Rice and Lentils

Copyright 2011 LtDansKitchen blogs

Lidia Bastianich's Lidia's Italy has become one of my favorite cooking shows. I've seen this show way back when I used to watch Julia Child on PBS every Saturday afternoon. Lidia's show has really taken off the last couple of years and is on heavy rotation on the PBS networks and I for one am very glad. She really made me appreciate the simplicity and variety of the Italian cuisine without the fuss and muss of overly prepped so-called Italian dishes. Another reason that I love her show is how his son, Joseph Bastianich pops in every now and then as their wine expert and helps out in the kitchen as well as her assistant. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't have a man crush on the guy but he is cool. Just like me, he was put on a diet as advised by his doctor. He lost a lot of weight by running everyday while maintaining his normal diet by just eating less. He still eats steaks and drinks champagne (Cin-cin!) while keeping the weight off. Daughter Tania is also on the show showcasing the travel aspect of the show. She is their resident historian. 

Lidia's recipes are very simple and based on how the locals prepare them with local ingredients which makes it very accessible. This, I think is why her show is very successful right now. Who has the time to slave all day in the kitchen when you can prepare a meal for half the time and still wow your guests. Her recipes remind me of Sophia Lorens' cookbook that I bought in the Florida Keys (of all places) for a whopping $5. Between these two goddesses (duh, I'm not winning!), I'm set. 

As requested, here is Lidia's Rice and Lentils recipe from her website. As Lidia often says at the end of her show, "Tutia tavola aman giare!"