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

ANNOUNCER: For over 140 years, Auricchio traditional hand-crafted provolone.

Made in Italy.

ANNOUNCER: Authentic Italian cured meats.

Paolo Rovagnati -- The true Italian tradition.

ANNOUNCER: And by... LIDIA: You say potato, I say patata, and I can't get enough of them.

I put them in soups, I put them in salads, and they carry any meal.

A hearty vegetable stock thickened with potatoes and finished with pasta makes for one fulfilling meal.

This is one nourishing salad that I consider a complete meal.

It's meat, potatoes, and a green all in one bowl.

Tutti a mangiare patata.

Let's go and eat potatoes.

"Potato, Potato."

Potatoes have fed and are still feeding many cultures.

In each potato, there's like little eyes, and out of those is a little sprout that comes out, and that would be the new potatoes.

So, Grandma made us cut with a little knife a piece of potatoes that had that sprout, but enough potato so there would be nourishment for that sprout to grow into a full plant.

So when springtime came, she would dig out a row, long row, and in the back, I would have these pieces of potatoes, and she made me put it in the dirt at a certain distance with the sprout up, because that was going to be the next potato plant.

And then she would go behind.

She would cover them, and so on down the line, we went.

And then in the springtime, of course, they began to blossom into plants.

And then June, July, it was time to harvest them.

And she would have a hoe.

And, oh, she went around the potato plant, picked it up, took the big potato.

She had a basket.

And the leaves on this, she threw in a row, because that was going to be covered and returned to the land.

But it was amazing to see, you know, this plant she plucked up, the potatoes dangling, and to feel they were still warm.

The land was warm, the ground was warm, but the potatoes were warm.

You know, this was a sense that they were still alive-like.

It was the warmth from the sun and the dirt -- you know, nature.

Nature is an extraordinary situation that we really have to guard -- our gardens, our nature, our world, shall we say.

"Potato & Pasta Soup."

I'm in my garden, Lidia's garden -- the grape trestles, my geraniums.

And I'm cooking outside.

I was in the mood for soup.

And this is a potato, carrot, celery, and it could be pasta soup.

You could put rice in it, all kinds of things.

It's easy, it's economical.

So, let's get started.

Here's a nice pot.

Let's get some oil in there.

♪ Yeah, okay.

And I have the potatoes here, diced potatoes.

Just throw them in.

And, you know, the potato, you just peel it.

A nice, starchy potato like russet potato's fine, because you want ultimately the potatoes to kind of break down in the soup and make the soup starchy.

♪ You know, the scraper -- not only for baking.

I tell you all the time.

I always have it close to my cutting board because, just, it sort of grasps everybody.

Just throw it in.

So...

I want to let this caramelize a little bit, because when it attaches a little bit and caramelizes, that gives flavor to the soup.

But here I have the actual soup boiling away, and this is how the soup will look.

So, what's great about this soup is that you can make double portions or whatever, and then you can freeze it.

You pull it out when you're ready to serve it, just like this, bring it back to boil, and then you add your pasta.

And let's see.

That's enough.

By the time the pasta is cooked, we'll continue this process, and you'll be an expert on making this soup, as well.

And the celery is very simple.

You know, a lot of the celery leaves, a lot of people don't use it.

I use them.

I use them all the time in soups, in salads.

♪ Yeah, okay.

And this is the cheese rinds.

You scrape them just like that, on the outside, because you don't want any of the collected dirt, if there's any.

So when you get a chunk of cheese to grate on your pasta, don't forget to save the rinds.

Put them in a plastic bag and save them in the refrigerator, in the freezer.

They'll last for months.

And now the tomato paste goes in at this point.

2 teaspoons like that.

And you toast the tomato paste right in there.

So, now, all the potatoes are coated with the tomato paste, and it is at the right point to add the water.

So, just simple water.

Add it right in.

And now let's put in some bay leaves.

And I use it all the time.

The aroma is just so pronounced and so delicious.

So, here we are.

This is going to come to a boil, and now we can add the cheese rind.

Then the carrots go in here.

The celery.

♪ And you can see how simple this soup is.

So, let's put some salt to salt all of this.

A little peperoncino.

Just like that.

Okay.

And you let it boil away for about 45 minutes.

In my library with my books, and I look for your e-mails.

I look for your messages, and I answer them.

So, here I have Alex.

ALEX: Hey, Lidia, this is Alex and Eddie from Towson, Maryland, and we want to know, if you were stranded on a desert island, what shape of macaroni would you bring with you, and what would you cook with it?

LIDIA: Well, Alex, being on a stranded island, I want something that maybe would cook quickly -- spaghetti.

Thin spaghetti, and I can dress it with anything -- cheese, formaggio.

It'll be quick and delicious, so I'm packing some spaghetti if I get stranded.

How do you like that?

Alright, Alex, thank you very much.

Cute dog you got there.

I'm going to remove the bay leaves at this point.

Let's see.

What else do we have here?

So, I'm looking at the pasta.

You know, a lot of people ask me, "How do you know when the pasta is done?"

Well, you know, I've cooked enough pasta.

I can tell by the look.

But you taste it.

Just pull a little pasta out, taste it, and you'll know.

Let's check on this one.

Okay.

It's slowly coming to a boil.

Let me clean up, and we'll get ready to taste the soup.

Jamie wants to talk about soup and pasta.

"When I include pasta into hot soup, how do you stop the pasta from overcooking and expanding so much in the soup broth?"

Once you have put pasta in a soup and cooked it, it will continue.

It will become very overcooked.

So there's two ways to approach this.

Pull out just enough soup that you want to eat, save the rest, and cook the pasta right in there and serve it and eat it.

Or you can cook your pasta separately, heat the soup that you want to eat, and add the cooked pasta to what you want to eat in the last moment, just enough time to heat it up.

Just never put all of your pasta into all of your soup, because you got to eat it all, or your pasta is going to overtake the soup.

You got that, Jamie?

Alright.

So, the last minute, you put in chopped parsley.

Doesn't have to be fine.

So, let's put that right in.

We're ready to serve.

Let me get the plates, and, of course, my plate, my little plate here.

I need to taste.

Oh, my God.

So much memories in this pot for me.

We ate it so many times, and we loved it.

So, I'm going to pour mine first so it kind of cools off so I have an opportunity to taste it for you.

So, here it is.

And then we do the actual pouring.

♪ Okay.

♪ And, so, what would I like on top of this?

I'd like some grated cheese.

Let's -- Just like that.

And you can put this piece of cheese on the table with a grater for everybody to grate and have the freshness of the cheese.

So, here we are, and we are going to taste now.

Delicious.

The pasta is just right.

There's this complexity, but there's a freshness, a simplicity to this soup.

And then, of course, the cheese is really standing out on top of it.

You know, memories are delicious.

Food memories bring you to a special place -- situations and flavors and memories and sentiments -- like no other.

So, remember this one.

Cook it.

♪ Some of my favorite time in the kitchen has been teaching my grandchildren to grow into confident cooks.

And these days, even though they are living on their own, that doesn't mean they stop asking for my advice.

"Sharing Recipes -- Ditalini with Potatoes & Provola."

Ethan, how are you doing?

ETHAN: I'm good, Nonni.

How are you?

LIDIA: Alright.

Everything okay, fine?

School good?

ETHAN: Everything's good at school.

I'm trying to study hard and push through.

LIDIA: Well, you need some good nourishment.

Are you cooking anything?

Because I have a great idea for you.

ETHAN: I've been using all the tips and tricks you've been telling me at school, but I'd love to hear another recipe.

LIDIA: So, this is a one-pot meal.

You need a nice-sized pot, and it's pasta patate e Provola.

So you have potatoes, little ditalini pasta, and Provola.

This is a dish that they do in Campania, around Naples.

It has a lot of flavor and really fills you up, and it's easy.

So, it's almost like making a soup.

You chop the onions, you chop the bacon, peel the potatoes, cube the potatoes, and you begin.

You render the onion.

You render the bacon.

Once the bacon has released some of its fat, you throw the potatoes in, season with salt, peperoncino, and you mix, mix, mix.

Then you add the water -- two, three fingers above the potatoes and you let this simmer.

When the potatoes are just about finished and the soup is done, you throw in the ditalini, the pasta.

And you take a tomato, and you dice it up, and you throw that in, and you let that cook.

Now the pasta is cooking down, and you let this simmer until the pasta is cooked.

What should happen is that this should dense up.

It shouldn't be a loose soup, but it shouldn't be, like, dry, like pasta.

In between.

When the pasta is cooked and the tomatoes are cooked, you take it off the fire, and you mix in the Provola.

The heat of the pasta and the potatoes will melt it down.

Throw in some grated cheese, and you mix it, and you have your dish ready.

Does that sound good?

ETHAN: Yeah, it sounds really good.

Normally, we just make mac and cheese, but this sounds like a really good alternative to that.

ETHAN: Is this doable on a hot plate, or am I reaching?

ETHAN: I think if I get enough friends on board to help me, we'll be just fine.

LIDIA: To chop and to cut and to mix?

ETHAN: Everyone gets a role, and then everyone eats.

LIDIA: So, what else have you been doing?

Have you been cooking anything interesting?

ETHAN: We've been ordering in a lot, 'cause we've kind of had to study a lot recently.

But as soon as all our midterms are over, I'm sure we'll have more time to be back in the kitchen.

LIDIA: Maybe now with the midterms, it's not a good time to cook.

You have to focus on your midterms.

But after they're all done, you can celebrate and think of a good dish to make for everybody there.

Well, I love you, Ethan.

It's so great to talk to you, to hear that you're cooking, to hear that you're happy.

And when you come back down, you come and visit me and let me know what you want Nonna to cook for you, okay?

ETHAN: Cool.

LIDIA: Good luck with your midterms.

I know you're going to do great.

Love you, cocco.

ETHAN: Love you, too.

LIDIA: Bye-bye.

ETHAN: Bye.

LIDIA: I'm updated.

I know he's fine, and he's doing good work, hard work, and cooking on top.

What could a grandma ask for?

"Green Beans with New Potatoes."

Here I am in my garden under the grape trestle.

There's a light breeze, and I'm cooking.

You know, I'm always in the kitchen, so when I have an opportunity to go out in the garden and make something as simple as a great salad of boiled potatoes and string beans, red onions, and prosciutto cotto.

So you have your proteins, you have your vegetable, and a complete meal.

Now, I have the potatoes almost 3/4 of the way there.

At that point, these are clean string beans -- I'm going to toss them right in and let them cook together.

And I have here very simple thing -- the prosciutto cotto.

Make sure that they cut it nice and thick for you when you buy, and you know -- you know that the Italians like their prosciutto, but they like the prosciutto cotto.

There's some great prosciutto cotto in Italy.

And I'm going to make just little match sticks like that, you see?

And of course, you can put as many or as little as you like.

We love this dish at our house, especially in the summertime.

When it's warm, it's nice to have a complete meal, but in salad form makes it that much better.

So here we go.

Let me slice some onions.

You know, in a salad, I like my red onions.

They're sweet.

And I like sort of slices.

Not too thin, not too thick, but rounds like this.

Okay.

Now let's do the dressing.

And the dressing, I'm going to do olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Now, the potatoes, you know, are starch.

They absorb dressing.

So I'm going to make a little extra.

And here I'm putting almost as much vinegar as I do olive oil.

I like when the vinegar goes in the potatoes, and the potatoes become a little sour.

And here's some mustard.

And I like my mustard.

And let's put some salt.

♪ Okay.

♪ Okay.

♪ We have our dressing ready.

And I have ice here.

You're going to ask me, "Why do you have ice, Lidia?

What are you doing?

You're making drinks here?"

Well, actually, when these string beans and potatoes are cooked, I want them to cool down, and a lot of people put them in ice water.

I'm just going to drain them right here or fish them out and I'm going to put the ice on top of them and mix it.

And as the ice melts, it cools out, and the water falls on the bottom so that the potatoes and the string beans get cold, but they're not filled with the cold water.

So let's wait a few minutes.

Theresa sent me a photo of what she was cooking.

She sent her chicken, escarole, and white bean soup.

Escarole and white bean is one of my favorite soups.

It's easy to make.

She did a chicken soup, and then the escarole and the beans in that, and she used also the rind of the cheese.

Very, very good.

I always tell you, you know, you save those rinds when you grate cheese, and then you scrape them, wash them, and you throw them in the soup that you're cooking.

They bring a wallop of flavor.

And, so, very proud of you, Theresa.

Melody is also sending me some photos.

Let's check out what Melody is sending.

Oh, beautiful photos.

Melody, I'm impressed.

You were making Corzetti Genovese.

This is famous pasta in the Genoa or Liguria region.

They make the sheet dough, and they have a stamp, and it's passed down from family to family.

They're wooden ones.

They stamp it on the sheet of pasta, and it cuts a round, and it prints a seal.

This is beautiful.

Very proud of you, Melody.

Brava, brava.

Keep on sending, and I will keep on answering you, and we'll have a discussion going on.

Okay, I think the potatoes are cooked, the string beans, as well, so let's put them right in here.

Let's fish them out.

Okay, I got them.

So now this is where I put the ice in, right in.

Ice and the water just like that.

And you can use this technique when cooking other vegetables.

Instead of shocking them in ice water, you put them in a colander, toss ice cubes with them, and as you mix them, the vegetables cool.

Okay.

So while they're cooling, let me begin to cut some of them so that the dressing goes into the potato.

And if you don't have these fingerling potatoes, you can use regular potatoes.

Just peel them and put them to cook.

And when they're more than halfway cooked, you add in the string beans, and you proceed the same way.

So, let's begin our salad.

Let's throw the potatoes right in there.

♪ Like that.

♪ Let's take the string beans, as well.

Let me get the ice out, just like that.

Okay.

Let me throw in the onions.

♪ And let me mix this before I add the ham in.

♪ Mmm.

Okay.

So it's all dressed.

Maybe a little bit more salt.

Little peperoncino.

Yeah, why not?

I like that.

And now let's put in the ham, just like that.

♪ Alright.

This looks delicious.

It is delicious.

It's a great summer meal.

You have your proteins, your vegetable, your starch all in one.

Okay.

So now... parsley.

Okay.

Looks good.

This is a great recipe, because you can make it ahead of time and then dress it just before you serve it.

So, let's plate it.

Of course, a little for me, because I need to taste some.

Okay.

That's good.

That's my share.

So let's... ♪ I think this looks pretty inviting.

Mmm.

♪ And, you know, sometimes you're so worried about presentation, what are you going to do.

Sometimes, let the food just slide in position.

So, here.

Mmm.

Let me taste it.

♪ Mmm, delicious.

And this could even stay a little bit, not too long, because the string beans would turn from the acidity of the vinegar, will get a little brown.

But you want just long enough for the potato to absorb this dressing, this mustard, this -- Mmm.

It is so, so good.

I wouldn't dress it until the last minute or the last five minutes.

But you can have everything else ready.

Just toss it when it's ready to serve.

So let's serve it.

Let's serve it up.

And here we are in my backyard.

A nice table set, some wine, some tarallis.

I certainly have enough here.

And so I'm going to invite you as I always do.

Come and join me.

And as I say, tutti a tavola a mangiare.

Salute.

♪ Yes, we all love French fries, but that's not the crux of a potato.

The essence of a potato is that it has been feeding people that otherwise would have been hungry for centuries.

Potatoes are so versatile.

It's base for soups.

It is base for vegetable, whether you make roasted potatoes, whether you make stuffed potatoes, whether you incorporate them into making gnocchi doughs.

So, whenever somebody cooking or a chef is looking to fulfill a plate and to satisfy the family and the customers, not only to fill them and to give them food, but a potato is fulfilling.

It's gratifying.

But it always comes down to the basic.

Potato is a basic food for most of us in this world.

Grandma loved her potatoes, so she's going to be more than happy to sing us to the table.

ERMINIA AND LIDIA: ♪ E noi che figli siamo ♪ ♪ Beviam, beviam beviamo ♪ ♪ E noi che figli siamo ♪ ♪ Beviam, beviam, beviamo ♪ ♪ E noi che figli siamo ♪ ♪ Beviam, beviam, beviam ♪ [ Glasses clink ] ERMINIA: Mwah.

Salute.

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.

And by... ANNOUNCER: Olitalia.

"From chef to chef."

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