Celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich delights Montrealers with latest, ‘personal’ cookbook

A bestselling cookbook author hopes her latest recipes give people a taste of family-favourite Italian cuisine – while perhaps even saving them money at the grocery store.

The new cookbook from Lidia Bastianich, a north American icon in the kitchen, is a personal collection of 100 recipes. She hopes the meals make people feel like they’re sitting at her very own kitchen.

In “From Our Family Table to Yours,” Bastianich shares the dishes she cooks for the people she loves the most. It’s also a tribute to her mother.

“I feel special about this book because it is dedicated to her, and it is the favourite recipes and dishes of the whole family,” the prominent celebrity chef said.

Bastianich presented her latest cookbook to Montrealers in Westmount this week, followed by an autograph session. There, she shared what made this latest cookbook so personal.

“My mother loved her soups, and so did my father,” said Bastianich. “So we made a lot of soups. Soups are so heartwarming. So the pasta e fagioli (pasta and beans), as simple as it is, was one of her favourites.”

The book combines traditional dishes from Bastianich’s childhood with new recipes she makes for her children and grandchildren. Because cooking always needs to incorporate some form of evolution and changing with the times, she feels.

“I’ve written quite a few books, actually 16, between my biography and the children’s book,” she said. “And mom would say, ‘how many recipes can you come up with?’ And as the years go by, been on television 25 years and writing cookbooks. There’s an evolution also in the way we eat health wise. So the different fats, the frying.”

With the cost of food continuing to increase dramatically in Canada, Bastianich suggests “From Our Family Table to Yours” could provide a roadmap for saving a little money when buying food.

The 76-year-old recommends carefully picking recipes based on the time of year, saying seasonal products have a lower environmental impact and are less expensive.

“Italian cuisine is straightforward, is simple, and it is quite seasonal,” she said. “And if one stays within the season and cooks simply, it doesn’t need to be all that expensive.”

Bastianich may be a chef, author, restaurateur and famous television personality, but there’s one title she prefers over all the others.

“I love being a grandma and cooking for my grandchildren,” she said.