Lidia's family table

Fans will appreciate this companion book to Bastianich's latest PBS series of the same name (after Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen), and it may win her some new admirers as well. It presents the food Bastianich prepares at home for her large family (which includes children, grandchildren, siblings and her 80-plus-year-old mother and her companion, who live upstairs), but it's also proof that home cooking need not be oversimplified, with plenty of projects for those who relish a challenge. There are also many photographic illustrations offering gentle guidance to readers attempting Grilled Tuna Rollatini under Tomato-Lemon Marinade, or Pasticciata Bolognese. Elegant recipes, such as Fresh Pear and Pecorino Ravioli, are sprinkled throughout, but the majority are for hearty dishes that lend themselves to serving family-style, like Zucchini and Country Bread Lasagna with day-old bread in place of pasta and Braised Beef Shoulder Roast with Venetian Spice, which incorporates cinnamon and coffee beans. As testament to both Bastianich's creativity and the endless supply of good food from Italy, there are authentic, unusual treasures here, like Riso Sart?, which packs risotto into molds for individual towers. Bastianich is also generous with clever tips and brainstorms: Why not use poached garlic pur?e for those with delicate digestion, or poach corn on the cob in tomato sauce? The range is impressive, the flavors strong. It's enough to make readers clamor to be adopted into the Bastianich clan. 85 color photos. Agent, Jane Dystel. (Dec. 1) Forecast: A 10-city tour, not to mention the visibility offered by the author's newest PBS series, to begin airing in March 2005, should win plenty of support for the 150,000-copy first printing. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

The companion volume to her new PBS series, this latest book from Bastianich is a delight. Some of her earlier cookbooks (e.g., La Cucina di Lidia) focused on the more complicated dishes served at her restaurants, but this one offers the simple but delectable Italian recipes she loves to make for friends and family-often with her grandchildren or other members of her extended family helping out in the kitchen. There are dozens of pastas and many easy-to-prepare "skillet dishes," such as Skillet Gratinate of Summer Tomato and Pork. And although the recipes are quick and uncomplicated, many of them are unusual, from Roasted Black Olives and Pearl Onions to Poached Whole Zucchini with Lemon and Olive Oil. Bastianich has a warm, reassuring tone, and she includes innumerable helpful tips, serving suggestions (many of her recipes are very versatile, suitable for a range of uses or presentations), and other invaluable information. Step-by-step photographs illustrate kitchen techniques, and charming photos of the author's grandchildren and other family scenes add to the appeal of this engaging, immensely practical book. An essential purchase. [With a first printing of 150,000 copies, the publisher is expecting big things.-Ed.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Raw Summer Tomato Sauce for Pasta This is the pasta "sauce" I make in August, when just-picked tomatoes in all shapes and colors are piled on our kitchen windowsills--and it is too hot to hang around the stove. It's a fast no-cooking preparation, but it requires ripe and juicy tomatoes, preferably homegrown or heirloom tomatoes from the farmers' market. Be sure to have them at room temperature. The sauce actually develops in the hour or two when it marinates: salt draws the juices from the tomatoes, and they become infused with the flavors of basil and garlic. Then all you do is toss piping-hot pasta with the tomatoes and enjoy one of the rare treats of the whole year. Makes 3 to 4 cups, enough to sauce 1 pound of dry pasta 2 pounds ripe summer tomatoes, preferably heirloom varieties in a mix of colors and shapes 3 or 4 plump garlic cloves, peeled 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 large basil leaves (about 3 tablespoons shredded) 1/4 teaspoon dried peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes), or more or less to taste 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 cup or more grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or cubed fresh mozzarella (optional) Rinse the tomatoes, drain, and wipe dry. Cut out the core and any other hard parts. Working over a big mixing bowl to catch all the juices, cut the tomatoes--cherry tomatoes in half; regular tomatoes into 1-inch chunks--and drop them in the bowl. Smash the garlic cloves with a chef's knife and chop into a fine paste. This is easier if you add some of the salt as you chop; mash the garlic bits and salt with the flat side of the knife too. Scatter the garlic paste and the rest of the salt (1/2 teaspoon in all) over the tomatoes and stir gently. Pile up the basil leaves and slice into thin strips (called a chiffonade). Strew these over the tomatoes, then the peperoncinoflakes. Pour in the oil, stir, and fold, to coat the tomatoes and distribute the seasonings. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it marinate at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. Toss the marinated sauce with freshly cooked and drained pasta. Serve as is, or toss in 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. For additional complexity, you could add 1 cup or more cubed fresh mozzarella. Excerpted from Lidia's Family Table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, David Nussbaum All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.