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" The format of Lidia&amp;#039;s Italy, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich&amp;#039;s latest cookbook, makes more sense when you understand that it is a companion piece to her popular public television series of the same name. The book is divided into 10 chapters which, together, form a culinary journey through Italy, to Lidia&amp;#039;s 10 favorite places\u2014those that shaped her as a cook. Her daughter, art historian Tanya Bastianich Manuali, contributes short cultural guides to each of the regions.  This is a broader palette than you&amp;#039;ll find in a typical Italian cookbook. The 140 recipes are hugely varied, unusual and authentic in feeling, with a homey quality that I found appealing. You will find imaginative recipes using chickpeas, pork, cabbage, and other simple ingredients, instead of yet another recipe for tomatoes and mozzarella.  All the recipes I tried, I made twice\u2014unusual for me. They were delicious the first time, but I felt that with some tweaking they could be even more so. Lidia says &amp;quot;take liberties, as you wish. Add something of your own to a dish, or simplify it, or prepare only the part that interests you. Never feel you must do all or nothing.&amp;quot; That&amp;#039;s how you make a good recipe your own. Lidia&amp;#039;s Italy gives any good cook plenty to work with.  ONION-TOMATO FOCACCIA Focaccia d&amp;#039;Altamura MAKES A LARGE ROUND FOCACCIA, SERVING 10 OR MORE 2 packets active dry yeast 1/4 cup warm water 5 1/2cups all-purpose flour, plus more for handling the dough 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups warm water, or as needed 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil for the bread bowl FOR THE TOPPING 1 large onion, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced (about 2 cups slices) 2 cups ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half  1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil, or as needed 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt or kosher salt, or as needed 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1. To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in G cup warm water and let it sit for several minutes, until it begins to bubble. Put the flour and salt in the food-processor bowl. 2. Stir together the active yeast and 2 cups lukewarm water in a spouted measuring cup. With the processor running continuously, blend the flour and salt briefly, then pour in all the liquid through the feed tube and process for about 30 seconds. A soft, moist dough should gather on the blade, with some sticking to the sides of the bowl. If it&amp;#039;s very sticky and hasn&amp;#039;t come off the sides at all, incorporate more flour, a tablespoon or two at a time, to stiffen the dough and bring it together. If the dough is dry, process in more water in small amounts.  3. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface, scraping the bowl and blade clean. Knead by hand for a minute, using as little flour as possible, until the dough forms a smooth round, still soft and a bit sticky. Coat a big bowl with the tablespoon of olive oil, drop in the dough, and turn it to oil it all over. Seal the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. 4. While the dough is rising, toss together the sliced onion, cherry tomato halves, 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, and H teaspoon salt in a small bowl, and let them marinate. 5. Coat the baking dish or pan, bottom and sides, with 2 tablespoons or more olive oil. Deflate the risen dough and lay it in the pan. Gently press and stretch it into an evenly flat round that fills the pan. If the dough is resistant, let it relax for a few minutes before stretching it again. 6. Lift the marinated onion and tomatoes out of the bowl with a slotted spoon, draining off the juices. Scatter the vegetables all over the focaccia, and lightly press in with your fingertips, creating dimples in the soft dough. Finally, drizzle the marinating oil over the top. 7. Let the focaccia rise, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Set a baking stone, if you have one, on a center oven rack and heat to 425\u00B0. Just before baking, gently dimple the dough again with your fingertips, and sprinkle another H teaspoon coarse salt all over. 8. Bake the focaccia for about 20 minutes, rotate the pan back to front for even cooking, and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, or even longer, until the bread is golden brown and the onions and tomatoes are nicely caramelized. 9. Remove the pan, drizzle another tablespoon or two of olive oil over the focaccia, and crumble the dried oregano, scattering it on top. Let the focaccia cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Serve it warm or at room temperature. DEVON MAKES THE FOCACCIA  A home run here. This is a great, easy to make, not messy- to-clean-up-after recipe for bread dough. You&amp;#039;ll love being able to use it when good bread isn&amp;#039;t available\u2014a Wonder bread\u2013infused vacation on the coast of Maine comes to mind. Simply whip up this dough, top it with whatever you&amp;#039;re in the mood for, and serve it warm from the oven. You make the dough in a food processor. The flour filled mine to the very top, and I was dubious about whether there was enough room for the two cups of water. But within seconds the whole thing had formed a very malleable dough and was ready for quick kneading. The tomato and onion topping was very tasty, but so was a topping I made with saut\u00E9ed onions and dried thyme. For that matter, when you have focaccia this good, a topping of nothing more than coarse salt and a drizzle of olive oil is wonderful.  I had a little trouble timing this to come out of the oven for dinner. The first time I made it, we all had a snack at 10 P.M. I would advise leaving 2H hours from start to finish.  MUSSELS WITH FARRO, CANNELLINI, AND CECI Farro con Fagioli, Ceci, e Cozze SERVES 6 1 cup dried chickpeas (ceci) 1 cup dried cannellini beans 1/2 cup chopped carrot 1/2 cup chopped celery 1 cup chopped onion 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing 1 cup farro or pearled barley 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt or kosher salt, plus more if needed 1/2 teaspoon peperoncino flakes 4 garlic cloves, crushed, peeled, and sliced 2 pounds mussels 4 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley 1. Rinse the chickpeas, and place in a bowl with cold water covering them by 4 inches. Do the same with the cannellini, in a separate bowl. Soak both for 12 to 24 hours. 2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a big saucepan with about 7 cups of fresh cold water. Set the pot over medium-high heat, and drop in the chopped carrot, celery, and onion, the halved cherry tomatoes, and 4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, partially cover the pan, and adjust the heat to maintain a steady, bubbling simmer. Stir occasionally. 3. After the chickpeas have cooked for an hour, drain and rinse the cannellini and stir into the pot. There should be at least an inch of liquid covering the beans; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring now and then.  4. Rinse the farro grains in a sieve, and stir in with the beans, along with the 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the peperoncino. There should be about G inch of liquid covering the beans and grain; add more water if necessary. Return to the boil, partially cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes or longer, until the beans and the farro are tender\u2014add water if needed to keep the beans and grains barely covered with liquid as they finish cooking. When they are done, most of the surface water should have been absorbed or evaporated, but the stew should be slightly soupy. 5. While the farro cooks, prepare the mussels. Pour the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil into the saut\u00E9 pan, and scatter in the garlic cloves and remaining 1/4 teaspoon peperoncino. Cook for 3 minutes or so over medium-high heat, until the garlic is lightly colored, then add all the rinsed mussels at once. Tumble them around the pan quickly, to coat with oil, and put on the cover. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes, shaking the covered pan a couple of times, just until the mussels are open, and take the pan off the stove. 6. Shuck the mussels right over the pan, letting the juices and meat drop in. Discard the shells (and any mussels that did not open). If you like, leave a dozen or so mussels in the shell for a garnish. 7. When the farro and beans are cooked, pour the shucked mussels and their juices into the pot and stir well\u2014the consistency should be rather brothy. Heat to a boil, and cook for just a minute, to make sure everything is nice and hot. Taste, and adjust salt. Stir in the chopped parsley, and spoon portions into warm pasta bowls; garnish with unshucked mussels if you saved them. Drizzle good olive oil over each, and serve immediately. DEVON MAKES THE MUSSELS  This is just the kind of recipe that I love and that my family hates. &amp;quot;This is dinner?&amp;quot; and &amp;quot;Where&amp;#039;s the meat?&amp;quot; are two of the more repeatable comments. Farro resembles the coarse bulgur wheat you use to make tabouli, but it is usually served hot. Somewhere between a soup and a stew, this is a homey, filling dish.  I didn&amp;#039;t have the time or patience (nor do you, I&amp;#039;m betting) to soak and cook the beans. I used canned beans. And chopped canned tomatoes, too! I saut\u00E9ed all the chopped vegetables plus a clove of garlic in the olive oil, added the rinsed farro and the water to cook it in. Once the farro was tender, I added the beans and proceeded with the recipe. I like this on the soupy side\u2014you can add the juice from your canned tomatoes to increase the liquid in the recipe. Really good olive oil and freshly chopped parsley drizzled over it all at the last minute really woke up the flavors. TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE: Cook the beans and farro until tender, following recipe, and remove from the heat. Let them sit in the saucepan up to 3 hours (they will absorb liquid and thicken). Shortly before serving, cook and shuck the mussels. Stir the mussel juices into the beans and farro, and heat slowly to a simmer. Stir in the mussels, and finish as stated in the recipe.  COOKIE CRUMBLE Fregolotta MAKES TWO 9-INCH COOKIES FOR CRUMBLING, SERVING 12 TO 14 2tablespoons soft butter for the pans 6ounces (about 1G cups) whole unblanched almonds, toasted 1cup plus 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1scant cup sugar 1/4teaspoon salt 3large egg yolks 6tablespoons heavy cream, or more if needed .1 Preheat the oven to 350\u00B0. Assemble the springform pans, and butter the bottom discs and about an inch up the sides. 2. Set aside two or three whole almonds, and chop all the rest coarsely into chunks the size of chocolate chips. Stir the flour, sugar, and salt together in a mixing bowl, and toss in the chopped almonds. 3. Beat the yolks together briefly, and drizzle all over the dry ingredients. Toss with a fork to blend. Drizzle the cream over by tablespoons, tossing and stirring to moisten the nut mixture evenly. It should be crumbly but not floury; add a small amount of more cream if necessary. 5. Bake for about 25 minutes or more, until the cookie rounds are nicely browned and starting to shrink from the side ring of the pan. Let them cool, then remove the springform side rings and bottom disc. 6. To serve, set the fregolotta in front of your guests on the table, with one of the reserved whole almonds underneath it. Smack the fregolotta in the center with the back of a spoon. 7. Serve as a garnish with poached fruits or ice cream, or enjoy a crunchy piece al by itself with a cup of espresso. The leftovers are great for breakfast with caff\u00E8 latte. DEVON MAKES THE COOKIE CRUMBLE  This is the little black dress of cookie recipes. It goes with everything\u2014a cup of coffee, a glass of wine, fruit salad, or a few berries. Your children will nibble the edges after school, and the recipe is so simple you can encourage them to make it for you. Of course I had to change a few things to make it even simpler. I didn&amp;#039;t use a springform pan. I just buttered a cookie sheet and spread the dough into a rough circle. The thinner edges will burn if the dough is not an even height, so keep pressing the edges toward the center to thicken them up. I cut mine into wedges when it was cooling, but you can also serve it whole and let people break off their own rough pieces.  I found that toasting the almonds for a few minutes and then letting them cool before chopping gave the cookie a fresher, nuttier flavor. More good news: I reduced the sugar to half a cup with no complaints from my family, who feel that my focus on healthy eating is really dumb. And yes, it keeps for days. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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