hands say a thousand words.

Che bontà.

What deliciousness.

And what kind of wine would I like with this?

Maybe a nice spumante rosé.

And let me invite you: tutti a tavola a mangiare!

I'm serious about it -- in my backyard, and salute!

As nurturers, as mothers, as grandmothers, we always think about, well, what would he like?

What would she like?

Let's cook this.

But, you know, it's important that you think what you like and cook what you like, and, in a way, you're kind of sharing your flavors, your personality, your choices in life with your family and your friends.

You're telling them and, you know, this is what I like, and this is how I like it.

Just, you know, "I made this polenta because I love it, because grandma used to make it for me all the time, and I just made it for you," and they will feel special.

So indulge.

Pay a little attention to you.

[ singing in Italian ] ♪ [ speaking 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, 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 Lidia'sItaly.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.

♪ ♪