-Buongiorno.

I'm Lidia Bastianich.

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

Just like that.

You got that right.

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

For me, food is about gathering around the table to enjoy loved ones.

Your family is going to love it.

Share a delicious meal and make memories.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

"Lidia's Kitchen", Meals & Memories.

-Funding provided by... -Every can of Cento Tomatoes is born in Italy, where they are grown and ripened in sun drenched fields and then harvested by local farmers who select them just for us.

Cento -- trust your family with our family.

-Grana Padano.

Authentic Italian.

Rich in tradition, yet contemporary.

-It's the Italian way.

Prosecco Doc rosé.

A toast of Italy.

-Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese from Italy.

Handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

-Olitalia, from chef to chef.

-Join me at the table for some traditional winter fare of the mountains of northern Italy.

This is a very complex and satisfying vegetarian sauce that can be served in so many ways.

Here, I dress a bit of soft polenta.

Let's grind.

[ Whirring ] -Oh, smells wonderful.

-My father taught me how to use a moka pot.

So let me teach you how to make the perfect cup of Italian coffee.

Salute.

Mmm.

This rendition of Kaiserschmarrn is one of the favorite baite treats of my grandchildren.

-I love how fluffy it is, too, because of all the egg whites.

-It is a fluffy, light, eggy pancake topped with jam.

So let's head up to the Dolomites together.

Meet me at the table.

Italy, regional with its dialects.

-Perfecto.

Perfecto.

Perfecto.

-With its traditional songs.

[ Singing in Italian ] -Mwah!

-And of course, with its recipes.

Delizioso.

Now, I come from northeastern Italy at the end of the Alps.

The Alps are beautiful.

My grandkids and kids love skiing, and they go up in the Alps, and there, they get the baites.

The baites are kind of little restaurants and bars.

They have polenta, and they have the schmarrn.

The schmarrn is the delicious in between skiing nourishing breakfast, lunch, or whatever.

You can have a lot of fun skiing and eating up there.

Ragu di funghi.

Tiny kitchen, big kitchen.

But we want big flavors.

And this is one of those simple ragu preparations, mushroom ragu, lots of it.

And we'll begin with some onions.

Let's get the onions in there.

Let's put some olive oil.

Let me put some butter in here.

♪♪ Dough scraper.

Just helps you so much.

Collect everything you have on your cutting board.

Here I have some shallots.

Try to get the larger one.

And usually, you know, the good thing is you cut it on one side and the other.

Then you stabilize it like this in half, and then you go across.

The onions take longer to cook than the shallots.

The shallots cook quicker, and they're good because they disintegrate in the sauce and give you that really good oniony flavor into the sauce.

Add a little bit of salt, and I'm going to cut the mushrooms.

For this ragu, any mushroom.

One kind of mushrooms will be fine.

But if you can mix it up a little bit, the better the ragu will be.

You have some oyster mushrooms here which are beautiful.

And the oyster mushrooms usually are attached to a stem, and usually the stems are a little bit tough.

So make sure that you cut that off.

This is a delicious mushroom.

A King Trumpet mushroom.

Very good.

A little expensive, but very good.

Absolutely.

So how would I cut this?

Like this.

Like this.

Okay.

Mushroom really cuts down.

It's a lot of water because that's what mushrooms are.

And they cook and retract.

But that's where the flavor is, when you cook them and the water comes out, the flavor really comes out.

I'm going to put a little bit of salt to season it, and I'm going to put a little bit of stock here.

I have chicken stock or whatever stock you have.

If you don't have stock, water is fine.

And I'm going to let it slowly release the water, and I'm going to put a cover here so they cook out.

And what am I going to add to the mushrooms?

First of all, this sachet.

I have bay leaves, sage.

I have rosemary, and I have thyme.

So a nice selection of different fresh herbs.

And just, you roll it, roll it, roll it.

And you can just tie it in itself and throw it in.

And as this kind of steeps and cooks and simmers, it will release its flavors through there.

So let's put that in.

Let me give it a mix.

To add more mushroom flavor, dry porcini.

I couldn't think of a kitchen without dry -- Italian kitchen, that is -- without dry porcini.

So you get the dry porcini, and you soak them in hot water or hot stock.

You pull them out, kind of drain them a little bit, just like that.

And this will add a real punch of flavor to whatever you're cooking.

So let's add the mushrooms right in here.

And I'm going to save this because I'm going to use that, as well.

So I'm going to make a little hot spot.

You know, I like my hot spot, especially for my tomato paste.

Put the tomato paste right there and let it kind of just get a little toasty here because when you toast spices or something like a tomato paste, it really adds another dimension.

It brings another dimension of flavor.

And then you mix it all together.

To this I will add the liquid of the mushrooms that I soaked.

And be careful because mushrooms, even the dry mushrooms, have a little bit of dirt or whatever, and you can always find it on the bottom.

So always leave a drop like that and toss that away and I will add some Marsala wine.

Marsala wine comes from Sicily.

It's a fortified aged wine.

And it goes very well with the mushrooms.

So let's add Marsala.

I think half of this will suffice.

So basically this is the sauce.

We'll let it cook for about 20 minutes like this, and then we'll make a little polenta to go with it.

Buongiorno.

Welcome to my library.

This is where I read your e-mails, watch your videos, and answer you.

So here's an e-mail.

It's got a picture from Lori.

And she writes that I inspired her in making the stuffed mushrooms in the pictures she sent.

Let me take a look.

Oh, those mushrooms look good, Lori.

Very nice.

Thanks for writing in, Lori.

The sauce is just about ready.

I think it's time to cook the polenta.

And we're going to cook instant polenta.

So polenta, that'll take about eight minutes.

And I'm going to put some oil in the water.

A little bit of salt.

And I'm going to go get some bay leaves.

My little bay leaf tree, my beautiful bay leaf tree.

Three leaves is fine.

Oh, another one came off.

So I'll put four leaves, put them right in.

That gives a lot of flavor to the polenta.

Dry bay leaves are okay.

You just have to be careful because dry bay leaves, they crack into little pieces and they're dangerous.

So make sure that however many you put in of dry leaves, you pull them out.

And we're going to slowly put the polenta in.

And this is instant polenta, a pioggia, like the rain, it says in Italian.

And you mix, mix, mix, mix because you don't want it to form the granuli, as we say, the little lumps.

This way, as it's coming in, as it's flowing, you are breaking it apart.

Here we go.

And you mix, mix, mix.

The polenta, you know, it's like a porridge.

So it gets denser and denser.

And as you can see, it begins to plop just like a volcano, like lava.

Zoom, zoom, zoom, zoom from the heat, from the bottom.

For the mushrooms, I think I like a nice dense polenta, a nice mound.

You know, I come from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, all the way up north, and we are called Polentoni.

Polentoni, that means that we eat a lot of polenta, and we do.

Like the Tuscans are called mangiafagioli.

They eat a lot of beans.

Okay, so I'm going to continue to whisk it on and off, and we're going to be ready to eat.

Here is another e-mail.

Mary writes, "What's the best way to clean mushrooms?"

Well, it seems simple, but it's a good question, Mary.

Mushrooms usually are pretty clean.

The important thing is you cut off the stem wherever the dirt is, and then you take a paper towel and you lightly wet it.

You sort of clean the stem, and you clean the cap.

Do not soak them in water.

Don't give them an opportunity to take in to absorb the water, because then they become very watery.

Thanks, Mary.

I'm checking.

Everything is done.

The polenta is ready.

The mushroom ragu.

Let me pull out the sachet.

So I'm going to flavor the polenta a little bit.

Let's do the butter.

And sometimes if you dress the polenta just like this, butter and some cheese, it could be the main course itself because it is so delicious.

You can just put it on top, maybe a nice piece of gorgonzola or something, and it could be a meal in itself.

And you know what?

Polenta also keeps well.

If you don't use it all, you put it in the refrigerator, and it's good for the next day or the day after.

Just like that.

And I have the sauce, which looks delicious.

And I'm going to plate it for you.

I am going to mount it in the center just like that.

The aroma of polenta just takes me right back to my childhood.

Well, the smell of polenta does it every time for me.

Grandma used to cook it often.

It was inexpensive.

Whatever she had, even a little bacon, rendered bacon, on top of polenta with some cheese, was delicious.

Now let's put the mushroom on.

I always use my little plate.

And here is the mushroom sauce.

You see?

Diverse mushrooms.

Delicious.

And again, so you don't dribble all over the place.

And you don't have to smother the polenta with the sauce.

You put whatever is left or whatever you have extra on the side, on the table.

And as they're digging into the polenta, they can add some more sauce.

And of course, Lidia, mm, mm.

And a little mushrooms.

And these are the plates for you.

Put a chunk of cheese at the table and let them grate some additional cheese.

There's some in there.

Now I have to taste this.

Fantastic.

Just like silk.

And with this, a nice red wine with character.

Just like polenta.

Just like us Polentoni.

We have character.

You have to make it because it is so delicious.

-La caffettiera moka.

-La caffettiera moka.

-What's an Italian meal without a good cup of coffee?

-Of course.

-The traditional moka is the pot that's used by most of the family.

So let's understand how a moka works.

The water fits right in here, and you fill it.

And don't over fill it.

Just enough.

Let's see.

And then we need the coffee.

Grinding it as you need it is the best, because otherwise there's a lot of aroma lost in coffee.

So, Lorenzo, do you smell the coffee?

Doesn't it reach all the way down there?

-Oh, it smells wonderful.

-So let's grind.

[ Whirring ] And, Lorenzo, when you grind it, you want it fine, but you don't want it powdery because it blocks everything.

And of course, we're going to put the sieve right here, and we're going to fill it with the coffee grinds.

On the bottom, the water boils, and it slowly travels up through that little spout, through the coffee grinds, into the top of the moka.

And you put it right on the fire like that.

So we have the coffee going.

And, you know, I thought I will make you reminisce of a place that you really love.

Do you have any idea where this will take you?

-Yes, I do.

This is kaiserschmarrn.

You know, I used to go with my Italian cousins and my dad often to the Dolomites for skiing.

We'd all, like, pack together and go.

And this is one of the most common dishes up there.

-So Kaiserschmarrn, it's almost the national, on the ski slope food.

-You ski based on where you're going to meet for lunch.

-Never mind the slopes and everything else, but it's a beautiful place to ski up there.

Absolutely.

And I know they bring it like that in a cast iron pan, nice and hot, and it has a little bit of rum flavor.

And then, of course, they put jam on top of it, just like that.

-It's delicious.

-This is a strawberry jam with whole strawberries.

And then I think they put a little bit of powdered sugar on top.

-Should I go for it?

-Absolutely.

-There we go.

-As much as you like.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You serve it up, and I'll get the coffee going.

Okay?

Deal?

Okay.

Mm, mm.

How many pieces of this kaiserschmarrn could you eat while on the trail?

-Too many.

I love how fluffy it is, too.

It always comes out fluffy because of all the egg whites.

-I'll put mine right here.

You know, I think I'll put a little bit more.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-That's good.

So you can hear the coffee coming up.

Going up through the grinds into the top, and coffee is ready.

It's coming.

The train is coming.

-[ Chuckles ] -And you have to stand by because you don't want it to overflow.

So here we are.

It came all the way to the top.

Like that.

And like that.

So there's about four cups of coffee in one of these moka.

Do you like your grappa?

[ Speaking Italian ] -[ Laughs ] -Alright.

Just a little bit.

It gives it that little zest.

Okay, so now let me taste this.

Yeah?

Salute.

Mm.

And just like that, I'm transported back to the Dolomites.

You too?

-100%.

-Kaiserschmarrn.

Lidia, what are you speaking German now?

It translates like "the emperor's mess."

It's between breakfast and lunch, and it is served in a cast iron pot right outside the snow around the sun.

It is beautiful.

So the egg whites.

I'm going to get this going.

You want it going until it makes soft peaks.

So that's done.

Let's go to the main mixture.

Some orange rinds to the egg yolks.

Okay.

We have some vanilla.

Let's add it right into the milk.

Let's put some salt right in there.

Let's put some of the melted butter.

And the flour.

I have some rum and some raisins that goes sort of on the top.

Let me put the raisin to soak with the rum.

And now let's go back to this.

And, you know, when you're out skiing, usually my kids say, "Okay, I'm going that way, I'm going that way.

I'll meet you at that baite at 12:00 for a kaiserschmarrn.

And I sometimes go up there and meet them, not necessarily ski into it, although, yeah, I like a little skiing.

And we're going to fold this in here.

And you don't want to mix too much once you put the whipped egg whites in there because you're going to deflate them.

Okay.

This is great to make because it makes a great breakfast, also, and it feeds quite a few people, as you can see.

The presentation, you know, you think it's going to be beautiful when it comes out of the oven, but then the finishing of it is a little messy.

That's why it is the kaiserschmarrn, "the mess of the emperor."

So here we are.

Lightly butter this cast iron pan.

And we pour the mixture right in.

You just let it begin to build the crust underneath.

And the raisins have absorbed some of the rum and softened up a little bit.

Let's just strain them right out.

And just scattered, shall we say, the drunken raisins, right on top.

There we go.

I have the oven preheated, 425.

I'm still waiting one minute, but you can see that it's beginning to build the crust around it.

In about 20 minutes, it will puff up and will be ready to be served.

While things are cooking in my kitchen, I'm going to check with you.

Let's see.

Katie.

My daughter was so excited to see Lidia make strawberry syrup with her granddaughter.

She ran to the fridge and made her own.

It was delicious, and we are so proud of her.

Thanks for the inspiration.

Let me see.

Oh, how beautiful she looks.

And her strawberry sauce is right there.

Keep on cooking, sweetheart.

You have a future.

That's great.

Beautiful Kaiserschmarrn.

Now I'm going to make the schmarrn, the mess out of it.

And you go right in and cut, and you're going to say, "My goodness, why is such a --" But that's the way they do it.

These kind of pieces of mess ultimately.

But it's a delicious mess.

Okay.

Okay.

But you want to expose all of this because we're going to put some sugar.

We're going to put some butter on top of it.

Okay.

Now... drizzle a little bit of butter all over.

I mean, you know, how bad can this be?

Okay.

Sugar.

Just like that.

And I'm going to put it.

You want it to to caramelize, just like.

Okay, let's loosen up some jams just like that.

Let me...

Some of the rum.

Okay.

Now I have apricot jam.

You can have strawberry jam.

You can put even some fresh fruit in there.

Let me get my little plate.

Here we are.

And this, all this jam gets kind of poured all over like that.

What a delicious mess it is.

This is the kaiserschmarrn.

I'm going to kind of bring it to the table, but I want a little piece here.

Mm.

And this is how they bring it cold from skiing outside of the baite.

This is what you get in front of you.

Is that beautiful?

And the kids, of course, have the hot chocolate.

Maybe we'll put a little bit of whipped cream, just a dab of whipped cream on the hot chocolate.

And dense it is, just like that.

Let me taste this.

♪♪ Mm.

Apricot rum, raisins.

And then, of course, the sort of cake, very moist itself.

You don't know it's the custard, you don't know if it's a cake.

It's in between.

But you see how beautiful it is.

And I'm going to invite you.

I'm going invite you to the Dolomites this time.

How's that?

Let's meet up at the baite on the Dolomites.

And I'm going to continue to eat this.

Of course, I don't want it to get cold, but I invite you.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

[ Speaking Italian ] ♪♪ So while families and friends are skiing down the slopes, it's not unusual to say, "Let's meet at baite the number three because it has the best schmarrn."

We all glide down and up at the table outside.

For the Italian, skiing is beautiful.

We love it, but we love our food.

And whether it's skiing or at home, the table always beckons us and puts us together.

[ Singing in Italian ] [ Singing in Italian ] -Grandma... [ Speaking Italian ] -[ Speaking Italian ] -Another 100?

-Why not?

-The food from the series is a celebration of the Italian dishes Lidia cooks for the ones she loves the most, from the traditional recipes of her childhood to the new creations she feeds her family today.

All of these easy to prepare recipes can be found in Lidia's latest cookbook, from our family table to yours.

Available for $35.

To purchase this cookbook and any of our 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 LidiasItaly.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... ♪♪