| 504 A Light Dinner of Sole
Sole, the chef's favorite fish, is prepared three classic Italian-American ways: Sole Meuniere, Sole Rollatini, and Sole Oreganata. Then Lidia prepares Insalata Tricolore three ways with balsamic vinaigrette, lemon dressing and garlic vinaigrette.
Hot antipasti were half of America's, and certainly Italian-America's, original salad bar. Lidia teaches us how to make some of our favorites: cherry peppers stuffed with provolone and prosciutto; Insalata Frutti di Mare and lnsalata Reinforzo; marinated roasted garlic and rolled mozzarella with prosciutto; and finally, marinated mushrooms.
Starting with a simple chicken broth, which Lidia shows us how to make, she proceeds to prepare a delicious Stracciatelli, then a "Little Meatball Soup" called Polpette in Italian. On the side, a dandelion and chicory salad with boiled eggs.
An Italian-American menu classic in three variations: Vitella Piccata with Broccoli Aglio Olio, Veal Sorrentino, and Veal Pizzaiola.
Eat beans -- they taste great are good for you! This is the kind of food that is at the heart of the Mediterranean diet, and it has been served for years at Italian-American restaurants. This show features a hearty, winter menu: a big pot of Pasta Fagioli yields a main course soup, with sausages cooked in the soup and then removed, sliced and served separately. It also yields a delicious salad made by pulling some of the beans from the soup to make a bean and escarole salad. Dessert is roasted pears and grapes, served with vanilla ice cream.
First Lidia takes a quick look at fresh, salted and then dried cod while recounting the culinary history of this always popular, but once lowly, fish. Demystifying salt cod, Lidia explains its role in the immigrant pantry: how to buy it, soak it, clean it, and cook it-two ways. Then, Lidia bakes fresh cod and serves it with a salad of cherry tomatoes and a warm version of Salmoriglio Sauce.
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Lidia teaches us how to pick and prep different types of eggplant, and then demonstrates how breaded eggplant can be fried or baked. To make the eggplant parmigiana, the fried eggplant is layered with cheese mixture, tomato sauce and baked. A different take on the same ingredients is Lidia's 'fan': half an eggplant fanned out with onion, tomato and cheese tucked between the slices, then baked. A final dish, grandma's eggplant and pasta, or Ziti alla Nona, is a roasted eggplant that's cubed and breaded, then sautéed into the pasta.
"Do Ahead Entertaining," in the Italian-American style: baked ziti with sausage and peppers, all served up together on a large platter… with cannelonis for dessert.
Three of the most requested pastas at Lidia's restaurants are not frequently prepared at home…perhaps because no one ever bothered to teach us how! Here Lidia shares the secrets of her Penne [pasta] a la Vodka (self-explanatory); Rigatoni Bascaiola (a hearty pasta dish in the style a woodsman would eat with sausage, onion, peas, tomatoes and of course mushrooms, and a few dollops of ricotta cheese.); and Fusilli with mussels and saffron, zuccini and garlic. Hmmm. Take a minute to smell the aromas!
Lobster Fra Diavolo (with fresh-from-the-sea lobster) served with linguini. And for dessert, Lidia shows us how to make the truly delicious pear and chocolate tart from San Martino.
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