0:00:02 > 0:00:07You know, we believe that Britain has the best food in the world.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Not only can we boast fantastic ingredients...
0:00:11 > 0:00:13- Piece de resistance.- Aaah!- Nice.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15- Now, which is which?- Lamb.- Mutton.
0:00:15 > 0:00:19- SHEEP BLEATS - ..outstanding food producers...
0:00:19 > 0:00:20It's brilliant, isn't it?
0:00:20 > 0:00:23..and innovative chefs...
0:00:23 > 0:00:26- ..but we also have an amazing food history.- Oh, brilliant!
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Oh, wow.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Don't eat them like that. You'll break your teeth.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Now, during this series,
0:00:34 > 0:00:38we're going to be taking you on a journey into our culinary past.
0:00:38 > 0:00:40Everything's ready, so let's get cracking.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43We'll explore its revealing stories...
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Wow!
0:00:45 > 0:00:48..and meet the heroes who keep our culinary past alive.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Pontefract liquorice has been my life,
0:00:51 > 0:00:53and I've loved every minute of it.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56And, of course, be cooking up a load of dishes
0:00:56 > 0:00:58that reveal our foodie evolution.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01Look at that. That's a proper British treat.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08We have a taste of history.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10Quite simply...
0:01:10 > 0:01:12BOTH: the best of British.
0:01:33 > 0:01:35We've always absorbed cuisines from all over the world.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38We've reached into every corner of the globe
0:01:38 > 0:01:39and brought back a taste of it.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41- From the Romans...- To the Normans...
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- ..the Crusades...- The Empire...
0:01:43 > 0:01:44..tourism and immigration.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49All of these things have influenced our great British cuisine.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55That's what makes our food so fantastic -
0:01:55 > 0:01:58it's not rigid, but ever-changing and evolving.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00And one style of cooking we're particularly fond of
0:02:00 > 0:02:02is that of the Med.
0:02:02 > 0:02:05And that's what we'll be celebrating in today's programme.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Continental food now accounts for many
0:02:07 > 0:02:09of our nation's favourite dishes,
0:02:09 > 0:02:12but not so long ago, things were very different.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18Before the 1960s,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21the closest many of us got to exotic food was a tin of pineapple chunks.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24Pasta meant Alphabetti Spaghetti...
0:02:24 > 0:02:27..and olive oil was Popeye's girlfriend.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32When it came to our holidays, we also had simple tastes,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35and made the most of what Blighty had to offer.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37But all that was about to change.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40The package holiday would make foreign travel more affordable.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Us Brits were heading for the sun.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52It began slowly in the '50s, and momentum gathered in the '60s.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55MUSIC: "Hot Hot Hot" by Arrow
0:02:55 > 0:02:58# Feeling hot, hot, hot
0:03:00 > 0:03:02# Feeling hot, hot, hot... #
0:03:02 > 0:03:04By the late '70s,
0:03:04 > 0:03:08some 2.5 million Brits a year went on package holidays.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11And that swelled to 10 million by 1986.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14We quickly entered into the spirit of things...
0:03:14 > 0:03:16..soaking up all the local flavours.
0:03:19 > 0:03:24But when it came to the nosh, at first, we were a bit more reticent.
0:03:24 > 0:03:25What do you like about Benidorm?
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I like the food. The food's very nice.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30- The English...?- The English food, yes. It's very nice.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Well, we wouldn't want to upset our delicate constitutions
0:03:33 > 0:03:36with that unfamiliar foreign muck, now, would we?
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Thankfully, familiar food was readily available.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44Fish and chips, a pint of English ale and all the trimmings.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47But some people didn't even trust that,
0:03:47 > 0:03:49and took their own food from home.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51For the few brave souls
0:03:51 > 0:03:53who were willing to risk havoc with their stomach
0:03:53 > 0:03:55and indulge in some of the local cuisine,
0:03:55 > 0:03:59even ordering it could prove a little daunting.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02Most of the waiters in the bars only speak enough
0:04:02 > 0:04:04to serve you with a drink.
0:04:04 > 0:04:05They don't actually speak English.
0:04:05 > 0:04:10Once you deviate from the subject that they're selling to you,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12they don't understand what you're saying.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16Brits would try anything to avoid having to speak a foreign language.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20If you don't know what you want in the restaurant,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23just show this up and just point to the appropriate thing.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26- This always assumes the waiter's quite intelligent.- Aubergine!
0:04:26 > 0:04:30- And they should understand what you want.- That's probably very good!
0:04:30 > 0:04:32But when they did manage to get served,
0:04:32 > 0:04:35they realised it wasn't half bad.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40MUSIC: "Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus" by Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin
0:04:40 > 0:04:41Little did they know it,
0:04:41 > 0:04:44but they were at the coalface of a food revolution.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46Because we took more home with us
0:04:46 > 0:04:49then lobster-coloured skin and a sombrero.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52We'd also developed a taste for continental food.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54And that's not all.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56Come and see me in England.
0:04:56 > 0:04:59You can come and see me. My mum won't mind.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Unfortunately, when people got home,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04they didn't find it all that easy to replicate.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07We've all eaten pasta, and for most of us,
0:05:07 > 0:05:10it comes out of a tin, or dried, in a snack pot, or a packet.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13But thank goodness for television cooks,
0:05:13 > 0:05:16who were about to teach us how to rustle up our own.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18I get lots of queries about cooking spaghetti,
0:05:18 > 0:05:21asking why it sticks together, this, that and the other.
0:05:21 > 0:05:25So I think it's quite a good thing to have a run through and see.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27# Do-be-do-be-do! #
0:05:27 > 0:05:31MUSIC: "Macarena" by Los Del Rio
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Soon, supermarket shelves reflected our changing eating habits,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39and now we regularly devour food from all over the world.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44And today, in the Best of British kitchen, we're going to cook up
0:05:44 > 0:05:47a holiday classic that's become a British favourite,
0:05:47 > 0:05:51and it's guaranteed to transport you to sunnier climes.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54# Eviva Espana! #
0:05:54 > 0:05:55Ole!
0:05:55 > 0:06:03# For we are off to sunny Spain, we're gonna make paella. #
0:06:03 > 0:06:06And this, ladies and gentlemen, is a paella pan.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- And that's what we're going to make. - Paella.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12Paella is actually a pan, not a dish.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15And the word paella comes from the Roman for pan.
0:06:15 > 0:06:21This delicious paella is easy and packed full of flavour and colour.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Succulent chicken, tasty mussels,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27perfect prawns and plump rice, all spiced up with paprika and saffron.
0:06:29 > 0:06:31I'm just going to put some oil in the pan,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33because that's a very good place to start.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36For our paella, we try to do quite a generic recipe,
0:06:36 > 0:06:40the sort of thing that you might have tasted on your holidays,
0:06:40 > 0:06:42and you want to make it when you come home, and you want one
0:06:42 > 0:06:46that's got all the elements, without becoming a pan of confusion.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50A confused paella is not a good way to approach said dish.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53You want a dish, not a pan of mud as is so often seen.
0:06:53 > 0:07:00Now, what I'm going to do is season these lovely, boned chicken thighs.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06- Hello! Smiling sausage! - We've got to eat that, man!
0:07:06 > 0:07:08That's all right, I'm behind my beard!
0:07:08 > 0:07:10- MOCK SPANISH ACCENT: - This is a chorizo,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13or choritho, as they thay in Thpain.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15This is a cooking chorizo, one that needs cooking,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18and it's the best type to use for paella.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- I'm going to cut this into slices. - What's lovely,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22and what you'll see when we do cook it,
0:07:22 > 0:07:28it leaches this wonderful paprika fat that's deep red and lovely.
0:07:29 > 0:07:34But the paella is this combination of chicken, chorizo, saffron,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37rice, vegetables, prawns, mussels.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40It can be whatever you want. It can be clams.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43They say the paella originated in Valencia.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47But we know the first paellas were made with predominantly rabbit,
0:07:47 > 0:07:49because that was what poor folk ate.
0:07:49 > 0:07:50As time went on they realised,
0:07:50 > 0:07:53"I can put this in with the rice, it'd be brilliant."
0:07:53 > 0:07:55Because rice is a great flavour carrier.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57"I can put duck in, it'd be brilliant."
0:07:57 > 0:07:59"I can put in chicken, prawns, be brilliant!"
0:07:59 > 0:08:01You can put what you want in, really.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Just going to put this chicken in first.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11Once the chicken is nicely browned, pop in the chopped chorizo.
0:08:11 > 0:08:17Kind of half the trick to this is the smokiness and the paprika
0:08:17 > 0:08:21leaching into that oil, and that oil is what we turn
0:08:21 > 0:08:27the rice and vegetables into, and the flavour just goes on and on.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30After a few minutes, use a slotted spoon to lift the chicken
0:08:30 > 0:08:35and chorizo into a bowl and put it aside for later.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Next, chop an onion and sweat it in the paprika-infused oil.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41The lovely thing is, when you cook something like this,
0:08:41 > 0:08:43you've experienced it when you've been abroad,
0:08:43 > 0:08:46it takes you back there, doesn't it?
0:08:46 > 0:08:50When tender and lightly browned, add a tablespoon of olive oil,
0:08:50 > 0:08:52a chopped red pepper and some green beans.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59You're getting very hungry, aren't you? I know I am.
0:08:59 > 0:09:02I tell you what, I've just seen Mrs Miggins' arm come out.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Will you stop that? Mrs Miggins, just wait! Wait, will ye?
0:09:06 > 0:09:10Now, you can't have anything Spanish, or "Foreign!"
0:09:10 > 0:09:13as me dad would call it, without "Garlic!"
0:09:13 > 0:09:16My dad was a disaster with food.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18He refused to eat tinned chicken soup,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21because he said it was "Full o' garlic!"
0:09:21 > 0:09:23The thought dreadful!
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Spaghetti, "Comes in tins."
0:09:25 > 0:09:27THEY LAUGH
0:09:27 > 0:09:29I remember my first paella.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33- It was one of those Vestas. Do you remember those?- Oh, yes!
0:09:33 > 0:09:37You put water on, and you had a meal. It felt so exotic.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I mean, their paella was luminous. You could see it from Mars.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43Little did I know that that was the first tentative steps
0:09:43 > 0:09:47- that have brought me to where I am here.- Where's that?
0:09:47 > 0:09:50- In the kitchen?- The pinnacle of culinary culinariness!
0:09:50 > 0:09:53Stir in three cloves of finely grated garlic
0:09:53 > 0:09:56and a heaped teaspoon of the secret ingredient - smoked paprika.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00It gives it like a wonderful outdoor barbecue sense to it.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04- It did say heaped teaspoon, didn't it?- Yes!
0:10:04 > 0:10:07It is now! I love this stuff.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08It's great.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14- And then it just smells fantastic. - Saffron. I love saffron.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16- He's not keen.- I'm not. - More expensive than gold.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19- But you don't need much.- You don't.
0:10:19 > 0:10:22- Uno pincho, two pincho.- That'll do!
0:10:25 > 0:10:27And a bay leaf.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33The smells, man. I wish you could smell this at home. It's so lovely.
0:10:33 > 0:10:37- But all of this is just a dressing for the rice.- It is, mate.
0:10:37 > 0:10:39- Absolutely.- The time has come. Bring out the rice.
0:10:41 > 0:10:46Add 250 grammes of paella rice and stir it around the pan
0:10:46 > 0:10:49until it's glistening with paprika-infused oil loveliness.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Then, the chicken and chorizo needs to go back in
0:10:53 > 0:10:57along with any of the juices that have collected in the bowl.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58And now the liquid.
0:10:58 > 0:11:03We're using chicken stock, but you can do a vegetarian paella.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06Obviously, use vegetable stock, and vegetables.
0:11:06 > 0:11:09You can do a fish paella, use fish stock.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12But, you know, for this one, chicken stock.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17You'll need about 900ml of the stock made with one stock cube.
0:11:17 > 0:11:20And let it simmer away over a medium heat for about 12 minutes,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22stirring occasionally.
0:11:25 > 0:11:2812 minutes, and the rice has started to grow.
0:11:28 > 0:11:32- I think it may be time for the mussels. Do you?- Aye.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Go on, get them flexed.
0:11:34 > 0:11:39Scatter 500-750g of well-scrubbed live mussels on top of the paella.
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Make sure the beards have been removed
0:11:41 > 0:11:46and that they're well tucked into the hot rice and steaming liquid.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Then cover with tin foil to allow them to steam
0:11:49 > 0:11:54in all the lovely aromas for five minutes on a fairly high heat.
0:11:54 > 0:11:58Wait for the mussels to open, and discard any that don't.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00And look, they're all open.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02So we give it one last stir,
0:12:02 > 0:12:06and from this point on, we don't kind of mess with it, do we?
0:12:06 > 0:12:10- Time for the prawns. Heads first, into the centre.- I think so, yeah.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13Like Morris-dancing prawns.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17When those have gone pink, your paella is done.
0:12:19 > 0:12:24- MOCK SPANISH ACCENT:- Thanthy a cervetha?- I do.- Thmashing!
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Reduce the heat slightly and it will need to cook
0:12:28 > 0:12:30for a further six to eight minutes,
0:12:30 > 0:12:33leaving you time to perfect your Spanish.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36'Esto bocadillo es el mas grande.'
0:12:36 > 0:12:39But do remember to turn the prawns halfway through.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45Right, and may the spirit of Torremolinos be upon us. Hoo-hoo!
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- That is as pretty as a picture. - That is as pretty as a paella.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51All we need now is parsley sprinkles
0:12:51 > 0:12:54and a kind of daintily-placed lemon wedge.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56- I'm wedging.- I'm sprinkling.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59- Are you dancing?- I'm asking.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11DAVE SIGHS
0:13:12 > 0:13:13- Look at that.- Yes.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18Now, in the true tradition of this wonderful dish,
0:13:18 > 0:13:22I'll have that half, and you can have that half.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25It's quite easy to demarc, this one, isn't it?
0:13:25 > 0:13:27Do you know what people used to do?
0:13:27 > 0:13:32It was very handy that the paella pan was round, and the big ones
0:13:32 > 0:13:36made a perfectly functional table, so they would sit around the pan
0:13:36 > 0:13:42and you would get a fork, and you'd go, "That's my section,"
0:13:42 > 0:13:46and people eating paella would stick to their own turf.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49That's mine, that's yours.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51That's mine. Don't, don't transgress.
0:13:51 > 0:13:52- I'm not, I'm not!- You are!
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It's all about the rice in paella.
0:13:59 > 0:14:01Try the chicken.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04That's been poached in all that paprika, chorizo...
0:14:04 > 0:14:07That...is fabulous.
0:14:07 > 0:14:13Isn't it? It's got everything a paella should have.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17Taste, colour, variety. It's got holiday spirit!
0:14:18 > 0:14:22Thankfully, being British, we don't have to get on a plane
0:14:22 > 0:14:26to taste authentic Mediterranean food.
0:14:26 > 0:14:28All the ingredients are readily available,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31so you can cook up this fantastic food at home.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34We're lucky that people from all over the world
0:14:34 > 0:14:35have made Britain home,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38giving us such an exciting and varied cuisine.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Today, you can find a little bit f Italy on every street corner,
0:14:51 > 0:14:53from pizzerias to coffee shops,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56all serving up traditional dishes and ingredients.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59And you can find one of the best Italian delis in the world
0:14:59 > 0:15:01in Edinburgh.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04Valvona & Crolla is run by husband and wife team
0:15:04 > 0:15:05Philip and Mary Contini.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09They are part of the thriving Scottish-Italian community
0:15:09 > 0:15:13which has been estimated to number over 35,000 people,
0:15:13 > 0:15:17and it's played a key role in the country's food heritage.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24My grandfather, Alfonso Crolla, he emigrated from Italy,
0:15:24 > 0:15:26and came to Edinburgh in 1910.
0:15:26 > 0:15:32The original Italians that came here either sold fish and chips
0:15:32 > 0:15:38or ice cream, and this original shop was in fact an ice cream shop.
0:15:38 > 0:15:42And he came here and made ice cream here, with his brother-in-law,
0:15:42 > 0:15:46and they lived in the dark basement of this shop,
0:15:46 > 0:15:49and when his wife and son came, they, too, lived in the basement.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Ah! Ice cream!
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Ah! Fish and chips! What better way to win favour with the locals
0:16:00 > 0:16:02than through their bellies?
0:16:02 > 0:16:05Well, it certainly works with me.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08Soon, there were scores of Italian ice cream and fish and chip shops
0:16:08 > 0:16:11springing up all over the Scottish countryside.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Alfonso Crolla settled in Edinburgh, and what he did,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20as a lot of the Italians did in different parts of the UK,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23was to bring more of his family across, or his relations,
0:16:23 > 0:16:25from the same village.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28So, Alfonso brought across quite a few of his brothers,
0:16:28 > 0:16:33his cousins, and my grandfather, and set him up in business
0:16:33 > 0:16:36down the coast in East Lothian, where our family had their business.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42Fish and chips was the perfect business
0:16:42 > 0:16:44for the Italian incomers to Scotland.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46It was a relatively modern creation.
0:16:46 > 0:16:50The first stall had opened in London, around 1860.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53The Italians' inherent love of food and good ingredients allowed them
0:16:53 > 0:16:57to spot the potential in the natural produce of Scotland.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Fantastic fish and perfect potatoes.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03They quickly turned into food entrepreneurs
0:17:03 > 0:17:07and were responsible for building businesses all over Scotland.
0:17:10 > 0:17:12Can you imagine, in 1910,
0:17:12 > 0:17:15being able to eat something like fried fish and crispy potatoes?
0:17:15 > 0:17:17It must have just been a sensation.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Of course, Italians are very competitive,
0:17:20 > 0:17:21especially the ones who emigrated
0:17:21 > 0:17:24so each family would settle in a village
0:17:24 > 0:17:26and want their ice cream and fish and chips
0:17:26 > 0:17:28to be better than everyone else's,
0:17:28 > 0:17:32so the Scots got very high-quality product from the beginning.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35But whilst the ever-increasing Italian population
0:17:35 > 0:17:38were satisfying the Scottish appetite,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41they were missing many of their own tastes from back home,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and Philip's grandfather saw a gap in the market.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48This shop was established in 1934.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53It was changed from an ice cream shop into this Italian delicatessen.
0:17:53 > 0:17:59I would say that, 75 years ago, 95% of our customers were Italian.
0:18:01 > 0:18:05It was initially just a tiny hole in the wall,
0:18:05 > 0:18:08packed high to the ceiling, as you can see.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12Now, we have wine, cheese, salami, Parma ham, pasta.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16We used to sell the pasta in drawers, by the pound,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20so we had lots of drawers you pulled out to get the shape you wanted.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Then we would get cheese from Italy, and packages of sausages,
0:18:23 > 0:18:27which was the huge desire of all Italians, to get the product.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30We imported coffee, and we imported the raw beans,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33and we roasted it here in the shop.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37And I guess that this was happening all over the world,
0:18:37 > 0:18:38where there were Italians.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43They created this coffee culture,
0:18:43 > 0:18:47because they had to have their cup of coffee that they were used to
0:18:47 > 0:18:48back home in Italy.
0:18:48 > 0:18:53And of course, now, coffee is international, isn't it?
0:18:53 > 0:18:56It wasn't until after the war that Scottish people
0:18:56 > 0:18:57started to come into the shops,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01because the soldiers who had fought in Italy, first of all
0:19:01 > 0:19:04against the Italians, and then, in the second half of the war,
0:19:04 > 0:19:05with the Italians,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09they started to taste Italian food, and that's where it all started.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The post-war years would see the shop's appeal widen.
0:19:20 > 0:19:24But again, it would be thanks to the birth of the package holiday
0:19:24 > 0:19:26that the market would really take off.
0:19:29 > 0:19:33The change in the shop was to do with the Scots who began to travel,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36and who were travelling on holiday to Italy, and coming back,
0:19:36 > 0:19:40and they had tasted different kinds of pasta,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44different types of wine and cheeses, and they wanted more of the same.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46And so, gradually,
0:19:46 > 0:19:51the Scots were outnumbering the Italians who were buying from us.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55And our story is mirrored throughout Scotland
0:19:55 > 0:19:58and probably throughout Britain.
0:19:59 > 0:20:01The deli has come a long way
0:20:01 > 0:20:05since Alfonso Crolla first arrived in Edinburgh over 100 years ago.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06But so has the British palate.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09Visitors to the deli's restaurant are now very keen to eat food
0:20:09 > 0:20:15that their Scottish ancestors may have turned their noses up at.
0:20:15 > 0:20:19And owner Mary still loves serving up all the finest local ingredients
0:20:19 > 0:20:21cooked in the traditional Italian way.
0:20:21 > 0:20:23What I want to do today
0:20:23 > 0:20:26is celebrate the food that we ate when we were kids.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The fishermen left langoustines at the back door for us,
0:20:30 > 0:20:34or even some squid, because the Scots didn't want to eat it then,
0:20:34 > 0:20:36this is talking about more than 40 years ago.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40The fishermen now remember their fathers throwing overboard, I mean,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43the langoustines from Scotland are better than anything,
0:20:43 > 0:20:45and we're going to prepare it now, and fry it in olive oil,
0:20:45 > 0:20:50deep-fried, and make a fritto misto.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52We'll add some courgettes, and just show you
0:20:52 > 0:20:54how wonderful Scottish produce is.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Frying is a good way of eating
0:20:58 > 0:21:01because it seals the flavour in, and if it's drained properly,
0:21:01 > 0:21:05and you use good oil, it's a healthy way of eating.
0:21:05 > 0:21:07It's typical of Neapolitan street food,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10where, even today, you see people standing on the side of the street,
0:21:10 > 0:21:14frying things, just to feed passing people that are hungry.
0:21:14 > 0:21:17The fritto misto that we do here in the cafe bar,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22and other Italian restaurants do, is an extension of fish and chips.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25There's a heritage, in Italy, of deep-frying fish.
0:21:25 > 0:21:31And so, you can take any fish, any shellfish, and deep-fry it,
0:21:31 > 0:21:36and just with that light batter, just cooked to a crisp,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38but keeping the fish moist.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41It's a stunning thing to eat.
0:21:45 > 0:21:50And the last thing we would do is just sprinkle some sea salt,
0:21:50 > 0:21:51just to season at the very end.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55# O fritto misto! #
0:21:55 > 0:21:57It looks delicious.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01The Scots-Italians are the luckiest of races, cos we have everything.
0:22:01 > 0:22:03We have everything we love from Italy, here,
0:22:03 > 0:22:05we've got the lovely ingredients from Scotland,
0:22:05 > 0:22:08which sometimes are even better than Italian ingredients,
0:22:08 > 0:22:12and we have the skills to make them taste good, so we are a bit spoiled.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Not quite as sunny, though!
0:22:14 > 0:22:17But who cares when you've got great food?
0:22:21 > 0:22:23From being virtually unheard of,
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Italian cuisine is now a British favourite.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28It's been calculated that spaghetti Bolognese
0:22:28 > 0:22:32is eaten on average nearly 3,000 times in our lifetime -
0:22:32 > 0:22:36more than stew and cottage pie.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39And one adopted Brit who's done his bit to raise the profile
0:22:39 > 0:22:45of Italian food over the years is restaurateur Antonio Carluccio.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50NEWSREADER: They call him Mr Mushroom.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54But now Antonio Carluccio, the man who's developed a business empire
0:22:54 > 0:22:57through his enthusiasm for Italian cooking,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01is taking his restaurant chain, Carluccio's, to the stock market.
0:23:01 > 0:23:06His first Italian food shop opened in 1991. He later added an eatery.
0:23:06 > 0:23:10Today, Carluccio's is a feature on many of our high streets.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14He's the Godfather of Italian gastronomy.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17He was also one of the first chefs to celebrate
0:23:17 > 0:23:20Italian food on our screens.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24Package holidays may have given us a taste for Mediterranean food,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28but television was instrumental in teaching us how to cook it.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31- Every day's a holiday when you've got Carluccio.- It's true, it's true.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34The Italian stallion.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37I've got a few minutes of time, so I'll show you
0:23:37 > 0:23:39a wonderful dessert from Italy.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41Yolk of egg. Sugar.
0:23:41 > 0:23:42He's a bit like an Italian Delia.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44- His recipes work, don't they? - They do.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Then I add the mascarpone cheese,
0:23:47 > 0:23:53which is a wonderful cheese that you can eat it savoury and sweet.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55In this case we do it as a dessert.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59He came here in about 1975, didn't he?
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Yeah, he worked in Germany before he came to England.
0:24:02 > 0:24:03- Yeah.- And opened restaurants.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07He had one near Neal's Yard for donkey's years.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Yeah. That's where he trained up score of British chefs,
0:24:10 > 0:24:11including Jamie Oliver!
0:24:11 > 0:24:15Dip them in this coffee but don't leave them too long,
0:24:15 > 0:24:19otherwise they soak too much and they become very soft and breakable.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23So this is the first layer.
0:24:23 > 0:24:29Then the mascarpone, which is wonderful.
0:24:29 > 0:24:34Creamy and nice. Calories here... As many as you want!
0:24:34 > 0:24:36THEY LAUGH
0:24:36 > 0:24:42The second biscuits are the amaretti biscuits, which I dip in this wine.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45A bit longer because they are harder.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48And we build a layer with that one.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50When he cooks, he cooks with the air of a man who's been
0:24:50 > 0:24:53knocking it out in the kitchen for donkey's years, doesn't he?
0:24:53 > 0:24:56- He's very, very adept. - He's fabulous.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00And a bit more of those. Everybody knows amaretti,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03which means little, bitter almond biscuit.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05I love the way he's very relaxed,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08the way that he kind of approaches his food, isn't it?
0:25:08 > 0:25:11- He was born on the Amalfi coast, you know.- Next to the lemons.
0:25:11 > 0:25:19The other layer is simply whipped cream. So there we come with that.
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Wonderful.
0:25:24 > 0:25:30And the finishing touch is a little bit of cocoa powder.
0:25:30 > 0:25:36So this is the tiramisu, or lift-me-up or pick-me-up
0:25:36 > 0:25:40Italian dessert, very quick - you can make it.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47He makes it seem so effortless.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48You can see why he's been so successful
0:25:48 > 0:25:51in making Italian food accessible to us Brits, can't you?
0:25:51 > 0:25:54There we are.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59Our obsession with continental cookery might seem to be
0:25:59 > 0:26:02a relatively recent thing, but in actual fact,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06Mediterranean food was being regularly consumed on these shores
0:26:06 > 0:26:08nearly 2,000 years ago.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But back then, olive oil was the preserve the rich, Roman elite,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15the first wave of Italians to come to our fair isle.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18On the outskirts of Chichester, there was once an immense
0:26:18 > 0:26:20and sumptuous palace.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Before the Romans, Iron Age Brits got by with bread, beer and milk,
0:26:32 > 0:26:37fruits and berries, some basic veg, peas, beans, bit of cabbage
0:26:37 > 0:26:40and occasionally some wild mushrooms and seafood.
0:26:40 > 0:26:46But when it comes to food, what have the Romans really done for us?
0:26:47 > 0:26:51Fishbourne Palace was built in the 1st century AD.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55It's the largest and most luxurious Roman residence
0:26:55 > 0:26:57to have been discovered in Britain.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01- Doesn't look like a Roman palace. - Wait until we get inside.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06Unfortunately, the structure has long gone,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10but miraculously, this floor with its amazing mosaics has survived.
0:27:10 > 0:27:15Archaeologist Jaane Rowehl believes it gives us an invaluable insight
0:27:15 > 0:27:18into the Romans' relationship with food.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22This is one of the central pieces of the whole palace structure.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26- It is one of our dining rooms.- So the Romans, then, had a special room
0:27:26 > 0:27:29for dining, food was that important to them.
0:27:29 > 0:27:30What does the archaeology tell us
0:27:30 > 0:27:32about what the Romans actually ate here?
0:27:32 > 0:27:35The first clue is already in the mosaic.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38You can see in the central bits we have craters that were used for wine.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41And we can imagine there was a lot of wine consumed
0:27:41 > 0:27:43- in a dining room like this.- Hmm.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46At Fishbourne we know that the people that ate here
0:27:46 > 0:27:48loved an Italian diet. They loved pork.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51We have enormous amounts of pig bones on site.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56They ate cattle, they ate sheep as well. They went hunting for deer.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00We've got wildfowl such as duck, geese... Apparently they ate crane.
0:28:00 > 0:28:01- Really?- Yeah.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05We also found a lot of storage sheds, amphora.
0:28:05 > 0:28:06They used to bring in olive oil,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10dried fruits from the Near East, for example.
0:28:10 > 0:28:15The import of all these products, it must have been such a problem.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Actually navigating your way from Italy with some olive oil,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21it was such a decadent thing to have, wasn't it?
0:28:21 > 0:28:24Absolutely. And it would only have been accessible to the rich.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27What Romans loved was the theatre of cooking itself.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31They wanted the flavours to be complex, they wanted to show off
0:28:31 > 0:28:34that they had access to the spices and the herbs that could make a dish,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38not just its ingredients, but a piece of art, if you like.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41- Cooking?- Cooking itself. - So it's safe to say
0:28:41 > 0:28:44that's what the Romans brought to us - the art of cooking itself.
0:28:44 > 0:28:45Absolutely.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Wow.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50You might think the art of Roman cooking is gone, but you'd be wrong.
0:28:50 > 0:28:56Keeping it well and truly alive is food historian Sally Grainger.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58- Hello.- Hi, Sally.
0:28:58 > 0:28:59Smelling good.
0:28:59 > 0:29:02- Hi, there. Nice to meet you. - Dave.- Cheers.- Nice to see you.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Hi, Sally, I'm Si.- Hi.- How are you getting on?- I'm doing well.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08- Hey, this is fabulous.- Yeah. - Sally's Roman kitchen.- It is.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10It flat packs.
0:29:10 > 0:29:15It flat packs - it has to! It would have been made of masonry, but...
0:29:15 > 0:29:16Hey, this is fantastic!
0:29:16 > 0:29:20We're going to do Roman food, a sauce of pine kernels,
0:29:20 > 0:29:22which would have been served with wild boar,
0:29:22 > 0:29:25- but we just have a pork fillet, if that's OK.- Sounds great!
0:29:25 > 0:29:29So we're going to start with a little bit of pepper.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32And pepper, one of the most important ones for the Romans.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34- Can I hand that to you and you do that?- Yes.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37We're going to roast our spices. That's lovely.
0:29:37 > 0:29:39We've got celery seed, one nice heaped spoon.
0:29:39 > 0:29:43A couple of spoons of cumin.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46And we're going to roast them, because they need to be brought out.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49So we'll just stick them on the fire to let them pop.
0:29:49 > 0:29:53We want savoury. It's dry so we'll need to try and break it up.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56- Yeah?- There you go. We also want thyme.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01And then we can start adding the mint. We're going to use fresh mint.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04- Plenty of mint.- I'm getting the smell from that already.- I know.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08So, what fascinates you about doing this? Because it clearly does.
0:30:08 > 0:30:10I think at heart of it is the fact that Roman food
0:30:10 > 0:30:14has a reputation of being weird and odd and rotten and disgusting.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18And I've been experimenting with Roman food for about 15 years.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22Most of it, I think, is pretty good. And some of it is fabulous.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25And I'm trying to get that message across.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Always, "Ooh, it's made with rotten fish sauce."
0:30:29 > 0:30:31But we know fish sauce isn't rotten.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34- Is their fish sauce like a Thai fish sauce?- Exactly the same.
0:30:34 > 0:30:36- Vietnamese fish sauce? - Exactly the same.
0:30:36 > 0:30:37I actually make my fish sauce.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40- You make your own Roman fish sauce? - I make it out of mackerel.
0:30:40 > 0:30:44And this is a fresh batch. And nobody's tasted it yet.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46- Could we have a little... - Do you want to taste it raw?
0:30:46 > 0:30:48- Yeah.- Just on its own?
0:30:48 > 0:30:50I think it's got so much more complex flavours.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55Oh, yeah.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58- It really lingers.- Yeah. That's lovely and savoury.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00- That's fantastic.- Beautiful.
0:31:00 > 0:31:02The Romans are winning so far.
0:31:02 > 0:31:06Now the work starts, because we've got roasted pine kernels.
0:31:06 > 0:31:08I do these in the oven, rather than a pan,
0:31:08 > 0:31:10because I want uniform colour.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13- It's kind of a pesto, this, isn't it?- Well, it is.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15It's going to be thinned down quite a bit.
0:31:15 > 0:31:17How did you come to know about this recipe?
0:31:17 > 0:31:19- Because it's fascinating.- Isn't it?
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It survives in a recipe text
0:31:21 > 0:31:24that we're pretty certain was written by slave cooks
0:31:24 > 0:31:27- for other slave cooks to use. - Could you imagine,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30if we were around then, we'd be sitting up near Hadrian's Wall,
0:31:30 > 0:31:35painting ourselves blue, with a pigeon on a stick over a fire.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38THEY ALL LAUGH
0:31:38 > 0:31:40So, we are ready to add our liquids.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Start with the olive oil.
0:31:42 > 0:31:45Oil and vinegar, so we're balancing sweet and sour.
0:31:45 > 0:31:48Quite sophisticated kind of concept, isn't it, really?
0:31:48 > 0:31:50We're going to add sweetness in terms of honey.
0:31:50 > 0:31:52Honey was one of the major sweeteners.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55They did also use grape juice. They'd take fresh juice
0:31:55 > 0:31:58from sweet grapes and they'd boil it to a third of its volume,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00with quinces and with figs.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03And that, subsequently, in the mediaeval period,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05having being left in an oak barrel for too long, soured,
0:32:05 > 0:32:08and balsamic vinegar was born.
0:32:08 > 0:32:14A little bit of dessert wine, just to give it a bit of extra sweetness.
0:32:14 > 0:32:17And we finish with our fish sauce.
0:32:17 > 0:32:20The wonderful fish sauce. That really does taste good.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Decent amount. I like using a lot of fish sauce.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26- You can do with that, because it's not acrid, like some.- No, exactly.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28The sauce is then simmered for a bit.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31And while we wait for our main course,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34Sally's got a small appetiser for us.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37So, here we have a Roman salad.
0:32:37 > 0:32:41- It's like a savoury summer pudding. - Savoury summer pudding.
0:32:41 > 0:32:45You have a sourdough bread, soaked in vinegar and water.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Then you put layers of cucumber, hard cheese, pine kernels,
0:32:49 > 0:32:52onions, diced chicken and capers.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55Ooh, I like that. There's nothing freaky about that.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57- Exactly.- That's good, honest food.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00Roman cooking really is very sophisticated, isn't it?
0:33:00 > 0:33:03Very much so, yes. Yes.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07All the kinds of cooking that we do in terms of poaching,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09making souffles and puddings.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11They invented custard.
0:33:11 > 0:33:17You know the ratio of eggs to milk in a creme caramel? That is Roman.
0:33:17 > 0:33:21That occurs in a Roman recipe, 2,000 years ago.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25- Five eggs to one pint.- That's amazing. Now, that is amazing.
0:33:25 > 0:33:26All the techniques that we cook today,
0:33:26 > 0:33:30apart from microwaving, they did.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33But a Roman centurion couldn't have got by on salad alone.
0:33:33 > 0:33:37We need some meatus maximus to have with that fantastic sauce.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41And because archaeologists have discovered the Romans
0:33:41 > 0:33:44were partial to a bit of pork, that's what we're having.
0:33:44 > 0:33:50Wow. That sauce is everything you'd want in a sauce. Beautiful.
0:33:50 > 0:33:52That is fantastic.
0:33:58 > 0:34:01- The sauce is great.- It does work, doesn't it?- Yeah, man.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06- Living history.- Living history, and it's tasty, too.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08Somehow, this seems much more vibrant
0:34:08 > 0:34:13- than the mosaics and the stones. This is real.- Thank you.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- Absolutely brilliant.- My pleasure.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19- Have you got any bread for dunkers? - No, sorry.
0:34:19 > 0:34:21Oh!
0:34:21 > 0:34:25The Romans introduced many staples of the British diet.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27- Chicken.- Leeks.
0:34:27 > 0:34:28- Onions.- Carrots.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31- Apples.- Plums. And many more.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33It's just a shame that when they left
0:34:33 > 0:34:35they took their olive oil and tastes with them.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39And it took nearly 2,000 years for them to return.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Aye. Better late than never, though.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43Now, for the last recipe in the Best Of British kitchen,
0:34:43 > 0:34:45we're turning to the Greeks -
0:34:45 > 0:34:48who themselves taught the Romans a thing or two about cooking.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52And we're whipping up an absolute classic.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54A dish much loved by us Brits.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58THEY SING
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- Hola!- Look at that, then.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04The Geordie Zorba.
0:35:04 > 0:35:09- Zorba the Greek! - Zorba the Geordie!
0:35:09 > 0:35:13The principal ingredient of moussaka is the aubergine.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Or eggplant, as the Americans call them.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18How could that be an eggplant?
0:35:18 > 0:35:21- It doesn't look anything like an egg!- Aubergine!
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Ah, moussaka. A dish fit for any Greek God.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28Layers of ground lamb and sliced aubergine,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32topped with a cheese sauce and baked for a fuller flavour.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35We're going to give ours a bit of a British spin.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38We're putting potatoes in our moussaka.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40First time I had it I thought,
0:35:40 > 0:35:42"It's meant to be moussaka, not a hotpot."
0:35:42 > 0:35:44But, actually, it's kind of all right.
0:35:44 > 0:35:45Just go with us on this one.
0:35:45 > 0:35:51Try it with potatoes. If you don't like it, go with aubergines.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54Slice the aubergine into one-centimetre-thick slices.
0:35:54 > 0:35:58You might want to salt them to draw out some of the bitterness,
0:35:58 > 0:36:00but it's not always necessary with new varieties.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02If you do, remember to wash it off again
0:36:02 > 0:36:05before you pop them in the pan to fry them.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08We've brought back loads from holidays.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11The one thing you always bring back, I find, is these bottles of booze,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14that, at the time, you have this fragrant thing
0:36:14 > 0:36:16made from orange flowers
0:36:16 > 0:36:21on the south-west hill north of Kefalonia, that's a speciality.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24You have it and you go, "By God, this is nectar of the gods."
0:36:24 > 0:36:26You bring it home and it's like...
0:36:26 > 0:36:29And it sits at the back of your sideboard, doesn't it?
0:36:29 > 0:36:30That's what holidays are.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33It's about being in a time and a place and a space.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36And you fill that time, space and place
0:36:36 > 0:36:39with lovely things of the region, don't you?
0:36:39 > 0:36:41Aye. It is a tonic, a holiday, isn't it?
0:36:41 > 0:36:43It is, everybody needs them.
0:36:43 > 0:36:46We've sat on that beach with our bellies out,
0:36:46 > 0:36:47getting all-over sunburned.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50- I find that your belly catches the sun first.- Yes.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53I'll tell you what, it's dead funny on a beach with him.
0:36:53 > 0:36:57If you put your head on the ground, he looks just like the Eden Project.
0:36:57 > 0:37:01- Shut up, you!- Don't hurt me, I'm old.- I wasn't going to do anything.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04Moussaka is made with minced lamb. Minced lamb is full of fat.
0:37:04 > 0:37:06Therefore, don't bother putting any olive oil in.
0:37:06 > 0:37:09This goes into a pan.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13- How do them guards walk? - What, the Greek guards?
0:37:13 > 0:37:17They have pom-poms on their feet, don't they?
0:37:17 > 0:37:20- They've got their rifles. - No, it's a flick.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25Sorry.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29Now, while the lamb is browning, chop an onion
0:37:29 > 0:37:32and a couple of cloves of garlic and add them to the pan.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Now, to this we add oregano. Uno.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41A teaspoonful and a half of dried mint.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44We want power in this. This is why we're using dried herbs.
0:37:44 > 0:37:47The dried herbs will cook into the dish.
0:37:47 > 0:37:50On top of that, pop in a stick of cinnamon, a bay leaf,
0:37:50 > 0:37:54chopped rosemary and some freshly ground pepper.
0:37:54 > 0:37:59A whole tin of chopped tomatoes, and two teaspoons of tomato puree.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02As you can sense, this is a rich dish.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Somehow, this is why I feel justified putting the potatoes in.
0:38:06 > 0:38:08Because it's kind of just nice.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13And wine. About 200ml.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16I'm going to bring that back to the boil
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and kind of cover it half with the pan lid,
0:38:19 > 0:38:22and leave it to simmer for about half an hour.
0:38:22 > 0:38:24Or even cook it for longer.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Ten minutes before the end, it's time to make our white sauce,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31which is pretty much like the bechamel you get in lasagne.
0:38:31 > 0:38:35Step one, a big knob of butter.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39Melt that down and put some flour in.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43About a tablespoon.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51And just mix that with the butter and cook it out a little bit.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Just make a smooth paste.
0:38:53 > 0:38:56And we start drizzling in about a pint of milk.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58It's just a very basic white sauce.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06- Now, just increase the heat a little bit.- And wait till it thickens.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09A top tip for white sauce is when it starts to thicken,
0:39:09 > 0:39:12get your whisk out, because it helps prevent it going lumpy.
0:39:12 > 0:39:16So, now we're going to start to build up the flavours,
0:39:16 > 0:39:20we're going to season it with salt, but most importantly, white pepper.
0:39:20 > 0:39:23Take it off the heat a little bit.
0:39:23 > 0:39:24Go careful with the salt,
0:39:24 > 0:39:27cos we're going to put a bit of Parmesan in this.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30- That's our touch, just to build up the richness.- And a bit of nutmeg.
0:39:30 > 0:39:32You can't go wrong with nutmeg.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35What's nice about putting the nutmeg in it,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38it adds a kind of spice to it.
0:39:38 > 0:39:41But, also, it's slightly sweet.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45There's a sweet tinge to it, which is really lovely.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48I'm just grating some Parmesan. This isn't traditional.
0:39:48 > 0:39:50But it's just going to serve to enrich that sauce.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54Actually, we're going to put some Parmesan cheese on the top, as well.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56This is good Parmesan. Look at that.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Over a gentle heat, stir a handful of the Parmesan cheese
0:39:59 > 0:40:03into the white sauce and prepare to assemble the moussaka.
0:40:03 > 0:40:07- We're kind of ready to build the Odyssey now.- We are.- Step one.
0:40:07 > 0:40:12It's three layers, so we want a third of the meat to go in there.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Don't put the cinnamon stick in, that would be gormless.
0:40:16 > 0:40:19Just to avoid embarrassment, I'll take ours out.
0:40:19 > 0:40:24Once you've spread out the meat, it's time to layer on the potatoes.
0:40:24 > 0:40:27The slices have been slightly boiled and allowed to cool.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30It's going to be a nice little layer. Just a layer here.
0:40:30 > 0:40:35It is a bit hot-potty. This is where Lancashire meets Larnaca.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Where Altrincham meets Athens.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Then add a layer of the aubergine.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45And two more layers of meat and aubergine.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48- Smelling quite radiant, isn't it?- It is.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56And this is just going to bake together
0:40:56 > 0:40:58in this mass of coagulation.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00That's it. Look at that.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Once you get to your final layer of aubergine,
0:41:04 > 0:41:06it's time to finish the white sauce.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08First, make sure it's cool.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11Beat an egg and, using a whisk, mix them together.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13If the sauce isn't cool to begin with,
0:41:13 > 0:41:16you'll end up with scrambled eggs.
0:41:18 > 0:41:21Lovely. Next, we need to pour all that sauce
0:41:21 > 0:41:23on to the top of your moussaka.
0:41:27 > 0:41:31There you are. You see? Now the cheese.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38Simply pop that into a preheated oven, about 180 degrees Celsius,
0:41:38 > 0:41:40for about 45 minutes.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42But keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56Oh, the magnificence that is the moussaka!
0:41:56 > 0:42:01- It's like the beaten bronze of Hercules's helmet.- Look at that.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04- Nice.- Nice.- Noice.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05- Are you going to carve?- Yeah.
0:42:05 > 0:42:08It's nice, this, if we can get it out in a square.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Cos then we see all the layers.
0:42:13 > 0:42:19And that is how moussaka should look.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Look at that.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Seems a shame, doesn't it?
0:42:24 > 0:42:26- It does, doesn't it? - I know, but I will.
0:42:28 > 0:42:30# Ever and ever
0:42:30 > 0:42:34# Forever and ever you'll be... #
0:42:34 > 0:42:37- Oh, that's nice. - It's a really good meal.
0:42:37 > 0:42:38That's a good moussaka.
0:42:45 > 0:42:48Moussaka. It's a British favourite and a classic example
0:42:48 > 0:42:53of how foreign influences have informed what we eat now.
0:42:57 > 0:43:01Great British ingredients combined with the effect of immigration
0:43:01 > 0:43:03and our own travelling experiences
0:43:03 > 0:43:06has made our food unique in the world
0:43:06 > 0:43:09in terms of its inclusiveness and variety.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13If you want to find out more about the series...
0:43:13 > 0:43:18..visit bbc.co.uk/food
0:43:18 > 0:43:22to discover some amazing facts about the history of food.
0:43:22 > 0:43:26And to find out how to cook up the recipes in today's show.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:51 > 0:43:54E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk