Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy: A Feast of 175 Regional Recipes

by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, Tanya Bastianich Manuali

In this inspiring new book, Lidia Bastianich awakens in us a new respect for food and for the people who produce it in the little-known parts of Italy that she explores. All of the recipes reflect the regions from which they spring, and in translating them to our home kitchens, Lidia passes on time-honored techniques and wonderful, uncomplicated recipes for dishes bursting with different regional flavors—the kind of elemental, good family cooking that is particularly appreciated today.

Penetrating the heart of Italy—starting at the north, working down to the tip, and ending in Sardinia—Lidia unearths a wealth of recipes:

From Trentino–Alto Adige: Delicious Dumplings with Speck (cured pork); apples accenting soup, pasta, salsa, and salad; local beer used to roast a chicken and to braise beef
From Lombardy: A world of rice—baked in a frittata, with lentils, with butternut squash, with gorgonzola, and the special treat of Risotto Milan-Style with Marrow and Saffron
From Valle d’Aosta: Polenta with Black Beans and Kale, and local fontina featured in fondue, in a roasted pepper salad, and embedded in veal chops
From Liguria: An array of Stuffed Vegetables, a bread salad, and elegant Veal Stuffed with a Mosaic of Vegetables
From Emilia-Romagna: An olive oil dough for making the traditional, versatile vegetable tart erbazzone, as well as the secrets of making tagliatelle and other pasta doughs, and an irresistible Veal Scaloppine Bolognese
From Le Marche: Farro with Roasted Pepper Sauce, Lamb Chunks with Olives, and Stuffed Quail in Parchment
From Umbria: A taste of the sweet Norcino black truffle, and seductive dishes such as Potato-Mushroom Cake with Braised Lentils, Sausages in the Skillet with Grapes, and Chocolate Bread Parfait
From Abruzzo: Fresh scrippelle (crêpe) ribbons baked with spinach or garnishing a soup, fresh pasta made with a “guitar,” Rabbit with Onions, and Lamb Chops with Olives
From Molise: Fried Ricotta; homemade cavatelli pasta in a variety of ways; Spaghetti with Calamari, Shrimp, and Scallops; and Braised Octopus
From Basilicata: Wedding Soup, Fiery Maccheroni, and Farro with Pork Ragù
From Calabria: Shepherd’s Rigatoni, steamed swordfish, and Almond Biscottini
From Sardinia: Flatbread Lasagna, two lovely eggplant dishes, and Roast Lobster with Bread Crumb Topping

This is just a sampling of the many delights Lidia has uncovered. All the recipes she shares with us in this rich feast of a book represent the work of the local people and friends with whom she made intimate contact—the farmers, shepherds, foragers, and artisans who produce local cheeses, meats, olive oils, and wines. And in addition, her daughter, Tanya, takes us on side trips in each of the twelve regions to share her love of the country and its art.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Italian Literature, Italy

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Lidia Matticchio Bastianich is an American chef, businesswoman and restaurateur.

Specializing in Italian and Croatian cuisine, she has been a regular contributor to the PBS cooking show lineup since 1998. In 2007, she launched her third TV series, Lidia's Italy. She also owns four Italian restaurants in the U.S. in partnership with her son, the winemaster and restaurateur, Joseph Bastianich: Felidia (founded with her ex-husband, Felice) and Becco in Manhattan; Lidia's Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Lidia's Kansas City in Kansas City, Missouri.

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 1 out of 5]

SO, maybe if she called this book "Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Northern Italy because Southern Italy SUCKS" I would have given this book 2 starts for honesty instead of the 1/2 star I want to give this book. Her map of Italy includes Sicily but she doesn't have a chapter for it or any recipes from there. Her Northern Italian arrogance doesn't stop there, it continues in waves. Her chapter on Calabria is the smallest with only 15 recipes (even the chapter on Sardinia has 20)and she starts out with "The cuisine of Calabria is not an expansive cuisine" and later, speaking of Calarbia, "It is a dead end, unless you are heading to Sicily". Which, in all her travels to Italy she has only been to once, and that was accidentally as she was with a group heading for Calabria. She finished her description of that trip "Am I grateful we got away!". She may have pretended that she was talking about the treacherous waters in that area but her true intent was obvious. After all, she never went back to Sicily, did she?
Sicilian and Calabrese fresh sausage share a common ingredient: Fennel Seeds. But the three recipes in the Calabria chapter that use sausage specifically say "preferably WITHOUT fennel seeds". Calabria is famous for their smoked sausage which is similar to pepperoni only it is hotter and has FENNEL seeds in it. But, in her exhaustive research of the "not an expansive cuisine" while in Calabria she failed to find any.
So, if you want to learn some interesting recipes from NORTHERN Italy and the disdain Northern Italians have for their Southern cousins read this book.
If that is not enough for you then here is a story Northern Italians like to tell:

Jesus was walking down a road when he came upon a man from Calabria. He asked the man, "Where are you going?", and the man replied "God or no God, I go to Calabria". So Jesus turned him to stone for a day.

The next day Jesus came back, restored the man to his original form and asked the same question, "Where are you going?", and the man replied "God or no God, I go to Calabria". So Jesus turned him to stone for a week.

This went on for a month, a year, 5 years, 10 and then 20 years, all with the same results. Finally Jesus threw his hands in the air and said, "There is no gourd thicker than the skull of a Calabrese" and he allowed him to complete his journey.

[Holly (2 Kids and Tired) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't regularly watch cooking shows, but I love Lidia's show when I can catch it on PBS. She's an absolute delight to watch, and her cookbook is just as great. I love this book as much for the commentary as I do the recipes.

I have so many of them marked, it's going to take me awhile to get through all of them. But, my mouth waters just reading them. I love that each region is high-lighted, not only with recipes, but with lovely commentary about the area and the people. And each recipe isn't just written out with ingredients and instructions; Lidia shares definitions, explanations and anecdotes about how a dish or ingredient came to be created or used.

Like I do with every cookbook, I wish this had a photo for every recipe, but this is a lovely book, perfect for any cook who wants to learn a more authentic Italian way of cooking, and it would make a gorgeous gift. My first recipe: Spaghetti in Tomato-Apple Sauce, followed by Baked Penne & Mushrooms, followed by Almond Torta with Chocolate Chips, followed by Fresh Cavatelli with Eggs & Bacon, followed by...

[todd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner from Lidia. This time the collection draws from regions away from Venice, Florence and Rome. Think "Eating from Ohio to Kansas" except the food is really wonderful. The recipes use readily available ingredients, prepared in ways that shouldn't challenge most cooks in terms of either time or technique. The only complaint is that the wonderful photographs that characterize Lidia's books are less represented here. It probably kept the cost down, but they are missed.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Reading" really means cooking from and it is best to accompany with the dvd - Lidia is the ueen of Italian food. I made twice her Val D'Osta cassarole of flat-iron steak w/rosemary, garlic, fontina, savoy cabbage and potatoes - yuuummmm! There's no such thing as finished reading for this cook-book - I'll return to it many times.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook and I reach for it often. The book's organization takes you on a tour of each region and local cuisine, based on what is harvested and produced--rice, cheeses, wines, meats, etc.
Lidia's explanations of food prep techniques are so clear, as if this nice knowledgeable pro is standing over your shoulder coaching you.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lidia’s cookbooks and the recipes they comprise are always so good. I probably have 3/4 of them. Some have no photos at all, and some are like coffee-table books. This one is balanced and very useful as a cookbook. The recipes are from the regions that are often overlooked or minimized in other Italian cookbooks, and are therefore new and interesting. They are written in Lidia’s typical style and using the methods she typically employs on her cooking shows. This is to say, these recipes are accessible to cooks of any level.

[Paschalis]

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[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lidia is one of my favorite host chefs. Her food and recipes are reliable and delicious. She is not pretentious and seems like someone I’d like to know.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars, since Goodreads doesn't do half-stars

There's a good variety of recipes, and even a lot of vegetarian recipes, which isn't typical for a Lidia Bastianich cookbook. As other reviewers have stated, this cookbook focuses on regions such as Liguria, and Emilia-Romagna, and the small Italian regional differences that are not well-known to the average American reader/eater.

One of my favorite parts of any Lidia cookbook is her stories of her personal experience in that part of Italy. Sometimes I could do without the name-dropping but the anecdotes do add a lot of local flavor, so to speak.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Makes for an interesting READ, but I'm not so sure about the recipes. The highlight of the book (the regional specialties of Italy) are also what makes it somewhat difficult to try, as we seldom find many of these special ingredients in common grocery stores in the U.S. Again, I loved reading about them all but I didn't find the recipes to be something I could easily recreate in my own kitchen.

[Sandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

The recipes are written in an easy enough to follow format, although some tools needed wouldn't generally be found in the average household. But the book's layout was too chatty and I didn't find what Lydia wrote compelling enough to want to read. In addition, there were very few recipes that sounded even marginally tempting..and that's coming from a pasta-aholic.

[Jennifer Hughes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a cookbook--it is as much fun to flip through and imagine the delicious-tasting foods as it is to daydream over the exquisite photos and "locals insider info" fun facts. I can't stand it. I must pack my bags!!!

[Marita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great recipes. Haven't tried them all yet but working on it. I don't claim to be a bread maker but I loved how easy the Filled Focaccia was to make. YUM. Interesting stories and beautiful pictures from many regions of Italy. Almost like taking a mini-vacation.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Lidia's PBS show, and the recipes I have tried from this book were delicious. I attended a tasting at her restaurant Felidia in NYC, and she is as delightful and charming in person as she is on her show and in her cookbooks.

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

NOt sure if it's the layout or the content but I didn't see a lot of recipes I want to try. Granted I only gave it a quick 5 minute preview but that is typically a long enough purview. If i didn't already have so very many recipes to try...

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm learning Italian through cooking Lidia's authentic recipes! I might not be able to ask for directions, but at least I'll be able to order a decent meal when I finally get the chance to visit Italy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful images and stories. Not too overwhelming, though I don't know how she selected so few recipes. A few dishes (almost a meal planned) for various regions of Italy

[Caren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool cookbook because it gives you history and geography of Italy.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like her on TV better than in her cookbooks but I think she's great. Loves Italy.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked more pictures. There are not many in this book. I like the recipes but they are a lot of work - hence the 3 stars.

[Vittorio Graziani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome ideas! Makes very big batches but delicious meals.

[Charcoal · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were beautiful pictures of Italy in the book. However, the recipes seem pretty involved and complicated.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this cookbook, there are recipes I look forward to making.

[Lucylu57 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very good. One of the two cookbooks I chose to take with me when I moved out of the country. Highly recommended if you like Italian food.