>> it doesn't get any fresher than this. mmm. and this is what they use to make the delicious fontina cheese here in beautiful valle d'aosta. (speaking italian)

>> tutti a tavola a mangiare! >> cin-cin! >> cuisinart-- with the next generation of food processors. from bread dough to pizza to stir-fry, we do the work to save you time. cuisinart, the next generation. and by buonitalia. established by the italian ministry for agriculture, food, and forestry policy, we promote and protect the italian agro

food system all over the world. we represent authentic artisnal products from italy. buonitalia. and by colavita, a family tradition that has spanned four generations. only italian olives are harvested and pressed to produce colavita extra virgin olive oil. colavita, a true italian olive oil for the american table. and by grana padano. nearly 1,000 years of tradition producing fine italian cheese. grana padano. >> buongiorno. benvenuti. benvenuti to valle d'aosta, the tasty little region in the northwest of italy, over in the corner, under the alps. valle means valley, and those valleys render very delicious food, very delicious milk, and the great fontina cheese . and from that we make many recipes. and today we'll make fondue valle d'aostana style, fondue

alla valle d'aostana, veal chops with fontina, and roasted peppers and olive salad with fontina and creamy mustard dressing. insalata di fontina e peperoni. con olive. so let's begin with the fondue. you shred some great fontina, and you add to it milk. just give it a mix. you cover it with film wrap, just like that, and you let it stay overnight. in the meantime let's prepare some bread, and i'll make large batons that you can dunk in and much away. so i think i'll make them this long. it's even better if you have a day-old bread. just like that, you set it on a tray with parchment paper, and we'll put it in the oven when we're ready.

and now we're ready to begin the fondue. a nice round pan. so let's collect all of this. okay, we want it all in there, just like that. and then slowly, over a low fire, you whisk it. and while this melts, let's head up into the beautiful mountains of valle d'aosta to get to the source of this wonderful cheese. here i am with stefano perreto in the altopiano of the alps. altopiano is the highlands. we are about seven and a half thousand feet up in the air, where the grass is magnificent, rich, full of flavor, and the cows eat it and then yield that great milk that makes the fontina. i asked him, "you know, i see different colored cows. what is this species?" this species of cows, the red and white pezzate, yields a very

rich milk, around 45% milkfat, with a nty flavor imported from the variety of mountain rbs. then there is these are the ones that pruce t cglacial water that, visitorl this mil matilde still acceth

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'dd in putting the lad in little containers like this and spreading it around the table could be a nice way. certainly you can see on a buffet table how colorful it will look. now let me taste this. big, big, big flavor in the mouth. the cheese, absolutely.th cld b. very, very good. veal chop alla valle d'aostana. now, in those hills, you know, they have a lot of cows. and the cheese, this is what

this recipe's all about. so veal chop. this one is large enough to uff, and then a sharp knife, and you just cut it right in the middle, nice and gently, because you want an even size on both sides. the palm of your hand will tell you where the knife is going. if it's going deeper, you will be able set. so here we are. and you don't need to open it any further. this is tender. you don't need to tenderize it. you don't need the denters to tenderize it, but rather just make room for the filling. y slightly just pound it. okay, we have one ready. and the stuffing to this is shredded fontina and some grated grana this is the traditional way. here we'll do it just traditionally, like they to it in valle d'aosta. this is enough.ok.

cover it. there's two ways of sealing that, and that is you could seal it just with this, but the chances are that it will open on you and ooze out. so do use a few toothpicks, seal off the sides. here i have some that i made before, so that we could get cooking. you can do this in two batches, certainly. but i'm going to use two pans. we'll salt the chops just a lileitanth 'll finish with the seasoning in the pan. i've got to get going, because i don't want the butter to burn. stiglylo i n t much. let's pick up the heat and let it caramelize like that, because this will all get finish i the oven.

so the veal chops are caramelized just the way i like them. and i will arrange the chops right here in this pan and mak the sauce. put in some sage leaves, an abundant amount of sage leaves. i'll put just a tt b o tomato paste, a little bit of butter. let's add wine, some stock. when it comes to a boil, you either put aov, ii's too tall for you, then you can put foil paper. you put it in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 20 nus. in about ten minutes of cooking time, you uncover it so that all of those bones, especially if you have them sticking out, get cendriy. the chops are out of the oven.

i have them on a very light flame, just to keep them warm, while i get everything else ready. let mdrs e lad. this is the dressing that i had from before, which is perfect with this salad. a little bit of salt. lightly dressed. let me take that out. keep in mind it has the toothpicks in there. okay. you might want to take the toothpks out even in the pan so you don't get your plate messed up, but not a problem, we'll clean it up. mmm-mmm. is hot. but, you know, you want to serve it hot. that's there. this one right here. and i just want to show you something. you see the cheese oozing out? when you cut into it, that's

exactly what will happen. mmm-mmm. just a little bit of sauce. just a little fresh sage. i think that looks really nice. looks good. i bet you really want to be with me here, but you're just going to have to make your own. it's not hard. and you know, veal chops are really very good, but you can make even pork chops like this. oh, that cheese. i can't even tell you how much complexity that cheese has. you know, and when it's cooked, it just multiplies it all. it's not that hard, right? a little gamay. valle d'aosta borders with france. the cuisine is influenced a lot, a little french, italian. the dialect is mixed. it's light, but it's really fruity. very good for the fontina.

nice acidity. so as i always do, i invite you tutti a tavola a mangiare! come. come to valle d'aosta. >> hi there. i'm anne sweeney enjoying this delicious tour of italy. and we're so happy to have lidia bastianich here with us today. you know, it's remarkable what food can tell us-- spices, pairings, menus, and even the presentation. all of it offers a bit of insight into who we are and where we come from. sharing ideas through food, cooking live on television, well, that started right here on public television. thanks to viewer support, julia child, ming tsai, and lidia bastianich have been given the time and space to bring international cuisine into the homes of millions. and you know what? i am really starting to get kind of hungry now. all the smells of this fresh basil are making my mouth water. lidia, what do we have here? >> well, anne, your sense of smell is steering you in the lots of herbs. now, i'm going to make a sauce

for you that you really will enjoy. you're familiar with pesto, the regular pesto, the nice and green, which is made with these ingredients, which is basil, parsley, pine nuts, a little bit of garlic, olive oil, and cheese. i'm going to make this pesto for you today. i'm going to teach you how to make it as well. and that is a pesto that's made with these ingredients-- of course oil, and garlic, basil, and parsley. but fresh tomatoes, almonds, a little peperoncino, and again a little cheese. >> yum. we will be back with lidia bastianich in just a moment. first, here's our friend lyn may. when you call or contribute online, we have many ways we'd like to say thanks for your support. six of lidia's favorite recipes on convenient bookmarks when you contribute $35. classic pesto, rice with fresh sage and others. now, when you contribute $60, we will send you lidia's bright orange eco tote bag filled with the six recipe bookmarks. now, this tote is roomy and it

is sturdy-- a classy way to reduce your use of paper and plastic bags. lidia's italy logo is on the front, and on the back, lidia's famous greeting. now, with your $120 contribution, the thank you gift everyone loves-- lidia's newest cookbook, lidia cooks from the heart of italy. now, it will come to you autographed by lidia herself. call the number on your screen or contribute on our secure web site. support the lifelong learning that you find year round on this public television station. >> you know, lidia, i grew up watching cooking shows on public television, and it's so exciting as an adult to be able to watch your series and still learn so much. >> you know, this is why i want to be on public television. and i know you'll learn something, but i know out there, you always tell me-- you send me emails and you respond so positively-- that every show that you watch of mine, you take something for yourself at home, some tip, some recipe.

but, you know, i love to be here, but we need you. i need you to be the other element, the other part. so you need to support your local television, and tell them that shows like mine are really very valid. >> yes. so now we're going to learn how to make a different kind of pesto, right? >> yes. now, garlic. you know, garlic always has a base. you can add more or less. >> yeah, lots of garlic. >> yeah. okay, basil. that's a pesto element everybody knows. some parsley. >> okay. >> and then why don't you put in some tomatoes, fresh... >> all these tomatoes? >> yes. >> just whole? >> yes. >> wow. >> fresh tomatoes. >> okay, that's easy. >> some almonds. >> almonds, again whole. >> yes, yes, yes, yes. >> wow, that makes it so easy. >> a little bit of salt, and of course, you know, the salt, you measure it, then you can always add or subtract. i like a little peperoncino. you know, a little zest. and olive oil. >> oh, beautiful. >> just like that. >> beautiful. yum. we'll be back. we're goi

but first, right now we're going to go over to our friend lyn with some more information about supporting public television. ready? oh, that's so pretty. >> it's amazing what you can do with just a few simple ingredients. being bold doesn't always mean making big changes. sometimes it's simply combining those old pantry standbys in new ways. and lidia has so many more tips to share, so be sure to stay with us. public television is committed to fresh perspectives and good ideas. this is the place to feed your curiosity and to spark your creativity. and the best part-- there's always enough to go around. so please do your part to help keep all the good stuff coming by calling the number on your screen right now. a gift in any amount makes a big impact, and when you call now, we have many great ways to say thank you. >> we have so many ways that you

can bring the wonderful food of lidia bastianich into your own kitchen when you support this public television station. donate just $35, and we'll send you six of lidia's great recipes on these recipe bookmarks. these are fantastic for marking your place in the cookbook. or if you step up to a donation of $60, we can send you not only these great bookmarks, but lidia's fabulous eco tote. it holds so much. when you go to the market you can fill it up, it doesn't break. it's really sturdy. you'll only have to make fewer trips to the car also. now, lidia's latest cookbook can be yours when you donate $120. and it's an autographed copy, so a really special addition to your cookbook collection. if you'd like everything that you see, then donate $160. just call the number on your screen right now, and watch this. contribute $120 to support public television's cooking and how-to programs. to say grazie for doing your

part, we'll send you an autographed copy of lidia's newest cookbook, lidia cooks from the heart of italy. lidia has chosen 175 recipes from her native italy for you to enjoy at your table-- lobster catalana, maccheroni al aquilana, ossobuco risotto milanese, and chocolate bread parfait. lidia shares a mouthwatering array of authentic regional recipes, hidden treasures uncovered from some of the less traveled corners of italy. lidia cooks from the heart of italy will captivate and inspire cooks at any level. you'll want this for your cookbook collection. >> (speaking italian) >> call now or donate online with your $120 contribution, and we'll send you a copy of lidia's newest cookbook autographed by lidia herself. thanks. >> so lidia, we're all done, but i notice this pasta... pesto is

not cooked. you just cooked just the pasta? >> just the pasta, like this. put it in a nice bowl. >> uh-huh. >> and nice and hot, everything hot. the bowl, a little bit of the water, the cooking water. >> you know, that's... i love that. you always do that. >> it's such a great tip. you know, whenever you think your sauce... you don't have enough sauce, you have... you need some more last minute kind of tossing the pasta... the water, yeah. put that right in. >> just right in here? >> just right in here, in the center. >> oh, my goodness, this is gorgeous. >> okay, let's leave just a little bit. always leave just a little bit on the side. >> okay. >> okay. you never know. you know, it might be too much, or you might be... so there it is. you can drizzle a little bit of oil for me. >> this is just perfect. >> huh? >> just perfect. >> go ahead, drizzle, drizzle. >> oh, my goodness. >> all around. >> oh. >> okay. now, can you smell the... so... >> oh, the herbs are amazing. >> a little bit of cheese. >> oh, my goodness, this looks so good. >> just like this to finish it. just like that. and i think more or less, you know, my job is done here.

>> i'm starving. >> but i think that they have a little job to do out there, don't they? >> that's right, that's right. now, if you love the simple, fresh kind of cooking that lidia does, then you want to call right now and donate $120 and ask for lidia's new cookbook. and it is autographed. and it's got recipes from how many different regions in italy? >> ten. in this one you get ten regions. you know what? certainly some of my favorite regions. and some of the regions, maybe, that you might not know out there. so it's going to be a discovery, a wonderful discovery. so let's do this together. you call, and i'll present the recipes. >> it sounds just great. so do your part right now. support public television. call and make that donation of $120 and ask for the autographed cookbook, or step up to $160. now let's go back to lyn. >> we have great ways we'd like to say thanks for your support. when you contribute $35, we will send you six recipe bookmarks. now, these are great to tuck into any book, and the entire recipe is right there.

when you contribute $60, we will send you lidia's eco tote with the six recipe bookmarks tucked inside. now, this tote can safely hold a lot of groceries, and you'll reduce your use of paper and plastic bags. when you contribute $120, we'll send you a signed copy of lidia cooks from the heart of italy, chock full of regional italian recipes and exploration of hidden treasures throughout the italian countryside. when you donate $160 to your public television station, we will send all the thank you gifts as our thanks. support the public television station that is your trusted guide for exploring new worlds and new ideas, whether it's preparing a thrifty, delicious meal, understanding the day's news or teaching a child basic skills. please be as generous as you can. call now or contribute online. thank you. >> well, lidia, once again you have made something so easy and so delicious. thank you so much for bringing

all of your great cooking shows to public television. >> i'm delighted to share my recipes with you and with you out there as well. but you know, i can't do it by myself. i've got to call you to action. you've got to support and call right now. >> and i've got to taste. >> you... absolutely. i'm going to give you... i poured a little bit of sauvignon, which will go great with these herbal flavors. basil. is it good? >> mmm. >> okay. and of course you'll need a little cin-cin. and you know, as we say at our house, tutti a tavola a mangiare. cin-cin. >> cin-cin. >> by now i taught you how to make risotto. but now i'm going to teach you how to unmake it.

>> buongiorno. benvenuti. we're in lombardy. we're really in my kitchen, but the flavors are of lombardy. now, lombardy, milano the capital, big industrial region in italy. but when you get out of those big cities and those industry centers, you come upon fields and field of rice. well, it's the ideal place to grow rice, because you have the

mountains, the clean water from the alps comes down through little streams, into the po. now, rice really originated in the orient, and it came to europe, to italy, through sicily about the 700s. and in the 1400s, lombardy became the center for growing rice in all of europe. and still italy is one of the biggest rice producing countries in europe. and hence there's lots of recipes with rice. now, risotto. how many times did i tell you risotto, risotto, and i taught you in all the technique? well, this time i'm going to teach you a wonderful way of cooking rice, flavoring it almost like risotto, but not with all the attention that risotto needs. and i remember at our house my grandmother cooking rice like this often, because she had other things to take care of. so this is the ideal technique for a busy mother. we're going to make rice and butternut squash, risotto di zucca, rice with fresh sage,

riso alla salvia, and a traditional rice and chicken recipe, riso alla pitocca. so let's get going with the simplest one. rice does require a pot that is nice and thick so it doesn't scorch, because rice is starch, and as it begins to cook, it releases its starches and it scorches easily. so get yourself a thick bottom pot. the rice with sage takes a little bit of butter, whole sage leaves, and then just boiling water, about four cups. you let this bubble away so that the flavors form a little stock. a little bit of salt, and you just introduce the rice into this. give it a mix.

let's cover it. and there-- just lea that. now let's go to another great recipe. we'll begin with butter and a little bit of olive oil. and to that we'll add a pestata. so you have carrots, celery, and onion. we'll let that caramelize, and to that we will add butternut squash to the pestata. season that with salt. just a little bit more oil. and again, to this, boiling water. okay, we'll bring this to a boil

and let it cook for about five minutes, and then we'll add the rice to it. yes. okay. the squash has begun to cook, flavored the broth, so now it's time to add the rice. just like that, give it a simmer. lower the flame to a perk. and while these simmer, let me take you to their source-- the rice fields of the famous po valley. the cultivation of rice in italy goes back to the 15th century. and since then lombardy and its po river valley have been the source of the famous short grain rice that is used in italy's risotto. this is a rice field, filled with mature rice. today we're in the field with pierangelo bottecino, in the

rice field right here, and i was determined to find out how they harvested by hand all of this rice. handful, he said. pull it towards you. underneath? little lower? and pull, he said. i am losing some along the way, but i collected. (speaking italian) >> (speaking italian) >> i asked him. he said for the first cut it's okay. count paolo weisenhoff, whose family owns this beautiful farm, the principato de lucedio, has been the most gracious host for my visit. this is a magnificent setting. it really is beautiful. now, that is your family home. >> yes. >> is it not? and that has been there for? >> from 1123. so in modern... more or less nine centuries. >> oh, this is wonderful. so paolo, take me home. >> sure.

>> okay. >> now, lidia, we'll show you how the rice is processed. this is our rice, just dehydrated. the rice goes in this machine here. they just do 99% of the job. the first machine removes the skin of the rice. then from here we have this other machine. this machine moves back and forward and separates the grain. the broken will be eliminated, and the whole grain goes at the third step. >> it's like a seed. >> it's like a seed, exactly. >> yeah. >> the next step is this machine. they make the grain white. here we can see the difference. second passage. and here we have the brown rice that has been already processed. and here we have the white, with the final passage. it is realized, ready to be

risotto. >> and the best part of the day, joining the count and his mother, contessa rosetta clara, for a taste of the harvest. >> what is your favorite recipe? >> my favorite recipe is risotto with truffle. >> as simple as that. >> si. really simple is very, very good. >> do you enrich your rice at all? >> no. the idea of rice, especially northern italy, is risotto. so the risotto we consider, with all the ingredients that you can put inside, it's a complete food. >> and certainly i would like to take this opportunity to thank countess rosetta clara and count paolo for inviting me for this very special opportunity. thank you. salute. so let's check on how our rice dishes are doing. they should be just about ready.

yes, yes, yes. and it looks just as good as the risotto, does it not? absolutely. the last step is the same, the mantecare, where you add to the rice a little bit of butter, room temperature, and you whisk it in. once the butter has melted, you put grated parmigiano. some gorgonzola in here would be delicious. but i want to keep it simple. perfect. so... mmm, mmm. all right. just a little bit of the same herbs, the same flavor, just like that. mmm, mmm, mmm. so let me taste it now. mmm.

really delicious. it is so pure. there was no onions, no garlic, nothing. it's really pure-- rice, butter, cheese, and sage. mmm. let's check on the other one now. hey, this one took just a few minutes longer because of the zucca. okay. i think we're ready to mantecare this one as well. let me close the heat. mmm. grated cheese again.

so let me taste this. mmm. delicious. the squash permeates all of the rice. delicious, simple, really, really, very good. so i'm going to clean this up, and then i'm going to teach you another one, a little bit more substantial, with some chicken in there, but just as simple to make. riso alla pitocca, rice in the pitocca style, which means with chicken and a pestata-- celery, carrots, and onion. two garlic cloves. not too thin. and we'll begin with a nice sturdy pot. rice releases starch, and it's gorgeous. so let's get the pestata going.

now, you know how i feel about using the whole animal. and chicken, everybody loves the breast. what do we do with the rest of the chicken? well, this is the ideal recipe. so if you get your whole chicken, take the breast out, take the thigh and the legs, debone those, with everything that you have left you make a great stock, a great soup. you have your breast for one meal, and your thighs and legs for this meal. i'll make a little bit of hot spot. you know how i do those. hot spot on the side. and add the cubed chicken thighs with the skin removed. so we'll let this caramelize. a little bit more salt for the chicken. bay leaf.

one bay leaf is enough. we'll add a bit of white wine just to get the flavors going, to add another dimension of flavor. some acidity. we'll bring this to a boil. the chicken is getting done. the wine has evaporated somewhat. and to this we'll add some boiling stock. you bring it back full speed to boiling, and we add the rice to this. and just like the two previous recipes, the rice will cook itself. a little bit of salt for the rice now. cover it. the same technique as the other two recipes. lower to just a bubble. in about ten minutes that will be ready.

ah, riso alla pitocca. mmm, what aromas. i think it's just about done. you can see that the rice has released the starches, and it's almost like a risotto. now, again, this one, you can serve it nice and firm, dry it out a little bit, and if you want it like that, then you open the fire full speed, uncover it, mix it, and let the stock evaporate, and it will densen. if you like it soft and runny, then if it is too dry, just add a little bit of stock, bring it to a boil, and you're done. okay, so now we will do the mantecare process. i shut off the fire.

butter, and whip that in. mmm. now, in lombardy, you know, there's a lot of pastures, a lot of great cheese, gorgonzola, taleggio, so cream and milk is used in the cooking. grated cheese, grana, parmigiano. but i like the milkiness of the cow's milk cheese. (speaking italian) a little parsley just to give it a little eye appeal. parsley also freshens it up. and i think we're ready. i think this is a great dish to be served like this, family style, although you can, you know, put it in individual plates.

well. i think... should i put just a little more? maybe just a little more. because the rice settles. just like that. mmm. clean, but just a little bit of the bay leaf, the aroma that we put in there. and i think this is ready. i'm going to taste a little bit. i have a little bit of vino here. i chose a little soave. soave is from the veneto, which is the next region over. soave for a while there had lost its cachet. now it's back. there's some great soaves. and it's one of those wines that really go very well with food. so let me taste right out of the pot. you know, i love tasting that way. and you can see that it's nice and creamy. those specks of the pestata with

the chunks of chicken, can you imagine how delicious this is? so let me (blowing). it's hot. mmm. delicioso. is there a big, big difference between this and the risotto? is the risotto much, much better? not really. i think that this is a great technique. you know, you might have a little less creaminess. but the flavor is intense, it is wonderful. and it is something that you can make for your family without feeling that you have to stay there and stir all the time. so i'll drink to that. how about you? mmm. and as we say out our house, tutti a tavola a mangiare. salute. cin-cin. cin-cin,salute. salute.

>> hello. i'm lyn may, and i'm in one of my most favorite places, the kitchen. and in just a moment, lidia will be teaching us all about italian cheeses and how to pair them with fruits and wines. you know, i can't think of a better way to experience italy than through lidia's recipes-- thoughtful, comforting, rustic dishes intended to bring everyone to the table. bringing people together is what public television is all about. the programs you enjoy here satisfy your intelligence and your creativity, and they leave you hungry to learn more. >> all right, i'm ready for you. >> oh, look at this. i am ready to hear how you pair fruit, cheese, wine. >> well, you know, we're all into different cultural foods. you know, pbs is all about, you know, different cultural

experiences and sharing that. well, here it's all italian. it's all about the cheese. and all you need is to put a spread like this, and you're in italy. you have some wonderful grana cheese, 100% cow's milk. you have some red morellino from tuscany, some prosciutto di parma, some aceto balsamico tradizionale di modena. >> easy for you to say. >> some taleggio from lombardy, some creamy gorgonzola. that's what makes an italian table. >> and it is wonderful. just the smell is fabulous. we are going to learn more from lidia, but right now we're going to our colleague anne sweeney to find out how you can contribute to your public television station. >> we've selected some wonderful thank-you gifts especially for lidia fans. we'll send along six recipe bookmarks with your donation of $35. now, aren't these a great idea? recipes include baked fish with savory breadcrumbs, green beans genova style, and others. now, when you contribute $60, we'll send you this bright orange lidia eco tote. it's big enough for all your

shopping needs, and it includes lidia's italy on the front, and her most favorite italian saying on the back. and we'll fill it with those six recipe bookmarks with your $60 contribution to your public television station. now, when you call or contribute online with a $120 donation, we'll send you lidia's newest cookbook, lidia cooks from the heart of italy. it's a bounty of luscious recipes including stuffed baked pasta, meat loaf ricotta, and almond pudding. we'll be going right back over to lidia and lyn to find some creative ways to pair cheese with fruit and wine. but first, give us a call. the number's right there on your screen. or go online and support television that takes you to fascinating places. >> lidia, help. i've cooked with and eaten italian cheeses my entire life. i don't know very much about them. >> well, you came to the right place. this is a spread of italian cheeses. public television's all about different cultures and learning. so here we are. let me get you a piece of the grana cheese.

grana, it's a hard cheese, and... >> you chip it right off. >> you chip it right off like that. you don't cut it. it's granular, it's 100% cow's milk. with that, a slice of prosciutto di parma, prosciutto from parma region. absolutely. with the grana. a drizzle of traditional balsamic vinegar. >> you see, you're already broadening my horizons. i've never done that. >> well, you see, you always learn. that's what public television does. and a slice of grilled peach. and with that, some taleggio. would you like that? >> i would like that. room temperature, you always told me. >> cheese is room temperature. you really get the maximum of flavor. honey in its comb is always delicious, and especially when served with gorgonzola. >> and the soft, soft veiny cheeses i love. >> you like that? >> i do, very much. >> okay. so you're... i think you're fairly set. you can put some almonds if you like. >> i'm going to. i was hoping you would... oh, look. is that beautiful?

you have helped me enormously. while i am sampling this beautiful plate, we're going to our colleague anne sweeney. she'll tell you more about how you can be part of public television. >> whether you're learning how to prepare the ultimate shopping list or finding out which wine goes with which dish, the lessons that you take away from public television make for happy minds and happy stomachs. and to help keep this station stocked with all of the how-to programs that pique your curiousity, and in some cases your appetite, please pick up your phone and dial the number on your screen. viewer support, your support, is what powers everything that you enjoy on public television. so please give what you can. >> we have so many ways to thank you for your support for public television. let me count just a few. for a contribution of $35, we would be pleased to send you this collection of six of lidia's recipes. i've tried the veal with fontina. it is easy. very impressive. i recommend it. and you can get this. and this wonderful tote for a contribution of $60.

of course, yours won't be full, but you can certainly carry a lot in it. if you can contribute $120, you must have lidia's signed lidia cooks from the heart of italy. all the recipes you can imagine to make your family thrilled and pleased with you are right in this book. now, if you would like to have the book, the tote, and the recipes, please make a contribution of $160, and we'll send them all to you. if you've made a contribution to your public television station, we thank you. if you haven't, we urge you to go to your telephone. contribute $120 to support public television's cooking and how-to programs. to say grazie for doing your part, we'll send you an autographed copy of lidia's newest cookbook, lidia cooks from the heart of italy. lidia has chosen 175 recipes from her native italy for you to enjoy at your table-- lobster catalana, maccheroni al

aquilana, ossobuco risotto milanese, and chocolate bread parfait. lidia shares a mouthwatering array of authentic regional recipes, hidden treasures uncovered from some of the less traveled corners of italy. lidia cooks from the heart of italy will captivate and inspire cooks at any level. you'll want this for your cookbook collection. >> (speaking italian) >> call now or donate online with your $120 contribution, and we'll send you a copy of lidia's newest cookbook autographed by lidia herself. thanks. >> lidia, i'm resisting sampling because i need to know more still. you know, i don't know exactly when i should use what cheese for what. >> i mean, cheese is so diversified in the kitchen. you can use it naturally like this when you get a traditional product like this, but you want to alter it as little as possible.

but, for example, this gorgonzola, this creamy gorgonzola, makes a great risotto. and you know what? >> of course. >> you put it at the end. don't cook it in, because you lose the essence of it. taleggio stuffs a veal chop or a pork chop wonderfully. and the grana is omnipresent in all of the pasta dishes in this book. so this book has specific recipes on how to use them. >> it really does, and i was just thinking as you said that, if people who are watching say, "what did she say, what did she say," we can make it easy for you. the book, if you call your public television station, we will send it to you, a gift to you, for a $120 contribution. and we welcome that. your recipes are fabulous. i have the italian american cookbook. i use it all the time. >> good. >> oh, it's just wonderful. >> well, the recipes even in this book, it's about the regions. it's about getting into the regions. you know, you watch the show. >> i do. >> and getting into the essence of the traditional recipes. simple and delicious. >> which gets to the heart of public television, doesn't it? because not only is it food for

your eyes, food for your soul, you educate us. >> absolutely. but i love to do that. and, you know, i love to be on public television. this is where i choose to be. but i need their support. >> absolutely. we all need your support, because we have to keep lidia here. and the book again, let me remind you, if you call and make a contribution of $120, you'll get this wonderful, wonderful cookbook. and believe me, you will find the recipes very, very easy to use. and i have to say on behalf of all of those of us who use your cookbooks, thank you for making it easy for us. we'll be back with more. i have learned so much already from lidia about preparing and selecting ingredients. and did you see all of the ingredients she pulled out of her tote bag? now, when you contribute $35 to your public television station, we will send you six of lidia's recipe bookmarks. what a great way to keep track of your place in your book. now, with your $60 donation, we'll send the lidia tote bag as our thanks for your support with the six recipe bookmarks tucked

inside. when you contribute $120, we'll send along lidia's newest cookbook, lidia cooks for the heart of italy. a donation in any amount is truly appreciated. it's important that you call or contribute online and show that you support quality programming that inspires and engages the entire family. thank you. >> finally, i get to sample. where would i start? >> well, when you talk about cheeses, usually the softest one and the least aged one is the one. but i see you're going for the gorgonzola. >> i'm going for the gorgonzola. while we're doing this, i urge you to call the number you see on the bottom of your television screen and contribute. >> absolutely. make sure that i can continue to come and visit with you. >> i love that. that is absolutely wonderful, wonderful. i'm going to keep moving. >> yeah, just... you know, sometimes eating with your hand, cheese, especially if it's hard cheese, is perfectly fine. >> and your food's so beautiful, you also eat with your eyes. >> absolutely. you know, and as much as i like to present it like this, or cook

with it, i really enjoy the source of it, where they make it, the italian artisans. so would you like to come with me? >> yes, i would. >> okay, let's go. >> while we're traveling, you call. >> look at that-- all i need is some garlic, olive oil, and i've got myself the perfect pasta.

buongiorno, benvenuti. and today we're in le marche, a beautiful region, not too well known. it sits right on the adriatic. it borders with emilia-romagna, with umbria. and it has sea and mountains. the menus there are great because there's a lot of product. there's seafood product, there's the hills, there's olives, a lot of vegetables. so, some of the dishes we're going to make. i'm going to show you how to make ziti with tuna ascoli style. ziti all'ascolana. you know those big green olives? they'll be delicious. spaghetti with clam sauce, spaghetti con zuppa di vongole, and zucchini with olives, zuccini en salsa.

so let's begin to make the zucchini. and that's rather simple. so we have some olive oil. we'll crush some garlic. i love the flavor. i have a little difficulties in really digesting it, so i crush it, and then i take it out once it has released all of its flavors. with the garlic, a little bit of anchovies. now, this is what will give the zucchini a lot of flavor. now, this is already beginning to really develop flavor. let's put the zucchini right in there. medium fire. i'm going to let this wilt down. i like them to caramelize, so we'll leave them uncovered. and then we'll add the capers, which will add another dimension, and gaeta olives. and that will be our zucchini.

the zucchini are just ready to add the additional ingredients. and these are the nonpariel capers, cured in salt and in brine, and they're just delicious. they bring texture and flavor. and these are the gaeta olives, black olives full of flavor again. and these are oil cured. everything is cooked, but you only need to simmer, so i'll put it right in the back while we make now the ziti ascolana. so we have the water boiling for the pasta. olive oil. sliced garlic, anchovies. here we have san marzano tomato, and we'll put those right... right in there. a little peperoncino. i want a little zest. a little bit of salt as well. while this simmers let's put the pasta to cook, the ziti in this case. i chose the ziti because, sort of, the sauce goes into it, and

the texture of it is very instrumental in collecting the sauce. so i'm going to clean up, the pasta's going to cook, and we're going to finish the sauce, and we're going to taste. let's check the pasta. mmm, bubbling away just about there, so let's finish the sauce. we'll add to the sauce olives. these are the green olives, the ascolana. they're pitted, and they break in half. and at this point we'll also add the canned tuna. i'm draining the oil. so just break it in here, let that dissipate, and let's take the zucchini. the zucchini are done. you can see how this would make a great sauce for a pasta. just a little bit of fresh olive oil could be delicious.