An Italian Lunchbox

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.

Handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

ANNOUNCER: Olitalia, "From chef to chef."

ANNOUNCER: And by... LIDIA: In Italy, lunch is just as important as dinner.

But if you have to have lunch on the go, don't forget to take a little taste of Italy with you.

A mix of sliced radishes, red onion, and fennel are balanced with prosciutto cotto to make a satisfying, hearty salad, Wild cherries from Italy star in this sweet jam tart for an easy, packable, sweet finish.

Don't forget to pack your lunch the Lidia way.

"An Italian Lunchbox."

Lunch is a big deal for Italy and for the Italians.

In the afternoon, everything shuts down.

1:30, 2:00, everybody wants to go with their family, friends for lunch.

Till this day, when I go to Italy, I enjoy lunch.

I really do.

I enjoy the caffe, the coffee after, my wine.

I get sleepy.

I could take a nap.

I love my naps, because as kids, we always took our naps.

So it's a whole life that comes back to me when I go to Italy, and lunch comes around.

Shaved fennel, radish, red onion salad with prosciutto cotto.

I'm here in Monza, a beautiful small city just outside of Milano, and I'm visiting with my dear friend Claudia.

She gave me an idea for a great salad.

We are going to begin with radishes.

They are very nutritious, good.

I love the crunch of them.

And then, you know, just cut the tip and the root.

And then we'll slice them thin.

The radishes are round.

You know, they roll all around.

You cut them in half.

You put them down.

Now you're much more in control of cutting the radishes.

You won't get the round slices, but you'll be in control, so you...

Okay.

I think we have enough of the radishes, and we keep on building this salad.

Celery.

You know, a lot of times you wonder, you know, "Okay, what do I do with the greens?"

You use them.

You actually use them in a salad.

It gives you a little bit of green, and you don't waste anything.

♪ You know, I love the freshness of fennel.

Fennel has that licorice taste to it, and it has a nice crunch.

Just need to clean it.

You wash it well, of course.

You take the outside leaves.

Let's see.

I'm going to cut it here, but I'm going to save these fronds.

Actually, I'm going to put them right in, because it gives some color to the salad.

So save the fronds if it's nice and fresh, and let's put that in.

So, I just take the core out because -- Sometimes I eat it.

It's nice and crunchy, but it is a little tough.

♪ Okay.

So, here I have some red onions.

I just cut them up and let them steep in a little bit of water and vinegar just to get the sharpness out of them.

And you just squeeze it out like that and put it right in.

This is the caciocavallo.

It's made almost like a mozzarella, but then it is cured into this delicious and creamy and complex cheese.

So, gonna cut... ...a piece, and it has a layer of wax over it which I'm going to just peel off in a way like this.

So, I think I'm going to do this in little batons, you know, little kind of match sticks, if you will.

You could shave this in there.

You can make small cubes.

You can do anything you want, but I think the batons gives it a little elegance, and they're really good.

I like that.

♪ If you see a size that's too big, of course, you go back, and you cut it just like that.

Okay.

And then now the ham, which is delicious.

Let's see.

Do we want long batons?

Yeah.

♪ You know what?

I just can't resist this.

Mm, the aroma is delicious.

Okay.

So, let's put this in.

I need to do the dressing.

The dressing is usually 1/3 of the acidic, in this case, lemon juice, and three parts of the olive oil.

And of course, I use the extra virgin olive oil, because, you know, you want those great ingredients.

And this is a great way to make a dressing.

You just, you know, mix it up well, and then you can leave the dressing in this jar, and you can use it for other things.

So, here we go.

A little bit of dressing, not all of it.

Let's toss and toss.

♪ So, I'm going to let it rest for about 10 minutes so the flavors all meld into each other, if you will.

I'm going to clean up and then I'm going to call my friend Claudia, and we'll taste together.

Let's see what she thinks.

Benvenuti to my library.

I'm ready for your questions.

Keep on sending them.

So let's see what's in my box.

So, here's an e-mail from Everett.

"I am going on a road trip and want to bring some things to eat along the way.

I remember you talking about Merenda in Italy.

Can you share some ideas?"

Oh, the ideas are endless.

A panino.

Could be with some tomatoes, prosciutto, mortadella.

It could be prosciutto cotto.

I like a little bit of horseradish on my prosciutto cotto, and then the cheeses -- Grana, Gorgonzola, Taleggio, Robiola, Piave.

There's so many cheeses that you can bring with you for a merenda.

But sandwiches can be made also of leftovers.

A sandwich of frittata, absolutely.

You can have a piece of meat or piece of chicken, again, makes a great sandwich.

Pasta that's leftover, reheated, for merenda would be perfectly acceptable.

And then some fruits with that.

Just use one of those glass canning jars with the lid on and bring it along with you.

And it's endless.

Good question.

Good question.

Here I am with my dear friend Claudia in her test kitchen.

And this is an Italian woman that has been in the kitchen and cooking and preparing for over 50 years with your family.

Now, Claudia, you gave me an idea for this salad.

I modified it a little bit.

I hope you like it.

CLAUDIA: This is a wonderful salad.

You have made a very -- a very capo lavoro.

LIDIA: Capo lavoro is a top-notch job.

[ Speaks Italian ] Thank you.

Thank you for the compliment, coming from an Italian woman that's been in the kitchen all these years.

So, I'm going to let you taste a little bit and let's see what you think of it.

May I give you the fork?

CLAUDIA: Thank you.

LIDIA: I'm going to taste some myself.

[ Speaking Italian ] [ Chuckles ] CLAUDIA: Very, very wonderful.

Very, very good.

Yes.

LIDIA: You like it?

You like the cheese?

CLAUDIA: With my compliment.

LIDIA: Thank you.

But this -- We did this together.

You gave me an idea, and I am delighted that you enjoy.

And, you know, it's always a pleasure visiting with you, cooking with you to some extent.

Thank you for having me.

CLAUDIA: [ Chuckles ] ♪ LIDIA: 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 -- Prosciutto, Scallion, and Egg Sandwich."

Ethan was going to call me.

I guess he needs some information.

Here he is right now.

Hi, Ethan.

ETHAN: Hello.

How are you?

LIDIA: Oh, I see you are in your kitchen at home.

Did you want some recipes from me?

ETHAN: Yeah, my friends and I need some new recipes that we can use up at school on our hot plate.

LIDIA: Hot plate.

Okay, so, egg, prosciutto, and scallion frittata sandwich, and you're ready to go.

My grandfather used to make it all the time, and he used to love it.

The frittata is easy.

First, there's the prosciutto or render the bacon, if you're doing the bacon.

The scallions, you clean, and you cut it in small pieces.

You want some of the green part in there.

And you -- Go ahead.

I see you have a question.

ETHAN: What if we don't have scallions?

What about just normal onions?

LIDIA: Absolutely okay.

Your rendering the scallions and the prosciutto.

Not a big flame, because you don't want to burn it.

In the meantime, you take your eggs, salt, pepper.

It's important that you whisk good the eggs.

And what else do you think you can put or would like to put in your frittata?

ETHAN: I like peppers.

What about some crushed-up sausage?

LIDIA: Absolutely.

That's a good idea.

Take it out of the casing, and you get it nice and caramelized.

And so you throw in the eggs, and you just mix it, mix it, scrape it off the sides until you get it done.

Do you have a toaster there?

ETHAN: Yes.

LIDIA: So toast the bread first, cut it in half, and then you make your sandwiches.

And once you made it, wrap it in aluminum foil.

ETHAN: That's a good idea to wrap it in foil to take it on the go so I can eat it out in between classes or just sitting outside in the sun.

LIDIA: This is certainly a simple recipe.

ETHAN: Yeah, it sounds delicious.

LIDIA: So, we'll come up with some other recipes, and I'll modify the recipes to fit your hot plate.

ETHAN: Good.

Good food helps fuel the mind.

LIDIA: Absolutely.

Love you.

ETHAN: Love you, too.

LIDIA: Ciao, ciao.

Cherry jam tart.

I am in Bologna.

Bologna is a wonderful city in Emilia-Romagna.

Actually, the Emilia part, that's where I am, and I'm visiting with some friends.

Does this look like a house?

Well, it's a little store of my two dearest friends Monica and Daniela, the two of them.

And they make pasta.

They sell pasta out of this little store right here.

In the back is Mercato delle Erbe, is the market, so you have everything here.

And this is the season for cherries, and I couldn't help myself but make a quick tart for you.

So, butter and sugar, and that is whipped together.

The butter -- You know, always work with cold butter.

It's hard to whip it, so I did a little bit before.

I'm going to add to that flour, just regular flour.

♪ Almond flour.

And almond flour is great because you know the macaron feeling, the chewiness to a dough?

That's what almond flour does.

And it's -- it has a nice texture.

A little bit of salt.

And now let's get this all together.

♪ Do not overwork the dough because, you know, the butter will begin to melt, and that's no good.

Think about pie-making, that crumbly dough.

And, you know, no machines here.

This is all by hand for them.

Now, look at this arsenal of pasta rollers, from the big ones to the smaller ones.

And these are cutters.

So these are serious ladies about their pasta.

You know, in Italy, if you're talking about egg pasta, there's no better place than Bologna, Emilia.

And if you're talking about tortellini, this is the heart of tortellini.

So, here we are.

Wrap it up in Saran Wrap just like that.

♪ Put it in the refrigerator for about two hours, and I'm going to get myself a nice espresso.

So, here Tony wrote... "I like cherries.

What good Italian desserts are there that star cherries?"

Endless.

Tarts, strudel, pies, drinks.

You know, I always like fresh things, the fresh fruit when it's in season, but the cherries preserved in syrup are a great thing to have in your cupboard.

They are very versatile in baking and cooking and making desserts and making drinks, and they bring the flavor of cherries in the middle of winter.

Cherries are one of my favorite fruits.

I love them.

So, let's keep on going.

So, let's assemble the tart now.

The filling.

Cherry jam.

That will bind it all together.

Here I have some reconstituted dried cherries.

You know, you can do it with rum.

You can do it with water.

And the amarena.

Amarena.

Cured amarena, if you will.

This is the land of cherries, but amarenas specifically.

So this is just a little cherry, that it is bitter and sweet, and it is excellent done this way as they do it in Emilia.

These cherries are just so versatile because they're -- Let me put -- You can stuff cakes with them.

You can make Manhattans and use them for drinks, use them for ice-cream sundaes.

I'm draining it out, the juice, because, you know, the tart -- You don't want it too juicy.

But otherwise the juice is excellent.

And the filling's -- All it is, is the jam that keeps it all together.

So, the dough.

I rolled it out.

Rolling it between parchment paper is a great idea.

This way, you can handle it better.

I have a baking pan, a low one.

You don't need a big one.

I'm measuring.

I just want it to come up the sides.

Maybe stretch it out a little more.

So, I rolled it out, and I put it in the refrigerator all rolled out like that so I can handle it because it is such a fragile dough.

Make sure that you put a piece of parchment paper underneath then a little butter and flour on the sides so that you can flip it out.

Then we just put it on top like that.

And you can just flip it or help yourself with something so it doesn't break on you.

And you just...flip it up.

Just take the parchment.

And you say, "Oh, Lidia, it's ripping."

Oh, but it is so easy.

It's like Play-Doh.

It falls right into place.

So, now with a knife... pick it up and just cut... ♪ Yeah.

Okay.

Shape it in, because you don't want these little pieces to burn when they bake.

You want them into the pan.

So, out of the dough that I made, that whole dough, I cut it in two thirds.

One third is right here, and I'm going to cut the lattice out of it.

The lattice topping.

And two thirds are used for the base right here.

Okay.

Let me put the stuffing... all right in.

Now, you can think of this with any fruit, any jam.

You can do strawberry and rhubarb, blueberries.

So let's just even it out.

And you don't need all that much of a filling, either.

This will be just enough.

And, again, parchment paper.

That makes it easy for you to move the dough.

And go even sizes like that.

And you cut this whole dough.

And then you use what you need and the rest make into cookies.

♪ So you do it from one side to the next.

Let's do it diagonally.

Ah, you see?

How it's -- it's breaking?

So be careful.

That doesn't mean that you can't patch it up.

♪ Okay.

♪ Can patch it up just like that.

Because once it bakes, it's going to bake together.

Oh.

I have a spatula.

It's not the perfect spatula for this, but it will help me.

Take this one.

♪ ♪ Okay.

Now, on top of that, I'm going to put some almonds.

Toasted almonds are such a great topping for this.

And they will toast, and they will be delicious.

And...voilá.

Your tart is ready to be cooked.

Put it in a preheated 350-degree oven, 45 to 50 minutes, and it should be nice and crunchy and golden and delicious.

Let me get through those e-mails.

I have loads of them.

And here I have an e-mail from Valerie.

She says, "My grandkids, ranging from age 3 to 7, always want to join me in the kitchen."

That's nice.

"What are some easy tasks I can assign them when I'm cooking Do you have any recipe suggestions that are more approachable for them?"

Yes, Valerie.

You know, dough making is so approachable.

Kids love it.

Get the dough done and then let them, a little bit, feel the whole dough, but give them each their own little piece, put them on the side of you, and let them do their thing and follow what you're doing, whether you're making pasta, whether you're making bread.

Take them through the process and keep them busy that way.

Something my grandkids really loved was washing the vegetable in the sink full of water.

Dunking the vegetables in and out of the water.

They love that.

Those are two of the easiest.

And, really, kids love that.

Great that they want to come in the kitchen with you.

Keep them there.

Keep on cooking.

Love your questions.

And keep on writing.

Ciao.

So, here we are in Le Sfogline, this jewel of a little pasta shop right behind Mercato delle Erbe in Bologna with Monica and Daniela.

[ All speaking Italian ] Oh, it's such a pleasure.

DANIELA: Yeah.

LIDIA: You know, these ladies -- they're two sisters.

I've been coming here... MONICA: Ages ago.

LIDIA: ...for 20 years.

DANIELA: Yes.

LIDIA: And I came here to profess my pasta-making, because that's what they do -- these golden sheets of silk pasta that they do here.

But now I'm gonna ask them to taste my creation.

DANIELA: Oh.

LIDIA: Assagiare, si.

DANIELA: Yes.

LIDIA: Do you like it?

MONICA: Oh, fantastic.

DANIELA: Yeah.

MONICA: I'm longing to taste it.

LIDIA: Okay.

All right.

So you make cakes here, right?

What do you make?

You -- MONICA: Usually apple cake during the winter, and for summer, we used to make another with peaches.

DANIELA: But cherries is... MONICA: Cherries are great.

LIDIA: Yeah, yeah, they're good.

DANIELA: We love it.

Mmm.

LIDIA: So since the dough is so crumbly, which makes it delicious, a serrated knife -- nice and easy.

Okay, one for you.

DANIELA: Oh!

LIDIA: One for each one of us here.

Let's see.

DANIELA: Oh, I prefer with ice cream.

LIDIA: Okay.

She's gonna set it up.

I'm going to decorate this for my guests out there.

So you see... DANIELA: Okay.

LIDIA: ...you can just line it up.

Some small ones.

Some larger ones.

DANIELA: Oh, wonderful.

LIDIA: Oh, and you put some Amarena cherries on top of it.

Should I put it a little bit of powdered sugar on top?

MONICA: Yes, for the diet is perfect.

LIDIA: Just a little bit.

DANIELA: It's very light.

LIDIA: That's it.

For the diet, you said.

DANIELA: Yes, it's perfect.

LIDIA: Listen, listen.

You know, life -- you gotta eat some good things now and then.

Okay.

Oh, thank you.

And are we gonna drink something with -- MONICA: Of course we are going to.

LIDIA: What are we drinking?

MONICA: Lambrusco.

LIDIA: Ah, Lambrusco.

MONICA: Of course.

LIDIA: Okay.

MONICA: Ooh!

LIDIA: Lambrusco is a regional wine here.

It's dry.

It goes great with desserts.

But it also -- 'cause this is sweet.

[ Speaks Italian ] Cin-cin.

DANIELA: Cin-cin.

LIDIA: Thank you for having me in your house.

MONICA: Thank you for coming again.

LIDIA: I'm gonna sip.

Mmm.

MONICA: Very good.

LIDIA: So let's taste.

I want your opinion on -- MONICA: Yes, of course.

Mmm.

LIDIA: Mmm.

MONICA: Really special.

LIDIA: It's delicious.

And, you know... DANIELA: Yes, delicious.

LIDIA: ...all my viewers in America are gonna be so delighted to meet two wonderful Italian ladies that have -- that are passionate about their pasta.

You know, Americans love their pasta.

But for now... DANIELA: Buonissimo.

LIDIA: [ Speaks Italian ] DANIELA: Buonissimo.

LIDIA: Okay.

Then you can use my recipe.

MONICA: Oh, thank you.

LIDIA: I certainly use many of your recipes.

DANIELA: Thank you so much.

LIDIA: And, you know, while we're enjoying our friendship, I invite you, too, tutti a tavola a mangiare.

Do come.

MONICA: Thank you.

DANIELA: Thank you.

MONICA: I will.

LIDIA: [ Laughs ] Yes, I got romantic about my lunchtime, but not always in today's world do we have that opportunity.

You know, sometimes I pack my own lunch.

But nonetheless, if you pack that lunch, pack it with care.

Take the time to choose something that you will really enjoy, and take the time to eat it.

Give yourself the time.

Don't stay there at the desk, one hand on the fork, the other one on the clickers there.

Take your time, go out -- whenever there's a nice, comfortable place conducive to relaxing and having a meal.

And as always, Grandma's songs carry me, us, to those tables, wherever they may be.

[ 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.

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.

♪ ♪ ♪