LIDIA: Buon giorno.

I'm Lidia Bastianich, and teaching you about Italian food has always been my passion.

It has always been about cooking together and ultimately building your confidence in the kitchen.

So what does that mean?

You got to cook it yourselves.

For me, food is about delicious flavors... Che bellezza!

...comforting memories, and most of all, family.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare!

ANNOUNCER: Funding provided by... ANNOUNCER: At Cento Fine Foods, we're dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of authentic Italian foods by offering over 100 specialty Italian products for the American kitchen.

Cento -- Trust your family with our family.

ANNOUNCER: Authentic and original -- Amarena Fabbri.

A taste of Italy for brunch with family and friends.

Amarena Fabbri -- the original wild cherries in syrup.

ANNOUNCER: Grana Padano -- authentic, Italian, rich in tradition, yet contemporary.

ANNOUNCER: For over 140 years, Auricchio traditional hand-crafted provolone, made in Italy.

ANNOUNCER: Olitalia, "From chef to chef."

ANNOUNCER: And by... LIDIA: Colazione.

It's breakfast time at my table today, and I am adding an Italian touch to traditional American classics.

This is a one-skillet breakfast wonder packed with protein in every bite and all served up on a crispy bed of fried potatoes.

Bacon, egg and cheese take on a new meaning when served in a risotto, the Lidia way.

Join me for breakfast at Lidia's.

"Breakfast at Lidia's."

In Italy, breakfast, food-wise, isn't a big happening.

Have an espresso, maybe have a cornetto.

Now, when I came to America, that was another story.

Breakfast was a dinner -- two sunny side eggs, a slab of ham, home fries, onions, toast with butter, jam on the side, orange juice.

That's a stomach-full, never mind a mouthful.

A stack of pancakes.

It was like a stairway to heaven of pancakes with butter, with Maple sirup.

I liked it.

I love it.

I still love it, and I make it for myself sometimes.

But it was a new revelation.

You know, I was used to having a little crepe, a little palacinke with a little jam.

And just seeing this difference, for me at that age when I came at 12 years old, was exploration time.

When I go back to Italy, I revert.

It's strange.

You know, here I am, I guess multicultural.

I have two cultures in me that I love -- Italian, I am American -- and I can switch from one to the other with ease.

Fried potatoes with sausage and eggs.

Breakfast at Lidia's -- Does that sound good?

Does that sound inviting?

Absolutely.

One-pot breakfast with everything in it and bring it to the table.

So let's start with some potatoes.

Everybody likes a little potatoes on the breakfast.

Okay, let's start with some oil.

Okay.

♪ [ Sizzling ] Salt.

Little peperoncino.

Okay.

Sausages.

You score the casing just like that, and... ...the sausage comes right out.

♪ Okay.

Gonna kind of break it up into little pieces.

So let's put the sausages in.

♪ Alright.

♪ Do the onion.

[ Sizzling continues ] Let's flip a little bit.

[ Sizzling continues ] So this is looking more and more like breakfast.

Let's do the pepper.

♪ I'm putting them into nice thin slices.

♪ You know, I'm going to toss this up on my board so I'm sure that everything is kind of equally mixed in.

A logical thing to do.

A little salt for the vegetables.

Let's begin to mix.

[ Sizzling continues ] Okay, so this should cook about 10 minutes.

We'll give it a mix or two, and then we'll address the eggs.

Welcome back.

Benvenuti.

My library.

In here, you and I share information.

So keep those questions coming, and I will keep on answering them.

Jean e-mailed me to ask... how they can use up leftover sweet Italian sausages.

Take it out of the casing, and you have this like chopped meat, if you will, flavorful, and you can use it as a base for many pasta sauces.

A lot of times I say, you know, you have the sausage, again, take it out of the casing and make a stuffing out of it with some breadcrumbs, some parsley, some cheese.

And of course, you can always use them for breakfast.

Or if you don't want to use it now, you know, wrap in plastic wrap, put it in the freezer.

And when you least expect it, you'll remember, "Oh, I have those two sausages in the freezer.

Let me pull them out, and I'll make breakfast tomorrow."

Okay, so Jean, I hope that helped.

Let's go on.

And here is another e-mail from Morgan.

He wants to know do Italians have donuts?

Of course, Italians have donuts, in different kind of names and shapes.

The ciambelle are most likely the closest to the American donut with the hole, the fried dough, the sugar rolled into it.

So different forms, but we have our own delicious donuts the Italian way.

That was a good question.

So, I'm looking at this.

This looks good.

The colors I like, and now it's time.

Let's get the eggs going.

Let's do -- I have one spot here.

And I have... one spot there.

One egg right here.

So, here are the eggs.

Everything else -- It's tasty, but the eggs need a little seasoning, a little salt like that.

Okay, and I'm going to put a little bit of grated cheese on top of it.

Just like that.

And on top of the egg, not necessarily over the whole thing.

You know, you can overdo a good thing.

Just like that.

Okay, so that looks good.

Let's cover it and let it cook away.

A little parsley just to sort of decorate it on top.

The parsley is chopped a little coarse.

I like it that way.

The eggs, let them finish cooking.

I'll clean up, and then we'll be back and ready to serve.

Okay, let's see what Carter is up to.

CARTER: Ciao, Lidia.

My name is Carter, and this is Wino, my neighbors chicken, and I'm thinking about starting a chicken coop of my own.

I have some questions about just Italian breakfast.

What can I do with the extra eggs I once I have these chickens?

Thanks, Wino.

LIDIA: [ Laughs ] CARTER: There she goes.

LIDIA: Oh, Carter, I love that.

What can you use eggs?

Endless -- from morning breakfast, lunch, merienda, dinner.

Eggs can fit any place.

A great source of protein.

Certainly, you can start from a frittata.

You know, we had our chicken coop and I would feed the chickens and they would come out all over.

They're beautifully.

They know you, you know?

They know when it's feeding time and, you know, they'll advise you when they have laid an egg.

They'll be clucking for a while.

I remember when my grandfather was sending me up, he says, "Okay, there's an egg."

We had a nice warm egg, and he would make a little hole in the egg and slurp the egg, just like that -- warm from the chicken.

That was his morning energy, if you will.

So, Carter, get those chicken, get that coop going, have fun, and enjoy these eggs.

Alright, that was nice.

I like that.

Carter's into it, huh?

Brings me back to my childhood with those little chickens.

So let's check on the eggs, because I think they're done.

They are done.

Okay.

I don't want to overcook the yolks.

Just a little bit of parsley, and not all over.

You know, I want them to see these eggs, these beautiful eggs here.

Just a little bit like that.

And I think it's ready to go to the table.

Let's make the delivery.

And here it is.

I'm going to go with the spatula right underneath and fish it right out.

And here it is, my beautiful serving.

I want to get into the yolk to see where we are with the yolk.

Oh, let's go like this.

Aha.

Just the way I like it.

Just like that.

Doesn't get any better.

Let me taste now.

Okay.

So that's a big piece.

Let me give it a little bit about the egg.

♪ It's delicious.

Grandma had lots of chickens.

It was my job as a little girl, little basket every morning, go get the eggs.

Eggs were the centerpiece of many a meal.

I expect you to make it for your family for breakfast or brunch, whatever you'd like.

But I'm going to continue.

Some of my favorite time in the kitchen has been teaching my grandchildren to grow into confident cooks.

And these days, even though they're living on their own, that doesn't mean they stop asking for my advice.

"Sharing Recipes: Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes."

Hi, Julietta.

How are you doing?

JULIA: Hi.

I'm good.

How are you?

LIDIA: Oh, I'm okay.

How is college?

How you doing?

JULIA: It's good.

Just living in my dorm.

I miss home a little, though.

LIDIA: Well, it's the first year.

I think it's to be understood.

Food is okay?

JULIA: Yeah, I actually made some pancakes because I was missing home the other day.

The ones that we make.

LIDIA: You did?

You mean the ones with the ricotta?

Did they turn out well?

JULIA: Yeah, they did.

I made them on my little stove top.

LIDIA: Did you have all the ingredients?

Because you need eggs, you need milk, you need the ricotta, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, some powdered sugar.

JULIA: I had all that.

Well, we have a little fridge, so we like keep all the necessities in there.

LIDIA: Oh, that's nice.

That's nice.

In making that pancake, you separate the eggs and you mix the egg yolk with the milk, with the flour, with all of that, then slowly folded in the ricotta.

And then you whip the egg whites and you folded that in?

JULIA: Yeah, we knew it was important, so we had to do it.

LIDIA: Did you make some whipped cream too to put on top?

JULIA: Yeah, we have whipped cream and then we put some of the cherries that we always use at home on them, and it was really good.

LIDIA: Julia, I'm glad to hear that those cherries made it to your little refrigerator in college.

JULIA: Yeah.

Once you gave them to me, I had to bring them because I could put them on my pancakes, on toast, in my smoothies or just in my yogurt.

They're just really easy to add some more flavor.

LIDIA: A little imagination, and here you have 20 recipes with them.

Good for you.

Are you thinking of cooking any other things on that little hot plate?

You know, you got to do a one-pot meal.

JULIA: I'm not really sure what else, but do you have any ideas?

LIDIA: Oh, sure.

Any kind of fried eggs.

Hamburgers you can do.

JULIA: The hallway is gonna be jealous.

They're going to smell it.

LIDIA: [ Laughs ] That's okay.

JULIA: I'll be cooking for everyone.

I'll be better than the dining hall.

LIDIA: I bet.

I bet.

Alright.

Well, I'm excited.

I'm excited to know that you're cooking, that you're taking care of yourself, that you're being nourished.

I love you.

It was great to chat with you.

I miss you.

JULIA: Love you, too.

I miss you, too.

LIDIA: Ciao, bella.

Ciao.

JULIA: Bye!

LIDIA: That's rewarding.

A young freshmen already cooking in college, and I am proud that she started cooking from day one.

Breakfast risotto.

I bet you didn't know you could have risotto for breakfast.

Well, I had it.

My grandma would make it for me now and then, and I'm going to teach you how to make it for your family.

It's simple and delicious.

So let's begin with a slab of bacon.

It's great.

♪ I think... this is enough.

Cut it in lardoons.

♪ So...to make a risotto, you need a nice wide pan and thick on the bottom so that the heat disperses evenly and that you have enough space for the stock to evaporate on to make the risotto nice and creamy.

Let me put on oil here.

[ Sizzling ] And here I have -- You know, for a good risotto, you always need hot stock.

And if you're gonna make risotto, you always need stock.

Onion.

Onion is a big flavor builder in risotto.

The beauty of the risotto, of cooking for that matter, is that you can do whatever you have, whatever you like.

So let's get some chopped onions.

♪ Okay, so we have our base.

I think we're okay.

Let's add the onions.

And I usually have some salt to the onions at this point, but the bacon has enough salt.

So we will taste as we go along.

While that is cooking, let's clean up the pepper.

I like the flavor.

If you like other vegetables, that's okay, too.

The pepper gives us some color, some taste.

You know, after all, it is breakfast risotto.

Let's add the rice right now.

So, this is an important step.

You add the rice and you toast the rice, just mixing it like that.

Next, we'll chop up the pepper.

The pepper is just -- little cubes are fine.

Dice it up so it kind of looks like specks in the risotto.

This breakfast risotto, we will also some eggs.

So, peppers and eggs are always good.

Oh, this is done.

The rice has toasted.

The rice is thirsty now.

It's going to take in this wine just like that.

So which wine do you use?

Well, white wine usually for risotto.

You can make red wine risotto, but white wine is usually.

And we will let the wine evaporate and the rice will absorb the acidity and the flavor of the wine.

So, let's recap all the important points.

You render the onions and bacon.

Then you toast the rice.

You add a little acidity, the wine.

Once the wine has evaporated, slowly add in the stock and mix it, just enough to cover the rice.

And I'm going to add the peppers now because I want them to sort of mellow down a little bit and release some of their flavor.

Let's add some salt... some pepper.

♪ I'm going to keep stirring, adding a little bit of stock until the risotto is cooked, and we are going to serve risotto for breakfast.

Now, let's see, I have here a message from Donna.

And she writes, "I understand that grated cheese preferences change depending on where you are in Italy.

Is this true?

How many types of grated cheese are there?

And what are they best used for?

Well, topographically, Italy is very varied, and that's the beauty of all the Italian products, and it affects the cheeses too.

So in the north, we have grazing grounds, we have great pasture, a lot of cows, and cheeses like Grana are prevalent.

In the south, it gets a little bit more hillier and you have the sheeps and the goats roaming the mountainsides, and they produce a very flavorful milk, which makes the pecorino, and so the south, pecorino reigns.

And these are the main divisions of cheeses in Italy.

Donna, I hope this helps you out.

Try them both.

Okay.

You know, in the kitchen, it's like dancing -- two steps here, three steps there.

Add this, add that.

And, you know, it's orchestrating all of that that makes you a good cook, and you can do other things while you're cooking.

So the risotto, adding a little stock.

It's almost there.

Let me do some scallions.

And the scallions I add towards the end.

I don't want it to cook all the way.

Just a little blanching will give me the flavor that I want.

Okay.

Mmm.

This is looking good.

I'm going to have a little bit of stock here, and then I'm going to get -- the last element in here is the eggs.

Just like scrambled eggs.

And if you like that, you will love this.

Let's get the eggs.

♪ A pinch of salt.

♪ Okay.

So, I'm going to add a little bit of hot stock to temper the eggs just like that, because otherwise they would curdle all at once.

So we have that right.

Then I'm going to add this right to the risotto just like that.

♪ Mm!

Yes, this looks good.

Time to shut off the heat and finish it off with some cheese, some grated cheese, just like that.

And here I have your breakfast risotto.

It is ready to be served.

Let me just clean up a little bit, and then we're going to have a little peach bellini and some risotto for breakfast.

So, here is a video from Alex and his dog, Eddie.

I like that.

Let's see what they want to know.

ALEX: Hey, Lidia, this is Alex and Eddie from Towson, Maryland, and we want to know what are the five most essential Italian spices we should keep in our cupboard?

And what do you recommend we make with them?

LIDIA: Well, certainly the peperoncino.

You spice everything up in your life, in your dishes with a little peperoncino.

Then oregano.

Dry oregano goes good in sauces, goes good on pizza, goes good in stuffings.

I sometimes even put it in hamburgers.

I like cloves.

I like it when I make guazzetto, when I make meat sauces, then porcini powder, and that is great all over the place.

I like mustard powder, and that sort of adds that little zest, especially when I'm working with chopped meat, when I make meatballs, whether I'm making meatloaf.

So, Alex, fill up your cupboard and, you know, don't forget to feed Eddie a little meat when you make those meatballs.

Ciao.

We're ready to serve.

I have my bellini waiting.

We're all set.

So, I don't want to dribble all over.

Look, this nice bowl of risotto for breakfast.

Now, who wouldn't like that?

Mmm.

Okay.

This is a good bowl of risotto.

Absolutely.

I served you, and I will all tasting for me.

Okay.

This looks good.

And now it's time for our bellini -- a peach bellini.

So nice peach puree and some prosecco and some fresh peaches.

That's all you need.

So now it's time for me to have my brunch.

Let me taste.

Deliciousness and the creaminess of risotto and then to taste the breakfast, bacon and eggs.

It's fantastico.

A sip of bellini.

Mmm.

The perfect kind of topping for this great risotto.

And so I'm going to continue to eat and drink, but as I always do, I want to invite you.

Come.

Come to my garden.

It's beautiful.

And the risotto is flowing.

Tutti a tavola a mangiare.

Andiamo!

You hear me always talking and professing about being together at the table as a family for dinner.

And, yes, that is an important time of the day.

But if that's not feasible, you know, make a breakfast.

I think let dad do breakfast.

Men have been so busy in working and providing and whatever, the contact with the family was maybe just dedicated time with the family.

But this way, they're incorporated in the happenings of the day.

So breakfast is an ideal place to gather and have everybody do their part.

You know, clean that melon, squeeze that juice, Daddy's making the pancakes and Mom is enjoying it all.

For Grandma, breakfast was a special time.

She loved it, but she only had coffee and toast with jam.

That was her breakfast, but she sang along all the time.

ERMINIA: "Viva Là E Po' Bon."

LIDIA: Okay.

Let's hear that one.

BOTH: ♪ Viva là e po' bon ♪ ♪ Qua es el moto triestin ♪ ♪ Viva là e po' bon ♪ ♪ E che lá vadi ben ♪ ♪ E che là vadi mal ♪ ♪ Sempre alegri, mai pasion ♪ ♪ Viva là e po' bon ♪ ERMINIA: Cin cin.

LIDIA: Salute.

Cin cin.

ANNOUNCER: The food from this series makes Italian cooking easy for everyone and showcases simple-to-prepare recipes that require fewer steps, fewer ingredients, and less cleanup, without sacrificing flavor.

The recipes can be found in Lidia's latest cookbook "Lidia's a Pot, a Pan, and a Bowl," available for $29.95.

To purchase this cookbook and any of her additional products, call 1-800-PLAY-PBS or visit shop.pbs.org/lidia.

ANNOUNCER: To learn more about Lidia, access to videos, and to get recipes, tips, techniques and much more, visit us online at lidiasitaly.com.

Follow Lidia on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram @lidiabastianich.

♪ ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER: Funding provided by... ANNOUNCER: At Cento Fine Foods, we're dedicated to preserving the culinary heritage of authentic Italian foods by offering over 100 specialty Italian products for the American kitchen.

Cento -- Trust your family with our family.

ANNOUNCER: Grana Padano -- authentic, Italian, rich in tradition yet contemporary.

And by...

Authentic Italian cured meats.

Paolo Rovagnati, the true Italian tradition.

Closed captioning provided by San Benedetto.

"Lidia's Kitchen" studio provided by Clarke, New England's official Sub-Zero and Wolf showroom and test kitchen.

♪ ♪ ♪