Lidia Bastianich

Lidia Bastianich stuffs homemade ravioli with ricotta, leeks, scallions and spinach, then serves it in a butter-sage sauce. An easier way is to deconstruct the ravioli by mixing pappardelle with all the ingredients in the filling (except the labor-intensive leeks).

For this crunchy, nutty salad, Lidia Bastianich likes to use dandelion greens, which aren't always easy to find. In this simplified version, arugula stands in for the elusive dandelion greens.

The chefs at Lidia Bastianich's Felidia in New York City wrap boned quail in speck (smoked prosciutto) and pan-roast it until succulent. At home, replace the quail with pounded chicken breasts; cover one side of the chicken with prosciutto and sear in a pan.

Lidia Bastianich tops lamb chops with a rosemary-mint sauce. A short cut: skip the sauce for the lamb chops; instead, rub rosemary onto the chops before they're seared.

Lidia Bastianich buys spectacular whole bluefin, then someone in her restaurant kitchen cuts it to her specifications. A substitute for the whole bluefin: sushi-grade tuna fillets.

Lidia Bastianich prepares this salad with abalone mushroom—a hard-to-find variety of oyster mushroom—and artichokes. At home, exchange the abalone mushrooms for wild mushrooms, and leave out the time-consuming artichokes.

This piquant dish by Lidia Bastianich is one of our favorite ways to prepare skinless chicken breasts.

Sacher torte is a classic Austrian chocolate cake layered with apricot preserves. Lidia Bastianich’s version uses the preserves three ways: for moistening the cake layers, as a thick filling between the layers and as a glaze to seal the cake before covering it in chocolate. The cake is moist and luscious on its own, but it’s also delicious served the traditional way, with unsweetened whipped cream.

Inspired by her grandmother, who used up bread "until the dear end," Italian master Lidia Bastianich turns leftover loaves into creamy, nutty parfaits.