Craving Fresh

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: Welcome to my home kitchen!

It is times like these that makes us slow down and think, and appreciate and respect our family, our friends, and the food that we eat.

I was blessed to grow up in a setting where I helped Grandma to grow the food that we ate.

Today, that food I shop for.

It's important to remember and appreciate these ingredients, and today, we'll showcase them in my kitchen in all their glory.

♪ ♪ >> Funding for this program was provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

>> LIDIA: Eggs.

Everybody loves them.

You know, I have special fond memories of eggs, because I was in charge of going and collecting the eggs every day in my grandmother's sort of little courtyard.

We had chickens, we had ducks-- we even had geese.

Those geese were nasty.

I had my little basket, and I would go into the chicken coop.

And they each had a box, an old box, and in the box, there was hay.

I would change, periodically, the hay.

And then they had kind of a, a stepladder, if you will, for the chicken to go up.

And I would go in the morning, stick my hand in the boxes, and see how many eggs.

Some of them had one, some two, some three, and some of them, the chicken was still in there laying the egg while I came.

And they didn't like to be disturbed, but I went underneath anyway, underneath her, and I remember the chicken was really warm.

I went in, and she would peck me sometimes.

"Hey, get out of here."

And I would take them and collect them and bring them to Grandma.

Eggs were a basic in Grandma's cupboard.

And if they were missing egg, it was some... like they were missing a basic nutrient.

So eggs were very essential and basic in everybody's home.

And I think still to this day, you know, one of the checkout, on the checkout list is, do you have milk, do you have eggs, and bread, and so on.

♪ ♪ Frico di patate con uova-- a frico.

Very regional, very dear to my heart.

This an Asiago frico with eggs and potatoes.

Let's start with sautéeing the potatoes and the onions, which is the filling.

So a frico's almost like a pancake: a crust of cheese underneath, a crust of cheese on top, and in between, home fries with eggs nestled in there, and everything gets cooked at once.

That sounds pretty good, eh?

So let's start with what would be almost like the home fries.

Let's get the onions going.

And here I have potatoes, and the potatoes are halfway cooked because they'll finish cooking here.

You're with me, right?

I know, the frico is a... A dish maybe you never heard of, but they make it in Friuli a lot.

They do it with potatoes in the oven.

They do it many different ways.

This is my way, and I like it for brunch.

I'm gonna make multiple egg frico so that, you can slice it, almost like a pizza.

Some salt... To give it a little spice, I like to add peperoncino.

So this is a little Tuscan peperoncino.

You usually find it in jars, pickled.

Clean out the seeds, and then this gets chopped.

(pan sizzling) You let that cook away, and so, the cheese.

So this is Asiago cheese, and Asiago cheese is from Friuli.

It's 100 percent cow's milk, and it's kind of a... A cheese that could be a year old and more, but to do this, I like cheese that's about six months, six to eight months-- so fairly young.

And you take a box grater and you just grate it into these shreds.

Here I have just some cornmeal.

The cornmeal will just loosen up the cheese and will give it a little crunch so that it doesn't stick all together.

Okay, the potatoes have to cook, but you want a nice caramelized feel to the potatoes, because that's what we all like in home fries, don't we?

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Potatoes, you know, are one of those common foods, really not maybe appreciated as much, but we all love them.

Certainly, we all love french fries, but potatoes have a much bigger role than just french fries.

You know, you can use them-- I use them for soups.

You know, you cook the potatoes and then they densen, they give the creaminess to, to the soup.

It's a, it's an element you can use in salads.

Fish salads, octopus salads.

I love my octopus salad with some potatoes and onions.

Mix it in.

So, potato is kind of that neutral element, food, that carries the flavor of whatever you pair it with.

So with roast, with soups, with frittatas in the morning, adding potatoes, you know, you have a nice frittata, you add some potatoes that you have cooked-- home fries-- you put it in, you stretch that frittata.

In Grandma's cantina, there was always a mound of potatoes.

And, uh, you know, she would grow her own.

Grandma would go with a hoe around it, around the plant, pull out the plant, and here the potatoes were, some hanging, some fell off the roots, and she would...

The plant would be thrown away on the side because she would incorporate the plant back into the earth, so to return the nourishment of the plant to the earth.

I recall collecting those potatoes out of the dirt and holding them into my hand, and they were, they were still warm-- warm from the sun, from the earth.

And, you know, it really made me almost realize that they were almost alive-- and they are, they are...

Nature is giving us these wonderful foods to nourish us.

And it's important for children, for adults, to understand the connection to the earth and how a little bit will...

The earth gives us a lot back for a little bit of effort.

And we need to learn to respect it and to keep it, so that it continues to feed us.

All right, so these potatoes really look nice and caramelized.

I'm gonna just slide them right out here.

So now you have to be careful, you know, the pan is still hot.

I'm gonna put it on low, and I'm gonna take the cheese and slowly spread half of the cheese on the bottom, which will make the bottom crust.

You want it hot, but you don't want it too high, because when cheese burns, it gets bitter, so you don't want to go there.

So this will make the nice crust.

I'm gonna slide the potatoes right back in just like that.

And you want to make a little bed, because I'm going to put the eggs right in here.

Let's... crack the egg and nestle them right in here.

Two...

Okay.

Just a little bit of salt on the eggs.

And we top with the cheese again.

Okay.

I'm gonna let this, at low temperature, as I said, because I don't want the cheese to burn on the bottom, and then what we'll do, we'll just slide it on a plate and invert it back in the same pan.

And you're gonna says, "Oh, my God, are we gonna do that?"

Yes, I'm gonna show you how to do that.

And you are going to do it, as well.

The frico seems to... you see?

It's kind of gliding in there.

So just, let's go all around and make sure that it detaches itself-- yes, so now, we're gonna slide it in here.

Let's go.

(sizzling) Ah-hah!

Now we have the bottom all nice and crisp.

This is hot.

So be careful when you flip it over like that.

Ah-hah!

There it is.

And now we want the crust on the other side.

And that's what I meant, you know, not too much heat.

Nice and easy, get the cheese to form in it.

It's nice and crusty.

So now it's going to form another one on that side.

♪ ♪ Okay, it's releasing itself, as you can see.

And that means that it's saying, "Okay, let go, get me out of here."

So we're gonna slide it right out of here.

Ah-hah, voilà!

Masterpiece.

Here we are.

Let me get into it.

Mm-mmm.

♪ ♪ So there it is.

The frico, the potato, the egg, the crunchy cheese.

I don't know if it gets any better than this.

♪ ♪ Vegetables are very important to the Italian table.

As a matter of fact, more important than, than meat.

I would say that a balanced Italian meal has one-third of meat protein, and the other two-thirds is vegetables, legumes, and some starch.

And, you know, now that's the Mediterranean diet, and it makes really sense, but that's the way we really ate.

And also because, you know, the proteins were more expensive.

A pig was harder to raise, a whole year.

Chicken needed feed.

So, so, you know, vegetables really played the role.

♪ ♪ I loved spring in Grandma's garden, because that's when things started to move.

And what are some of the first vegetables that came out?

Peas were some of the first that I can remember.

And they were sweet, and we would shell them, and of course, she would have us go and forage and collect.

I mean, she would do a lot of it, but we had fun doing it.

So, um, springtime was a, was a joyous time, but also because, then, the flowering-- I loved the flowering.

The almond was the first flowering tree, and so the season had a rhythm, you know.

We knew exactly what was coming next, and we would check it, and we would really enjoy and follow the season the way we ate.

♪ ♪ Insalata di cavatappi, mo zzarella, pomodori, e fagiolini.

So here I have pasta, it's cooked about halfway, and I will add the string beans right into the water, let it cook together.

And while that is cooking, I will make a little pesto, a little sauce for, to dress this pasta.

The pesto will be basically tomatoes, I'll cut them in pieces, some basil, parsley, garlic, and almonds.

So let's just cut it in, in pieces, and we will kind of whirl it all in, and it's gonna become a sauce, so you don't need to be careful in how you cut them or precise pieces-- that's it.

Two cloves of garlic, basil leaves, parsley.

Yeah.

Some toasted almonds, and we'll put some oil.

A little bit of salt.

Peperoncino to give it a little zest.

(food processor whirring) Okay.

(processor stops) Let's just check on that... yeah.

That's... (sniffs) Mm, what a wonderful smell of garlic.

So we are ready with this.

I am looking at the pasta and the string beans.

Maybe a few more minutes.

A few more minutes and it'll be done.

So then, of course, you add some ripe nice cherry tomatoes, the plum tomatoes, all of that, and mozzarella.

This is an adorable little kind of gocce, it's like a teardrop of mozzarella, and it's beautiful.

It fits great in, in the salad, or a little bigger one, and you can cut it, so if you like bigger pieces or you can cut it in quarter-- maybe in quarters.

And if you don't find these small ones, bigger ones will do, as well.

Just cut them in small pieces, just like that.

Everybody loves mozzarella.

And then when it's kind of dressed with oil and vinegar, and the pasta-- mm.

It makes a complete meal.

Okay, so here we are.

Let's check on the string beans and pasta, and I think it's perfect.

You can just drain it, but I like to just fish it out like that.

And you put it right in the bowl.

You do want the pasta to cool off a little bit, so just air it like this a little bit.

You don't want to add the dressing and the mozzarella, because the mozzarella would melt in here.

You can drain the pasta, but do not rinse it.

If you drain the pasta and you're really in a hurry to chill it, you can put some ice cubes between the pasta and toss them, toss them until everything is cold, in a strainer, then you drain, and then you proceed with your salads.

♪ ♪ Pesto.

Everybody thinks of pesto-- bay leaves and pignoli nuts and some garlic-- but pesto in the Italian cuisine goes way beyond that.

Pesto is pestare, to, to sort of chop and put together.

Pestata, I use it all the time for the soups.

It's actually some, some lard, some carrots, some garlic and onion, and pestata, very fine, and that's the base of a soup.

So, you can make a pestata with just about any vegetable, especially any green vegetables.

So if you do not have basil, let's say that you have kale-- you can make a pesto out of kale.

You have the food processor.

I mean, you have all the equipment.

Put in some, some nuts, some garlic.

Nuts, pine nuts, yeah, but you have almonds.

In Sicily, they do all the time pesto trapanese, where they use almonds, garlic, little plum tomatoes, ripe plum tomatoes, some peperoncino, and the oil, and you get yourself this wonderful kind of pinkish-red pesto.

So, you know, what I'm saying is that... Be creative.

Feel free, feel comfortable in the kitchen.

And, you know, what you have in your refrigerator or cupboard usually will work into something.

Yes, cool the pasta to some extent, and do not rinse the pasta.

So the pasta is room temperature.

Great, and now we're going to dress it.

All of this delicious dressing we made.

Let's get that in.

Okay, let's toss first with this.

Okay.

Let's put the tomatoes.

And the mozzarella, mm-mmm.

Mmm.

Okay, so you want everything to be dressed.

I'm thinking, I salted the pasta.

I salted the dressing.

I didn't salt the tomatoes, so it needs a little bit of salt, I would say.

And, you know, some people like their pasta salad just like this, with oil.

Other people like a little acidity, adding a little bit of vinegar.

And you can decide that at the end.

And I would add this just before you serve it or before you pack it.

But not too much, just a little bit.

And I like wine vinegar.

Mm.

Now you can just bring it like that out to the buffet table, and you're ready to go.

Excellent.

♪ ♪ Here we are in my home kitchen.

Lorenzo, my grandson, is with me, he's filming me, and we're gonna answer the questions that you have sent in.

>> So Calb125 asks, "Everyone talks about stocking the pantry, but could you help with freezer 101 tips?"

>> LIDIA: Ah, very good question.

I have a freezer full of stuff.

I love those plastic one-pint and one-quart jars.

Get some of those.

And what is good to freeze?

Soups are great to freeze.

Anything that is braised.

Braised meat, stew, sauces, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, meatball in sauce, that's all good to freeze.

Make sure that you get the right amount you get.

If you're for two, the pint is good.

If you're for more than two, then the quart one.

Let it cool, put it in the, in the plastic container, seal it, and mark it with a, with a marker on top, the date and what is in it.

So mark it's minestra e fagioli, pa sta e fagioli, if you have that soup in there, and the date that you put it in the freezer.

>> Okay, Unsofistakated asks, "I want to grow herbs on a pot on the porch-- teach me."

>> LIDIA: I would buy some seedlings, some little plants, because seeds you can plant, but they take much longer to grow, and much more sun.

So if you buy those little plants, you'd see that they will grow.

You put one, you can put, uh, basil, the herbs.

Rosemary will grow, sage will grow very well.

You have a larger pot like that, again, then you can put your salad seeds-- those you can put seeds, put it in the sun, and they will grow.

Do not overwater it.

Twice a week is fine to water it, and let it slowly grow.

>> BrunaFerraro2 asks, "Which potatoes are best for making gnocchi?"

>> LIDIA: Ah, gnocchi, one of our favorites.

You need a very starchy potato.

So Idaho potato or a russet potato is fine to make gnocchi-- actually, they are the best.

Make sure that you boil them in their skin.

You peel them, and you rice them while they're hot.

And then you spray... spread the riced potatoes.

Let them completely cool before you begin to knead your gnocchis.

>> Mell.Henderson.10 asks, "Can you give some tips "on which potato is best to use in a recipe, depending on the cooking method?"

>> LIDIA: Roasted potatoes, I like the little fledgling potatoes-- little smaller potatoes, the young potatoes.

I like, uh, and I like to leave their skin on, wash it well and cut it in half, and roast it with whatever other vegetables you are roasting.

So it's, you know, the russet, the red russet potatoes, I love that for salads.

I boil them and then peel them and then toss them in salads.

So there's a lot to choose from in potatoes.

Now purple potatoes are in vogue, and they're very healthy for you.

And they make great roasted potatoes, they make great boiling potatoes, and then just sauté them in some butter or toss them in a salad.

♪ ♪ >> LIDIA: At the table, in our kitchen, chatting away, discussing of times that was.

What was gardening like with, with your mother, with your... Did you help Grandma Rosa in the garden?

Did you, what did you do?

>> I have to help her to carry everything and to do anything she was doing.

I was following her.

She was digging the potatoes from underground.

I supposed to put in the wheelbarrow and carry after her.

And, uh... Me dice... She usually called me "musetto," means little, uh... >> LIDIA: Little donkey.

So, you know what?

>> Little donkey.

>> LIDIA: You want me to tell you a secret?

After you became a teacher and went to teach a school, I was the musetto, I would help her all these things.

>> Oh, you replaced me, replaced me.

>> LIDIA: I replaced you, but I am so happy that... >> That why she was asking me, "Who will be my musetto when you leave me?

", and, happy to be my daughter.

>> LIDIA: That was for me, you know, my beginning.

My love for food really started in growing food with Grandma.

>> You used to like very much to follow my mother and go with her in the field and help her to carry to... And you was nibble on everything.

>> LIDIA: I was tasting everything.

>> And now we have a good, nice, nine... >> LIDIA: Great-grandchildren, you have great-grandchildren.

>> Yeah.

>> LIDIA: All right.

You did okay for yourself, Grandma.

>> They the best-looking, for my opinion, in the place where we live.

>> LIDIA: Of course, our grandchildren, great-grandchildren, are the best, the best-looking.

That's what grandmas are for.

Grandma... Talking about growing vegetables and fruits and all of that, for me, it makes me feel good, it makes me feel positive.

Are those things that the wisdom of 99 years of your life... What can you tell us?

>>I was very happy because... What you sell today, you will use tomorrow again.

>> LIDIA: So, what you sow today, you will reap tomorrow.

That's the old saying.

>> That's it, that's it, yeah.

>> LIDIA: And in Italian that would be, per che semini... >> Raccogli.

Se semini bene, ra ccogli bene.

Se semini male, raccogli male.

>> LIDIA: So, if you sow good, you will reap good.

If you sow not-so-good, your reaping will not be so good.

>> And if you do the good for somebody, the help and anything you want, the God will help you.

He don't pay you every Saturday, but if he-- if the door is closed, he will give it to you, the God will give it to you through the window.

Be honest, be sincere, be good with anybody, and you will get that, get it back.

>> LIDIA: Okay, you heard it.

99 year of life experience.

So, Grandma, I'm gonna, as I always do, I'm gonna invite them, on those words, I'm gonna invite them to come to, to our house, no?

We always invite somebody to come to our house.

>> We like a company and we was very friendly.

>> LIDIA: And we have always something in the pot for somebody.

So, as we say... (together): Tu tti a tavola a mangiare!

(both speaking Italian) (singing in Italian) (singing in Italian) >> Funding for this program was provided by For recipes and videos, go to pbs.org/eatwithlidia.

♪ ♪