Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen

Starred review from October 1, 2001
Despite a misleading title (the book offers few stereotypical restaurant-style dishes), readers will be slightly charmed by the book's actual contents (mainly recipes for straight Italian classics) and its author that they'll quickly forget any disappointment. Bastianich (La Cucina di Lidia), owner of several restaurants, is simultaneously a beguiling storyteller and a no-nonsense guide. Alongside classics like Tri-Color Salad with Arugula and Radicchio and a more unusual Salad of Dandelion Greens with Almond Vinaigrette and Dried Ricotta, Bastianich provides sidebars on beans, capers and many other ingredients. She also waxes personal: a native of Istria, the region given to Yugoslavia after WWII, she emigrated in 1958 and opened her first restaurant in 1971 at age 24. The stars here, though, are the recipes. Pasta dishes such as Cavatelli with Bread Crumbs, Pancetta, and Cauliflower, and Orecchiette with Braised Artichokes, make fine use of fresh vegetables. Recipes are divided into antipasto, soups, pasta and risotto, pizza, entrées, side dishes and desserts. Desserts include a San Martino Pear and Chocolate Tart and a rich Chocolate Soup from Udine. Bastianich includes restaurant-style Italian-American food such as Spaghetti and Meatballs, and Lobster fra Diavolo with Spaghettini, although she can't resist reducing the latter's sauce to more "Italian" proportions. Color and b&w photos. (Nov. 12)Forecasts:This companion to a PBS series has a built-in readership, not to mention Bastianich's following from her New York, Kansas City and Pittsburgh restaurants. Expect strong sales.

October 15, 2001
Before Bastianich opened Felidia, an upscale New York City restaurant known for its unusual regional dishes from her native Istria (once part of Italy, now in Croatia), she and her husband had two popular Italian American restaurants in Queens. So Italian American food is not the departure some fans of her more recent restaurants might assume. At Buonavia, her first restaurant, she was determined to serve "the best" Italian American food she could, and in her new book, companion to a 52-part PBS series, that is just what she presents: her Baked Clams Oreganata, for example, are prepared with Sicilian or Greek oregano, and she adds diced tomatoes for "freshness"; her manicotti is made with crespelle (crepes) for lightness, though she offers a fresh pasta variation too. Bastianich has a warm, engaging style, and she's a teacher as well as a chef: throughout, she provides thoughtful head-notes and sidebars along with useful boxes on cooking with wine, "resting" soup, and other such practicalities. John and Galina Mariani's The Italian-American Cookbook (LJ 10/15/00) explores the same subject, but Bastianich's book offers a more sophisticated and more personal approach. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2001
Nothing generates demand for a title like a concurrently running television series. Combine that with the fame and talent of Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, and patrons will be demanding copies of Lidia's "Italian-American Kitchen, "the companion volume to her new PBS cooking series. Bastianich addresses controversial issues such as the addition of oil to pasta-cooking water and the real meaning of al dente. For Bastianich, the term Italian American designates a legitimate culinary tradition. She may not openly embrace spaghetti and meatballs, but she doesn't slavishly follow the rigorous regional approach to Italian cooking so prevalent today. Freshness and flavor are more important than authenticity for its own sake. Recipes include homey Oxtail and Rigatoni, and her Eggplant Rolls stuffed with ricotta will attract more than vegetarians. Lidia-watchers will note that she now uses her maiden name, one more obviously Italian than "Bastianich," whose origins are in the north-Italian region of Istria, where Italians and Slavs mix in much the same way Italians and Germans blend in the Tirol. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)