EDGE Interview: Celebrity Chef Lidia Bastianich Says Her Recipes Tell Her Family's Story

In Italian culture, the dinner table is the magnet that brings the family together. Celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich wants to do that one better and bring everyone to her table through her television appearances, her signature restaurants, and her numerous cookbooks, the latest of which -- "Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours" – has recently been published.

Lidia is a hands-on instructor, famous for holding public classes at Eataly locations throughout the country. Eataly is the Italian marketplace-cum-food hall she brought to America in partnership with its founder Oscar Farinetti, the chef Mario Batali, and her son Joe Bastianich. Her award-winning PBS cooking shows have brought her widespread fame over two decades, as have her (now) 16 cookbooks.

EDGE spoke with Lidia about her newest book, working with her daughter in putting it together, and what are the keys of success for a home cook.

EDGE: Tell us about your new cookbook, "Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours?"

Lidia Bastianich: Well Steve, this is my 16th book. One would ask, "Where do you get all of these?" It's part of the Italian Culinary repertoire. Although it has personal touches and I do change things and this book is in response to my shows. My books are always based on the shows. I do a book every two years and it gives me 52 episodes for the show. I love that people can have the book and watch the show while getting some guidance from me. This book was a request from my viewers through social media because many of them ask what dishes I cook for my family or what are my family's favorite dishes.

This book is also dedicated to my mother who passed away two years ago. She was loved by my audience and was such a big part of who I am. For this book, I went back to my grandmother's favorite recipes and the recipes that I loved from her, and the ones that I have passed on to my kids and grandkids.

EDGE: As you said this is your 16th cookbook, what inspires you to continue to write them?

Lidia Bastianich: We enjoy it, and we love it, but food not only nurtures us it's a recording element of who we are. It is our culture. I'm Italian. Every family has their own repertoire of food and it's reflective of our flavor choices. It tells the story of our family. It helps us enjoy being social, connects us, and helps us express emotions. These are the things that inspire me to continue.

EDGE: Do you ever worry about running out of ideas for a new cookbook?

Lidia Bastianich: Not really, because it's endless. There are so many modifications that you can make to a recipe. I feel like it is my role to be the carrier of this culinary culture in our family. I feel comfortable modifying because I love to dig deeply into the past culture of my family and into the recipes. I go back to Italy a couple of times to do research and get re-energized. I love searching the markets, farms, and the small towns there. That's where I find my inspiration. I always find something new something different.

EDGE: Your daughter, Tanya, co-wrote this with you. What was it like working together?

Lidia Bastianich: It's wonderful because she has her Ph.D. in Renaissance Art. She is in the research and culture of it. She helps me apply that information to the recipes. She does a lot of research for me. We test the food together and make changes based on both of our recommendations.

She will give me information on different things in history like what the Romans did or what happened during the Renaissance and what spices they may have used. It is information that really exemplifies our recipes. We take all this research into consideration and then include it in the cookbooks and on the show. I love to show how food has evolved. My daughter is great to work with and has been a tremendous help in writing this cookbook.

EDGE: You have given us over 100 recipes for all occasions. What is your favorite occasion to cook for?

Lidia Bastianich: Whenever the family gets together. I love a table full of friends and family. I really love to cook anytime, especially for the holidays. I love Easter. I love peas and fava beans they really highlight the seasonality and the tradition that I remember from my grandmother. We always had either lamb or a little goat and I always loved the intense flavor of rosemary mixed with the sweetness of the peas and the fava's from her garden.

EDGE: With winter coming up, is there a recipe that you would recommend for the colder months?

Lidia Bastianich: I love long cooking techniques. I love making soups and certainly, soups are great in the summer, but fall and winter soups are so easy. They can take a little longer because of the process of the legumes, but what I love is that you can make more than one meal in one pot. Just adding sausages or some sort of meat changes it. My grandmother used to do that all the time. She used to go in the cantina and get some ribs and put them in the minestrone. The minestrone, the basis of it, of course, were legumes whether they were beans, lentils, or chickpeas. I also love braising. I love secondary cuts of meat. I would recommend looking through the book at the soups and at the braising I have in there. There are recipes for pork chops, pork ribs, beef short ribs, and goulash. These are all kinds of secondary cuts of meat.

EDGE: Favorite ingredients and ones that you don't like to use.

Lidia Bastianich: Well, I never use cilantro. It is something that was not used in Italy. There was some but I don't recall my grandmother ever using it. Anything I have had it; tastes like I am eating soap.

I love to use fresh herbs. I love bay leaves, rosemary, and sage. I have some wonderful bay leave and rosemary bushes just like my grandmother did. Anytime I go to clip some off, the aroma of bay leaf and the rosemary always brings me back to my childhood.

EDGE: Is there a favorite olive oil that you love to use? What should we look for when choosing one?

Lidia Bastianich: I get asked this question all the time. I am only going to talk about Italian oil. The whole world makes some sort of olive oil, but every region in Italy makes a different one. The Italian government now puts a seal of origin on every bottle. The seal means that it is guaranteed by the government which will ensure that the oil is from Italy and always make sure you get extra virgin. Extra virgin means that at the time of squeezing the first runoff has low oleic acid. The best is cold-pressed extra-virgin. I always suggest you buy your olive oil in smaller amounts because it can oxidize quickly. If you do buy it in big quantities transfer it to smaller dark-colored bottles and keep it away from light.

EDGE: What are the most important keys to success for the home cook?

Lidia Bastianich: First, have the self-confidence to do it even if you're not a great cook. Everybody can cook something. Prepare all your ingredients and follow the recipe. The cooking and the eating should be an experience so, buy the best products that you can. When you buy good products, you're halfway there because as a chef, you need great products. Keep your meals seasonal because that is when you can get the best ingredients. Also, don't be afraid to substitute an ingredient. If a recipe calls for butternut squash, but you have a delicata squash use it. Delicata is an easy substitute. Just keep mind they do cook differently. Lastly, taste along the way. I believe it is very important to taste along the way. The taste will be your guide. Your taste buds are a guide that takes you to a place where you're familiar with. So, trust those tastes and feel confident in your skills no matter the level.

EDGE: What keeps you going?

Lidia Bastianich: It's a passion and I love doing it. It also gives me this great connection between my birth culture and my adoptive culture, which is America. I feel that Americans want to know more about Italy and Italian food. They love Italian food, and they want to know more about it, and they want to cook it. I am lucky enough that I get to be the conduit for them. I'm in a great position and I love it. I love sharing the recipes that I grew up with everyone.

For more information about Lidia and to purchase her new cookbook, "Lidia's From Our Family Table to Yours," follow this link.