Lidia Bastianich & Judith Jones discuss their relationship in food

Two doyennes of the food world came together last night at the Brattle Theatre to discuss the release of their new cookbooks as well as the history of their long relationship (the venerable Ms. Jones, once Julia Child's editor and mentor at Alfred A. Knopf, is now Lidia's).

Lidia began by remembering her initial discomfort with writing: "I could communicate with food," she said. "But I was insecure with words; I was editing myself before I even sat down to write."

It was touching to watch her turn to Judith Jones, now in her eighties, and say, "The most precious gift you gave me was liberty--the feeling that I can express myself in words."

In her newest book, Lidia Cooks from the Heart of Italy, she explores ten lesser known regions of Italy--by literally going into people's kitchens and talking and cooking with them. Many of her own photographs of the regions she visited appear in the book.

But as the two women tested recipes together, Lidia explained, it was clear that Judith had her own agenda--she wanted to know how to prepare each dish for one.

Now a widow, Judith lives alone, and she said that cooking for herself is a way of "treating yourself well." Describing her own rituals, she mentioned preparing simple meals that fill the house with good smells, and lighting candles. "It brings a lot of joy, and it makes you feel less alone." Thus, her new book: The Pleasures of Cooking for One. With more single households in America now than ever before (Judith cited the statistic that 51% of New Yorkers live alone), her message is timely.

As the evening concluded, an audience member asked where they'd be eating in Boston. Lidia mentioned Jody Adams and Lydia Shire as two of her favorite local chefs, and then revealed that she and Judith would be dining at Michael Schlow's Alta Strada in Wellesley tonight.

As for her favorite meal, Lidia said, "I love a perfect fig. Perfectly ripe, slightly cracked, with a drop of nectar on it. That is perfection for me."