Bastianich Lidia - Lidias celebrate like an Italian: 220 foolproof recipes that make every meal a party

Acknowledgments

The making of a book is always a huge collaborative effort. Tanya and I have a wonderful team of people helping and supporting us when we work on our books. Amy Stevenson, always with us in the kitchen and a dear friend, is invaluable as we cook, measure, and write the days away; shes an extreme professional and a huge asset. We have enjoyed our many hours with Amy, watching her children grow along with us and listening to Grandmas stories. We also get a lot of work done together. A big thank-you to Peter Gethers and Tom Pold for pushing us to work harder and write better; it was a pleasure working on the book with both of you. Thank you to Jenna Brickley for her utmost professionalism and organization; it is much appreciated. A heartfelt thank-you to Paul Bogaards, for years of friendship and support and for always being enthusiastic about our books. You are a believer, and we love that. To our Knopf promotional mavens, Jordan Rodman and Sara Eagle, we are so thankful that you get us out there for everyone else to enjoy. Thank you, Kristen Bearse, Kelly Blair, and Carol Carson, for designing itinside and outand making it all look so good. Its a tough job to pull it all together, and thank goodness we have you to do it for us. Penelope Bouklas, we thank you for your style and attention to every detail of every utensil, linen, and plate. You made it all so easy. And for capturing it all with a wonderful eye, thank you to Steve Giralt. Your work in photography is gorgeous, and you are an absolute pleasure to work with.

Thank you also to our office and restaurant staff, who provide us with support so we can be creative and make books. Thank you to the American Public Television team for the fabulous work done in the distribution of the show. And thanks to the wonderful team at WGBH in BostonLaurie Donnelly, Anna Adams, Bara Levin, and Matthew Midura. Your support has always been a strength and is greatly appreciated. A heartfelt thank-you to the sponsors of the show, Cento, Loacker, Rovagnati, Regione Calabria, and Il Consorzio di Grana Padano; it has been wonderful working with you. Thank you also to Juliska for the gorgeous tableware and linens, and to the wonderful showroom consultants at Clarke, who provide the gorgeous kitchen in which the show is filmed.

My eternal gratitude goes to my family. It is through them that I found the strength, the drive, the passion, the love, and the prose and recipes for this book. All the festivities, cooking, and entertaining described in these pages have happened within our family at some point.

My mother, Erminia, age ninety-seven, has much esperienza vitae, or experience of life, as she says, and she was and still is always willing to share and celebrate with us. My brother Francos and my graduations, then our marriages and the births of our children, have all been acknowledged with family celebrations, as have christenings, communions, engagements, and then the marriages of the next generation. Grandma, thank you for cooking, setting up, and celebrating every milestone in our familys life. This book is a recollection of those celebrations.

ALSO BY LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH

Lidias Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine

Lidias Egg-citing Farm Adventure

Lidias Commonsense Italian Cooking

Lidias Family Kitchen: Nonnas Birthday Surprise

Lidias Favorite Recipes

Lidias Italy in America

Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidias Christmas Kitchen

Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy

Lidias Italy

Lidias Family Table

Lidias Italian-American Kitchen

Lidias Italian Table

La Cucina di Lidia

A Note About the Authors

Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy awardwinning public television host, best-selling cookbook author, restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Lidia has married her two passions in lifeher family and foodto create multiple culinary endeavors with her two children, Joseph and Tanya.

Lidias cookbooks, coauthored with her daughter, Tanya, include Lidias Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine, Lidias Commonsense Italian Cooking, Lidias Favorite Recipes, Lidias Italy in America, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, and Lidias Italyall companion books to the Emmy-winning and three-time-nominated television series Lidias Kitchen, Lidias Italy in America, and Lidias Italy. Lidias series air internationally in Mexico, Canada, the Middle East, Croatia, the United Kingdom, and Spanish-speaking South American countries. Lidia has also published Lidias Family Table, Lidias Italian-American Kitchen, Lidias Italian Table, and La Cucina di Lidia.

Lidia is the chef/owner of four acclaimed New York City restaurantsFelidia, Becco, Esca, and Del Postoas well as Lidias Pittsburgh and Lidias Kansas City along with her daughter, Tanya. She is also founder and president of Tavola Productions, an entertainment company that produces high-quality broadcast productions. In 2014, three Tavola productionsLidias Kitchen, Lidia Celebrates America, and Amy Thielens Heartland Table on the Food Networkwere nominated for James Beard Awards. Lidia Celebrates America: Home for the Holidays won the James Beard Award in 2016 for Best Special. Together with Tanya and Lidias son-in-law, Corrado, Lidia also has developed a line of pastas and all-natural sauces, LIDIAS.

With her son, Joe Bastianich, Mario Batali, and Oscar Farinetti, Lidia opened Eataly, the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace, in New York City, Chicago, Boston, and So Paulo, Brazil. A second New York location opened in 2016; the Los Angeles location will open in 2017 and Toronto in 2018.

Lidias first childrens book, Nonna Tell Me a Story: Lidias Christmas Kitchen, was inspired by her five grandchildren and was accompanied by an animated one-hour special for public television. The second installment in the series, Lidias Family Kitchen: Nonnas Birthday Surprise, was released in spring 2013, and the third was released in January 2015.

Lidia is a founding member of Les Dames DEscoffier and of Women Chefs and Restaurateurs, two nonprofit organizations of women leaders in the food and hospitality industries. She is also on the board of Arrupe College, a higher-education program for underprivileged students, founded by Loyola University Chicago. Lidia gives freely of her time and knowledge and is active in community service activities and special events on behalf of several foundations and public television.

Tanya Bastianich Manualis visits to Italy as a child sparked her passion for the countrys art and culture. She dedicated herself to the study of Italian Renaissance art during her college years at Georgetown, and earned a masters degree from Syracuse University and a doctorate from Oxford University. Living and studying in many regions of Italy for several years, she taught art history to American students in Florence, although she met her husband, Corrado Manuali, who is from Rome, in New York.

Tanya is integrally involved in the production of Lidias public television series as an owner and executive producer of Tavola Productions, and is active in the family restaurant business. She has also led the development of the website, lidiasitaly.com, and related publications and merchandise lines of tabletop and cookware.

Together with Corrado, Tanya oversees the production and expansion of the LIDIAS food line of all-natural pastas and sauces. Tanya has coauthored several books with her mother, including Lidias Mastering the Art of Italian Cuisine, Lidias Commonsense Italian Cooking, Lidias Favorite Recipes, Lidias Italy, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy,