Lidia Bastianich scores with new coobook "Lidia's The Art of Pasta"

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The book explores the origins of different pasta shapes and sauces from various regions of Italy.Containing over 100 recipes, the cookbook includes familiar dishes and personal ones from Bastianich’s Istrian heritage.Bastianich considers pasta a versatile, easy, and economical food that is like a “hug of love” when shared.

Why did Lidia Matticchio Bastianich chose pasta as her first single topic cookbook?

Because it’s like a hug.

Isn’t she the wisest woman?

“Nothing is more delicious, gratifying, heart-and soul-warming than a plate of pasta. It is versatile, easy to make and economical, and when shared it is like a hug of love,” Bastianich writes in her dedication.

Lidia has written almost 20 books, many of them cookbooks, some of them companion volumes to her “Lidia’s Kitchen” PBS television show and even a memoir. With “Lidia’s The Art of the Pasta” (co-authored by daughter Tanya Bastianich-Manuali, she waxes poetic about what many consider the ultimate comfort food.

The book is a delightful read that can also be credited as a travelogue. Which pasta dish or shape came from where on the Italian peninsula? Why that shape and what sauce complements it? Why fresh pasta is served in Northern Italy and dried pasta preferred in the south?

Lidia will explain it all to you. Many will appreciate the extensive glossary that will enrich anyone’s pasta language.

At the heart of the book are the more than 100 recipes. Some are familiar to all. Think Spaghetti and Meatballs. Others like Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage are known primarily in Italian-American enclaves. But to know the pasta that resembles little ears is to love it.

Some surprises are very personal to Lidia. They include Istrian-Style Pasutice pasta and krafi, a festive Istrian stuffed pasta. You might remember that Lidia was born on the Italian peninsula of Istria just before it was annexed by Communist Yugoslavia.

If she had to choose a last meal Lidia admits it would be a dish of pasta, specifically a dish of spaghetti with white clam sauce.

This is a love letter to pasta, make no mistake. That is a sentiment that will resound to many. Mac and cheese after all starts with pasta.

Here are two recipes to try from the cookbook. Both star fusilli, the cut of pasta that is shaped in a tight spiral to catch all the sauce and seasonings.

Fusilli alla Puttanesca

Kosher salt

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled

¾ cup good-quality oil-cured green and black olives, pitted, either whole or halved

¼ cup drained and rinsed capers in brine

One 28-ounce can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand

½ teaspoon pepperoncino flakes (or use 2 whole dried Calabrian chiles, crumbled, for extra heat)

1 pound fusilli

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley, plus whole leaves for garnish

½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, and cook until it’s sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the olives and capers, and cook until they’re sizzling. Pour in the tomatoes and ½ cup pasta- cooking water. Season with the pepperoncino and ½ teaspoon salt (the capers and olives are salty, so don’t oversalt). Bring the liquid to a lively simmer, and cook until it’s thick and flavorful, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the fusilli to the boiling water, and cook until it’s al dente, When the pasta is cooked, transfer it with a spider to the simmering sauce. Sprinkle with the parsley, and toss to coat the pasta in the sauce, adding a little pasta water if it seems dry. Remove the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with the grated cheese, toss, garnish with parsley leaves, and serve immediately. Serves 6

Shrimp and Asparagus Pasta Salad

Insalata di Pasta con Gamberoni ed Asparagi

Kosher salt

1 large bunch medium-thick asparagus

1 pound fusilli

8 scallions, white and pale-green parts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

Grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon (about ¼ cup)

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Remove the tough stems of the asparagus where they break naturally near the bottom. Peel the lower third of the stalks, and cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

Add the pasta to the boiling water. When it is half cooked, in about 5 minutes, add the asparagus and scallions. After another 2 minutes, add the shrimp. Cook until the pasta is al dente and the shrimp is cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Drain well, and transfer everything to a serving bowl. Let them cool for a few minutes.

Sprinkle with the lemon zest. Drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil, and season with 1½ teaspoons salt. Toss well. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.