One of our idols is Lidia Bastianich, restauratuer, chef, cookbook author, PBS television star, and authority on all things Italian. Well, Tuesday she came in to Salumeria Italiana with her television crew to film footage for her upcoming show, Lidia's Italy in America! Everyone at Salumeria Italiana was excited. We all helped clean the store, make sure the shelves were stocked, and that everything was in order. The guys wore their Saturday ties.

Lidia was as just as friendly and engaging as she is on TV, intrigued by products from Delfino Colatura (Anchovy Essence) to our array of regional extra virgin olive oils to taralli.  She chatted with customers and staff members, and asked owner Gaetano about how the store got started and how he grew up in it. The focus of her new television show, which will air on WGBH and other PBS outlets starting in October 2011, is going to be on how various neighborhoods and businesses bring Italian foods to the United States, and preserve Italian culture and heritage here.

Salumeria Italiana is certainly part of that heritage and its future. We're so proud that Lidia likes the store and believes in what we're trying to do here. Watch for updates on when the segment about Boston's North End and Salumeria Italiana will run. 

Star's line of Risotto can speed up preparing this iconic Italian dish. The packets contain 100 percent Italian riso and all the other ingredients such as saffron, onions, porcini mushrooms, and Parimigiana cheese to make risotto. Just the chopping and grating alone saves precious time for the home cook. Star Risotto Milanese is seasoned with saffron and contains onions and seasonings; Star Risotto Funghi Porcini contains porcini mushrooms and parsley; and Star Risotto Parmigiana cheese and black pepper.

However, we wanted to clarify a few things. First of all, the directions are in Italian on some packages, creating confusion for customers who don't read that language.  It's simple -- to  500 milleters (about 2 cups) of water in a saucepan add the contents of the package, stir,and  bring to a boil. Lower to simmer and cook, stirring a few times. But after testing several versions of the risotto, we decided the risotto needed about 20 minutes of simmering rather than the 15 minutes stated on the packaged directions to be creamy and fully cooked. Depending on preferences, the risotto can be cooked for a few minutes longer.

These directions should smooth your path to quick, effortless Star Risotto. Buon Appetito!!

Cavalli Gold Seal Extra Vecchio, considered by many ottimo, or best, of balsamic vinegars, is a treasure you'll want to experience. We just received a new shipment of this 25-year-old balsamico, aged to painstaking standards near Scandiano on the high plains of Reggio Emilia. Cavalli Gold Seal is as rare as it is precious, aged in a series of fine wood caskets to develop its intensity and layers of flavor. As with any balsamic this expensive, we suggest tasting by droplets, perhaps on some fine Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. Some balsamico lovers sip it from tiny porcelain spoons.

Cavalli Silver Seal Balsamico is another wonderful vinegar. Aged for 18 years with the same painstaking precision, Silver Seal has a little less intensity but a lower price point. It's a rare treat dribbled on roasted meats, fine cheeses, or even a drop or two on ripe strawberries or raspberries. Either would be a wonderful gift for someone special (that someone might even be you.)

Although we think all of our cheeses are wonderful, cheese is a living thing. So sometimes the cheese we import is perfetto, just right, with the taste and texture that make it irresistibly delicioso. Castagna Montagne, the smooth, slighly nutty, pale yellow cheese from the mountains of northern Piedmont is such a cheese right now. Here manager Goni Topi holds a Montagne, shaped in a triangle to represent its Alpine beginnings. This cheese, so good for sandwiches, to use in a spectacular mac and cheese, or to nibble with a crisp apple or juicy pear, is a favorite of many customers. You'll find yourself loving it, too.

Recently Chef Raymond Gillespie brought Salumeria Italiana to a cooking class at Boston Center for Adult Education. In a lively, interactive, hands-on class, Chef Raymond and the students made Polenta with Cacciatore Sauce, Asparagus Risotto, Orecchiete with Roast Cauliflower and Sundried Tomatoes, and Asparagus Risotto Cakes drizzled with Truffle Sauce and Rubio. As a bonus, he whipped up a White Pizza with Taleggio, Crimini Mushrooms and Black Truffle Oil. Some fine Italian chocolate -- Perugina Dark Chocolate -- finished the evening.

The students got lots of tips, ways to make cooking easier and more fun, and insight into how to select ingredients -- friom the right olive oils for cooking, drizzling, and salad vinaigrette, or the textural differences between quick and slow-cooking polenta.  They went away with recipes, and declared that the class had been molto fun. We're looking forward to more classes to showcase the talent and resources of our very special treasures at Salumeria Italiana.