-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."

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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.

-Risotto is a blank canvas, and you don't have to be Picasso to create this masterpiece.

All you need is imagination, some great products, and a little flair in the kitchen.

I choose shrimp and scallops for my risotto with leeks, but it can be made with any fish of your preference.

Feel free to mix it up as you like.

Look at this -- a full orchestra of flavors and deliciousness.

A palette of vegetables can lead to a rich homemade stock, so remember to stock your freezer with those kitchen scraps.

I'll show you how to put them to good use.

It's time to clean the freezer out and make a big pot of stock.

Every region of Italy uses barley.

Today I'll use it the Lidia way -- in a risotto... You know, when in doubt, pour the wine in.

...paired with the classic combination of cabbage and sausage.

So, today we are all artists in the kitchen.

The Italians have a lot of proverbs.

And I remember around food there was always some proverbs.

And my grandmother would always say... [ Speaking Italian ] "If you don't make it to the table when the risotto is ready, the risotto will wait for you at the door," meaning it'll grow and will wait for you at the door.

Anyway, you had these visions of this rice coming through the door.

But nonetheless, you got it because if you weren't there, the rice would be overcooked and very mushy.

So, those proverbs always have some meaning, even though they're funny.

Risotto di mare con porri.

The music is playing, and I'm cooking.

So, what you want is the fennel with the fronds because we're gonna be using the fronds, as well.

Let's see.

Let's cut it right here.

Let's cut it here.

And the rest we can all use because it's nice and tender.

Let's begin the risotto.

A little bit of oil.

And what you need for a risotto is a pan just like this, a nice heavy pan, wide.

Let's begin with the onions.

And I'm gonna just season the onions and slowly mix it.

You don't want too high of a temperature.

You don't want the onions to brown.

You want them to melt, to sort of disintegrate.

So, a low temperature will do that.

Let's get back to the fennel now.

I'm going to chop this.

And this we're gonna add at the end to give it the last oomph of the fennel flavor.

So, you chop it just like you would an onion.

When you buy fennel, you want a nice crunchy fennel with the green fronds.

And fennel lasts in the refrigerator, so you can have it, and sometimes when you decide, "Oh, what am I gonna make now?"

that fennel could come in handy.

Let's put the fennel in.

The fennel takes a while to cook.

And I have a special ingredient, and that is saffron.

Let me reconstitute it first.

Get some of the hot water or stock that you have here.

And you can see that it is threads of saffron, and that's what you want.

So, saffron is the pistil of a crocus flower.

It's an expensive spice, herb, whatever you want to call it, but it's worth the money, especially with the risotto.

So, let's slowly mix this.

And I'll add just plain water here because I want to make you feel comfortable that you don't always have to have that super duper deluxe stock to make a great risotto.

Once the water is all evaporated, then we'll continue on with the rice.

But next go in the leeks.

So, let's put that in.

A little bit of the salt.

And one important thing in making a risotto is that whatever liquid you're adding is at the same temperature -- that means almost boiling -- because basically what you do in a risotto is you coax the starches out of the rice, and you need to continue at the same temperature.

I want to toast the rice a little bit.

Make the starch into a little capsule, if you will, and then by the addition of hot stock or hot water -- now it's a capsule -- it'll slowly release the starches.

Because if you don't toast it like that, the rice kernel will automatically take in all of the liquid and open up.

And sometimes it's overcooked on the outside and undercooked on the inside.

At this point, we add wine, white wine, just like that.

Wine gives it acidity, gives it a flavor, and begins to get those starches out.

And once we get to the drying point, we'll continue to add hot water or stock or whatever you have.

Oh, I hear the risotto crackling.

It's getting there.

It needs a little bit of liquid.

That's music to my ear.

Not too much liquid.

If you put a lot of water, it will quickly pull out all the starches, and the rice again will kind of break down and become pappa, as we say in Italian, mush.

So, nice and easy.

And you can see that already it's beginning to be a little creamier.

Now let's get back to the saffron.

Look at the beautiful color.

And it has a wonderful aroma.

And I'm going to add the saffron and the water.

Here we are.

So, I'm gonna continue this.

I'm gonna clean, get the fish out, and we will continue with our risotto.

♪♪ Here I am again in my library, and here I have an email from Stu.

"Perhaps you can settle the debate.

"Should risotto be more loose, "runny and spread across the plate, "or should it be stiffer, stickier, and make a mound on the plate?"

Both are possibilities.

Depends on what the risotto is made of and depends on your favorite version.

The loose risotto, in Italian it's called risotto all'onda, "the risotto to the wave," like the sea, the wave.

And so it has a flow in the plate.

And it usually is with seafood, with vegetable, with lighter ingredients.

The other risotto usually is made a little stiffer and is made with meat, mushrooms, a lot of game.

That sort of holds in all of the meat.

Stu, I hope I settled your debate.

They're both good.

All right, nice and easy.

I think the risotto is getting there.

Let's clean the shrimp.

You can get them clean, of course, but you can just peel it like that.

And what I have here is a paper towel with a little bit of water.

And let's de-vein the shrimp.

So, just cut around.

There's just a little here, and you pull it out.

Okay.

Just like that.

Okay, so, the shrimp is clean.

The scallops -- Let me just pour it like that.

Okay.

The scallops are usually clean.

They have a little foot here, and that's the tough part.

So, you remove that just like that.

It comes right off.

Let me put the scallops right into the risotto, just like that.

The scallops take maybe a few more minutes than the shrimp.

Okay.

Let's chop the parsley.

I'm going to add the fennel fronds so it'll cook just a little bit.

So, here we are.

Wow.

It looks delicious.

And let me put some more liquid, but not too much because I like a risotto that has a little bit of body.

Let me put the shrimp right in.

Okay.

So, once you cook the risotto, there's no way of stopping it.

And you have to serve it when it's done because otherwise it continues to cook and it overcooks.

And your guests should be seated when you serve the risotto.

Usually risotto, the last step is mantecare, where you put the butter and the cheese.

But with seafood in Italy, we don't use a lot of cheese.

In Sicily they use a little bit, but the rest of Italy, no.

So just a little bit of butter.

And I would put a drizzle of oil just like that.

And I'm waiting for the shrimp just to get pink because the risotto is hot.

I don't want it to overcook.

So, I think we are there.

Let me add some parsley.

Okay.

We're ready to serve.

And of course a little plate for Lidia.

I have my stash right here.

So I don't dribble all over, I always use a little plate underneath.

♪♪ And I travel to the plate.

Mm-hmm.

♪♪ And of course, Lidia gets her share.

And let me taste before I deliver it to the table.

♪♪ Mmm.

Saffron and seafood just go so well together.

So, we are ready to serve it.

♪♪ Mm-hmm.

Look at this -- a full orchestra symphony here of flavors and deliciousness.

Mmm!

Riempi la tua credenza.

I needed a big pot of stock.

And all those times that I tell you, "Stash things in the freezer" -- chicken wings, chicken bones, leek, parsley, all those little leftovers.

So, it's time to clean the freezer out and make a big pot of stock.

Chicken wings.

You know, when I made those baked chicken wings, I saved the chicken tips.

That could have been easily thrown away, but, no, that adds to the complexity of my stock.

And, you know, you wash everything before you put it in the freezer.

This way, you don't worry about it.

Chicken carcasses.

Whatever you have left over from the chicken.

Even when you roast the chicken, I tell you, save the carcass.

It's good in that pot.

Leeks.

Delicious.

But, you know, you'll say, "All these big leaves -- I'm wasting them."

You don't have to waste them.

You save them just like Lidia does.

And in!

In it goes.

Okay.

Parsley.

You know, you use the leaves.

I have all the stems right here.

Here they go, into the stock.

Celery.

When you see that you're not gonna be using celery, you don't want it to go bad.

♪♪ It's frozen.

I want it all to lay in.

There we go.

♪♪ Tomatoes.

Tomatoes last like this year round in the freezer.

And you use them for stock or soup as you go along.

This is from my backyard.

I picked them, and I froze them just like this.

And periodically I take a few out and make a stock out of them.

Onion, and just quarters are fine.

Just like that.

Peppercorns.

Okay, that's enough.

And of course those cheese rinds.

I tell you all the time you got to save them, save them, save them, and so here they are.

So, let's see.

I'm looking at this.

How many do I need?

This is okay.

I washed them before I put them in, but I'm gonna scrape just a little bit.

This is the outside rind of the cheese.

You want to scrape whatever is on the outside, just if there's any dirt or anything.

That yellow and that -- that's aging, and that's okay.

It's all about flavor.

And of course, the rest is, fill it up with water.

♪♪ So, you keep on filling it with water until it reaches almost to the top.

Let it come to a boil, and then you lower it and let it simmer three, four hours.

Let it simmer.

Let it simmer.

The slow boil will give you a cleaner stock.

Put a nice cover on it and let it perk away.

And then you're gonna have delicious stock to put in the freezer.

Put the date.

Put whatever it is -- chicken stock, mixed stock, whatever you put in there, so you know.

And it will last in the freezer three, four months, no problem.

And just like that, you have homemade stock.

Risotto di farro con verza e salsiccia.

Barley.

It's a grain.

It's a great grain, from soups to making risottos to side orders.

The Romans used it a lot, so it's one of the oldest grains in the Italian culinary history.

It's a grain that needs to be cooked before you actually begin the risotto.

Here I have cooked barley, and to cook barley, it's rather simple.

You just put some water, some salt, bay leaves.

You remove the bay leaves once it's cooked.

And it's about three-quarters of the way done.

And now we're gonna make some sauce to sort of dress up the risotto.

Start with some oil, some onion, and sausage.

That's the basis of the flavoring here.

So, the sausage, you can cut it and slice it, but I like to pull it out of the casing.

♪♪ And it's simple.

Sometimes you can even buy sausage that's out of the casing, but it has all the flavoring of sausage.

So, I'm gonna just kind of break it up a little bit.

And if it really sticks together, what's good is just to put a little bit of white wine right in here and it begins to break apart.

♪♪ ♪♪ Onion.

Onion and cabbage go good together.

It's a good base for a lot of Italian sauces.

So, I am cutting, making the slices not all the way because I want the head to stay together so it doesn't slip away all over it.

Then you go cross-cutting it.

Just like that.

And your onion is cut.

Let's put the onion in with the sausage.

And here I like the thyme as a flavoring.

So, thyme, you just need the leaves.

You don't want the woodsy stem.

I usually hold it at the top and kind of go counter stem, just like that.

You could put the whole stem in there, and usually the leaves will fall off.

But then you would have to go and fish for these woodsy stems in your sauce.

Now let's chop this a little bit.

And let's put it right in.

I'm going to put a little bit of wine in here to deglaze and to get everything cooking.

And good drinking wine -- that's what you cook with.

And now we deal with the cabbage.

I love Savoy cabbage.

And for this we're going to use only half of it.

But cabbage is one of those vegetables that really keep for you.

So, you put it in a plastic bag, you put it in the refrigerator, and you could use it.

It's great to make soups.

I sometimes just sauté cabbage and onions in the pan and I got myself a great vegetable.

So, here we have the core, and you just have to go at the core of it and get it out, cut it like that.

No problem.

Let's cut it like this so it's more manageable.

And now let's shred it.

♪♪ ♪♪ So, let's season this -- salt... peperoncino.

♪♪ The onions have wilted, but they still have their texture.

And I think it's time to put the cabbage right in.

♪♪ I'm gonna need some salt for the cabbage now.

I put enough peperoncino.

Wine now.

Ahh, let's do it.

[ Chuckles ] You know, when in doubt, pour the wine in.

♪♪ And this is gonna slowly break down.

Cover it.

And now we have time to chat a little bit.

And you know I love to hear from you.

So let's go.

So, Victoria -- "I wanted to know why Italians use parsley?

"Some say it's a compliment to a dish, but it really has no significant flavor."

What do you mean, Victoria, no significant flavor?

Parsley has a very unique flavor.

And you know what, Victoria?

It is very nutritional.

Iron and vitamin C and minerals.

So, it is quite important.

And it's kind of a refresher to a dish.

And of course it looks beautiful as garnish.

So, Victoria, keep on using those fresh herbs and keep on sending and keep on asking.

Now let's go back to the cabbage.

Mmm.

You can see how this is cooking away.

I am going to put some stock, and at this point I'm gonna add the barley.

Now, I told you the barley is cooked almost three-quarters of the way.

Whereas the risotto, you start the rice right from the beginning, here you make the sauce, you cook the barley partially, and then you add it.

Barley is a good grain to use.

You have the cabbage, and we have the sausage, the flavor, and some of the proteins and the fats.

A little salt for the barley.

Let it simmer, come back to it periodically, and then we'll dress it up for the finale.

When I'm waiting, I love to hear from you, so let's go and check what's in my email.

"In your recipes, you use a lot of cabbage.

"But what kind should I buy at the store?

There are so many options these days."

So, Greg, there's the regular cabbage.

There's the Savoy cabbage.

There's the red cabbage.

There's the Chinese cabbage.

It's endless.

Basically, I use the red cabbage to make salads, but the other cabbages I love in soups.

I love them to make pastas.

I love them to make risottos.

I love to stuff cabbage leaves with meat.

So, it's endless, what you can do with cabbages.

And I used to help my grandma plant and collect the cabbage when we were ready to cook one.

I especially loved the Savoy cabbage, the curliness on the leaves.

It looked like a green rose to me.

I hope I answered some of your questions, and I will keep on looking for you.

Look how good this looks!

The risotto -- I've been mixing it.

And I think we are there.

Let me put just a little bit more of the stock here.

This is the time to cut the scallions.

And, you know, I always tell you, I use the green part of the scallion as much as I can.

Let's add this.

The scallions are going to wilt and cook just with the heat of the risotto.

And I'm gonna do the mantecare just like you do a risotto -- so, the butter and the cheese.

Let's put the few dabs of butter, room temperature.

Mix that in.

It has a real earthy aroma, the barley, you know?

Let's put the cheese.

The butter and the cheese kind of pull all the flavors together gives it that creamy comfort feeling.

♪♪ And a little plate for Lidia.

A ladle is a great way to serve this.

Okay, let's go to the other plate.

♪♪ Let's go to the Lidia plate.

All right.

Here we are.

Ready to bring it to the table.

This looks beautiful.

I wanted to serve you today.

How's that?

Let me get a fork.

Now, I'm going to put a little bit more cheese here for me.

You certainly can put the bowl of grated cheese or a chunk of cheese and let them grate themselves.

Now, let me taste.

Mmm.

It has texture.

The cabbage, the sausages.

There's a creaminess about it.

I am gonna sit down and enjoy it.

But in the meantime, I want to invite you, too.

I don't want to leave you out.

And as I always say, tutti a tavola a mangiare.

♪♪ Everybody wants to make the perfect risotto, nice and creamy, al dente, flavorful.

Yes, you need short-grain rice, a rice that releases the starches, and you need some good flavoring.

Whether it's fish or if you want to make it with saffron, you need the flavoring.

But the one element that will make you make a good risotto is the technique.

And that's how you're gonna make it perfect.

So follow that technique.

[ Singing in Italian ] ♪♪ [ Singing continues ] ♪♪ ♪♪ -E una patata bollente.

-"E una patata bollente" means a boiling potato, hot potato -- you can't keep it in your hands.

You got to keep juggling it.

-Take a fork!

-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...