Serving up a delicious salute to first responders
Lidia Bastianich enjoys giving back. Whether it’s through her New York restaurants, or cooking for mother and neighbors, the renowned Italian chef is one with community.
It’s the reason Bastianich took time out of her busy schedule to film the special, “Lidia Celebrates America: A Salute to First Responders.” It airs at 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 12, on New Mexico PBS.
The one-hour program introduces dedicated firefighters, paramedics, military, police, and medical workers on the front lines, and learns what it truly means “to serve.”
She also observes the prominent role that food plays in these first responders’ lives, all while working tirelessly 24/7 caring for others.
“It’s incredibly emotional for me, seeing these individuals who are devoting themselves to the well-being of their communities,” she says. “Many of them endure lasting emotional scars, and yet they continue to serve day after day. I am in awe of them.”
Bastianich and her TV crew had to pivot with the pandemic and worked for more than a year on the special. In any other given year, the chef would visit the subjects and talk to them about food.
“It was a challenge,” she says. “But it was something that worked out because we were able to bond over food.”
In the special, Bastianich visits with the first responders and bonds over food. She visits:
■Michele Acito, the chief nursing officer at Holy Name Medical Center overseeing five emergency ICUs to accommodate the flood of patients, plus Jeff Rhode, the hospital staff photographer who documented it all as a way to inspire the team.
■Retired New York police officer, Eddie McNamara, who worked in rescue and recovery during 9/11. Now a chef, McNamara shares the story of how cooking has been instrumental in getting on the road to recovery, as he prepares his signature recipe — eggplant and veggie balls — for Lidia.
■Jacob Mual, a firefighter in Sonoma County, California, who has returned from fighting the Walbridge Fire that devastated the state last summer. Mual, who is also a chef who cooks for his fellow firefighters, prepares Lidia’s recipe for Chicken alla Pitocca, a healthy and easy dish Lidia chose for the firefighters.
■Captain Jennifer Ison, an EMS station chief who oversees a team of paramedics in the Bronx, and Lieutenant Dwight Scott.
■Francesca and Connie Zappella, two female firefighters and sisters in the Jersey City Fire Department.
Bastianich learns how these two female firefighters have both felt a calling to respond to emergencies during their entire adult lives.
“One would say they are just normal people,” Bastianich says. “Each one of them is special. My eyes were opened with each story, especially seeing what was happening in the hospitals. Food is a communicator and it’s important to keep them going.”
Bastianich says food has helped her navigate the pandemic.
“For me it’s comfort,” she says. “I’m home quarantined and I have a 99-year-old mother and it took me away from my restaurant. I cook for her and for a few of her friends. It gives my satisfaction and I’m my own responder.”
LIDIA BASTIANICH’S BREAKFAST RISOTTO
Serves 4 to 6 ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 4 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons 1 small onion, chopped 1 red bell pepper, chopped 1½ cups arborio or other Italian short grain rice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper ¾ cup dry white wine 6 to 7 cups hot chicken stock or water 2 large eggs 3 scallions, chopped ½ cup freshly grated Grana Padano You will need: large skillet, small saucepan, whisk
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the bacon and cook until the fat is rendered and the bacon begins to crisp, about 3 minutes.
Add onions and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until the rice grains are somewhat translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the white wine and cook until absorbed. Ladle in enough hot stock to cover the rice. Simmer until the liquid is absorbed.
Continue adding stock to cover as it is absorbed until the risotto is barely al dente, about 16 minutes from the first addition of liquid.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of salt.
Whisk in 1 cup hot stock. Stir into the risotto to make wisps of scrambled eggs.
Stir in the scallions to wilt, about 1 minute.
Off heat, stir in the grated cheese. Serve immediately.