Gothamist: Our Secret Italian Grandmother

punkin712

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 12:27:55 -0500

I guess anonym0000s is referring to the fact that Lidia was born in Istria the same year it was given over to Croatia and spent the first 11 years of her life there, but left with her parents after it became part of Yugoslavia. No matter, she will always be my Italian grandmother.

Tim N.

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 11:50:56 -0500

She is Italian. Bastianich is her married name.

famdoc

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 10:17:51 -0500

Lidia and Joe must be millionaires a bunch of times over, but I really admire Lidia's approach to cooking. I find her recipes more accessible than most TV chefs. I can easily reproduce her dishes for my own family without having to buy hard-to-locate ingredients. Search her website or her books for her summer rice salads...they can be prepared in less than a half hour and will make your guests very happy, particularly if served with a chilled New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

MH

Thu, 27 Apr 2006 09:47:06 -0500

I think Lidia's show is one of the best on all of TV. When she was promoting her book, she appeared on a morning show, I think CBS. She should go to prime time at least once a week in addition to Sundays and reach out to a wider audience. I would like to see her aired before or after Martha Stewart. Their styles are differernt enough to air together. Her image would be a positve contribution to television. I've enjoyed all episodes of Cooking With Lidia, including those with her family members. Her son has a great restuarant in NYC. I have had their home made sausage. It is simply out of this world. Her son is also an expert in wines so I enjoy when he makes a sugestion as to what wine to eat with her prepared dish. Also, her grandchildren, two boys, are a nice addition to her cooking show. She is very enjoyable to watch on TV. I have also caught her culinary classes on PBS, very good shows.

MMJ

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 23:55:56 -0500

I'm interning on a new show that's being done for PBS (Chef's Story), airing Spring '07. Lidia was the guest on Monday and was just a lovely, lovely person. She's just as warm and genuine in person as she is on her show. Keep an eye out for her episode (and Jacques Pepin's as well!)

JT

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 22:46:36 -0500

That show is good. As is Jacques Pepin's. Both are very calmly presented, with nice food that's not overly fussy.

jc

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 21:02:40 -0500

My sister and her boyfriend record every episode. If she is your grandmother, Jen, we must be related!

DaveJ

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 18:12:41 -0500

Her simple recipe for linguine with parsley, garlic and olive oil kept me alive through the recession.

anonym0000s

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:45:32 -0500

that's great. except she's can't be your italian grandmother. she's not italian.

Jen

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:15:53 -0500

The restauranst I listed are Lidia's - I'll clarify!

joey

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:11:03 -0500

joe owns (or is a partner in) far more restaurants than the ones you've listed...

Jen

Wed, 26 Apr 2006 17:05:54 -0500

This show is one of the many reasons why I love public television. While I forget to make comfort food on Sundays, I at least get this comfort television and eat my heart out over the food. The episode I saw last weekend had the chef at Felidia (whose name I forgot) helping Lidia and their interaction was really charming.