'Queen Of Italian Cuisine' Christmas Meal

Practically everyone knows Lidia Bastianich somehow: through her PBS cooking series, "Lidia's Family Table," through her cookbooks, or through one of her successful restaurants in New York, Kansas City or Pittsburgh.

She's been a force in Italian cooking for years, and is still going strong: She made the January cover of Gourmet magazine, and a new TV series and companion book launch in April.

Her latest cookbook carries the same title as her TV series.

Bastianich says she she still finds her biggest rewards come in cooking for her own family.

On Saturday, she prepared a simple Italian meal that's perfect for serving to large groups of friends and family around the holidays. We gave her a special budget of $80, twice our usual outlay for Chefs on a Shoestring.

The menu includes Pasta with Shrimp and Scallions; Skillet Grattinata of Vegetables and Pork; and Apple Crisp Parfaits.

FOOD FACTS

Peperoncini: These chilies have a bright red, wrinkled skin and a slightly sweet flavor that can range from medium to medium-hot. They are most often sold pickled and used as part of an antipasto.

Grattinata: A dish topped with cheese or breadcrumbs that is cooked in the oven or under the broiler until brown and crispy.

RECIPES

PASTA IN A SAUCE OF SMALL SHRIMP AND SCALLIONS
(a 5-minute sauce)

Small shrimp make a lovely addition to skillet sauces, because they cook so quickly, barely two minutes in the skillet. The trick is to make sure that you don't overcook the shrimp. If you can, start your pasta before the sauce so they finish at the same time. But if your pasta isn't ready when the shrimp and sauce are, take the skillet off the heat.

This recipe serves 4 to 6 people. In order to serve 8, Bastianich suggests making an additional 1/2 recipe (1.5 lbs pasta, etc).

Ingredients:
1 pound of pasta
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sliced garlic
1/4 cup Tuscan-style peperoncini in vinegar, drained, seeded and thinly sliced (about 12 whole pickled peppers)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup scallions cut into thin rounds
1 pound (about 2 dozen) small shrimp, washed, peeled and de-veined
4 tablespoons soft butter
Hot water from the pasta cooking pot
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Method:
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. If you are using dry pasta, start cooking the pasta 5 minutes before; if you are using fresh, start the sauce and then put on the pasta to cook at the same time. Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, scatter the garlic slices in and set over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute, until the garlic is sizzling. Scatter the slices of peperoncino in a hot spot; cook for 1 minute; shake the pan now and then. Push the garlic and peppers to the side, turn the heat to high. Drop the shrimp in the center of the skillet and spread them so they're not crowded. Sprinkle on the salt and let them sizzle for 1/2 minute. Flip the shrimp over, giving the skillet a good toss or stirring and turning them; and cook another 1/2 minute or so, until the flesh is just turning opaque. Scatter the scallions into the skillet; toss and stir in with the shrimp, for 20 to 30 seconds, just until they're sizzling. Stir in the butter and cook until it is melted and starts to simmer, 10 to 20 seconds. Ladle in 2 cups of boiling pasta water. Stir up everything in the skillet and let the sauce boil for only a moment. If the pasta is ready to add turn down the heat to very low. If the pasta is not ready, remove the skillet from the heat immediately; set it back over low heat when you do add the pasta. When the pasta is done al dente, scoop it up and drop into the shrimp pan. Toss briefly, sprinkle on the parsley, and toss again. Remove from the heat and drop the remaining 2 tablespoons butter on top.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.SKILLET GRATTINATA OF VEGETABLES AND PORK

Serves 6

Bastianich suggests increasing the recipe by 1/4 in order to serve 8 people

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork loin, in one piece (see Note)
4 fancy zucchini (about 2 pounds total), or 1 medium butternut squash or other vegetables of your choice
1/2 cup flour or more, for dredging
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the Sauce:
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons soft butter
12 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup white wine plus more if needed
3/4 cup grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/2 cup hot Simple Vegetable Broth or stock, plus more if needed

Note: Ask for a 2-pound (boneless) piece from the rib (or shoulder) end of the loin with a thin layer of fat left on the meat. These cuts are all slightly fatty; if you want lean, you can use filets of pork loin.

Method:
Place a rack in the center or upper third of the oven and preheat to 425°. Slice the pork loin crosswise into 6 equal pieces. Trim fat if there's a lot but leave a thin layer, for moisture and flavor. Nick the fat and skin around each cutlet so it won't twist and tighten the meat during cooking. Pound each piece with a mallet (or the flat bottom of a heavy pan) to tenderize and flatten to 1/2-inch thickness. Rinse and dry the zucchini. Cut out the stem and slice the zucchini on a bias in ½" slices. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini. Put the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter into the skillet, and set over low-medium heat. Strew the sage leaves around the pan and cook them slowly for a minute or two as the butter melts and starts to sizzle. Season the zucchini with salt , dredge in flour and fry until golden on both sides.when finished set on a paper towel to drain. Salt the pork pieces, dredge them in the flour, and, when arrange all six in the pan. Cook at for about two minutes, then turn them over and let them brown slowly while you make the grattinata and the sauce as follows: Pick out the cooked sage leaves and lay two on each cutlet. Season each with pinches of salt and grinds of fresh pepper. Place enough fried zucchini slices to cover each cutlet and sprinkle with salt. Raise the heat, and drop in the remaining butter, in pieces and let them start to cook for a minute. Pour in the 1/2 cup of wine and 1/2 cup of Simple Vegetable Broth; shake the pan and raise the heat. Add more wine or water if the sauce level seems too low. Finally, sprinkle 2 tablespoons or so of grated cheese on each cutlet. Finish in the oven until crusty, about 10-15 minutes.

APPLE CRISP PARFAIT

Yield: 10 or more parfait servings

Ingredients:
For poaching the apples
4 pounds firm tart apples for baking (see notes)
Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons), freshly squeezed and strained
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

For the parfait:
3 cups heavy cream, for whipping
Brown Sugar Crisp Crumbles, 2 to 3 cups, recipe follows

Recommended Equipment:
A large saucepan, capacity of 5 or 6 quarts, with a cover
Parfait glasses can be anything you have in house from parfait glasses and wine glasses. balloon-shaped or standard, to tumblers and even a conic beer glasses. Size should appropriate for a portion and that the layering of fruit, crumble, and cream visible.

Poaching the apples:
Cut the apples in thick wedges, peel and cut away the core and seed. Slice the wedges into chunks and cubes, an inch thick or larger (don't cut them too small or they over-cook). As you work, put the apple chunks in a mixing bowl and toss with some of the lemon zest and juice, to prevent browning. When you're finished, you should have about 10 cups of apples mixed with all the the zest and juice. Pour the sugar over the apples and toss gently to coat the pieces. Turn all the fruit into the saucepan, slosh the bowl with the 1/2 cup water to rinse out all the sugar and pour that into the pan too. Set the saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the water to a boil. Stir the apples gently (so they're all heating), cover the pan, and cook about 2 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to boil, reducing the juices, stirring the apple chunks around a couple of times, but not mush them up. After 5 or 6 minutes, when the apples have softened and turned translucent on the outside (they won't be cooked all the way through) remove the pan from the heat. If the chunks have started to fall apart, turn them out of the saucepan into a bowl to stop cooking, otherwise let the apples and the remaining liquid cool to room temperature (the chunks will reabsorb some of their juices as they sit). The apples can be cooked a day ahead and refrigerated; let them warm up a bit before serving.

Assembling the parfaits:
Have the apples, crumbled-up crisp and serving glasses ready. Whip the cream until soft peaks form, by hand or in an electric mixer. (No sugar or flavoring is needed since the apples and crisp are quite sweet). Spoon about 1/2 cup of apple chunks into each glass, making a thick layer that fills the bottom. Scatter crisp crumbles on top-anywhere from 2 to 5 tablespoons, since you'll have plenty-to make a layer that will be visible on the glass. Plop 1/2 cup or so of whipped cream on top of the crisp crumbles. Now repeat the layers-apples, crumbles, cream-in each glass. These can be smaller amounts or as ample as the bottom layers, for an impressive and generous dessert.

BROWN SUGAR CRISP CRUMBLES

Yield: 4 to 5 cups of crumbled-up Crisp

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
4 ounces (1 stick) cold butter, in 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons cold water

Recommended equipment:
A food processor or a hand-held pastry cutter
A rimmed baking sheet
Parchment paper

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400°.
It is quickest to mix the crisp in the food processor: put the flour, the sugars, cinnamon and salt in the work bowl fitted with the metal blade. Process briefly to blend the dry ingredients. Drop in the butter pieces and pulse a dozen or so times, until the butter has been uniformly cut into a sandy powder of small bits. Sprinkle on the water and process for a couple of seconds only, just to moisten the dough; it should still be rather loose and granular. To mix by hand, blend the the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and cut in the butter to the grainy powder with a pastry cutter. Toss the powder and water with a fork to moisten. Line the baking sheet with the parchment paper. Sprinkle the loose grains of dough evenly-in one layer-in an oval shape about 8-inches by 12-inches, filling in any holes and keeping the layer thin: don't compress them. Bake for about 10 minutes, then rotate back to front, for even heating. The crumbs will have melted together, spread out in a thin layer and perhaps started to bubble. Bake for another 7 to 10 minutes or more, until the layer is deeply caramelized, golden brown all over (and probably very dark on the edges). It will resemble a giant brown sugar cookie. Set the pan on a wire rack and cool until the cookie is very crisp. Cut or break off any burnt edges. Crack the cookie into crispy flakes, an inch or smaller. This is a good size for munching; you can crumble them up a bit more when layering the parfait.