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.

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Paolo Rovagnati -- The true Italian tradition.

ANNOUNCER: And by... ♪ LIDIA: I love adding my touch to a classic dish and there's nothing like a good roasted chicken and a great Italian cheesecake the Lidia way.

There's nothing better than a roast chicken, but dress it with a sweet pomegranate syrup, and something familiar turns new.

This decadent, creamy chocolate cheesecake is made with ricotta, for an Italian twist on an American favorite.

Let's refresh some classics.

♪ Food is beyond just nourishing our bodies.

It's really nourishing our emotions, our sentiments.

And I know that, when I cook certain foods, Grandma's with me.

My mother is with me, with other foods.

We all should have that connection because food is an identity of who we are, what our culture is, and whence we come from.

You know, I remember that, when we left Istria to go back to Italy, I didn't know I was leaving Grandma and all my friends, and all my animal friends.

But, once I got to Trieste and I knew that we weren't going back, there was a void in me.

I didn't say goodbye to Grandma.

I didn't say goodbye to my friends.

I didn't say goodbye to my goat!

And all of these were kind of lingering with me.

And slowly getting into food and cooking food and bringing those flavors, those aromas, those memories, brought Grandma with me.

And so it is important.

'Til this day, you know, I cook guazzetto.

That's something we had on Sundays so often.

And I can close my eyes and just the aroma will take me right there.

And I want to transport that, you know, certainly, to my children, I did, but also to my grandchildren.

When we eat, I also tell them stories.

The table is a great place to share memories, to share philosophies, to share wisdom with the next generations.

So, when you choose that recipe, choose one that will really take you there.

It could be in the aroma.

It could be in the taste.

It could be in the presentation.

All of that matters, so, choose your recipes carefully.

♪ Everybody loves a roasted chicken and this is a new twist -- a roasted chicken with some pomegranate sauce.

Simple, delicious, and it really looks beautiful.

So, I like to do half a chicken, you know, butterfly chicken, as we say.

Let's seasoned that with salt.

Both sides.

And, first, I'll brown it in the pan and then, with the same pan, go right in the oven.

So let's put a little bit of oil.

Nice, hot pan.

And skin-down, first.

[ Sizzling ] While we wait for that to caramelize, I'm going to clean this up and then, we'll flip them on the other side.

Benvenuti to my little cove here, where it's my library.

I have my research here and I look for your e-mails.

I look for your messages and I answer them.

So, here I have one from Rose.

Rose sent in a video, so let's see what Rose has to say.

ROSE: Hello, Lidia.

My name is Rose and my question for you today is what is Lidia's go-to dish?

When you say, "Tutti a tavola a mangiare," what is that meal that you love to make for your family?

That is my question.

Thank you.

-Dear Rose, you know, I love to cook seasonally and so, whenever the seasons, whatever they are, the vegetables, the fruits are in that season.

Certainly, if we're in summer, I'll toss a big salad with some mozzarella, some tomato, or maybe I'll make a pasta salad.

My granddaughter Julia, she loves pasta salads.

On the other hand, I have Miles and Ethan, that love gnocchi, and that's more of a spring/winter, if you will.

If I have just my son and my daughter and their mates, fish, clams, but, you know, I shouldn't forget to tell you the big polenta in the wintertime, with some guazzetto.

So there's a lot of things that come to my table and there's not just one thing, but these are the things that my family likes.

Thank you.

Thank you for asking.

[ Sizzling ] So we certainly got a nice caramelization here.

You put it in a 425°, hot, oven for about 20, 30 minutes and then, we'll make the sauce to go with it.

Sarno wants to know... Ah, that's a good subject, Sarno.

Wherever I can, I salvage whatever I can.

But, the basic, the big ones -- old bread.

All you have to do is throw that stale bread in the food processor and voilà, you have homemade breadcrumbs.

I even make lasagna with bread.

I use layers of a day or two old bread and I make the lasagna, instead of doing the pasta, and fill it with vegetables and cheese, and so on, and make lasagna.

Bread, also, in making desserts, you know, in making bread puddings.

Cheese rinds -- put them in a little plastic bag.

You can freeze them, but they keep well in the refrigerator.

And, when you have two, three, and you're making soup, just wash it, scrape the rind on the outside, and throw them in your soup.

They will add so much flavor.

You know that in Italy, around Parma, they make cheese-rind soup.

You put cheese rinds with some celery, some carrots, and a little bit of onions and you let it cook, you'll get a delicious cheese-rind soup.

All the leaves -- the celery leaves, the ends of the scallions -- save all of that.

Put it in the freezer.

And, when you're making that soup, pull it all out of the freezer and put it in the pot.

So, got enough ideas?

I hope so.

The chicken is ready to go.

So, now, let's make the sauce for the chicken.

The Grand Marnier.

The brandy.

Pomegranate juice.

The stock.

And this is all mixed.

Let's put it... ...all around the chicken, just like that.

Some rosemary sprigs.

And some butter, just to reduce the sauce as well.

It'll kind of pull together all of the sauce.

Like this.

Let me just grab a little bit of... ...brushing like that.

Okay.

This looks good.

We'll put it back in the hot oven.

I would say another 20 minutes to half an hour.

It should be ready.

The sauce should be really reduced.

We'll glaze it once or twice in between and it will be beautiful.

Let's see who's next.

Steve sent us a delicious picture of his chicken Marsala stuffed tortellini.

My, your tortellini look beautiful!

Wow!

Bravo, bravo, bravo!

And chicken Marsala in there.

So innovative.

Great idea.

I'm sure you had your chicken Marsala one night for dinner.

You had some leftover.

You reduced it, you chopped it, and you made this tortellini.

Look great.

And bravo for your ingenuity!

So, Steve, that looks pretty good.

Keep on cooking.

♪ "Conosco i mei polli."

That's an old proverb, Italian, meaning, Conosco i mei polli -- "I know my chickens."

I know who they are.

But, do I know my chicken!

Look at this.

This is delicious.

Remember, whenever you have something out of the oven, it has a handle and you bring it out of the oven and it's hot.

Always leave a towel on it, so somebody doesn't just grab it.

And the chickens are done.

Let's get it out.

Okay.

And... that's two.

Mmm!

They look good and delicious and juicy.

I'm looking at the sauce here.

So, maybe I'll just put a little bit of heat here and reduce that while carving this chicken.

I think I'm just going to do it in quarters.

The easiest is you just kind of cut right where the leg is.

You know what?

I see a nice piece right here.

This is going to be my tasting piece right here.

Alright!

So, let me just put it on.

Let me put next to it, just like that.

♪ Let's... ...another little piece for Lidia.

Alright!

And voilà.

No specific formation, just make it look beautiful.

And you take a little bit of the sauce.

♪ And you just kind of sauce it up a little bit, but the extra sauce, you put it in a saucier and you can put it on the table and let everybody help themselves to additional sauce, if they like.

Okay, that looks really good.

And, you know, I always tell you, you kind of finish it off with the same herbs that you used in cooking it.

Just let those herbs be fresh because, now, with the heat of the chicken, the aroma comes out.

Let me just... [ Blowing ] ♪ It is delizioso.

It is sweet, savory, a little bit acidic -- perfetto.

You know, I love chicken.

I love roasted chicken.

The simpler it is, the better it is.

Here you have a little extension with the aromatic elements, pomegranate sauce, the orange in from the Grand Marnier.

Delicious.

♪ 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.

♪ [ Ring ] Hi, Miles!

MILES: Hi, Nonni.

How are we doing?

LIDIA: Alright.

And you?

MILES: I'm good.

I'm pumped because our soccer game went so well.

LIDIA: That's a nice shirt you got, with something written on it.

What's that?

MILES: Intramural Champion shirt.

LIDIA: Your soccer team?

MILES: Yep.

LIDIA: So the finals, what's happening?

MILES: We just won the finals.

LIDIA: You just won!

That's what the party's all about.

That's why you want me to come up and cook.

MILES: Yeah, I was hoping we could do something outside, like some grilling or hamburgers.

LIDIA: Maybe we can get some Italian sausage, some hamburgers.

But what I think would really go good with that is baked beans.

Do you like that?

MILES: I like baked beans.

LIDIA: So, the baked beans, I'm going to even make them in your kitchen.

And so, I'm going to use precooked beans.

Sauté a little bit of onions, a little bit of garlic, a little bit of prosciutto cotto, some sage, a little bit of tomato paste, a little bit of honey.

To take in the Italian direction, I'll put even some balsamic vinegar and let this perk away -- not too long, because they're cooked -- and that should be a good pot of baked beans alli Italiana -- "Italian-style."

You think your friends would like that?

MILES: I think my friends would love some baked beans, Italian-style, mm-hmm.

LIDIA: So tell me about the game.

What did you play against?

MILES: We played against Unreal Madrid -- they didn't stand a chance -- and we won 6-2.

LIDIA: What position did you play, again?

MILES: I'm a striker, forward.

LIDIA: You are a forward striker, huh?

MILES: Yeah.

LIDIA: So you were kicking in those goals?

MILES: Yep.

LIDIA: Oh, I remember when you were in elementary school, going to these Saturday games.

You were always a good runner.

You still like the sport, huh?

MILES: Oh, I still love it.

LIDIA: So this is great.

So I see you're excited.

You're happy.

I'm going to be up there and let's celebrate your victory, okay?

Very proud of you.

Ciao.

Love you.

MILES: Ciao.

LIDIA: Winning a whole series of games, I mean, you know, that's something to be proud of.

Grandma needs to be there, go up there and root for this great team and, of course, her grandson, who scored quite a few goals.

♪ The quintessential Italian dessert -- ancora cioccolato.

I am going to add chocolate and make it a chocolate ricotta cheesecake.

So, let's melt the chocolate here in a double boiler.

We're going to add some heavy cream to that.

I'm going to add some cocoa to it because I want it extra chocolatey.

You know, I said ancora cioccolato -- "more chocolate."

And the importance is here that we get it all very smooth.

Okay.

So, let's prepare the spring form and we're going to butter it well.

♪ All the corners and everything well.

Add to it breadcrumbs.

And the breadcrumbs could be breadcrumbs, could be panko, could be cookie crumbs, anything.

And so, you want to get it all around, just like that.

You want to make sure that every part is coated nice and well.

♪ Some eggs.

Get the eggs, first.

Sugar.

And some salt.

And let's get that going.

So, you want the sugar, really, to dissolve with the eggs and kind of whip up.

We'll add the orange rind.

You could add lemon rind, but I like the orange in it.

Let's get that in there.

Okay.

And then, we'll add the ricotta.

The ricotta, you notice here, it's been draining.

It's important that you get a nice kind of drier ricotta, so your cheesecake is not too watery.

So make sure that you drain the ricotta like that and we'll put it right in the mixture.

And it doesn't need all that much mixing because the ricotta is a little grainy and the cheesecake remains and, actually, that's what I like in the ricotta cheesecake, that it has the texture.

But, now, we're going to make it chocolate.

♪ Let's add the chocolate.

♪ Hmm.

♪ ♪ It is all done.

♪ So we are ready to pour it right in.

This is a cake that is quite easy.

Certainly, around the holidays, we make it all the time.

♪ So, 375°, hot, oven and for about an hour, an hour and 15 minutes, until sort of the wiggle kind of stops and you see that it's solid.

It will puff up and then, it will fall down, somewhat, but that's the way it is.

So let's get it into the oven.

Let's see who's next here.

Looks like we have a video from Diane.

DIANE: Hi, Lidia.

My name is Diane.

I'm a huge fan of your show and I also happen to love Italian desserts.

Homemade cannoli is my favorite, but I wanted to know if you had any tips on the secret to making successful homemade cannolis.

LIDIA: Diane, nice kitchen!

Thank you for the video.

And, now, let's talk cannoli.

The stuffing for the cannoli is the simplest part.

Housemade ricotta is good.

Make sure it's dry.

Drain it overnight.

And to it, you add butter, sugar, a little bit of vanilla, a little bit of candied citrus -- orange, lemon.

And you whip the sugar and the ricotta, first, until it's nice and smooth, and then you just fold in the rest of the ingredients.

It's that simple.

The difficult part is actually the shell, but it's not difficult in ingredients because it's basically flour; water; a little salt; yes or no, a little sugar; and a little bit of vinegar in there with the water.

The vinegar will sort of give that yeast effect.

So, when you roll out this dough and make it thin and fry it, it will make those bubbles.

Now the problem is, of course, to have those tubes where you roll the raw dough around it and fry the dough on the tube in the hot oil.

But, Diane, I have a good answer for you.

So, what I make -- and I have it in some of my books -- is a layered cannoli.

So I make the dough and you cut it in squares and you fry the squares.

And then, when they're nice and fried and crunchy, you build a cannoli -- a layer of the square of fried dough, some stuffing, another square of fried dough, and so on.

And you have three doughs, two stuffings, and you have this wonderful napoleon-looking cannoli.

And it's delicious.

The same effect, ultimately.

Diane, keep me posted on that.

I'd like to know your success with my suggestion.

Here I have an e-mail that says... Ricotta has a unique texture, as a cheese.

Yes, it is a cheese, but it is, you know, kernels of fresh milk and has a certain texture.

I had somebody once tell me that they made a lasagna with cottage cheese [ Chuckle ] and I laughed at the same time, but now, in retrospect, thinking, you know, she didn't have ricotta cheese.

Yes, cottage cheese is a little bit more sour, but the texture is there, the milkiness is there.

Mozzarella, maybe?

That's another fresh cheese.

You can grate the mozzarella and make it in small pieces and maybe use that, but you wouldn't fool me, if you didn't put the real ricotta in there, and it's hard to substitute the texture, the flavor, of real ricotta.

But a good question!

You guys out there, you have questions of your own?

Send them in.

I will answer them.

The cheesecake, it's ready.

I let it cool at room temperature and, now, we're ready to taste it.

Let's cut a nice slice.

Just like that.

A nice, sharp, long knife will do.

Just like that.

♪ Ah, you see how chocolaty and moist?

Mmm!

So what would I like to decorate it with?

Very simple -- whipped cream and sweetened or unsweetened, it depends.

And just a dollop on top and I like it when the whipped cream just kind of saddles the cake.

Some chocolate.

We said more chocolate.

I like to drizzle the chocolate around the cake, on top of the whipped cream.

And you can always leave the chocolate, the sauce, the whipped cream, on the side.

People can always add more to it.

Some toasted almonds.

If you don't have almonds, you can use walnuts.

Hazelnuts would go great with this.

So, this is the way I would simply serve it and this is the way I think I'm going to get myself a piece.

♪ Just like that.

Whipped cream, yes.

I like my whipped cream.

Chocolate sauce?

Absolutely.

Some toasted almonds and I am ready!

Today, we did quite a few crowd pleasers.

I'm quite pleased with myself.

Are you pleased?

Well, let me taste.

Let's taste.

♪ Mmm!

Really good, really good.

And, on that note, I want to invite you.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

♪ If you don't have a recipe of memory exactly to go to, you've been cooking, you've been eating -- choose one of them.

Roasted chicken.

Everybody makes some sort of roasted chicken.

Make it your own.

Put the flavors that you want.

Put your stamp on it and let your children, your grandchildren, whoever comes next, when they make that chicken, remember Grandma, Grandpa, Mom or Dad, or whatever.

So you can create your own history, your own culinary culture, as you're going along, by all means.

And that is so important and I'm sure that you get, now, when the kids are coming over, "Grandma, what are you going to make?

What's for dinner?

What's tonight?"

They voice what they like of what you make, so, listen.

And those are the things that you should really incorporate as part of your family history.

As a child, I remember, you know, a good meal was had, some wine was had.

The table would break into a song.

So, music with family was very important to us and it's so important that I will have Grandma take us right to the table with her song.

ERMINIA: ♪ A la salute ♪ ♪ Dei nostri padri ♪ ♪ Facciamo un brindisi ♪ ERMINIA & LIDIA: ♪ Facciamo un brindisi ♪ ♪ A la salute dei nostri padri ♪ ♪ Facciamo un brindisi ♪ ♪ Facciamo un brindisi ♪ ♪ E noi che figli siamo ♪ ♪ Beviam, beviam, beviamo ♪ ♪ E noi che figli siamo ♪ ♪ Beviam, beviam, beviam ♪ LIDIA: Okay, that was a good one.

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.