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Women and food and cinema -- I'm not sure in which order
were his great three passions in life.
MAN: He always lived by the three C's.
[ Laughs ]
In Italian, it was cervello, which is "brain."
Cuore, which is "heart."
And coglione, which is...
Something you can't say on TV.
My grandfather lived life to the fullest
on the big screen and in the kitchen.
[ Dramatic music plays ]
[ Woman screams ]
GIADA: He loved to cook, and we shared a passion for food.
I mean, he would have people over.
He would cook for them,
and I swear that that's how he ended up,
like, sealing the deal -- over a meal.
So, today, my Aunt Raffy and I
are gonna re-create some of his favorites.
But it actually is very close to what it should taste like.
Oh, my gosh! Really?!
Yeah.
Fusilli with pea pesto and smoked mozzarella --
a whimsically shaped pasta
tossed with some of my grandfather's favorite flavors.
Lemon-mustard potato salad --
a jazzed-up spin on a classic Italian side.
Red potatoes baked in mustard dressing
and served over a vibrant bed of peppers and greens.
Orange, ricotta, and quinoa pie.
Our family's traditional Easter pie gets a California spin.
Quinoa blended with sweet orange cream
and baked in a flaky crust.
It's a big family gathering...
From Nonno Dino.
RAFFY: Chin-chin.
...around some of my grandfather's favorite dishes.
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
GIADA: All right, so, we're gonna make a version
of the famous Easter pie, okay?
It's definitely a version.
Which Nonno Dino loved. Yes. It's a version.
Nonno Dino would appreciate it. I just know it.
Okay. So, you're gonna start by zesting the two oranges, okay?
So that you know, these normally don't go in the original.
But they do in mine.
I never said this was the original.
The thing you put in them is called bergamotta.
And bergamotta is a liqueur made with oranges.
Actually, orange flowers.
That is not the easiest thing to find.
I need a knife.
All different in how he likes it.
It's whatever.
I'm here. I'm grating oranges.
I'm doing the modern version of the pastiera.
[ Laughs ]
Modern, I said.
[ Laughs ]
Okay. You're good.
Now you got to do the other one.
See how -- [ Sniffs ]
Do you smell how wonderful? It's so fresh.
I love oranges.
It just doesn't belong in the pastiera.
Well, the orange flavor does.
Yes.
So, I'm just adding 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup orange juice.
No, the orange flavor is good.
It's just we're getting to it the wrong way, that's all.
Well, how about we don't say "wrong" and we just say --
Different.
Yes. Modern.
Fresh.
Yes.
All right, so, to the orange juice and water,
3/4 cup quinoa.
Truthfully, I don't think your grandfather
Probably not.
It's sort of the modern --
Young.
[ Laughs ] Version.
Of wheat berries or sprouted wheat.
That is one bald orange. We're good.
We're good, we're good, we're good.
Okay.
So, let's get rid of this. We'll put this back here.
Use it another time.
Do you want to put that zest in the food processor?
All right, so, we're gonna cook this for about 15 minutes
with the lid on,
and all those flavors will be soaked up by the quinoa.
Next, three eggs.
[ Speaks Italian ]
Oh, I want the whole egg.
Just crack it and dump it right in there.
The whole thing.
I'm gonna go grab the pie crust.
All right, so the whole thing of ricotta.
Of course, in Naples, they do it with fresh ricotta
in the basket from the sheep and all that.
Totally. And if we were in Naples right now,
I would do the same thing, but...
Okay, so I'm using store-bought pie crust, by the way.
I'm just gonna take it out of here
to make it a little bit easier.
Mm-hmm.
Next, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
and then 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.
2 teaspoons.
Oh, yeah.
Maybe a little more, but you know, who cares?
Who's counting?
Okay. 3/4 cup of powdered sugar.
Right in there. Okay.
Pie crust is in.
And I just buttered the pie dish
so that it comes out nicely.
Trying to make a little decorative edge on the pie.
Blend it all together.
Just grab this spoon. There we go.
Mm-hmm.
Okay. Fab.
We'll add the quinoa.
Anyway, you want to taste it before I add it in?
I wanted to.
I can see your fingers, your little red fingers,
going around like little crab claws.
Good?
So, now what I want to do is just add it right in here.
There we go.
So, now we'll mix it all up...
so it absorbs everything.
Okay, here we go. So, we pour it in here.
Do you want to scrape out all the little yumminess?
All right, so we're gonna bake this at 375 for 30 minutes.
And up next, we are going to make
one of Nonno Dino's favorites.
Let's start drinking.
Pasta with peas and smoked mozzarella.
GIADA: This is a really fun dish --
Cheesy pesto tossed with a spiral-shaped pasta.
GIADA: I would have to say that Nonno Dino's
probably my inspiration in a lot of different ways.
Beyond just the passion of food, it's also the hard work.
I would not be who I am today
had it not been, you know, for his influence.
RAFFY: In everybody's memory,
there's always, you know, Dino and his food.
We always got together, and for him,
it was very important to have his family always at the table.
I was enamored with all the stories, with all the food,
and I just [laughing] gorged myself with food growing up.
But we got to keep -- now stick to those recipes,
because if we start changing them all the time,
we won't remember the real stuff,
and we can't lose that.
Don't look at me.
So, traditionally on the Easter pie, or the pastiera,
we dust the top with a little bit of powdered sugar.
It's gorgeous.
Beautiful. Okay.
Whenever you're ready. [ Laughs ]
No, of course.
Okay. If you're not happy...
[ Laughing ] No, I am happy.
So, you put it back there. I'm gonna put this in the sink.
And we're gonna get started on the fusilli.
I know, I know. I know.
This is a torturous recipe.
Okay.
This is the wrong pasta.
So, it's fusilli with peas and smoked mozzarella.
How about we try making it this way?
Yeah. I would break these and mix them with spaghetti,
and it would be better already.
But in any event...
So, I'm gonna cook a little bit of this.
All right.
And I also know you're not a big fan of shallots.
I like shallots. It's just not Italian.
In Italy, we use shallots to make French dishes.
Right. They're milder.
They're more delicate.
In the old-fashioned traditional dish...
Yeah.
...you should put a little bit of pancetta.
Yes. That is true.
But that is old-fashioned.
But that's the old-fashioned way.
I was making it a vegetarian version.
And Nonno Dino wasn't so into pancetta anyway.
This was Nonno Dino's favorite version
in a restaurant in Capri.
I'm trying to re-create it a little bit.
And so, I decided to use a few different ingredients.
Throw it in there,
'cause we're actually gonna put this in the food processor.
[ Gasps ]
So, add a little salt, a little pepper.
We'll start cooking that down. There we go.
And we're gonna add a little white wine to this, as well.
So, I know you're not into adding the peas into the food processor,
so how about we use half of the 2 1/2 cups of frozen peas?
Half of them we'll puree,
the other half we'll leave whole, intact?
We can do whatever you want, provided we don't call it
your grandfather's favorite Capri dish.
Okay. Would that make Nonno Dino
not roll around in his grave, is what you keep telling me?
He's rolling around in his grave anyhow.
I just hope none of his family's seeing this
and what you're doing to these recipes.
It's wrong anyhow, so why make it half wrong?
Make it all wrong.
[ Laughs ]
Got to love it.
Okay.
This is wrong, too, but since we're going the wrong path,
might as well just add it.
Add the spinach. Baby spinach.
It just adds a nice texture.
Okay.
Lemon zest and lemon juice.
[ Speaks Italian ]
It's just a little.
It's a little lemon juice and a little bit of zest.
Just a tiny bit.
I'm doing this because this is your signature thing.
Okay.
Still doesn't belong in the dish,
but this dish is something new,
so I'm gonna go with your flow.
Guess what else I have in this dish?
[ Laughs ]
That's actually right.
Parmigiano, thank God, and smoked mozz.
Whoo.
I've never seen square smoked mozz.
So, quanta limone?
Just cut it in half
and just do, like, one, like, squeeze.
There we go. We'll do a little olive oil.
We got to add olive oil in there, too.
Cheese.
And we got to add half of the parm.
Quanta olive oil?
About 1/2 cup.
Okay, so let's talk about this for a second, okay,
because in the scamorza that I use...
You don't want to take the rind off, don't take it off.
Just grate it.
But I have a grater here that might make your life a little easier.
Why are we grating it?
Well, I cut it up in little pieces,
and it got too clumpy for me.
Okay, I'll grate it.
This is good.
Okay.
I am going to add --
It's probably gonna be delicious.
Oh, no, it's delicious. I mean, hello?
You want this in the food processor, too?
Yeah, and then we'll save some for --
We'll cut some up after. There we go.
Food processor.
So need some wine at this point.
[ Laughs ]
Put some -- Can you put some in your --
You know what? We'll just use my wine.
1/3 cup. This is about 1/3 cup.
RAFFY: You should have put it in in the pan with the onion.
I meant to put it in the pan.
But you know what? Forget it.
[ Laughs ]
Oh, lordy. Okay.
We also need some parm. A little bit of parm in there.
[ Laughs ]
Yeah.
Tell the story of how Nonno Dino --
How they sold pasta in the old days,
'cause I think it's really cool
how Nonno Dino's family had a pasta shop, too.
It was all homemade,
and it was hung like clothes to dry.
Yeah.
So, that's why the old spaghetti that you see
have a loop in it.
Whatever was left broken
was sold separately for very little money.
So --
And that's the kind of pasta
that's used in this traditionally.
Okay.
When they took it out, some broke.
I like it when I speak and you grate.
It's much better.
Yeah, you know...
Okay, so this is kind of like a pesto.
That is correct.
Do you want to put some of these nuts in there or no?
You just want to put them in the pasta?
Okay, so here's the almonds.
Can I just say, the pasta needed to go in a skillet.
Here. You want the pasta in a skillet?
See?
I don't know if it's gonna fit, but we can try.
Whoops.
You need to grate some more cheese,
'cause I never got to it.
Good.
So, this is known as mantecare la pasta.
Okay.
This is how we used to eat pasta when we were kids.
There we go.
Look at that color.
By the way, this is the wrong shape almonds.
Yeah, I know. You like sliced.
No, I don't like them sliced.
The recipe calls for them sliced.
Yeah. Okay. Now...
Should we add a little bit of pasta water
Yes.
There we go. We'll thin this guy out.
Pasta water is the secret to thinning out any sauce.
[ Speaks Italian ]
She said move it.
All right. How is it?
Okay, so... it's not bad.
But it actually is very close to what it should taste like.
Oh, my gosh! Really?!
Yeah. It's really good.
[ Speaks Italian ]
Put more.
More smoked mozzarella, a little more parmesan cheese.
All right.
So Nonno Dino stopped rolling around in his grave.
I think he's doing better.
He's still going, "Oh, my God."
All right, so next, you ready to make some potato salad with me?
Sure.
Since Nonno Dino loved potato salad?
GIADA: An elegant spin on a simple and rustic salad --
Roasted potatoes over a bed of peppery greens.
MAN: We used to eat dinner on this really long table,
and there was, like, maybe like 50 of us, you know,
all eating dinner, and there was just, like, fish
and chicken and pasta and meats and wine and all this.
WOMAN: And he would walk around the table
and make sure that everybody's eating.
And he would look at your plate,
and he'd be like, "Mangia! Mangia!"
Like, he would just constantly want you to eat.
He would be happy when you were stuffed.
I never had that problem with him,
'cause I ate the whole time.
I was eating the whole time.
It was, like, old medieval, like, typical dinners
where everyone would just, like, chomping away
at different, you know, entrees
and food coming, like, up over every shoulder,
and it was just --
It was just a grand, grand feast.
Although he's not currently with us,
we still feel him in there.
Getting together and eating.
It's all about food, so...
GIADA: All right. So, you start with the potatoes.
We're making a version
of Nonno Dino's potato salad that he liked.
A contemporary, modern, hip version.
Yes.
It comes from a place called Nerano, which is on the --
Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi Coast. Very close from Capri.
We're gonna zest a whole lemon,
and then we're just gonna use the juice of half a lemon.
The potatoes that they used there to make this salad
are yellow potatoes.
I couldn't find yellow potatoes, so I had to use red instead,
which I think is going to be okay.
We are not on the Amalfi Coast.
We are in Los Angeles, so we'll see what happens.
The California Coast.
California Coast.
All right, so, I'm just doing
a couple tablespoons of mustard,
dijon mustard, which I know you said doesn't even exist.
Well, I just don't think -- It's such a Neapolitan dish
that I don't think they would put dijon mustard.
Probably not.
I'm assuming that what they probably do
is just straight olive oil.
Lemon for sure
because, you know, Amalfi Coast is full of lemons.
Yes, which is why we did lemon zest and lemon juice.
We're gonna do this.
Could you chop some thyme for me?
So, I know I'm adding a few French flavors, as you say,
but what I was trying to do
was make it a little more fun, I guess.
Add a little more flavor to it
than just the boiled potatoes with just olive oil.
Kind of like it.
See how nice and, like, kind of thick and creamy this is?
Instead of boiling the potatoes,
I'm actually gonna roast the potatoes.
I think it gives them a lot more flavor, quite frankly.
All right. We gonna chop that thyme?
That smells good.
I am not chopping.
What I'm doing is, I'm taking --
No.
I'm trying to make you hurry up a little bit.
I don't, but if you do...
Just a tiny bit. There you go.
Okay. So, now, will you dump that in here?
That being the thyme?
Yep. The thyme.
I'm gonna save a little bit of this dressing
for the arugula,
'cause we're gonna put the potatoes over a bed of arugula.
You can always thin out the dressing
with some more olive oil.
Yeah.
So, put the potatoes in here.
There we go.
It's gonna be really good.
It'll probably bear no resemblance.
[ Laughs ] But it'll be good.
Yeah. Well, you know what?
We can reminisce. We can pretend.
Yeah.
And we'll put it in the oven, and we'll bake the potatoes.
So, we're gonna bake this
at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes,
until the potatoes are nice and tender.
Do you want to put those in the oven,
and I will slice the peppers?
All right.
You do that. I'm gonna do this.
GIADA: I am going to cut the bell pepper.
Raffy, you could use red.
I know that they use the other one.
No, you couldn't use red.
Well, I mean, we used red potatoes,
so I suppose we could do anything.
Okay, go for it.
My dad used to say
that the only pepper that is digestible
is the yellow one.
And so, he only had yellow peppers.
Well, it is the mildest of them, so that's true.
Okay.
And I love peppers. I mean, to me, it's like --
And they're really good for you, by the way.
And you could do multi-colored peppers if you want to.
All right, so, the peppers go on top.
The thing that I remember being in this salad
is spring onions.
[ Speaks Italian ]
Scallions. Mm-hmm.
So, I'm putting a little bit of olive oil
and then the remaining dressing right on top.
Now, have some more wine. It'll help you.
Cheers.
[ Speaks Italian ]
The potatoes have cooled.
The old-fashioned way.
Doesn't look anything like the original, but...
[ Laughs ]
Of course it doesn't.
Try one.
I did. That's good.
They're really, really good.
What do you think?
It's good.
Eat next. Don't leave me hanging.
[ Camera shutter clicks ]
[ Camera shutter clicks ]
[ Camera shutter clicks ]
[ Laughter ]
[ Camera shutter clicks ]
GIADA: Cheers, you guys.
Cheers. Cheers.
GIADA: Zia Raffy made all the recipes.
All from Nonno Dino.
Chin-chin. To Nonno Dino.
All right.
We're gonna start with the fusilli that Zia Raffy made.
[ Laughing ] No, Zia Raffy didn't do anything.
It's the wrong pasta.
Serve yourself, Luke.
She didn't even cook the peas.
[ Laughter ]
Luke and Claudio,
start with Nonno Dino's favorite potato salad.
WOMAN: Who wants what?
Everybody's gonna have everything?
Okay. Should I serve everybody?
How do we do this?
JADE: Potatoes. Just potatoes.
GIADA: Jadey, you gonna have some pasta, darling?
Julian, would you like some pasta?
Yes, please.
Of course you would, darling.
MAN: Did you want some potato salad?
You know what? Send it down this way.
I love potatoes.
I love potatoes.
GIADA: Jade doesn't like French fries.
Potatoes are French fries, Jade.
It's really good.
Even if it's the wrong pasta, it's really good.
[ Laughs ]
MAN: For being the wrong pasta, it's pretty delicious.
RAFFY: Yes.
JADE: I love nuts.
GIADA: Thank you, Jade.
It adds crunch to the pasta,
and you don't really get that in a pasta.
The potatoes are amazing, too.
Yep.
What's the sauce on the arugula?
Mustard sauce.
That same mustard sauce we baked the potatoes with, too.
You know, this pasta is pretty good.
It's pretty delicious.
Jade's eating it, and Julian's eating it.
If it passes the kid test, you know it's good.
I'm dying to try that.
That looks like pie.
It is pie, baby.
You know, I knew it was pie.
It's Easter pie.
MAN: How did you know?
Did you want them hot?
RAFFY: Okay.
You can't hold out on me. I got to have a piece, too.
WOMAN: This is better. Ooh, I like it.
RAFFY: We can take a piece of this home for Uncle Buzz.
Yeah, I want to take it home.
Uncle Buzz would like it.
Tell me what you think of it.
I think it works. I think the change works.
It's good.
GIADA: Cheers to that.
That makes me happy.
Cheers that Raffy's happy.
[ Laughs ]
By the way, I like that, too.
She's approved. Mikey likes it.
The only thing we were missing from this
is Nonno Dino just being like, "Mangia! Mangia!"
More!
So true. So true.