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 got 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: Authentic and original -- Amarena Fabbri.

A taste of Italy for brunch with family and friends.

Amarena Fabbri -- the original wild cherries in syrup.

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

ANNOUNCER: Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy.

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ANNOUNCER: Olitalia, "From chef to chef."

ANNOUNCER: And by... LIDIA: Today's dishes might look a little fancy, but they are super easy and will bring that extra flair to your everyday dinner.

A rich egg yolk vinaigrette dresses up this elegant and colorful salad of red and white endive.

Naked ricotta dumplings are simply dressed up with a classic sage butter sauce.

Let's dress up your dinner the easy way.

"Dress Up Dinner."

Dinner or a meal always feels special to me.

Ever since I was a little girl, I was aware of the table.

My grandmother would spread this tablecloth, or she would tell me to spread the tablecloth.

It was the idea that we would be received with some care, some love.

I loved going around picking some flowers.

Then I would also sometimes take rosemary.

We had hedges of rosemary around where the garden was.

We would even play hide and seek.

When I feel a little bit, oh, down, low, I take some rosemary, some herbs, rub them in my hand, put them to my nose, and it kind of revives me.

And I think it doesn't take much to make a table special.

If you have some great vegetables, put in the center.

That can make a nice table.

So, it's a whole message showing that you care, the season, where are we, and showing what the future will bring to that table.

So, you could do many, many things in setting up a table.

Take the time.

"Belgian & Red Endive Salad."

Here we are in my backyard under the wine trestle.

And today the star is radicchio, endives, to be precise.

And here I have the regular blond endive and the red radicchio.

So, you clean it, and I like to kind of cut it sideways.

The center, leave that.

Cut around it.

So if you cut it on a bias and then you cut around the core here, you're all set.

Okay.

♪ ♪ It's great in the winter.

Endive is typically a cold-weather crop, radicchio usually in the cold.

You can make a great salad in the winter.

♪ Okay.

So, let's see.

♪ And this is a salad that is resilient.

You know, a lot of salads, when you dress them with the dressing oil and vinegar, they kind of wilt.

I like always a little bit of taste of onion in my salad.

In this case, chives are perfect.

They jump all over the place, too.

Okay.

♪ Okay.

♪ Mmm.

So now I'm going to make the dressing.

I'm going to add some egg yolks to the dressing for density, for creaminess.

So, the egg yolk.

Boiled eggs.

That's that.

Let's see.

Okay.

So here's the egg yolk.

And of course, you know, I have the egg whites.

I'm going to chop them and use them, put them right into the salad.

♪ ♪ That's that.

And now let's make the dressing.

Just kind of smash these egg yolks.

And the egg yolk are going to give density to your dressing.

So, you know, whenever you want a little density to your dressing, don't go to those bottled dressings or whatever.

Make your own, just like this.

So, let's put olive oil.

♪ The vinegar.

Okay.

Little bit of salt.

Just like that.

Let me grab the whisk, and we'll whisk it up.

♪ And this is as simple as it gets.

You chop it up, and then you dress it.

Mm-hmm.

This looks good.

Do I need all of this?

Well, I think I can use all of this.

♪ And so it is great just like that.

So, number one is my little plate.

Number two, let me plate it for you.

Mm.

♪ ♪ Okay.

Alright, that looks good.

Let me make a little -- You have two great salads here.

But, of course, you can top it off with many different ingredients -- anchovies, Provola, whatever your guests like.

So, let's take the anchovies.

See, you can just put the anchovies on top -- You can cut them in pieces and put them in the salad when you're tossing, if everybody wants anchovies.

And, of course, then we'll take the Provola.

I like to just kind of shave it on top just like that.

You see?

Because the Provola is a cheese that's very pronounced, but it's also soft.

It's not all that hard, so you can just cut it like that on top, or you can also -- ♪ Just like that.

Flake it and just put it as flakes on top.

Here's a big piece for me.

The aroma, the smell, the deliciousness, and it's full of flavor.

Let me taste.

♪ Mmm.

The complexity and the creaminess of Provola with the bitterness and sweetness and the crunchiness of the radicchio.

So, we got two salads here.

Could be a main course.

Could be an appetizer.

You can make it smaller, or you can just make one big salad and put it on your buffet table, and it's ready to go.

♪ ♪ 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 -- Stuffed Tomatoes."

You know, our kids, they keep on growing, and they have life changes.

And -- Oh, here she is.

[ Video call ringing ] Olivia, how you doing?

OLIVIA: Hello.

I'm good.

How are you?

LIDIA: Oh, I'm okay!

Are you happy in this new apartment?

OLIVIA: Yes, I am.

It's great.

A little smaller kitchen.

So I was going to ask you about some things that we could possibly cook in here.

LIDIA: I think for you, one of the good recipes is stuffed tomatoes.

OLIVIA: Yes, I love tomatoes.

LIDIA: Good.

So, this stuffed tomato, let me kind of lead you into it.

Stuff them with some rice, mozzarella, basil, and some Grana.

Get those tomatoes that are not overly ripe, because you need some firmness to them.

Cut the top off and the core.

And, so, you scoop out the tomato, and you save that.

You cook some rice, and you get the rice 3/4 of the way cooked.

You drain the rice, and you let it cool.

You take some mozzarella, and you dice it.

You shred some basil.

Salt and pepper, some grated cheese, and some oil into the rice so you get the rice nice and flavorful.

And again, taste it, because if you put it unsalted or unflavored in the tomato, that's the way it's going to come out.

OLIVIA: Yes, of course.

I always taste it just like you taught me to.

LIDIA: So, you season your tomatoes on the inside with some salt, and then you put the stuffing in each tomato.

Don't overstuff it, because, in baking, the tomato shrinks, and the stuffing grows, and sometimes they explode.

And you put a little bit of olive oil on top of the tomatoes, and you put them in a hot oven, 400 degrees.

You can put next to it maybe a few slices of prosciutto, a nice tossed green salad, and you have a whole main course.

OLIVIA: And also nice 'cause we can make a few of them and keep them, have them for lunch, have them for dinner.

Yeah, that sounds really good.

We will definitely be making that sometime next week.

LIDIA: When you get to know your kitchen well, I'm coming -- I'm coming over.

OLIVIA: Okay.

You know you're welcome anytime.

LIDIA: Oh, yes.

To cook or to eat?

OLIVIA: For both.

LIDIA: Love you, cocoa.

Stay safe.

And you're looking good.

Don't work too hard.

OLIVIA: I won't.

LIDIA: Ciao, ciao.

Love you.

OLIVIA: Love you.

Bye.

LIDIA: "Gnudi."

These are gnudi, a primo course.

Primo is a course of pasta or soup, but it doesn't have any pasta.

Gnudi means naked, so, it is a little gnocchi, just the filling of the gnocchi.

And it's very elegant.

So if you're planning that elegant dinner, this is the good thing to make, and it's easy.

I have some ricotta.

Put it to drain overnight in a sieve, and you are okay.

♪ Do two eggs.

Just like that.

Let's whisk that a little bit.

♪ Okay.

Let's pour that over the ricotta.

Nutmeg.

Italians use nutmeg a lot for fillings.

It has a very pronounced but elegant flavor.

And nutmeg is a spice that's not really indigenous to Italy, but they love it.

You buy it dry, and it keeps well.

And then, of course, lemon.

We love our lemon.

So let's grate the lemon zest.

Let's go all around and get as much of the zest, but stay away from the pith, because the pith is the bitter one.

But when you make stuffings, whether it's meat stuffings or pasta stuffings of some sort, a little bit of lemon rind always really brings the freshness in.

Alright.

We got that.

So I can mix the whole thing together.

And the other flavorings are chopped parsley, bread crumbs.

The bread crumbs will tie it together.

Some flour -- That will bind it and tie it.

Grated cheese... ♪ ...and salt.

Basically for ricotta, ricotta is unsalted.

Okay.

And so, you know, these are gnudis, a very simple pasta dish to make, but it's very elegant, very delicate.

And we'll dress it just with some butter and sage.

And people love this.

So when you're not in the mood of making the fresh pasta, make just the filling, which is gnudi.

Did I mix it up all well?

Yeah, it looks very nicely mixed.

Okay.

Let's put some -- just a little flour so they don't stick.

And just to measure so you have them all uniform, an ice cream scoop is -- And I like an abundant one.

I don't like it -- I don't like the gnocchis too small.

Let me leave this here, because I'm going to need -- You're going to need a little flour for your hands.

Otherwise, they will stick.

And just roll them like meatballs.

♪ Okay.

You can make them ahead of time, a few hours.

Keep them in the refrigerator, and then you boil them when you're ready to serve them.

Okay.

You got that, right?

So far, so good?

Alright.

So, here we are with the gnudis.

I have a pot of water boiling just like you do for pasta.

I'm going to keep on rolling them until I'm finished, and then we're going to boil them, and I'll show you how to dress them.

♪ Benvenuti, benvenuti to my library.

So, let's see what those questions are.

John wrote me an e-mail saying, "I've enjoyed seeing your grandchildren on your show over the years.

It seems that some of them are now old enough to have a kitchen of their own."

Yes.

"What would be your recommendation for essential tools or equipment that they should get first for their new home kitchen?"

So, what would they need?

A soup pot and a pasta-cooking pot with a lid and one of the spiders where they can fish out their pasta, fish out their vegetables, a strainer, and a little pot with a handle to sort of reheat soups and heat water, even for tea and whatever.

Saute pans, I think two sizes, an 8-inch and a 10-inch.

Certainly good set of knife, and then, my favorite, some wooden spoons.

And if they want to make desserts -- and they do make a lot of desserts -- maybe a hand mixer would be okay.

That's what you would need, I guess, to begin a small kitchen.

Good question.

Good question.

The gnudis are done.

The water is boiling.

And let's drop them in.

And, you know, they do splatter a little bit, so be careful.

Get close to the water, but don't get your fingers in the water.

And kind of throw them around the pan.

So, make sure that, when you're cooking things that are floury like that, that you have plenty of water.

You want to give this gnudi a chance to kind of dance in the water and to get hot.

You see, the boiling point didn't stop, and you don't want the boiling point to stop.

Otherwise, you know, they might fall apart.

What's a good idea also is to test one.

You put one -- Yeah, I'm kind of sure of myself, so I didn't do it here.

But for you, you made your gnudis.

Put one in.

Let it boil.

Let it come to the top.

Mix it gently with a wooden spoon like that.

And if it doesn't fall apart, they're already good to go.

So, they are cooking.

I'll put the lid back on so that the boiling point returns quickly.

So, here we are.

Let's move on.

Dorothy.

Oh, Dorothy sends in a shot of her first time making ricotta gnocchi.

She says they are almost as good as her grandmother's.

We want to see this.

I'm curious to see her gnocchi.

Oh, looking good.

Congratulation, Dorothy.

I'm sure your grandmother will be proud.

Let's check the gnudis.

Alright.

They're bubbling away.

They have floated.

You see they -- First, they come to the top.

You know, they bubble, bubble, down, cook, cook.

Then they come to the top.

But then you have to give them another five minutes, five, seven minutes for them to finish cooking.

So let's make the sauce now.

And again, you know, I'm trying to save you on work, on washing the pots.

I'm going to make the sauce right on top of this.

Use the heat of the water to make the sauce.

So, sage.

Sage leaves, here they go.

And butter.

Just like that.

If you use salted butter, just gauge yourself.

If you use unsalted butter, a little bit of salt in here, and fresh ground pepper.

Okay.

And this is a sage and butter sauce, and that's all.

You don't want the butter to separate.

You know, I like the milkiness of the butter at this point, so the sauce is done.

It's that easy.

Let's get the gnudis out into the sauce.

And the pot is hot, so get yourself a kitchen towel.

I'm looking at the gnudis.

They're done, and you fish them out, just like that, and you pour them right in the sauce, nice and gentle, because they don't have the pasta to hold them.

They are without a dress.

Gnudi, naked.

That's what it says.

Okay.

All set.

And we are going to just kind of -- So, you can stir them with the wooden spoon or just flip them around like that just a little bit.

You know, the sage lets out its flavor.

And we'll put some more pepper.

♪ Okay.

And, of course, cheese.

I like the cheese.

So, cheese, and then we can always add cheese at the end.

So, this is a serving spoon, but you have to be careful, because you can cut into the gnudis, so be careful.

But they're done.

We are ready to serve them.

You can bring them to the table like that, family-style, or you can plate them elegantly.

Let's move on.

Let's see who's next here.

A lot of gnocchi sort of question.

I've got a new video.

It is from Laurie.

LAURIE: Hi, Lidia.

My name is Laurie Pasetta from Toronto.

Growing up, I used to make canederli, which are dumplings, with my mom.

I'm wondering if you have a good recipe for those.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare e bere.

Salute.

LIDIA: Ah, brava, Laurie.

Good speaking Italian.

So, canederli, it's one of those unique regional recipes from the Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli area up in the mountains.

And they are like meatballs made out of old bread, pulled together with egg, with cheese, with spices, and cooked into a broth, a good broth.

It's one of those recipes that it's not kind of made often.

But up in that area -- and I come from that area -- we do make it, and they're really fulfilling and really make you feel good, especially in the winter.

Send some more questions, will you, Laurie?

Grazie.

So, here we are.

Our little dressed-up dinner is ready to be served.

Some beautiful roses from my garden, some fresh sage from my garden, some great Rosato wine, and we are ready.

So, they have been dressed.

Let's serve them.

You know, how many do you serve?

Well, let's see.

Let's see how they look.

You know, I always plan something, and then somehow, when I began to work at it, it looks different.

And then I have to change my plans.

I want one to stand up in the middle nice so the presentation looks good.

But it doesn't always work, not even for me.

Don't get discouraged at home.

Alright.

Now it's standing up.

Let me put a little bit of sauce, little bit of sauce.

And, Lidia, where's Lidia's portion?

Right here.

I like my sage leaf and a little bit of sauce.

Let's put some grated cheese on top.

Mmm.

And you can leave the chunk of cheese on the table and let them help themselves.

Here is a little bit of sage bouquet from my garden, okay, that I just wanted to make it -- ♪ Let's do another one here.

So, I am ready to taste these.

Everyone in the family loves these.

They're mellow.

They're delicious.

They're simple, and they're not that hard to make.

You saw that.

So, you see how inside, it is cooked?

And now I'm going to eat it.

Mmm.

Delicious.

You know, I can just taste a tinge of lemon and a tinge of the nutmeg.

And you saw it wasn't much, but it really is pronounced.

Delizioso.

So, what can I say?

I told you everything I know about this dish.

You're going to make it.

And I want to invite you, because I have plenty.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

♪ I always profess tradition.

Really takes me to wonderful places.

But think a little bit of surprises -- a surprise product that your family has not eaten or a way that you have not cooked it before, a surprise spice, a surprise dessert.

Surprises are interesting.

They're interesting in life.

We like that, because it sort of awakens our senses.

And so does it at the table.

Let's say horseradish.

I love horseradish, and if you grate it, there's an intensity to it.

So they might come in, they say [Sniffs] "What's this?

What am I smelling?

What are you cooking, Mom?"

But surprise!

And they'll look forward to it.

So, you know, show them you love them and appreciate them.

A little surprise now and then.

And, of course, a song that will take us to the table by Nonna.

It's not really a surprise.

[ Lidia and Erminia singing in Italian ] ♪ [ Singing continues ] ♪ 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.

ANNOUNCER: And by... ANNOUNCER: Authentic Italian cured meats.

Paolo Rovagnati, the true Italian tradition.

ANNOUNCER: Closed captioning provided by San Benedetto.

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

♪ ♪ ♪