-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.

-Authentically Italian Prosecco DOC -- the Italian sparkling art of living.

-For over 140 years, Auricchio traditional handcrafted provolone, made in Italy.

-Olitalia -- from chef to chef.

-Ever since I can remember, ricotta has many uses in the kitchen, from appetizer to main course to desserts.

And today I am planning a meal just like that, of ricotta in all its versatile glory.

Bruschetta can't be easier.

You just need to get the combination right.

With three ingredients or less, you can have a delicious appetizer in no time.

Cheers.

Salute.

-Cheers.

Salute.

-Manicotti are a much-loved baked pasta.

But in this case, I use crespelle instead of fresh pasta to envelop the spinach-ricotta stuffing.

Che bellezza!

My family has always loved these simple, cakey one-ball treats, and adding in the chocolate chips makes them even better.

Even the birds are excited about this one.

Ricotta!

It's what's on the menu.

In Italy, seasonal is the way to cook, and within seasons, certain products really overflow.

For example, usually in spring, the goats, they have their newborn babies.

And of course, with that, extra milk is produced.

You make a lot of ricotta and you make cheese.

So in the springtime, lots of ricotta is being made, and you can make a whole meal out of one product.

Whether you do a frittata, whether you stuff pasta manicotti, whether you make cookies, whether you make a cheesecake out of it, it's endless.

One product, when in season and it's at its best, the Italians make the most of it.

Bruschetta facili.

Here we are again with another one of my little grandsons.

Eh?

-We made it back.

-Oh!

-We're here.

-Well, give me a big kiss.

Mwah!

My goodness.

You were like this last time, you know?

And now you're like this.

[ Laughs ] Well, you finished college.

You're working.

Do you entertain now and then?

-Now and then I like to have some friends over.

And, yeah, we love to eat, so... -I know you've been around the kitchen, but I thought I'd give you some pointers on bruschettas.

How's that?

-Yeah, show me -- show me how you do it.

-Okay.

I toasted some bread for you.

[ Speaks Italian ] Toasted in a little bit of oil and just rubbed with a little bit of garlic.

And there's the way I would like -- a little bit of ricotta, fresh ricotta, with some tomatoes on top.

So let's take some ricotta with the spoon.

Put it in the middle.

Okay, that's good.

Put one on each.

Okay.

♪♪ And, you know, it's all about the freshness.

You remember I used to tell you how I had my little goats and we used to milk the goat and make the ricotta and all of that?

It brings back memories.

Now spread it nice and evenly.

-It's not like my morning bagel.

I like a lot of cream cheese.

-Well, no such thing as enough ricotta for me.

Okay, so now let's take some tomatoes.

And just like that, tomatoes and ricotta are great.

What do you usually put on tomatoes?

-A little bit of salt.

Definitely some olive oil.

-Yeah, see?

You've got the gist.

Oh, you have the move.

Good for you.

A little bit of oil.

It looks like you've done this before.

What do you recall of being in my kitchen?

-First memory is definitely rolling out the gnocchi with my cousins.

-All around here you were.

-All around here, yeah.

-Yeah, you all had your little stool and a piece of gnocchi, and you were rolling that gnocchi, and you were all full of flour.

I remember that.

So get me some basil leaves.

I think this would need some basil.

Mmm, smells good.

So does this look like a nice bruschetta?

You think your friends would like that?

-I think my friends would love this, yeah.

-Alright, let's put it on the board.

♪♪ You know, I am just the director here.

I tell you where we're going.

You know that.

Now let's do some fig bruschetta.

I have some fig jam.

We can spread a little fig jam, then we can slice a little figs, put on top of the fig jam, and then we can just drape the prosciutto on top.

How does that sound?

-Awesome.

Yeah.

-So, slices.

Nice thin slices.

There you go.

So line this with the figs.

Ripe figs and prosciutto, when in season, are delicious together.

-Now the prosciutto on top?

-Yes.

Yes.

Okay.

That looks great, huh?

-You want me to throw this on the tray too?

-Sure.

Whatever you want to do.

This is your party.

So proud of them.

They -- You know, they sort of sometimes think, "Oh, I don't know how to do it," but they do it.

It's in you.

So you think you're going to make this for your friends?

-You know, if I ever have the time and I have a lot of figs, I'll definitely try it out, that's for sure.

-If you have the time?

What are you so busy doing?

-Life comes at you fast.

-Does it?

-That's for sure.

-Look, look it.

I like the way you draped that prosciutto and plenty of it.

I know you like your prosciutto.

-Mm-hmm.

♪♪ So now you can even make a bruschetta that can be almost like a dessert.

-Dessert bruschetta.

-Yeah.

When I was small, it was a treat for me to have a piece of chocolate and bread.

Chocolate and bread sandwich.

Have you ever tried that?

-I don't think I can say I ever have.

-Okay, well, we need to get you trying one.

But for now, ricotta and chocolate.

And, you know, the candies that have hazelnuts and chocolate, I chopped some up.

So sprinkle on top.

Would you like something like that?

-Yeah.

I mean, it looks delicious, that's for sure.

-Chocolate and hazelnuts are one of my favorite combinations.

Okay, so give it a quick whack just like that.

Okay.

And cheers.

Salute.

-Cheers.

Salute.

That is very good.

-The chocolate and the hazelnut sort of balances.

So, you know, you didn't forget the inspiration that comes around this counter.

-It used to be a lot bigger when I was younger, though, I'll tell you that much.

-Now you dominate the table.

Before, the table dominated you.

-Yeah.

-Yeah, right?

But you know what?

I just love having you guys all around.

All the little ones, big ones.

Any way you come, I love having you here.

♪♪ Manicotti di crespelle con spinaci.

Crespelle manicotti.

Easy, fast, and delicious.

Of course, the stuffing is ricotta and spinach.

Nice and thin crespelle.

And you can make the crespelle beforehand, even the day before.

You can even freeze this crespelle.

Crespelle, once it is rolling around, you can just flip it over and give it a little bit of a crust right in here.

I have the sauce there.

It's a nice simple marinara sauce.

So here's one.

Let me just do another one.

Just like that.

Start on one end, and you sort of roll it around until it spreads very thin and evenly across.

You need some heat here, but you have to stay close by because these are very sensitive.

You don't want them to burn.

And we will crush some garlic.

That's it.

I'm gonna sauté the spinach.

And you want it to be flavorful when you sauté it as well.

Okay.

So we are finished with the crespelle.

Let's get into the spinach now.

Oil.

The crushed garlic we just did.

There's that.

Okay.

The garlic is golden.

Let's put the spinach right in.

These days, you get spinach all ready to go.

Or if it's spinach that you bought at the farmer's market, wash it first.

But you do need seasoning.

A little bit of salt and a little bit peperoncino.

Just like that.

And a little bit of water just to get it going.

Mm!

Here's some provola.

Let me just finish grating some more provola just like that.

And provola is a complex, delicious cheese and it has an intensity.

Okay.

So here we have that.

And let's check the spinach.

There it is.

That's all I need to do to the spinach.

And I'm gonna strain it here.

Discard the garlic.

We don't need this anymore.

And I'm gonna drain them here so all the extra water comes out so that the filling doesn't get too watery.

Let me put this a little closer.

Always organize yourself.

Let me get the egg.

We just -- All you need is one egg to bind it a little bit.

So here we have that.

And a little bit of salt in the egg.

Just like that.

Let's whisk it.

Okay.

Let's put the ricotta right in there.

And I'm going to press the spinach down.

Mm-hmm.

I'm gonna chop the spinach.

Okay, so... You can do the spinach before too.

You can make the whole filling before and have it in the refrigerator.

Let me put the spinach right in there.

So now let's finish the stuffing.

Going to put grated cheese.

So I'm looking at it.

The ricotta is not seasoned.

The spinach is seasoned.

The cheese -- the provola -- is seasoned.

So maybe I don't even need any salt.

Okay, let's mix it well.

Could you do this with another green?

Could you do it with Swiss chard?

Yes, but you want the green that you put in the filling cooked.

Not overcooked, certainly, but, you know, blanched.

And then it will continue to cook in the oven.

Okay, this is done and tasty.

This is brushed with butter, ready to put in the oven.

Let's line the bottom of the pan with some sauce.

And we'll begin to fill them and line them up.

So...I have a spoon.

The stuffing on one side.

And don't overstuff it.

And you just press it in just like a burrito.

You fold it in, in the sides, and you continue rolling it.

And here it is.

Okay.

One.

Let's go for the next.

♪♪ Okay.

So let's keep on rolling here.

♪♪ You know, I think kids could really enjoy doing something like this if you get them working with you.

So maybe somebody really has an adversity to spinach.

Can you put asparagus in there?

Yes, you could.

Could you put peas in there?

Absolutely.

Okay, snuggle them close.

♪♪ Okay.

♪♪ Snuggle, snuggle.

♪♪ And, you know, everybody loves stuffed pasta.

This is not really pasta.

It's crespelle, but it's stuffed, it's baked.

It has all those beautiful favorites that we all love in pasta.

Oozing cheese on top.

It's easy.

It's not difficult.

You know, ricotta we used at home for just about everything.

Let me tell you the story why we had so much ricotta.

Grandma had the goats, and that was our source of milk.

We didn't have cows.

Cows are expensive to keep.

You need space.

You need pasture.

They eat a lot.

Goats are much easier to keep.

And because the goats will eat anything, any grass.

They will eat bushes and everything, so even if you want things cleared, put them in that place and they will eat the grass and yield milk.

They have the kids.

They have plenty of milk.

That was our milk.

We used to milk it in the morning, have it for breakfast.

Sometimes Grandma also sold it.

And then when we had some left over, Grandma would make ricotta.

And ricotta is so easy to make.

"Ricotta" -- "recooked."

So that means when you make the ricotta, you use the milk.

Grandma used to put a little bit of rennet or just lemon juice, and that would curdle the milk.

And those little curds, those beautiful puffy curds was ricotta.

That's it.

Now, I have this feeling I can make some more crespelle.

And you can also make a lasagna out of this.

A crespelle lasagna is fine.

Instead of rolling it out like that, you just make like a lasagna with the crespelle, with the same stuffing.

And here we will put some sauce.

And don't oversauce.

But you know what?

When the sauce bakes it dries out a little bit, so I always leave a little sauce on the side.

And then when you serve your crespelle, people can add some sauce.

And, of course, some grated cheese for the last crispiness in the oven.

A preheated oven, 400 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes, and you got the crespelle di ricotta cooked inside.

It's sort of blending, the melting of the cheese, the ricotta kind of cooking with the spinach.

You want those flavors to really blend in the oven, and it's going to be delicious, so let's get it in the oven.

♪♪ Whenever I break from cooking, I like to check with everyone out there.

So let's do it.

Margarita!

"I see you use big blocks of cheese in your dishes.

What is the best way to store cheese so that it doesn't mold?"

Don't be afraid of the mold.

If you have a little mold, scrape it away and use that cheese.

But the best way is to keep the air away from the cheese because mold needs air to multiply.

So you have a cheese, wrap it in plastic wrap nice and tight.

And then I usually put it in a regular cloth that's humid and wrap it nicely and keep it in the refrigerator.

It's as simple as that.

Rosemary too.

Okay, she has a question.

"I've always wondered, when a recipe calls for 1 cup of grated cheese, do you lightly pack the cheese into the measuring cup, or do you pack it down a bit?"

I think cheese should not be packed down.

You put it in as much, fill it.

Then you know what you do?

You take the measuring cup and you just tap it on the bottom, and the cheese will settle naturally.

And then you add a little more just to even it out.

I always love hearing from you.

Good questions.

Mmm!

Smells delicious.

Looks delicious.

We're just gonna show you how to plate one, and then the rest we'll put on the table.

So I put a little bit of sauce on the plate.

Not too much.

♪♪ Mm-hmm.

So, I want to get close to this baby here.

We said two?

Did we say two or did we say one?

Well, let's go for two.

Let's try two.

I'm gonna use... to help myself just like that.

Ay yi yi.

Yi yi yi yi.

Che bellezza!

♪♪ Voilà.

I'm gonna make a Lidia's little piece.

♪♪ And... ♪♪ So we can put this on the trivet.

Mm-hmm.

Here we are.

A little basilico, of course.

A little bit of vino.

Some good Merlot.

Nice full-bodied wine we need because this is a full-bodied meal.

And let me taste now.

Mm-hmm.

It's really delicious.

The sweetness of the ricotta.

The spinach is always good.

And the crespelle.

Kind of it's just a light envelopment of this packaging here.

So are you gonna make this?

I hope so.

You should.

You'll love it.

♪♪ Biscotti di ricotta con gocce di cioccolato.

A very normal way to end an Italian meal is with a cup of espresso and some cookies.

And these are simple ricotta cookies.

One bowl does it all.

And they were Nonna's favorite, Grandma's favorite cookies.

She loved her ricotta, and of course she loved the cookie.

So let's begin by whipping up the butter a little bit.

We'll add a little bit of sugar.

Let me just... ...start it.

You know why it's happening?

The bowl is very wide.

But I want it because you can look into it and see.

So I'm going to help myself a little bit to get the sugar and the butter together, and then I'm going to continue to whip it.

So, cooking is all about common sense.

And when something is not happening or goes wrong, I mean, your common sense will say, "Okay, maybe I should do this."

And that's what you do, just like I did here.

Alright.

Let's see.

[ Mixer whirring ] Next go in the eggs.

One at a time.

And because the butter didn't and the sugar didn't melt right away, I'm extra beating this combination so get it nice and smooth.

[ Bird chirping ] Alright, let's get everything down.

My little bird is serenading me.

How beautiful is this?

Cooking outside in my backyard with the birds.

Beautiful.

Okay, now let's put in the ricotta.

[ Whirring stops ] The vanilla.

Okay.

I'm going to combine the flour and the baking powder.

Baking is all about steps and making sure that every steps and everything is incorporated.

A pinch of salt.

And let's get back...

Okay.

I'm gonna switch to the spatula now because it's a thicker dough, and the question is to get it all homogenized.

So you have to give it a little bit of elbow power here.

Ricotta cookies are good just like that.

And traditionally they're either sprinkled with some powdered sugar or a nice royal lemon icing.

Very simple -- powdered sugar and lemon juice.

But my kids, they like their chocolate chips.

So this is my rendition of sort of chocolate chip cookies.

Alright.

So could you do this in the stand-up mixer?

Absolutely.

Maybe you can go through the whole mixture.

But I didn't want to make too much noise here, I wanted to show you, because certainly my grandmother didn't have a stand-up mixer.

So you get yourself a baking sheet.

I put parchment paper on it.

Very nice and easy.

I prepare myself with an ice cream scoop like this so all the cookies are the same size.

A little bit dip it in the water.

And you make sure that you fill each one just perfect.

And on you go down the line.

Give them some space.

They grow a little bit.

They get puffy.

Not too much.

They don't spread too much, but they do get a little puffy.

So give them enough space.

And you get yourself a lot of cookies.

They keep well in a sealed cookie can if you have.

But let me tell you, they'll go before you can seal them anywhere.

You preheat an oven at 350 degrees.

And anywhere from 16 to 18 minutes, and you got yourself some delicious ricotta cookies.

Okay, here we have another one, from Joanne.

"I want to make my future Italian daughter-in-law, along with her Italian mother, proud at a shower I'm throwing."

Mm!

You're throwing a shower, Joanne.

"Do you have a suggestion for what I can do, other than the pizzelle I'm making?"

Joanne, first of all, congratulations is in order.

And you have a big responsibility now.

You know, Italians have a lot of options for antipasto.

You can just make a beautiful spread.

Get the best prosciutto, the best mortadella, delicious different cheeses, fruits, nuts.

And that's the beginning.

Then you can make stuffed vegetables.

Vegetables in season.

Baked clams are also delicious.

Artichokes.

Braised artichokes are delicious.

You can make a salad of shrimps and beans.

Simple, delicious.

Everybody likes it.

There's a lot for you to really bring to the table when it comes to an Italian sort of antipasto serving for your guests.

Congratulation, Joanne, to you and the whole family.

The cookies are ready.

They have cooled.

I made myself -- and you -- an espresso.

But let me plate it first.

Mm!

♪♪ Let's do it like this.

And a nice crispy one on top.

And I think there's room for one more just like that.

Okay.

Let me just open one for you.

[ Bird chirping ] Even the birds are excited about this one.

Now, look at this.

Full of chocolate chips, nice and moist.

And the coffee is waiting.

Let me taste this first.

♪♪ Mmm.

♪♪ Mmm.

Now a little sip of espresso.

♪♪ All is prepared.

The coffee is hot.

I'm inviting you, you know?

I have the coffee.

I have plenty of cookies for all of you.

So, tutti a tavola a mangiare.

Mmm.

♪♪ My fondest memories.

So when you're in a season and you have a beautiful product and it overflows, let your imagination go.

Open it up because it could take you to different places, different flavors, different tastes, different cultures.

Just make it happen, because it's at its best.

[ Singing in Italian ] -[ Speaks Italian ] Oh, we have learn some of the lyrics, but we're doing okay.

-Yeah.

-[ Laughs ] -The food from this 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 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 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...