Inside PBS Blog

Lidia Bastianich is a true renaissance woman.  Well known for her culinary expertise, Lidia hosts PBS favorite Lidia's Italy, runs six popular Italian eateries in various U.S. cities and authors a compendium of cookbooks on Italian cuisine.  

But that's not all.  Lidia also writes Inside Lidia's Italy, a blog sharing variations on favorite recipes and quick tips for even the most amateur chefs.  We asked Lidia to be a guest on our blog, and she gladly accepted.  The questions poured in - each more adoring than the last. 

Lidia, savvy blogger that she is, answered six questions in the comments section of our initial post before I had time to write up her responses to post here.  In case you missed them, here, again, are Lidia's answers to your 5 6 Good Questions:

Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions Lidia. Love your cookbooks, shows, and restaurants. I make your Spagetti al Pesto Trapanese alla Anna practically on a weekly basis. Very quick AND delicious.
Please tell me you have plans to open a restaurant soon in the DC Metro region! Those of us that love Italian-American food could really use your presence down here. Jason Storch

Hi Jason,

Thank you for watching my show and enjoying my recipes. Annas Pesto Trapanese is one of the favorite recipes in Lidia's Italy, a delicious uncooked almond, basil, garlic and cherry tomato pesto to dress pasta. It can be made while your guests enjoy their apperitivo. Jason, a Lidia's restaurant is not in the immediate plans for Washington DC, but you never know Washington is a beautiful city.
Tutti a Tavola a Mangiare!!!

What is the most important thing about Italian cooking that novices need to know? The Food Scribe

Some of the most important things when cooking Italian food as a novice are:
cook seasonally;keep it simple; use fresh herbs; and cook enough for seconds. Buon appettito.

Not having a large family (which I think I would enjoy), I invite friends over to share our table often. I love to cook for everyone and share the meal. I often joke that my life's ambition is to become an Italian grandmother with all my family around me at the table. It seems like such an important tradition that Americans have lost touch with.
What is your best advice for helping people find their way back to the family table?
I am also doing a series of interviews with chefs about why they might make a good hite house chef. It's all in fun, but the questions are:
1) What would be on your "menu for change?"
2) What unique qualifications would you bring to the table?
3) What would you discuss over dinner with the new president elect?
If you would want to participate in this, I am posting the series at eatdrinkbetter.com.
My best to you. I love Lidia's here in KC (editor's note: "KC" is Kansas City). Thank you for choosing our town. Beth Bader

Hi Beth,
The best formula to bring people to the table is to cook simple but tasty food with love. Make the table and the home welcoming, make everyone feel part of the table by involving them somehow in the event. The message has to be genuine and sincere, a table with family, friends and good food is rewarding, nurturing, healing and fun.
Beth, Lidia's Kansas City restaurant has just celebrated its tenth anniversary, I hope to see you there during one of my visits. Kansas City is becoming quite the food town.  Ciao

I'm a big fan and love watching your show on PBS; thanks for staying on public television!
My question for you is: What 5 things are always in your refrigerator or freezer?
Thanks for taking my question.
Kate
PS--Please open a restaurant in Boston. Kate Hartke

Hi Kate,
Besides all the usual things like eggs, milk etc... in my refrigerator you are likely to find...anchovies...capers....cured olives...tomato paste...grana Padano cheese. With a few pounds of pasta I could make a feast with these ingredients. Of course, I would also need some olive oil, garlic and peperoncino.
Buon appettito.

You are so wonderful! I just love your show.
My question is- what is the proper way to prepare an authentic Feast of the Seven Fishes for Christmas Eve dinner? I am entertaining my husband's Italian family for Christmas Eve and want to surprise them with their tradition. I would love my daughters to learn this tradition as well. Is there a good book that will help me? Any help is greatly appreciated!!
Happy Holidays!
Kelly G.

There is no one way to prepare the Seven Fishes for La Vigilia, every region for that matter every town in Italy,has it's own custom, but there are similarities in all of them.
1-Baccala', salted or dry cod fish is a must, in the Veneto region they make it Manteccato-whipped, while in Sicily they cook it in tomato sauce and capers, while in Naples they fry it.
2-Cold seafood salad made with calamari, shrimps, octopus, mussels, scungilli or any combination of these fishes is also common. It is convenient since one can prepare it in advance, and each fish in the salad counts for one fish.
3-Hot shrimp preparation in tomato sauce to dress pasta or grilled.
4-Clam sauce to dress linguini
5-Lobster in a spicy tomato sauce for pasta or with bread.
6-Mussels in a white wine sauce
7-Bone fish, like striped bass, red snapper, black bass cooked in a brodetto to serve with pasta, rice or polenta depends on which part of Italy one comes from.
All of the above or any combination, can be served on La Vigilia.
Kelly, this is not an impossible task, look for recipes for the above suggestions and begin cooking.
Buona Fortuna.

If you had one evening to have one meal in Italy, where would you eat it and what would you have? Matt

If I could be transported now to Italy for a meal , I would go to Napoli at L'Europeo and have a nice bowl of Vermicelli with Clam sauce a glass of chilled Fiano di Avellino, and then a Baba' al Limoncello with an espresso.
Buon appettito!!!

Check out all of the questions for Lidia here.

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