-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: Tradition to Table."

-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.

-It's the Italian way.

Prosecco Doc rosé.

A toast of Italy.

-Locatelli pecorino Romano cheese from Italy.

Handcrafted from 100% sheep's milk.

-There are two strategies when it comes to hosting.

Either you prepare the food in advance... or you put on a show!

This make-ahead baked pasta is a classic.

Here I use crespelle to wrap up the sweet spinach ricotta filling.

Che bellezza!

Crespelle were a childhood staple for me.

Brava!

-Thank you.

And serving them with a topping bar... -Whipped cream... -Okay.

-...and the little chocolate hazelnuts.

-...is a fun, festive way to treat your guests.

-Mmm!

-From the Amalfi Coast, home of limoni Sorrentini, comes this famous dish.

The addition of shrimp with this bright, creamy sauce makes it a show-stopper to serve à la minute.

The aroma of Sorrento fills this kitchen.

Be my guest.

♪♪ ♪♪ Cooking is a job.

You can be a cook, a chef.

But at the same time, at home, you're a host.

Hosting.

That's a job in itself.

It's make everyone feel welcome, preparing everything right.

If you want to enjoy the crowd, do a little ahead preparation, whether you do baked pasta, braised veal shanks, whether you do oxtails.

On the other hand, you can be the show of the event, be behind the range and cook.

You know, I know when I do that, people love it.

It's like a lesson.

But if you do that, pick something that you know how to cook well.

Be the great host and be the great cook at the same party.

The holiday parties, I think, are the ones that I really put my heart and soul into it because it's the family celebrating who we are.

Even if it's just the family, when we get all together, you're talking about 20 people.

So what I do is a buffet for the appetizer, meaning that a lot of the preparations are done.

Salads, affettati, cheese boards, fruits.

We love vegetables, so a lot of grilled vegetable, roasted vegetables.

And all of that is room-temperature.

Olives, anchovies, marinated fish and whatever.

And everybody helps themselves.

Then everybody sits down, and that's when the main course comes.

I do that usually family-style.

Out come the baked manicotti.

Out come gnocchi.

Out come the polenta, the roast.

And dessert, again, I go back to buffet.

I put all my desserts out there, let everybody enjoy.

Fruits, cookies, whatever they want.

These are some ideas.

When you're the host, get it together, make a plan, and have a great party.

I'll finish this in the kitchen, so see you there.

[ Indistinct conversations ] ♪♪ Let's go.

[ Indistinct conversations ] 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 this 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.

You're going to 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.

Just like 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 farmers market, wash it first.

But you do need seasoning.

A little bit of salt.

And a little bit of peperoncino just like that.

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

[ Sizzling ] Mmm!

Here's some provola.

Let me just finish grating some more provola.

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 going to strain it here.

Discard the garlic.

We don't need this anymore.

And I'm going to 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 going to 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.

I'm 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 flavors 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 leftover, Grandma would make ricotta.

And ricotta is so easy to make.

Ricotta -- "re-cooked."

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 filling.

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 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 over-sauce.

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 get the crespelle di ricotta cooked inside that 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 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 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 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 love when they come in when you ask me questions.

And this one is from Carol.

"Any suggestions for a delicious, Italian dinner for five?

I am competent in the kitchen, but I would like to make it easy to prepare and then clean up.

You're welcome to come, too.

Make it an even six!"

Well, thank you for the invitation, Carol.

Things like brazing.

If you do an ossobuco or if you do stuffed peppers or if you do chicken cacciatore, that is food that could be ready.

You have cooked it.

Just warm it up and serve it.

And so you can join your guests.

And you can even do it family-style like Lidia would.

Just bring the pans right on the table.

I think that's part of the fun.

So, Carol, thank you for the invite.

I always love hearing from you.

Good questions.

Mmm!

Smells delicious.

Looks delicious.

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

Ay-yi-yi, yi-yi, yi-yi!

Che bellezza!

♪♪ Voilá.

I'm gonna make 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 going to make this?

I hope so.

You should.

You'll love it.

♪♪ -Crespelle guarnite a piacere.

-My grandkids are big now, and when they come, it's always a celebration.

So I'm making one of Julia's favorites.

The palacinke, Julia.

-They are my favorite.

-So do you know how to make the batter?

-Um, I don't know if I remember.

Flour, eggs, vanilla, lemon?

What else?

-Water or milk?

Water.

-Oh.

Water.

-And it needs to be like this.

Just like a melted ice-cream texture.

Of course, I'm going to make some more of these.

I have made a whole pile.

-Mm-hmm.

-And do you want to flip it like me?

-Can you teach me how?

-So you shake it around.

-Okay.

-And then you push out... and you catch it in.

Push it a little high.

-It's gonna go flying!

Ohh!

-Well!

Brava!

-Thank you.

-Okay.

It's inborn.

[ Laughter ] You ready to stuff yours?

-Yes, but I think I'm gonna take a cold one.

-Yeah.

These are hot.

-Yeah.

-And... -I'm gonna do whipped cream... -Okay.

-...and the little chocolate hazelnuts.

-Okay.

Good.

That's it.

-Little bed for the chocolate sit on.

-Okay.

I'm continuing to make them.

[ Sizzling ] I think I'm gonna roll it up instead of folding it.

-Oh.

Okay.

That's the way you always used to like it, no?

-Yes.

-That's it.

Mmm!

-Mmm!

-Good?

Just like you remember them?

-Mm-hmm.

Yes.

-Okay.

Let me just... A little bit more of heat.

And you can flip it while I do mine.

I am going to do rosehip jam.

I used to go with Grandma Rosa at the end of the summer, and we used to collect rosehip and that was made into a jam.

Shake it.

Yeah?

Is it ready to flip?

-I think so.

-You want to flip it in the air or you want to flip it with the -- -I can try in the air.

-Go for it!

-Uh-oh.

-A little bit more push.

Alright!

Okay.

And just get in there and adjust it.

Don't be afraid of the heat.

Okay.

Now...my rosehip.

-Mmm!

That looks good.

-Doesn't it?

And, you know, I like it as simple as marmalade, so like this.

-I remember you always put marmalade on yours.

-Want to try a bite of mine?

-Okay.

Mmm!

That's good.

-You like it?

So, Julia, do you think you'll do this for your friends?

-Yeah, that sounds so fun, but I think maybe I would add some, like, bananas in the toppings.

Or could you do berries or something?

-Absolutely.

All of that.

It's endless.

And just like that, we're gonna keep on eating.

And she's going to make crespelle.

You make your own crespelle.

Right?

Do I get a baccino?

-Mm-hmm.

-Mwah!

Just like that.

♪♪ Spaghetti conditi al limone.

The aroma of Sorrento fills this kitchen.

You know, when you go down the Amalfi Coast and... Tree after tree.

Gardens after gardens.

Full of lemons hanging, and they are beautiful.

So we're going to make a lemon pasta, and I'm going to try to bring those aromas, those flavors into your house.

And I'm going to add some shrimp.

You know, it's a pasta with lemon sauce.

And they do that in the Sorrento area, in the whole Amalfi area quite often.

You know?

They do with what they have.

They have a lot of good lemons.

When in season, it's pasta with lemons.

But I added a little bit of shrimp, just a little bit of protein.

Let's sear the shrimp first.

Nice hot pan.

[ Sizzling ] Full speed ahead.

You want the shrimp to cook quickly.

Get a nice color to it.

And let me add some garlic... to add to the flavor.

And you notice I'm not touching them.

I'm letting it be so that they can build that crust underneath and then we'll flip them over.

A little bit of salt.

Peperoncino, of course.

And you got yourself this wonderful pasta dish.

It's so easy to make.

And it's so refreshing in the summertime, especially.

Regular spaghetti will do, but you can do any shape of pasta.

I just got to grab a fish spatula.

And the shrimps, we get them to the right point.

You don't want to overcook shrimps, but you do want them cooked.

Let's pull out the shrimp, and we'll go right in here.

So we have, uh -- We'll make the sauce right in here so we retain some of the flavor of the shrimp.

Of course, if you do not want that in the sauce, you can clean up the pan and begin afresh.

So let's begin with the sauce.

Butter.

And the water boiling there.

I don't want the butter to separate, so I'm going to put just a little bit of the pasta cooking water.

Okay.

And I'm going to put the pasta in.

By the time the sauce is made... Do not break your spaghetti.

Do not crack them.

The Italians like their long pasta.

So let's continue with making the sauce here.

We have the cream here.

So the lemon -- I'm going to put a little bit on the shrimp.

So the shrimp gets a little bit of the lemony zest.

♪♪ And you want just the yellow part.

You don't want the white zest.

That's the bitter part.

♪♪ And, you know, you could do this beforehand.

♪♪ Let me get a little bit...

The juices flowing here.

♪♪ Okay.

♪♪ What you have here is the little acidity of the lemon, which kind of cuts in, and it really makes it delicious.

Slowly just bring it up to a little bubble.

You don't want it to overcook.

You just want the elements to get together.

Look at the spaghetti.

Okay.

A few more minutes.

I have time to see what you're up to.

So it's "Ask Lidia" time.

And I love it.

So keep on sending them in.

Here is Irene.

"I am planning a trip to Italy this summer.

Note.

I love to eat."

Alright.

I like that note.

"What are your favorite places to travel to in Italy?"

You can eat any place all over Italy and really be happy and satisfied, but it depends a lot on the season.

Depends when you're going.

So let's say you go in the fall.

Of course, you want to go to Piedmonte.

The truffles.

The porcini are out.

If you go in the summer, of course, you want to go down to Sicily.

The eggplants, the tomatoes, the buffalo mozzarella.

A place that you always have to pass by is Emilia-Romagna.

The richness of prosciutto.

All of those goodies.

All kinds of cheeses.

Emilia-Romagna is kind of a stop that you have to make en route someplace.

So have a great trip.

Eat your way through Italy, just like Lidia does.

Thank you.

So yes, here we are ready.

Let me just fish them out.

A little bit al dente because I'll finish cooking it right in here.

♪♪ Kind of... blend all this together.

So, what's beautiful about this dish, of course, is the lemon flavors, aromas that permeate all of it.

But it is, you know, this creaminess.

And I'm going to put some cheese.

You notice I closed the fire because I don't want to cook cheese.

You must have heard it a thousand times from me.

Cheese always goes at the very end.

You can always put the cheese on the table.

And, you know, I use a little plate always to transport my pasta so I don't dribble all over the place.

Let's do that.

Let's go this plate here first.

This pasta is alive.

It is crawling all over the place.

Okay.

♪♪ And a little for Lidia right here.

So you could serve it just like that, and this is a delicious pasta.

Or with the shrimp on top.

So am I gonna -- Just like that.

And four or five shrimp are enough.

Okay.

We are ready to serve this.

And you could put a little bit of parsley.

Just not too much.

I think like that.

It's like a bouquet.

Bouquet of flowers.

And let me taste this for you.

Don't cut the pastas, number one.

Rule number one.

Rule number two is don't use a spoon to twirl your pasta.

Get a little pasta, go in the corner, and twirl it and bring it up.

And if there's a little hanging, don't worry about it.

You'll figure it out.

The pasta is delicious just by itself.

Che bonta!

I'm gonna invite you, as I always say... Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

Come.

And I am going to go back to my pasta.

-[ Singing in Italian ] ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -[ Speaking Italian ] -And in your company is always a great time.

-Thank you very much.

I appreciate.

-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.

-And by...