Lidia's Italy: 140 Simple and Delicious Recipes from the Ten Places in Italy Lidia Loves Most

364 Pages·2007·29.17 MB·English

by  Lidia Matticchio Bastianich

ALSO BY LIDIA MATTICCHIO BASTIANICH
La Cucina di Lidia
Lidia’s Italian Table
Lidia’s Italian-American Kitchen
Lidia’s Family Table

This Is a Borzoi Book
Published by Alfred A. Knopf
Copyright © 2007 by Tutti a Tavola, LLC
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada
Limited, Toronto.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered trademarks of Random
House, Inc.
The photographs on the following pages are by Christopher Hirsheimer: 1.6, 1.9,
1.11, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 3.7, 4.2, 4.7, 4.11, 5.1, 4.4, 6.1, 6.7, 6.11, 6.13, 7.7, 8.1, 8.4,
8.9, 9.3, 9.8, 9.10, 9.11, 9.13, 10.1, 10.3 (bottom), 10.4, 10.5.
All other photographs are courtesy of Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Wanda
Radetti.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bastianich, Lidia.
  Lidia’s Italy / by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali;
photographs by Christopher Hirsheimer.
  p.   cm.
eISBN: 978-0-307-76756-1
1. Cookery, Italian. 2. Italy-Social life and customs. I. Manuali, Tanya. II. Title.
TX723.B3224    2007
641.5945-dc22
                                        2006043046
v3.0
This book is dedicated to Erminia, my mother, the nonna to my children and the bis nonna to my
grandchildren. Without your unconditional love, your unwavering guidance and support, all of this could never
have happened.

Contents
Acknowledgments
Recipe Finder by Course
Introduction
  1. ISTRIA
  2. TRIESTE
  3. FRIULI
  4. PADOVA AND TREVISO
  5. PIEMONTE
  6. MAREMMA
  7. ROME
  8. NAPLES
  9. SICILY
10. PUGLIA
Sources
The PBS Television Series of Lidia’s Italy
Index
Acknowledgments
So many individuals in so many far-�ung places have generously
lent us assistance and support in writing this book. We must turn in
many directions to express our appreciation and gratitude.
As Italy is both the subject of our book and its source, we �rst wish
to thank the colleagues, family, and friends all over the country (and
in Istria) who guided us to their local culinary and cultural treasures;
introduced their favorite restaurants, artisans, and farms; and often
opened their kitchens to share their wonderful dishes.
In my native Istria, where we treasure a colony of relatives and
friends, special thanks to cousin Sonia Fonio and her husband, Zlatko
Perdija; cousins Renato and Mariuccia, who keep a watchful eye on
my childhood home; my attorney and dear friend Dobrovko Zic, who
keeps me within the law; and his cousin Boris Zic, who takes me
scampi �shing. Thank you to Gina Bergiĉ for the delicious food served
at Ristorante Gina in Stoja, Pula. Thank you to the musicians of Istria
—the magni�cent male chorus Società Artistico Culturale Lino
Mariani of Pula and my dear friend Mirko Cetinski, whose melodious
voice I have been enjoying for years, and his quartet from Rovingo.
Thanks also to Mayor Rino Dunis, who has been keeping the arts alive
and well in his picturesque medieval hilltop town of Groznjan. For
promoting all these cultural and culinary treasures, our gratitude to
Denis Ivosevic, Assessore of Tourism in Istria.
In Trieste, where we’ve forged lasting friendships, we o�er many
thanks to Bruno Vesnaver and his family for the wonderful food and
fun we always have at their Antica Ghiaccetteria and Trattoria da
Giovanni. Thanks to the Benvenuti family of the Grand Hotel Duchi
D’Aosta, who always have a fresh linen-lined bed for a weary traveler.
In Friuli, where we have a home and winery, we are grateful for the
help and friendship of so many: �rst, of course, our old friend, the
winemaker Valter Scarbolo; managing director Dennis Lepore, who
makes it all happen; and Emilio del Medico, oenologist with a superb
sense of taste. Grazie to Gianluigi D’Orlandi, the commercialista and
mayor of Fagagna, who knows all the artisanal producers of the
Consorzio Prosciutto di San Daniele and in particular for bringing me
to Prosciutti�cio Giobatta Zanin and the Latteria de Fagagna Borgo
Pauldo, producers of exceptional Montasio cheese. Thanks to Josko
Sirk from La Subdia. Also thanks to Dott. Attilio Vuga, the mayor of
Cividale del Friuli, and Assessore Enrico Bertossi of the region of
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, who both understand the importance of
preserving local traditions.
My travels in Friuli have been enriched immeasurably by my dear
friend Mario Picozzi of Trieste. Thank you, Mario, for taking me to Le
Malghe and the high mountain farm of Maiaso Dienemonzo, where
they make extraordinary Montasio by hand; for sharing Sauris di
Sopra, your little piece of heaven; for introducing me to the family
Wolf-Petris, producers of the renowned speck and prosciutto di Sauris;
and for the unforgettable visit to the polenta mill, Il Mulino di Godia.
(And thank you, Doctor Mario, for �xing my teeth if they chip from
all the chewing!)
In the area of Padova and Treviso, thanks to Dott. Walter Brunello
and Dott.ssa Sanguin of the Veneto Region, who opened so many
doors to memorable experiences, like our tour of the cultivation of
radicchio trevisano at Azienda Agricola Fratelli. And I am grateful to
Celeste Tonon, proprietor of the esteemed Ristorante Celeste in
Venegazzu (near Treviso), both for his wonderful company and
sharing his privileged knowledge of the original tiramisù.
In Piemonte, a cherished region, �rst and special thanks to my dear
friend Gianandrea Noseda, principal conductor of the BBC
Philharmonic and principal conductor of Teatro Regio di Torino.
Thanks also to Ra�aela Bologna of Braida, Luca Vietti of the Vietti
winery, and Lidia Alcianti from Guido da Costigliole at Relais San
Maurizio, a very special chef and friend. Thanks as well to the Slow
Food Movement in Bra, an organization that has awakened us to the
need to preserve our culinary traditions.
In Maremma, thanks �rst to Maurizio Castelli, grande-over-all
enologist, and his son, winemaker Simone Castelli, who direct La
Mozza, our winery. To the attentive and caring sta� at the Azienda
Alberese, thanks for revealing the wild beauty of Maremma. Thanks to
Alma Amaddii, whose wonderful recipe for acqua cotta enriches this
book, and to Lucia Simoni for those luscious ravioli.
As we journey south, a warm and a�ectionate hug to old friend
Paola di Mauro, the matron of Roman cuisine and a producer of great
wines from her Azienda Colle Picchioni in the Lazio region.
And another hug to a great friend, Campanian wine guru, and true
Napoletano, Bruno de Rosa, for guiding us to the heart of Naples.
Thanks to Alfonso Matozzi, the fourth-generation proprietor of
L’Europeo restaurant, for memorable dining and talk of food. Thanks
to my cousin Clara and her husband, Francesco Pacelli; and to Sig.ra
Mirella Capaldo of Feudi di San Gregorio winery and her husband,
Dott. Enzo Ercolino.
One more hug—a big one—to Nonna Lisa Porcella (maternal
grandmother of Tanya’s husband, Corrado) for her great tiella, �rst
enjoyed in Gaeta and now shared in these pages.
In Sicily, great thanks to dear friend Manfredi Barbera and family,
merchants of wonderful Sicilian olive oil; to Santi Palazzolo, master
pasticciere; and to Anna Santoro, the mistress of couscous making in
Custonaci, and her husband, Giuseppe, and their family.
In Puglia, warm thanks to two restaurateur colleagues in
Montegrosso: Pietro Petroni, who runs the wonderful Masseria Lama
di Luna, and Pietro Zito, who expertly cooks the bounty of the region
at Antichi Sapori. Thanks also to Domenico Asseliti and his family in
Andria for making the most spectacular burrata, and to Eliah
Pellegrino, producer of great Pugliese olive oil, and his mother,
Signora Titina Pellegrino, who showed me how to make orecchiette.
In Altamura I had some of the best bread, made by the Carlucci
family.
Finally, thanks to New York City pal Francesco Luisi, who returned
to his native Basilicata (just over the border of Puglia) and shared the
wonderful products of the region as well as the wonderful folk songs
and dances from the talented teenagers of Gruppo Musicisti e
Ballerini-Folk-Art Stigliano.
To all of the above (and others too numerous to name) we say,
“Siamo riconoscenti del vostro contributo che arrichisce questo libro …
Mille grazie.”
And how could we have completed Lidia’s Italy—this book and its
companion PBS television series—without the support and
encouragement of our sponsors? You have made it possible! So thank
you-to Cuisinart for a long-lasting friendship and support; to the
premier pasta company, De Cecco; to Palm Bay Imports and their
wonderful portfolio of Italian wine producers; and to the Consorzio
per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano, whose exceptional product
I have been grating over my pasta and using in my recipes for years.
We would also like to thank the businesses who support us through
their generous product donations for the �lming of the TV show:
www.freshdirect.com; Jones New York; Arte Italica; American Pearl;
Borghese; Keil Brothers; ceramicadirect.com; Omnipak;
www.sambonetusa.com; Le Creuset; Villeroy & Boch Hotel and
Restaurant Division; Tutto Mio; the Perrier Group; and Alitalia and
Visit Italy Tours, who have facilitated many a research trip to Italy.