>> this italian-american creation from pittsburgh, you've got to make it withe. it's quite a mouthful! >> ooh! >> m: you feel the shock? >> lidia: yeah, i feel the shock and the pinch. ah, feels good say "chioggia." >> chioggia. >> ah, there you go, you're italian. can i just get into it? come and join me! made possible by buonitalia. established by the italian ministry for agriculture, food, and forestry policy, we promote and protect the italian agrifood system all over the world.

we represent authentic, artisanal products from italy. buonitalia. grana padano cheese -- versatile and very italian. italian family brand. >> benvenuti.

benvenuti to "lidia's italy in america." and today we are in pennsylvania. specifically in pittsburgh. pittsburgh was a great place -- all of pennsylvania -- for the immigrants, the italian immigrants to find jobs. the mines, the coal mines, in the appalachian mountains. and then, of course, the steel businesses along the rivers and specifically in pittsburgh. about seven years ago, in a restaurant development, we opened lidia's in pittsburgh down on the strip. the strip is an area right by the river, downtown. it's a great area, as well as pennsylvania avenue, and that's still bustling. there is cafes. there's some great paninis. i'll show you how to make the primanti's panino, which is quite interesting. so today i'm going to make baked ziti. one of the pastas that's

favorite at our restaurant there. and i understand there's not a wedding going on in pittsburgh unless we have baked ziti on the table. so, let's start with that. i have some simple marinara cooking. the penne, or the ziti, are done. so let me just put them right in here. we'll toss them with the sauce, with a little ricotta. then, of course, layer it with cheese. that's what baked zitis are all about. and i will make it in the simplest way, but you certainly can add to it. vegetables, if you have any vegetables. you know, that's the way this... consciousness to pasta and its carbs and all of that, it's, you know, you can easily change the ratio and put more vegetables in, more proteins in. and then you have a more complete meal with the proteins and the carbs. so here i have some simple marinara. i'm going to put some ricotta.

i drained it. i'm going to put it right in there. and it doesn't have to cook. all i want to do is just sort of break it up a little bit because it will bake. so let's toss the pasta with some sauce. bring this closer right here. now i have the garlic pieces in there, in the marinara. i left it, i kind of like it. but certainly you can remove it. and as you can see, the ricotta is in chunks, and that's fine, too. i think it's nice to find a little chunk of ricotta as you're eating your ziti. okay. i'll just put a little bit on the base here, because this is where we're going to bake it. fresh basil.

rip it up like that. you know, it doesn't need to be chop, chop, chop. okay, now i could toss the cheese in there. maybe i'll do just that. so this is some provola. the provola is more pronounced and really has an intense flavor. mozzarella is milder. but you can use the cheese that your family likes. and almost... i like to treat it like a pizza, in layers. just like that. a little bit more. a little bit of the shredded cheese. just like that. the rest... mm-mm!

that's it. okay. okay, a little grated cheese. you know that pasta and grated cheese, that's just a given. some more of the shredded cheese. and since everything is cooked here, if you prepare in advance and you have it in the refrigerator and then you want to put it on, then cover it with foil paper and let it come to temperature in the oven and then uncover it. but here we have everything -- it's hot, it's just cooked.

right into the oven to continue the cooking process. and just have the oven about 375, 400 degrees. in 15, 20 minutes they should really be... we like cheese, right? yes, we do. everybody loves cheese. so this should be ready to serve. make sure that you clean all around, because otherwise, this will kind of encrust itself and then it doesn't look so nice, so just clean all the edges, put it in the oven, when your guests are ready, and you just bring this hot, steaming pasta to your table. bloomfield has the official title of being "pittsburgh's little italy." and the owner of merante's gifts is officially known as the mayor of bloomfield. i visited maria merante palmieri in her apartment over the gift shop. grazie, grazie, che piacere! maria's father owned a popular

italian grocery story, and she followed in his footsteps, by opening her gift shop. >> it's a small place. we sell typical italian things. because those things weren't available to us, we tried to bring those things to pittsburgh. >> so, maria, how did you end in bloomfield, and how did you end in this beautiful setting? because here, you know, i feel the vibes of the italian immigrants. and this house is so wonderful. it's so reminiscent. >> we love it here. i don't like to say that we remodeled it, but we restored it. >> lidia: now the immigrants, they missed so much their italy, that they kind of tried to bring it in whichever way -- by pictures, by paintings, and so on. so this is really very, very reminiscent. >> they're the things we grew up with, that we remember from my grandmother, from my aunt,

from my dad. >> i understand that also you were the first generation to go to college from your family. tell me how did that feel? how did your parents, because, you know, that's such an accomplishment. from immigrant to a college graduate in one generation. >> that's credit to my dad. although he loved the grocery store and he loved what he did, he would prefer that we had professional jobs. he didn't really want us to do and work as hard as he did. >> i think that's one of the quests of a lot of immigrants -- and i know in my case, it is to bring your children to a better life, to a more educated life. and the italians, you know, felt the same way, so this is so wonderful. maria is also quite a baker. true to her nature, she always has something on the counter, ready for anyone who might drop by. >> this is a sicilian orange olive oil cake. this is a torta caprese. these are lemon biscotti. >> lidia: oh, wonderful!

and the zeppole! i would love to taste a piece of that. >> let's cut it. >> okay, go ahead. all right, that's an italian piece. [ both laugh ] so let me taste this. mm, delicious. >> isn't it nice? >> delicious. >> we really like it, too. >> lidia: i really enjoy my visits with maria when i am in pittsburgh, and i'm also so glad there are people like her keeping the italian-american spirit alive. fettuccine mafalda. this dish, most likely, i could get in any little italy, but i had it in pittsburgh. and i had it at del's. if you go up into bloomfield, that's the main strip there. and del's really is the place. last time i was there, we had some of this. we had some other pasta. delicious -- this is really sort of the italian-american point of reference, if you will,

in pittsburgh. so marinara, simple marinara. just like that. i'm going to take just a little bit of... and not waste any. a little bit of butter. once you see butter in tomato, it's not very italian or immigrant italian, but it is italian-american, this combination of elements. and a little bit -- i'll put a little bit of oil. a little bit of shredded basil. and a little bit of cream so it becomes pink. so all of you love the vodka sauce because you tell me all the time. and this could be the precursor of vodka -- or... the vodka sauce minus vodka because basically this is how you make the vodka sauce as well. just bring it back to temperature. a little bit of cream.

and it is good, you know. i mean, it's delicious. you know, cream, tomatoes. this nice, beautiful, pink sauce. it's just really good. so i'm pulling out the pasta. i pull them out a little bit al dente because i want them to cook in here, so you see how nice and creamy the sauce is. i'm going to let the fettuccine cook a little more. i'll put in some shreds of basil. and then you proceed. okay, that looks good. mm! okay. put some grated cheese, just to finish. i shut off the heat, you know, as i always do. mm! and... i think we're ready. that was quick.

a warm bowl, and i'm going to sort of make a little nest out of it. this is if you want to serve it family style. mm-mm! i'll collect... a little bit for me. because i want to taste it. i want to let you know how it tastes. okay, just a little sauce on the top. and, of course, a little bit for lidia. yes, sir. now, let me taste this. just a little kind of decoration. mm-mm!

mm! delicious. mm-mm! creamy, tart -- you know, that taste of the two combinations. the fettuccine just carry the sauces really, really, mm-mm! and my nose tells me that the zitis are ready, so let's check that out. ooh-la-la! che bonta! wow! okay. so the sacrifice of tasting for you. let me just, a nice -- ooh, i'm undecided. maybe i'll go right here. right here. and this is exactly, you just put a spoon right there. ooh, ooh! i don't want anything to fall. ahh! i'll go back for it. wow! okay. oh, i think that's enough to taste. so... see? the zitis are still al dente, so one of the things, you know, just make it really al dente, because they'll

continue to cook. buonissimo. then i have another pittsburgh delight for you coming up. pittsburgh is a vibrant, passionate city with a strong italian-american presence. lidia's pittsburgh is my tribute to those italians, past and present, who work to make pittsburgh the city it is today. pittsburgh claims a few italian-american dishes that are all its own. but some other favorites are pasta la primavera, spaghetti aglio e olio, and fettuccine alfredo, which are enjoyed throughout the united states. pasta is by far the most popular italian dish. and i knew when we came to pittsburgh we would want to serve several varieties, so

guests would experience italy as much as possible. i really enjoy making the trip to pittsburgh to check in on the kitchen and our guests. pittsburgh is a city that welcomed italian immigrants from the beginning and its vivacious italian-american community welcomed me with open arms as well. so we're back on smallman street down in the strip, where lidia's is. and, you know, lidia has great food, but, sometimes i feel like being very local and i go two blocks down the strip, where all the warehouses, the vegetable warehouses are. and there's primanti's. whenever i am in pittsburgh, i find myself drawn to the local italian-american businesses that keep the culture alive. one of my favorite spots is primanti bros. i stopped in to chat with antonia corradetti, who's been presiding over primanti's for decades, and, of course, enjoy one of

their signature sandwiches. i'm in the mood for one of these great primanti sandwiches. how many years have you been making them? >> about 36 years. >> ha ha! >> it's time for me to retire. >> ah, 36 years. so you really know what you're doing, okay. so, tell me, the primanti sandwich is the capicola, right? >> capicola --not really with the fat like the italian capicola. american capicola. >> nice and light. >> nice and lean. >> ah, exactly. >> it gets grilled. we put provolone cheese on fresh italian bread. then we put the french fry, coleslaw, and tomato. >> how many people do you serve here a day? >> every day's different. 500 -- we could serve to 1,000 people. >> and you can make 1,000 sandwiches in one day? >> i could. >> wow! >> i did it already. >> lidia: the cafe is really a sight to behold, equally a testament to italian-americans and pittsburgh itself. oh, right. >> i'm going to cut it for you.

i hope you like it. >> mm! mamma mia! >> do you like it? >> delicious. >> nice bite, huh? >> mm! a mouthful! i always have a good time at primanti bros., a truly italian-american experience. primanti's sandwich. french fries. we need french fries. let's just put skin and all. okay. potatoes fry away. then the next -- this all sort of builds up in the sandwich -- is the cabbage salad. now, you can have sour cabbage, regular cabbage. very thinly sliced. some ground celery seeds. some sugar. very simple.

you make this in advance, so it kind of begins to wilt a little bit. some apple cider vinegar. olive oil. i don't know whether they use olive oil or not, but i use olive oil in the salad. and... the salt. and you toss this. this is a great salad just by itself. and you know, by the way, the capicola, this is very italian. capicola -- capo, the top, collo, neck, so it's the piece of meat right on the neck. i like mine a little spicy. and the beauty of the sandwich is that this is just warmed up a little bit, the meat, rather than, you know, the capicola cold, as you're used to. then provola. you put provola right on top of that. the same fashion. and you let that kind of just

melt a little bit. you don't have to do a lot of cooking, just so it warms up and melts. bread. casarecce bread, as we say. so these fries really look good. they're done. let's pull them right out. collect them all. everybody loves fries. okay. so let's let them just kind of... dry a little bit. a little bit of salt, and let's assemble the sandwich. so... as you can see, this just has, kind of the cheese has melted. and the capicola just...

lightly cooked. that as the base. and then, of course, at primanti's, they do it on this big griddle, where they do the hamburgers and everything one after another. the sandwiches are flipping over, just like frittatas. the salad. the cabbage salad. mm-hmm. just like that. some tomatoes. okay. okay. and then you pile up the potatoes, right? yes, you heard me right --

you pile up the potatoes right on the sandwich, just like that. and, you know, i ask why? how? i mean, it's delicious. well, it seems that those truck drivers really didn't have time or space or whatever -- instead of getting their fries on the side or whatever, says, "put it all together." and this is how the sandwich was born. i was told. so... ah, i know you say, my goodness, french fries. everything is so good -- put it all together, it's better. i'm trying to pile them up. so the long ones are even better because they hold in. this is what you get. it's usually wrapped up in a piece of paper kind of a little, but i guess you can't just help it but kind of pressure it into position just like that. let's cut it. mm-hmm.

i'm ready. ready to taste. get myself some nice beer, some local iron city beer. mm-mm! and here i am. i'm going to take a bite for you. so, i'm going to squeeze it. just like that. collect everything that falls down before. and... just take a bite. it really is... really good! and since i have my mouth full and i can't even talk to you to tell you how good it is, i'm going to invite you and then continue. so, tutti a tavola a mangiare, with lidia in pittsburgh. primanti sandwich. salute! mm!

this companion cookbook, available for $35, contains every recipe featured in this season of "lidia's italy in america." the "best of lidia" dvd is also available for $19.99. for $39.95, we'll send you the cookbook and the "best of lidia" dvd, a $54.99 value. to order, call 1-800-play-pbs, or visit shoppbs.org/lidia. to learn more about lidia and her family, to get recipes, tips, techniques and much more, visit us online at...

established by the italian ministry for agriculture, food, and forestry policy, we promote and protect the italian agrifood system all over the world. we represent authentic, artisanal products from italy, buonitalia. grana padano cheese -- versatile and very italian.

a dark chocolate and hazelnut kiss from the heart of italy. >> here's a great idea when you're baking. sift all your dry ingredient on a piece of parchment paper. collect it. and funnel it right into the mixing bowl. so every drop goes right in there. and your counter is clean. >> welcome to "skyweek." let's see what's happening in the sky from monday, july 22, to sunday, july 28.

two fine constellations are side-by-side in the south -- hook-tailed scorpius on the right, and sagittarius to its left. modern star charts usually show sagittarius as a teapot. it's an eye-catching pattern, even though none of its stars is super bright. but sagittarius means "archer," and the bow and arrow are easy to picture if you visualize the stars that way. according to ancient greek tradition, the bowman was either the centaur chiron, or the satyr crotus. this is tony flanders from "sky & telescope" magazine, wishing you clear skies and great views. >> brought to you by... manufacturers of telescopes and binoculars. maybe you have some energy- saving appliances, like an

energy star-rated washer and dryer. but what about your tv? chances are it's on more than your washer, dryer, and kitchen appliances combined. did you know that if half of us in the u.s. replaced our regular tvs with an energy star model, the change would be like shutting down a power plant? you can find the energy star on everything from standard to high def to the largest flat-screen your heart desires. ow that makes sense. ow that makes sense. !x??z77

hi, i'm rachel. come join my friends alex, leah, and hopkins for "signing time!" leah's first language is american sign language. we'll teach you some. come sign with us! ♪ there's singing time and dancing time ♪ ♪ and laughing time and playing time ♪ ♪ and now it is our favorite time, signing time ♪ ♪ it's signing time with alex and leah ♪