- There are those people who come into your life like the flicker of a candle, here and gone, and those who stay forever, creating the tapestry of your life.

Today, I'm cooking with two of my besties, in Florence, creating a kale pesto that's so creamy, you'll fall in love with your greens, and back in the States, a spicy bean dish that'll light your fire.

So let's celebrate friendship in the kitchen today.

(traditional Italian music) (traditional Italian music continues) (traditional Italian music continues) - [Announcer] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by FinaMill, the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable, swappable pods, FinaMill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by.

- Hi, I'm Christina Pirello, and this is "Christina Cooks," where each week, we take fresh, seasonal ingredients and whip them into amazing dishes.

Will they all be plant-based?

Yep.

Will they all be delicious?

Yes.

We are going to make you fall in love with cooking, eating, and wellness.

Stay tuned.

One of the things I love about my heritage, which is Italian, I'm half Irish too, but we kind of gravitated toward the Italian side for one specific reason, the food, and the fact that everyone gathered for food.

Everyone gathered for meals.

If you were celebrating, mourning, having a business deal, whatever it was, it was always around food or coffee.

So, as I've grown more mature, the thing I love best is cooking not only fresh food, but cooking with people that I love.

Cooking with people I love is the greatest thing.

- Hi, Christina.

- Hey, ciao, Eric.

I was just talking about you.

- How are you?

- Ciao.

- Ciao.

- How long have we know each other?

- Oh, it's gotta be like- - I know I was very young.

- 16 years, I feel like.

- It's gotta be like 16.

We met at a birthday party.

- Yes, we did.

- And like, that was it.

- Yep, that was it, that was it.

- And he is one of my favorite people to cook with, I have to say, because you have the same kind of feel for food that I do.

You're not afraid of spice.

You're not afraid of oil.

So, we are gonna make a dish that is Tuscan in origin, although you are Sicilian, I believe.

- Yes, I am.

- Abruzzese or Sicilian?

- Sicilian.

- And I'm Nobbly Don, but Tuscany's Tuscany for a reason.

- That's true.

- So the dish is called Fagioli all'Uccelletto, which is beans of the little birds.

They call it that because they season the beans with sage, which they also use to season poultry, so they call it little bird beans.

I guess it's better than bird brains.

- I guess.

I guess.

- So, (claps) we're gonna make this dish, and it can be plant-based.

In Tuscany, they always add sausage to it.

So we're gonna do that too, but plant-based.

- Plant-based, love it, love it.

- So, into that big skillet, put some olive oil.

Do you want your garlic hole and then remove it, or do you wanna slice it- - I'll slice it.

- and leave it in?

- I like to slice it, give it a little more flavor.

- So you like a stronger garlic taste?

- [Eric] I do.

I can't get enough garlic for me.

It's impossible.

- You want all three of these?

- Absolutely, why not?

- Okay, here you go.

- [Eric] The more the better.

- See for me, I take it out now.

I've really like gone that route of taking it out of the, nice oil.

There's about three or four tablespoons of oil in there, which is perfect in my world.

Now in this recipe, they saute some of the fresh herbs with the garlic, and you can turn it on, and they add them fresh, again, at the end.

So if you want to chop some of this sage and parsley, and while you do that, can you chop and talk?

- Yeah, absolutely.

- So talk about your family a little bit, because you- - I can try to talk without my hands, you know.

- I know, it's hard, right?

- It is.

- You, like your family, like food was important to you always.

Like that's the way it was.

All of us grew up that way.

- As most Italians and Sicilians, yeah, food, everything revolves around food basically.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- Especially in our world.

And being from Sicily, we weren't exactly wealthy, so we didn't really have a lot of money, so this is a perfect dish.

I mean, we cooked with a lot of beans, things that didn't cost a lot of money, and that's why I think, you know, it's so near and dear to me.

They're hearty and they fill you, but they don't cost a lot of money.

- That's right.

- And I think they're coming back in style now.

- That's what they say, which is a great thing to hear for me.

And now these are cannellini beans, which are a typical Italian, like sort of a white kidney bean, they would say.

You want chili spice?

- Absolutely.

- Okay.

- Why not?

- Amen, let's do it.

(ingredients sizzling) So cannellini beans are a white kidney bean that they use mostly in Italian cooking.

They use them in French too, but it's really an Italian bean.

They serve it on its own, they serve it with meat, they serve it in any capacity.

Talk to me about how, in your life, 'cause you're busy working, how you cook beans.

- I have a pretty busy schedule.

So, I go out in the morning pretty early.

And so for me, I don't like to use canned beans.

I mean, I keep some canned beans in my pantry, but I don't like to use canned beans on a regular basis.

So, what I do is I soak them in the morning, and I sometimes put a little bit of maybe a teaspoon of baking soda in 'em, which will soften 'em and make it go quicker.

- So you do that with more beans than just chickpeas?

- Absolutely.

- Really?

- Yeah, just about all my beans I do that, and I'll do that in the morning before I go out to work, so that when I get home, it's like half the time maybe.

- Like, don't you find that using beans that you've cooked as opposed to canned beans, like the flavor is night and day?

- Absolutely.

- People don't think that that's true, but I think it is.

- Absolutely so much better.

That's why I barely use canned.

I keep it for an emergency.

If I get home and I go, "Ooh, I didn't think to-" - Me too, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Whatever.

Or I want hummus and I didn't get it together.

- Right.

- That's what I do.

But you know, I would much rather have dried beans that I've cooked myself.

(ingredients sizzling) - While you saute the beans, 'cause what you wanna do for this dish, before we add the tomato, you wanna make sure that the beans are really shiny with oil and that your herbs have wilted, right?

So in this pan, I am going to start the plant-based sausage, and it's pretty good, so.

- Yeah, definitely.

- I mean, I don't think you're ever gonna fool a carnivore, but- - No.

- You know, it's nice.

And it's another hit of protein, which for someone who lives a plant-based life, protein can be, important sources of it can be important, even though it is true that we have protein in everything we eat except fruit.

- Absolutely.

- So, we're just gonna let this sort of simmer in the oil.

Do you want, are you ready for the tomato or no?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Yeah, that's good.

I think we're good.

- Now you gotta tell me how much you want.

- A little more.

All right, good, good, good, perfect.

Now we're cooking good now.

- That's nice.

- Oh my gosh, this is already making me hungry.

- [Christina] Salt and pepper, or?

- I think I got the hot spice in there, so I think we're good, maybe a little touch more salt.

- [Christina] I'm putting a touch of black pepper.

- Oh, do it.

You can't make it too spicy for me.

Now, before you put any more in, I brought a little something for you.

- Oh, did you?

- I did.

- Oh my goodness, I love when he brings me- - You know I'm all about the peppers, but here's a hot calabrian chili pepper.

Do you wanna be brave enough to put one of these in there?

- Only if we do it the way I do it.

- Do it.

Show me.

- Which is, it makes it hotter, sorry.

(Eric speaking indistinctly) - [Eric] Don't apologize to me.

I'm good with that.

- You split it open.

Don't take anything out, and throw it in.

- Perfect.

Perfect.

- Now sometimes it disintegrates in the dish, and that's a good thing, except sometimes you still get a big piece of it and then it's not a good thing.

So I'm gonna turn this sauce in- - I thought that was the prize in there.

If you get it, you got the prize.

- (laughs) You thought it was the prize.

So to this day, I would say we... I mean there's always, you know, there's your chosen family.

To this day, we are, I don't know, I always think... Eric is that friend, I'm gonna embarrass him a little bit.

Sorry, Eric is that friend that you call at 3:00 in the morning when you need something, and he's already in the car before you hang up.

He's that guy.

So what do you think?

Do you want these crispier or do you like them like this?

- [Eric] No, they look good.

I like them.

- Okay, can I go right in?

- You can.

- I'm not gonna bring all the oil in.

I'm just gonna bring the sausages in.

- That's a good plan.

What I like about this dish is this could be a main.

This could be your main dish for the night.

- Yep.

Yep.

Yep.

- This could go over any kind of grain or couscous.

- Big chunk of bread.

- Oh, just absolutely with bread.

- That's the one.

- Absolutely.

You can mix some escarole in here, anything.

- Yep.

- Very versatile dish.

- Do you mind if I taste it for salt?

- Do it.

- Okay.

Oh my goodness.

- How is it?

- It's heavenly.

It's heavenly.

Okay, do you wanna taste it, or do you trust me?

- No, I trust you.

(Christina laughs) I trust you.

You taught me most of this stuff.

- Okay, do you want some more fresh herbs in there?

- Yeah, I think we should put some herbs- - Do you want more sage or just parsley?

- I think just parsley.

- Okay.

- I can smell the sage, so I know there's enough in there.

Let's do some parsley.

- Now, most people, most people take these stems of their parsley, including chefs, and toss it.

Meanwhile, if your parsley is fresh, this has the most parsley flavor and the most nutrient-dense part of the parsley is the stem, because the stem carried the nutrients in the parsley, the chlorophyll, the calcium, all of the minerals from the soil into the leaves.

So before you toss those stems, chop them really finely, and you'll get such a nice, very strong parsley flavor.

It's much better way to go.

All right, my friend, you ready?

- Bellissimo.

- And quick, if anybody complains that this dish isn't quick enough... Grab those two bowls for me and maybe that slotted spoon.

(bowls clattering) Okay, you ready?

Bring that skillet over here, my friend.

And these are nice and juicy.

They're almost soup like.

Now, because we put the chili pepper in pretty late in the game, I'm gonna try not to pull it out unless you're feeling brave.

- I want it.

- Okay, hold on.

- I'll take it.

- All right, let me find it for you.

- Eh, it's, it's... - There it is.

There it is.

- I got it.

There it is.

- There you go.

I say it's a surprise.

- The surprise on top.

- Surprise, I got it.

- Okay, here we go.

All right, that can go back.

Oh, but I'm giving you the... No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

All right, here we go.

- Going right in for it.

- Ready?

- Salud.

(both slurping) (Eric vocalizing) - Come on, right?

Come on.

- It's so good.

- It doesn't get much better than that.

- The beauty of Italian food, the beauty of Italian food is that it's so simple, it's so easy, it's so fresh, it's so varied, like not everything is the same, and yeah, I love it.

- And there's no excuse not to make this.

- And there's no excuse not to make it.

How fast was this?

- How simple and fast was that?

Unreal.

- Thanks, dude.

- No problem.

- I'm off to Italy.

- Let's do it.

(traditional Italian music) (traditional Italian music continues) - Ciao.

- Ciao, ciao, ciao, ciao.

(Elisabetta and Christina speaking Italian) (laughing) Grazie.

- Grazie, grazie.

(waiter and Elisabetta speaking Italian) - So, how many years have we been friends?

- It's more than 20 years, actually.

- More than 20?

- In Mugello, we met.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

- In Mugello, we met.

- And so, you know that I love what I do.

Of course, I love what I do.

And your family's in the restaurant business, and you, my friend, are not so fond of cooking.

- No, no, I'm fond... I mean, I like food.

I know the theory for many things.

And I can tell you whether a food is good or not.

- Right.

- I'm very, very careful with that, but I do not die for cooking though.

- But yet, your kids, all three- - All three.

- cook.

- Maybe it's a tradition, anyway, coming from the family.

'Cause my grandfather was a cook or chef.

- Yeah, but they truly love it.

- They truly love it.

- And so today, we are cooking with your youngest.

- [Elisabetta] With my youngest.

- The astrophysicist.

- The astrophysicist, Pietro.

That's his job.

- That's his job.

- But he likes- - But he loves to cook.

So shall we go cook with him?

- Yep, let's go.

- Okay, let's go.

(traditional Italian music) Hey!

- Ciao.

- So, ciao, you know, I love to be with you, and I would love to cook this dish with you.

But we said at the coffee shop, I was cooking with Pietro?

- I know, so don't worry.

You are cooking with him.

I'm leaving now, and maybe I'll be back for tasting.

(Christina and Elisabetta speaking Italian) - Where's Pietro?

- Here he is.

- Pietro.

- Hi.

Ciao, Mama.

Hi, Christina.

- Ciao.

(both smacking) - Nice to see you.

- I have known Pietro, who is an astrophysicist now, I have known him since he was about six years old.

- Indeed.

- When he was very, okay, piccolino, small.

Pietro, before we start to cook, talk to me about what you do.

I mean, we all know in America, Neil deGrasse Tyson, we all know, but what exactly do you do?

- Okay, what do I do or what do astrophysicists do?

There is a bunch of different jobs in astrophysics.

- Both.

Okay, so what does the astrophysicist do?

- So, I would say that the average astrophysicist stays in an office in front of a computer and collects a lot of data about the universe that's surrounding us.

There are many, many different things that you can study about it.

You can study about the stars, our own sun, for example, how it evolves, if it will ever explode and when, that's also very interesting.

You can also monitor if some asteroids are gonna hit the earth.

- Hit the planet?

- Yes, yes, should watch out for that.

Or, the thing that I like to do personally is to study other galaxies.

So our solar system is inside of a galaxy, so there is many, many galaxies.

And all of them have a black hole at their center.

And so what I do is that I collect data to find these new black holes, measured in mass.

- Okay, so a black hole.

- Yes, that's true.

(Christina laughs) Sorry, I went a bit too- - We all know about black holes, but really quickly, if something can fall into a black hole- - It can.

- what happens then?

- Well, we will never know.

These objects can never escape, because a black hole- - It never comes out.

- Yes.

It's so massive that not even light, which is the fastest thing in the universe, can come out.

So, definitely, we cannot do that either.

So all the information that is lost inside of a black hole is lost forever, so that's why these objects are so interesting.

- Wow.

Wow.

- They're the most interesting objects in the universe.

- In the world, in the universe.

- There's so many students, yes, because we will never know.

- So on top of being a genius astrophysicist, you also cook.

- I do.

I do.

- Okay, first salt.

You salt your pasta water very, very well, because the pasta has no flavor, and this is how you get flavor is with salt.

- You put a few bunches of salt.

It's very hard to quantify for me.

- It is, me too.

- I just do my feeling.

- It is, and by, yeah.

- It's the Italianess.

- And yeah, exactly, and we are using farfalle pasta.

- We are.

It's my favorite type of pasta.

- Is it?

- Yeah, it is.

- Mine is rigatoni.

- No, I prefer the farfalle.

- Ah, so the farfalle he likes, because it will really hold the pesto quite well.

So go ahead and drop that in.

(pasta clattering) Give it a quick stir.

- Mm-hm.

- Ah, now we have to strip the kale.

I'm gonna set this over here.

So, Pietro, let's talk about black kale, because I see, especially this time of year, it's everywhere.

- Yes, it is.

It is.

- It's in everything.

- Do you know that we also call it Tuscanian kale in Italia.

- Tuscan kale.

- This is typical from here.

And I mean, other than being one of my favorite ingredients because of its flavor which is very distinctive I would say, it's also really, really good for you.

It's full of minerals, vitamins.

It's good for your bowels, for your system overall, and I just think it's an overall kind of a super food- - It is kind of a super food.

But my question is, why do you take these off?

- Well, they're very hard, so while we're doing the pesto, we just boil this for like one minute, so they're not gonna get soft enough to make a pesto.

- But we say that this was the root, is in the ground, and all of the nutrients traveled up here.

This is the most nutrient dense, so we should save this for another dish.

- We should.

We definitely should.

I mean, if we want to boil this for much longer- - As long as the pasta, of course.

- then we can make a cream, a soup with this, and then it would be great.

- Perfect.

- I think for this, it's not great.

- No, I agree with you.

- But in general, we should not throw them away.

- Okay, so you can take those out and bring them to my cutting board, so that they're not too overcooked.

And what we did was, to save sort of energy, we put the pasta in, and while it begins to cook, we drop the kale on top, so it kind of flavors the pasta, but also, allows the kale to cook without having a second pot of water, and, you know, blah, blah, blah.

(Christina speaking Italian) - Yes.

- And then this gets chopped into little bite-sized pieces just for quicker blending, right?

Okay, so Pietro, when you're at home, do you cook very often?

- Yeah, I mean, I cook every day.

Also my lunches, I always like to pack and to bring.

I think, I really prefer to have my own food.

- Home cooked, yeah, us too.

- To home cook, rather than to buy whatever is out.

Also, because when you want to have vegetarian, vegan options, it's not always obvious that you will find something which is actually balanced.

- Exactly.

- I live in Germany, and whenever I have a vegetarian or vegan option, it's always a lot of carbs, some vegetables, and never once a protein, and that's not great, I think, for growth, health.

- Even with protein being in everything we eat except fruit, you do need protein.

- I like, yes.

- You do need protein, especially if you're gonna keep long hours and be strong.

And how many cloves of garlic do you want, my love?

Just one?

- I think one is good.

- Okay, so you like this to be a sweeter pesto, not garlicky.

- Yeah, indeed, indeed.

- Okay, and walnuts?

- Yes.

- Can you use pine nuts as well?

- You can use whatever nut you want.

Pine nuts are great, actually.

You can use almonds as well.

What's something I really like to do is to soak hemp seeds in water and then to use them as well.

- Hemp seeds make great pesto.

- Yeah.

- It does.

- Yeah, again, very rich in- - Omega 3's, and minerals.

- Yes, it's great.

- So they go in.

- They do.

- And then you're gonna take with your spoon over there, you're gonna take about, I would say half this miso.

So miso we're using in place of Parmigiano, and it's going to give us not only that cheesy flavor, but it's also going to give us the probiotic digestive capabilities of miso, because we're not cooking it.

So we get like a double whammy, if you will, of nutrition.

- But the most important ingredient, the olive oil.

- Ah, I always forget it, because it is over there.

- Yes.

Yes.

- Extra virgin olive oil.

- Yes.

- Don't be shy.

- I will not.

- Go.

- Every pesto should have a lot of olive oil.

- A lot of olive oil, which is loaded with polyphenols and other heart-healthy ingredients that really help you to stay well.

We are not anti oil.

- We are not.

- Not in this country.

Is it enough?

(speaking Italian) - We can put even more.

Can I go?

- (indistinct) A little bit.

(laughing) Pasta!

- I am obsessed.

- Yeah, me too.

All right, stir the pasta, please.

Now do you want me to start blending this, or do you wanna add pasta water?

Start, and then we add it.

- We can start, and then we add it if we see that it's too thick.

(blender whirring) It's looking good.

- Yeah.

But I think a little pasta water, (speaking Italian).

Okay, so we're gonna add to this, just a tiny bit of pasta water to make it creamy without having to make a creamy.

I would say just maybe a third of that.

Yeah, like that.

Perfect.

And just a little liquid, little lemon juice?

- Yep.

- Which gives it light flavor, but also helps to keep the color.

- Exactly, exactly.

- Yeah, so it's very nice.

You're not making a dressing here.

Pesto in Italian means paste.

So you want it to be thick enough that it sticks to the pasta.

(blender whirring) Yeah, now it looks good.

What do you think?

- It's looking really good.

I think it's good.

- Done?

Okay.

I'm gonna put that over there to give you some space.

All right, shall we taste the pasta to see if it's ready?

- Yeah, of course.

- So farfalle cook in about, I would say seven minutes.

For many Americans, we say Italians cook their pasta too hard.

Maybe another minute?

- I would say so, mm-hm.

- But in reality, when you cook the pasta aldente, which is how Italians cook their pasta, it digests more easily and isn't an insulin trigger.

It's the reason that Italians can eat pasta so often and look like Sophia Loren when they... (chuckles) Right?

- Yeah.

- Or look like you.

You eat pasta quite often.

- I do.

I do.

- So it's really important that we don't overcook it and make it mushy.

Americans make mushade pasta.

It's just, yeah, anyway.

Shall we try another or do you want to take a chance?

- I think we can try another.

- Okay, go ahead.

It's hot, but when you're a chef, your fingers are asbestos.

- [Pietro] I'm not a chef.

- I know you're an astrophysicist, I know.

(laughing) - That's good.

- Bellissimo.

Okay, all right, shall we taste it?

- Mm-hm.

- You first.

- I think it's really good.

- Good.

Okay.

Now Pietro's taking some pasta water from the farfalle cooking, not much, but enough to kind of create a starchy binder, would you say for the pesto?

- I would say that.

It's also very important to mix the pasta in the beginning- - Yeah.

Yeah.

- so it starts- - So, I never put pasta in a colander and then rinse it.

Don't ever rinse your pasta.

Japanese noodle, yes.

Pasta noodles, no.

- Do people do that?

- Yes.

(laughs) - Oh, I didn't know.

- Yes, they do.

- No, do not do that.

- No.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- Perfect.

All right.

- Okay?

So now, we're gonna take our pesto and here, pull it out, clean it out for me while I hold it for you.

Okay.

You see how nice and thick and creamy it is.

It's amazing.

It smells delicious.

- [Pietro] It's perfect.

I cannot see if there is much more.

- My gosh, I love pasta.

Okay, give it a good stir.

- [Pietro] And you can see how the water is helping- - So it's really kind of helping it to stick and almost turn the pesto creamier than it naturally would be.

Yeah, that's amazing.

Okay, so, over next to you, we have some serving bowls.

Shall we... Shall we call... - Yes, (speaking Italian).

- Si.

- Mama, (speaking Italian)?

- Sure.

- He just called his mother to come and taste.

Yep, let's put a little in each bowl.

- Here I am.

So, how is the, let me see.

Hmm.

It looks nice.

- Yeah, uh-huh.

- And it smells nice too.

- It smells delicious.

- Yeah.

- Very good.

(Christina laughing) Mm, very good smell.

- And forks, I think, are over by you.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Mm, some pepper too.

- Happy (indistinct), black pepper.

Pietro?

- Thank you.

- Yes, please.

- Okay.

(pepper grinder grinding) - Thank you.

- Mm, I can smell the black pepper too now, yeah.

- Yum, all right, let's try this now.

- Yeah.

- Oh, delicious.

It's so simple, so rich, so creamy.

- Very good.

- You would think it was way more work than it is.

Pietro, (speaking Italian).

Thank you so much.

Let's not wait another 13 years before I see you again.

- No, let's not, let's not.

(Christina speaking Italian) - And there you have farfalle pasta with kale pesto.

(traditional Italian music) (Christina and Pietro speaking indistinctly) Small groups of true friends, skip the devices and the apps, be social, not isolated.

In Chinese medicine, there are seven levels of wellness and of disease with isolation being the most serious.

If you think about our modern world, we live plugged in, ears filled with sound, but isolated from life and nature around us.

It leaves us spiritually bereft and emotionally stunted.

It's time to open our minds and hearts to reality, to gather small groups of those we love and live in the natural world instead of the virtual one.

The more we isolate, the more insulated from reality we become.

And I get it, I get it.

Reality can be a real downer sometimes, but reality won't change if we don't get outta the house, take off the headsets, put down the devices, and take care of each other.

If we wait for someone else to do it, to do the work of making life better for everyone, we'll wait a long time and waste our life in the process.

It's time to band together and change the world, one group of friends at a time, so think about that.

And I'll see you next time on "Christina Cooks."

(traditional Italian music) - Je suis Américain.

(traditional Italian music continues) (traditional Italian music continues) - [Announcer] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by FinaMill, the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable, swappable pods, FinaMill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by.

You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our website at christinacooks.com and by following Christina on social media.