Cook's Books

Lidia’s Italy

This month, Lidia’s Kansas City celebrates a decade of serving Italian favorites.

Several of my friends and family members have traveled to Italy and all had similar observations about the country and its food. The overwhelming consensus was of friendly people, beautiful cities and countryside, and marvelous food and wine.

Kansas City may not be a mecca for Italian food when compared to St Louis, New York or New Jersey, but it has in Lydia's Kansas City a fine example of Italian cooking. This month's cookbook, Lidia's Italy, is the fifth cookbook by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and is a companion to her current PBS series. Lidia compiles recipes celebrating her homeland and travels throughout Italy and areas along the Adriatic Sea. Her birthplace, Istria, is now part of Croatia, and Lidia’s Italy includes recipes with both Italian and Slavic influences. Queen of several restaurants, cookbook author, and host of her own PBS show, Lidia is a passionate champion of food and family.

Lidia’s Italy provides recipes drawn from 10 regions in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia and is co-written by Lidia’s daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who adds observations and recommendations for travel to each geographical region represented in the book. Using regional ingredients, Lidia’s Italy incorporates local seafood, fruits and vegetables into a wonderful collection of comforting, homestyle and sometimes complex recipes. There is an expected heavy emphasis on pasta, including many homemade pasta recipes, but readers will also find a multitude of recipes for soups, gnocchis, braised meats, seafood, vegetables and desserts. If you want homestyle, Italian comfort food, check out Lidia’s Italy for inspiration.

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Lidia’s Italy provides recipes drawn from 10 regions in Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia and is co-written by Lidia’s daughter Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who adds observations and recommendations for travel to each geographical region represented in the book. Using regional ingredients, Lidia’s Italy incorporates local seafood, fruits and vegetables into a wonderful collection of comforting, homestyle and sometimes complex recipes. There is an expected heavy emphasis on pasta, including many homemade pasta recipes, but readers will also find a multitude of recipes for soups, gnocchis, braised meats, seafood, vegetables and desserts. If you want homestyle, Italian comfort food, check out Lidia’s Italy for inspiration.

Jumbo Shrimp Buzara Style (Buzara Di Scampi)
Serves 6

"Shrimp alla buzara is common all around the northern Adriatic coast. When I make this quick and delicious dish at our house, I give everyone an empty bowl for the shells. I bring the pan to the table; we roll up our sleeves and dig in, savoring the sweet meat, then sucking and licking every drop of sauce from the shells. All that’s needed is some grilled bread. If you wish, use smaller, inexpensive shrimp (shelled and cleaned) in the recipe to make a terrific dressing for spaghetti or linguine. And leftovers make a great risotto."

24 raw shrimp, 1 ounce apiece (U-16 size)
8 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, or more to taste
3 plump garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt
1 cup white wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 cup of water
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp bread crumbs, or more if needed
2 Tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley

Recommended equipment: A heavy-bottomed sauté pan, 10-12 inches diameter, for the sauce. A heavy-bottomed 13-14 inch skillet for searing the shrimp.

Without removing any of the shell, remove the vein (digestive tract) that runs inside the curving back of each shrimp: slice open the back with a sturdy sharp paring knife, cutting through the shell, and scrape out the vein. Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil into the sauté pan, and set over medium-high heat. Scatter in the garlic, cook until sizzling, then stir in the shallots. When they're sizzling, stir in 1/4 tsp of the salt and 1/4 cup of the wine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the wine is nearly completely evaporated and the shallots have softened. Drop in the tomato paste and stir it around the pan for a minute, coating the shallots and caramelizing. Pour in the rest of the wine, bring to a boil quickly, then add the water and 1/4 tsp salt, stirring. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the sauce bubble gently and reduce for about 5 minutes while you sear the shrimp. Pour 2 Tbs olive oil into the wide skillet, and set over high heat until very hot. Scatter the shrimp in the pan, toss them in the oil, and season with the remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for just a minute or slightly longer, until the shells are lightly colored and the flesh underneath is opaque, then turn off the heat. With the sauce still bubbling, slide in the seared shrimp and tumble to coat them all with sauce. Stir in the coarsely ground pepper, then the tablespoon of bread crumbs – use more crumbs if the sauce is thin. Cook for another 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Drizzle of the remaining 2 Tbs olive oil – or more to taste – and incorporate it well, tumbling the shrimp in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley on top, and serve immediately.

Dry Fettuccine with Squash and Cauliflower (Bravette Con Zucca E Cavolo)
Serves 6

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 plump garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
1 small onion, thinly sliced (1 cup)
3 cups butternut squash cut in 1/2 inch cubes
3 cups cauliflower, but in small (about 1-inch) florets
4 Tbs small capers, drained
1 tsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste, plus more for cooking pasta
1/2 tsp peperoncino flakes, or to taste
2 cups canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, crushed by hand
1 lb dry fettucine or bavette
1 cup freshly grated pecorino

Recommended Equipment:

A heavy-bottomed skillet or sauté pan, 14-inch diameter, with a cover
A large pot, 8-quart capacity or larger, with a cover, for cooking the pasta

Pour the olive oil into a big skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Scatter in the sliced garlic, and let it start sizzling. Stir in the onion slices, and cook for a couple of minutes, to wilt. Spill in all the cut squash and cauliflower pieces, scatter the capers, salt and peperoncino on top, and with tongs toss all together for a minute or so. Pour a cup of water into the skillet, cover tightly, and steam the vegetables for 2 or 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally.

Pour in the crushed tomatoes along with a cup of water sloshed in the tomato cans. Stir well and cover; when the tomato juices are boiling, adjust the heat to keep them bubbling gently. Cook covered for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are softened, uncover and continue cooking to reduce the pan juices to a good consistency for dressing the pasta, about 5 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste, and keep at a low simmer. While the sauce is cooking, heat salted pasta-cooking water to a rolling boil (at least 6 quarts water and a Tbs salt). Drop in the fettuccine or bavette, and cook until barely al dente. Lift them from the water, drain for a moment, then drop onto the simmering vegetables. Toss and cook all together for a couple of minutes over moderate heat. Moisten the dish with pasta water if it seems dry; cook rapidly to reduce the juices if they’re splashing in the skillet. When the pasta is perfectly cooked and robed with sauce, turn off the heat. Sprinkle over it the grated cheese, toss into the pasta, and serve.

Velvety Cornmeal-Spinach Soup (Paparot)
Serves 4

"This is a poor man’s simple recipe, a warm filler for cold winter days in Fruili. I use spinach, but any available green vegetable would have been used, and would be good. Cornmeal lovers will appreciate this; it has all the comforts of porridge, filled with the flavors of Friuli."

4 oz (about 3/4 cup) yellow polenta
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
3 cups hot poultry or vegetable broth
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
3 Tbsp butter
Coarse sea salt or kosher salt to taste
About 1/2 lb young spinach leaves, rinsed
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Recommended Equipment: A heavy-bottomed 6-quart saucepan, 10 inches or wider.

Whisk together the polenta and flour in the saucepan, then whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot broth, to make a smooth, loose batter. Continue adding the rest of the broth, and bring to a moderate boil, whisking constantly.

Drop the garlic cloves and the butter into the pan, and salt lightly. Cook the soup at a bubbling simmer for about 25 minutes, whisking and stirring frequently, until the polenta has cooked and thickened. Stir in the spinach leaves, and cook 10 minutes more.

Remove from the heat, and season with more salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Rest for 5 minutes, then serve hot, removing the garlic cloves if you like.