Lidia’s Favorite Recipes

In her latest cookbook, Bastianich, combines more than 100 of her signature dishes with new and old favorites. Her coauthor is daughter Tanya, who also manages her mother’s product line. Bastianich encourages readers to cook for family and friends, and each recipe makes family-sized portions. Dishes are simple, pleasing, and accessible. Straightforward sections such as appetizers; sandwiches and pizzas; pastas, polenta and risottos; seafood, poultry, and meats include every Italian recipe you would imagine finding in a “Favorite recipe” book. Readers will find typical crowd pleasers like baked clams oreganata, pizza Margherita, spaghetti and meatballs, and veal scallopine. The authors also include traditional Italian dishes for the more adventurous chef like octopus and potato salad and lamb stew with olives. The final chapter is a roundup of delightful desserts, like chocolate biscotti pudding and limoncello tiramisu. (Oct.)