Mainland Spain Hairy Bikers' Mediterranean Adventure

-SI: Oh, mate, what a trip! DAVE:

-Whee-hee!

New places...

Now, that's a view, Dave.

New people...

Look at your muscles!

-DAVE:

-..and incredible food. Oh, that's good.

SI: We're doing almost 3,000 miles around

the Mediterranean in search of the authentic flavours of

Italy and Sardinia, Corsica and France,

and the Balearics and Spain.

Ending up in Andalusia

for one of the biggest festivals in the Med,

the Festival of San Juan.

But it's not all partying and clear blue waters.

They're all looking at us now.

Too right. We're tracking down the real Mediterranean.

You'll never get a tune out of that.

Little out-of-the-way places,

and the full range of culinary loveliness on offer.

Oh, wow.

It's fantastic.

It's so simple.

We get to eat the tiger cow. Woo!

We want to cook with the locals.

ALL: Salute!

And hear their stories.

So far, Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands

have shown us an amazing time,

and now Spain awaits.

This is our take on a magical part of the world

right on our doorsteps.

Ole!

LAUGHTER You...!

Viva Espana...me old mucker.

Well, dude, we're here.

Valencia, mainland Spain, on the final leg of our trip.

We've really seen a mix of cultures

all the way through Italy, France and the Balearics,

but the Mediterranean, it really is a cultural crossroads

since the beginning of time.

We've already been on the trail of the Greeks and Romans,

but here in Spain, we're going to follow the Moors.

Now, the Moors were the Muslim people

from northern Africa and the Middle East

who ruled Spain from the 8th to the 15th century.

That's almost 800 years of influence!

I can't wait to see the legacy they've left

in southern Spain, Dave.

In the food...

..landscape...

..and the culture.

From Valencia, it's south to Denia,

then on to Elche and Lorca

before hitting the Costa del Sol for a huge beach party.

Nearly 400 miles. We have to make sure we make it down there

in time for the San Juan festival.

It's one of the biggest in the Mediterranean!

CHEERING

But first stop, Valencia,

which was founded by the Romans but nowadays is known for

its mix of old and modern architecture.

And its incredible markets. The fresh produce market

has been open since the 19th century

and hosts over 1,000 stalls,

making it one of the best in Europe.

But we're heading to the restaurant market,

because we've heard about a cafe owner

who's a bit of a history buff

and apparently, he knows a thing or two

about Valencia's speciality drink as well.

-Wow!

-Oh, hey, this is fab, innit?

-Hello. Dave.

-Hello. Hola.

-Si. Pleased to meet you.

-Nice to meet you.

Well, from what I've read,

you can't get more Valencian than horchata.

The main drink, the typical drink of Valencia is horchata.

What's it made from?

It's made from tiger nut.

-Tiger nuts!

-Chufa.

We used to get them when we were kids, in the sweet shop.

-Same!

-A quarter of tiger nuts.

A quarter of tiger nuts used to last you for ages.

Because they're so dry.

Yeah. Well, I can show you, I can show you.

Tiger nuts are not actually nuts at all,

but the tuber of a plant,

often called the earth almond.

It's been cultivated as a delicacy in Spain

for centuries.

-Oh, that's them!

-It is!

Flippin' heck.

-They taste milky.

-They taste milky because

it's plenty of calcium, vitamins, proteins...

-Fatty acids.

-Uh-huh.

That takes you back.

-It does, doesn't it?

-It's mad.

And it's really healthy.

It grows around the city of Valencia.

So, Anton, how do you make horchata?

Making horchata, it's... It's really easy.

The process is incredibly simple.

The soaked nuts are just blended with water,

then the mixture is strained.

So this is like milk, but there is no cow milk in it.

It is completely the juice of the tiger nut.

And it's really healthy.

-So...

-Oh!

-It's fantastic.

-It's fantastic, they chorus!

Isn't it? It's like ice cream.

It's so creamy and rich.

The history of horchata and tiger nuts tells us a lot about

the history of Valencia and Spain.

First, the Romans came, then the Moors.

So, the Romans make a little settlement,

and the Moors make, yeah, more a city.

-Yeah.

-And they were really clever.

They realised that we have amazing land around the city

and they irrigated,

and we have very soft soil, very rich in organic matter,

so it's perfect for growing our tiger nuts.

So, this is really interesting, then, Anton.

So, the Romans kind of knew how to irrigate,

but the Moors knew how to refine it?

-Yeah, of course, and expand.

-And expand it.

-It's just wonderful.

-It is absolutely perfect,

and a great, great product.

-And fascinating history to it, too.

-Oh, yeah.

Right, Kingy. The Romans ruled this part of the Med

for 700 years.

But then came the Moors,

and I'm already getting a sense of their influence here, Dave.

And if that Moorish flavour is a clue

to what's to come in southern Spain, I want more.

Me too. But it's going to be hot, mate,

so before we hit the road, let's cook up something cooling,

and maybe a little Moorish.

Ajo blanco is a variation

on the famous cold soup gazpacho,

with the very Moorish addition of almonds.

We're going to serve ours with pataquetas,

which are Valencian crescent-shaped rolls.

This is our tribute to the Moorish culture,

so we're making a white gazpacho.

Gazpacho! First of all, what this wonderful white gazpacho

starts with is, I've got to toast me nuts.

We start the ajo blanco

with some bread that needs to be soaked in water.

We don't want the crusts in, or it wouldn't be a blanco,

it would be a browno.

So I think about two nice, thick slices

with the crusts off will be sufficient.

While you're toasting your almonds,

you need to keep a close eye on them, OK?

Because we just want the oils to start to release,

and the almonds will tell you when they're ready

because you'll start to smell them.

So, now you cut this into cubes...

like so, and then we damp it with water.

-Water?

-Agua.

-Agua.

We're going to leave that to soak for about ten minutes.

Meanwhile, I'm going to chop two fat cloves of garlic

and half a cucumber, skinned and diced and seeded.

Oh, Mr King.

You've got just a blush on your nuts

like a well-polished pair of brogues.

Thank you, David.

Once you've squeezed the water from the bread,

put the bread, almonds, garlic and cucumber

into a processor and commence blending.

Drizzle in the remaining water, some olive oil

and a bit of sherry vinegar as you go,

just to add a little sharpness.

To get a really smooth soup,

we're swapping the mix into a blender.

Looks as though it's just come out of a cow.

That's what you want.

Season your soup... Right.

..and give it one last blitz.

Ohh!

-Bit more salt?

-No.

-What it does need is chilling.

-It does that.

This needs to go in the fridge to chill for an hour

and then we finish it off, we garnish it with flaked almonds,

peeled grapes and a dash of olive oil.

But what we need to serve that with

is a traditional bread called pataquetas

from 17th century Valencia.

This is proper bread, so we start with a starter.

So, we don't just put the yeast and sugar with flour.

We start 24 hours before.

In other words, this is like a sourdough.

Put the flour in there, you add the yeast,

like so, but not much yeast, and some sugar.

The sugar feeds the yeast.

The water goes in.

They kind of make a slurry.

Once mixed, cover and leave for a day.

Or have one you prepared earlier.

Look at that!

It looks like a sponge.

The yeast has started to work, it's given off gas,

and that's life. That's the life that's going to

put life and taste into your bread.

Now we need to make bread dough.

For this stage, you need flour, salt, water,

your starter mix, and for the job of kneading,

one large Geordie.

Oh, you're joking.

I bust it out the last time and it was 36 degrees. It's your turn now.

-It's the first flaming time you've done it in ten years!

-Liar, liar, pants on fire.

Look, I've set it up for you, everything.

What are you going to do, then?

Er...

Executive chef.

In the shade!

To the starter, add your flour.

Salt.

Water.

It's going to be quite a wet dough, this.

It's amazing the difference in heat

between the shade and the sun, isn't it?

Yeah.

Blond people are more affected by the sun, you know.

Yeah, that is true. So are bald people.

Actually, this is a very, very nice dough, David.

Some flour on your board.

Now, you need to knead it for about 15.

OK, so 15 minutes later...

..a ball of dough with activated gluten

that doesn't stick to your hands,

doesn't stick to your board.

What do we do now? Flour the board,

knock it back and make 12 balls.

When you've rolled 12 balls,

they'll need to be left for about 20 minutes to rise.

Now, they have got this distinctive crescent shape,

so what you do is you make a cut like that...

Opens it up, and they always have a slit across the top here.

Yeah.

-It looks like a Pacman.

-It does!

So you take your Pacman and put him on a board.

Do that to the other ones, and again, let it rest.

After about 15 minutes, dust your pataquetas with flour

and put them in a preheated oven

for around 25 minutes.

And there you have it!

A simply stunning ajo blanco

topped with peeled grapes, almonds and olive oil.

Accompanied by warm and crusty pataquetas.

Moreish in more ways than one.

It's crusty, it's got a texture like ciabatta.

And it's got spring, it's got life.

It's proper, well-proven bread.

It's mad! It doesn't taste of cucumber,

and the garlic isn't overpowering.

Oh, man! Fresh as a daisy.

And these pataquetas...

-It's just really, really good bread.

-Absolutely.

Leaving Valencia behind,

we're heading inland to a remote valley.

Remote valley? I thought we were going in search of the Moors.

We are, but they didn't just grow tiger nuts.

They introduced the cultivation of rice to Spain.

Aha!

Which gave us paella, or paiella.

In all its varied and wonderful forms, Dave.

And I've hooked us up with a lady

who cooks a cracker of a rice dish,

-and she lives...

-In a remote valley!

You've got it.

I think that's the house there.

Hello! Hello!

Hola!

Oh, fantastic.

-That was definitely not easy to find.

-No.

-Nice to meet you.

-And you, nice to meet you.

-Come to meet my friends.

-Yay!

-We are going to fry cherries.

-Oh, well, that's a first!

-Hola.

-Hola.

She's Roseanna, and Marissa.

-Marissa.

-They are my friends.

-Thank you so much for having us here.

-This is great.

So this rice dish, it isn't paella, or paiella?

No, it isn't paella, it's arroz caldoso.

Arroz caldoso simply means "rice broth".

There are many regional variations of the dish,

but here, it's cooked with pork, rabbit

and the local fruit, cherries.

Which, apparently, we're going to fry, Dave.

New one on me, Si.

Is Roseanna the cook in the village?

-Yes.

-Is she the best cook?

She's the best cook in the village the valley, too.

Roseanna fries the cherries in oil

and sets them aside,

and does the same with the peppers and the rabbit,

leaving the lovely juices in the pan.

Busy, are we, Kingy?

The pork.

With the pork cooking, we're put to task

prepping garlic and tomatoes.

-Ah, nada!

-Good job.

So, the garlic joins the seasoned, caramelized pork.

-Tomatoes.

-Gracias.

You've got the flavours from the cherries, the peppers,

-the rabbit, the pork...

-Ohh.

It's really good cooking.

Once the pork is cooked, in goes everything else.

Starting with the rabbit, along with some veg.

So, we've got butter beans, cannellini beans

and runner beans.

They all go in.

Fantastic.

The peppers are going back now.

Lastly, Roseanna adds some water and saffron powder.

SPEAKS SPANISH

How long pressure cook for?

25 minutes.

-25 minutes.

-20 minutos.

Dave, you've got to come up here and have a look at this, mate,

it's fabulous.

I'm just looking at all these terracing, mate. Look.

How on earth did they get water that far up the mountain?

This dramatic landscape was shaped by the Moors,

who grew almonds, mulberries and walnuts here.

It's funny, you think about the Mediterranean, people talk about

the Greek civilisations, the Roman civilisation.

But you can't forget the Moorish.

But in 1238, after centuries of conflict

between the Moors and the Christians,

the Moorish rule over the Valencian region

came to an end.

The Moors farming here were forced out of the valley,

which was then repopulated

by the ancestors of people like Roseanna.

While we've been taking in the air, Roseanna has added rice

and more of that Moorish ingredient, saffron.

After another blast in the pressure cooker,

the cherries are stirred through

and it's ready for the table.

-Phwoar, that looks lovely!

-Yes.

I am so looking forward to this. Please, Roseanna.

It's the cherry on the top. Look at that.

Well, bon appetit.

-Bon appetit.

-Bon appetit.

Oh, it's fantastic.

Ah, I tell you what, though, the cherries impart a sweetness

that is absolutely, totally appropriate to the whole dish.

-It's really subtle.

-It really is.

Don't be thinking, under any circumstances,

it's a sweet, sticky dish, it's not.

-It is deeply savoury.

-And, Roseanna, if you ever,

ever start up a restaurant, can you let us know?

-We'll be first customers.

-For sure. Oh!

What lovely ladies, aren't they, Kingy?

Absolutely lovely.

Well, dude, we've had a taste of the countryside,

now it's back to the sea.

Yeah, and I can't wait.

The Moors may have brought innovative irrigation

and farming techniques to inland Spain,

but back on the coast,

the most reliable source of food was always the sea.

And apparently, there's a little place near here

where they treat its bounty the old-fashioned way.

-Wow!

-Oh, look at the octopus!

Oh, yeah! Oh, fab! Oh, wow, look at that.

It's just like wash day, isn't it?

I tell you what, though, mate,

he's never going to wear those underpants again, is he?

Hey, fellas.

-Hello, Guido.

-Hi, how you doing?

-All right, man.

-How are you, man?

Oh, what's going on here?

-We are cleaning octopus.

-Yeah?

Yes, but we dry.

Aha. So like these ones, they'll end up like this?

-Yes, OK.

-Oh, wow!

-Of course, yes.

Drying, it's important to preserve the octopus.

No, because the taste is better like this.

-Ah, the taste.

-It's so typical for here.

Dried octopus.

So, does it intensify the taste? Is the taste stronger?

-Yes!

-Ah, OK, Guido.

If you dry, it's more strong.

-Oh, right.

-And they taste so good.

Octopuses are covered in a mucus

which helps them burrow beneath the sea bed.

So, first, that's washed off.

Next, the head and the beak come off,

before a series of cuts are made.

Ah!

-No, no, no, no.

-Got it.

Muchas gracias.

Right...beautiful, there we are.

-And then...

-No, no, no, no.

Blimey, Dave, this is like The Generation Game.

Small cuts.

Small cut, yeah.

Ah, yes. Si, si.

On the top.

Oh, beautifully done, Mr Myers.

-Beautifully done.

-Split my octopus.

I tell you what.

It is beautiful, though, it's such good meat.

Then, once it's cut and stretched,

you just put it on a bit of bamboo. Easy!

Brilliant, innit? Right, I'm going to hang up my octopus.

Ahh!

-Oh, sh...

-BLEEP!

Oops!

-I've dropped my octopus!

-Oh, flippin' Nora!

It happens to the best of them, dude,

it happens to the best of them.

Sorry, Guido.

Oh, no problem, no worry about.

Another quick dunk and it's back on the line.

Are you all right there, dude?

Perfect.

When it's dried, like those two are...

-Yes.

-..what happens next?

-Come, I show you in the kitchen.

-Oh, brilliant.

-Fantastic.

How will we do this?

So, that's the dried tentacles.

A high fire.

-We put it on the fire...

-Yeah.

..till it get hot.

Wow, so literally, it's just dried octopus,

-on the heat.

-On the heat.

So, Guido, would you serve this as an aperitivo?

Yes, it's so nice. You can take it before the paella

or just with beers.

You can take a beer and dried octopus.

Oh, yes, beer or wine, yeah.

We put it on the fire for two minutes, three minutes, maybe.

-Yeah?

-We put then lemon and oil.

-Perfect.

-Cut it thick.

Yeah, quite thick. It's simple, isn't it?

Same thing. Same thing as we've found all the way through

-this Mediterranean journey.

-Yeah.

Natural, simple and local.

Hey! So, what next?

-Ah, right.

-Aaah!

-So you scrape off the ash.

-Well, I never!

It looks really juicy.

-Just lemon, natural lemon.

-Just natural lemons.

-And oil.

-And olive oil.

Yes.

-This is ready.

-Good.

-Oh, it's superb.

-It's beautiful.

-You like it?

Oh, yeah. It's absolutely beautiful.

-Good.

-Oh!

-It's special.

It's like Guido said, you can taste...

The sun has intensified the flavour of the octopus.

You've got the charring, with the lemon.

It really is sublime, isn't it?

There's a sweetness to it as well.

-Yeah.

-This, for me, is the taste of the Mediterranean.

A taste of the sea. It's beautiful.

Guido doesn't only offer grilled octopus,

he also does a mouthwatering stew.

Onions, garlic, bay, tenderised octopus,

-paprika, and a bottle...

-Yes, a bottle...

..of white wine, simmered for two hours.

What I love about the Mediterranean, particularly today,

-it is land and sea, the cuisine.

-Oh, yeah.

There is nothing more hillside than a rabbit,

=nothing more seaside than octopus.

-Enjoy.

-Oh, We will! Thank you.

-You're welcome.

-Mr Myers.

-Beautiful.

Mmm!

Oh! That melts in your mouth, Si.

-It's so different to the dried octopus.

-Oh, yeah.

It's funny, cos today we've eating food from the mountain that's rich.

This is from the sea.

You expect seafood to be light, this is really punchy, really rich.

And particularly eating it here, right now,

with the Mediterranean in the background.

Yeah. Dining room's not too shabby, is it?

-Absolutely.

-I must say, you're getting quite a tan.

New day, and on we go,

hurtling towards Andalusia and the summer festival.

I tell you what, mucker, the summer's hot down here.

It must be 35 degrees already.

I'm burning up. Let's take a break and find some shade.

I've got a little idea. We're just about in Elche,

which has, at its heart, an oasis.

-Cool!

-Yes, that's the point, dude.

Picking up some heat this morning, mate.

Oh, this is so lovely. I'm so hot.

Oh, aye. But, like centuries of weary travellers before us, we end up at an oasis.

-Perfect.

-It is.

-Cool, dude.

-Cool. Refreshing.

What's the guide book say, Kingy?

Well, actually, dude, we don't need a guide book,

we're going one better

an actual historian who's a font of knowledge.

This oasis was built to the end of the tenth century

and the beginning of the 11th century by the Muslim people

that settled these lands

-when Spain was a part of the Muslim world.

-OK.

The Spaniards also referred to them in general as Moors,

but in fact, under that name,

there is a wide variety of peoples, you know,

like the Arabs and the people that came from Syria,

the people that came from Egypt,

the Berbers from northern Africa.

-Really?

-Yeah.

Using techniques acquired from desert lands to the south,

the Moors planted groves of date palms

as part of a sophisticated system

to make the parched land here productive.

-LUIS:

-They made use of date palms

in order to provide shade to the associated crops

that were irrigated along with the date palms.

So, this is a very complex pattern, very wise.

SI: The more shade you have, the less evaporation you have

with the water that you're supplying to your crops.

Yes, and the palms' alignment also provides protection

from the wind.

And did the Moors bring much influence on the food here?

Yeah. They brought here a wide variety of new crops.

For instance, sugar cane, rice, er...

lemon, oranges.

The citrus fruits were brought here by the Moors?

-Yes.

-Wow, I didn't know that.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, Si.

Here you have a sample of the different crops that were

grown by the Muslims in Al-Andalus in Muslim Spain.

The Moorish influence goes on.

Aubergines - brought by the Moors.

Artichokes - developed and cultivated by them.

-My favourite, figs.

-Figs!

And they were so successful at growing figs,

that back in the Middle Ages they were exporting them from Spain as far away as India and China.

-What...amazing produce.

-They are beautiful, aren't they?

And, of course, produce gives rise to recipes.

Like this fig bread, called pan de higo,

which was traditionally made to preserve the figs for winter.

-Oh, that's great.

-That's beautiful.

-Thank you very much.

This is turron, very typical production

-from the Alicante province.

-Wow!

-Almond and honey, nothing else.

-Nothing else.

-Nothing else.

I'm loving how food has travelled and evolved

all around the Med.

Me too, Kingy. So why don't we run with the idea?

Let's take a Spanish staple

and enhance it with Moorish elements.

That's a good call. How about albondigas?

Meatballs to you and I. And let's make them spicy.

Perfect. Served with a true classic - patatas bravas.

Dave's doing the meatballs and I am doing the sauce.

-Meatballs, sauce.

-Sauce, meatballs.

-Meatballs, sauce.

We're using beautiful mixed pork

and plenty of spices to give it a tasty kick.

These meatballs, these albondigas,

they have a Moorish element to them. They're full of spice.

Step one with my meatballs...

is to grate two fat cloves of garlic

into that wonderful pork mince.

Dave's also adding ground cumin,

coriander...

..and cardamom.

Cinnamon...

..and sweet paprika.

Well, we did tell you it was Moorish.

And these are breadcrumbs, fresh breadcrumbs,

obviously bulk out the meatballs,

but you give your meatballs bounce, you know,

they really benefit from the crumbs.

Bouncy albondigas, that's what you want.

And one egg.

Last, some cream...

and the seasoning.

The best way to get this to work is to get your hand in.

My hand's really clean and I'm just going to work the meat

and all those ingredients till it's a paste.

So, here we go.

While Dave's been preparing his pork,

I've sauteed garlic and onions.

Now, I'm adding cinnamon,

turmeric, cumin

and hot paprika.

And then we add our tomatoes.

About a teaspoon of honey.

I kind of think a meatball should be

too big to eat in a oner,

but not enough to want knife and fork,

do you know what I mean?

Yeah, absolutely.

Are you happy with that size of meatball?

That is a beautiful size of meatball.

Now, repeat.

Now, while Dave's forming his meatballs, or albondigas,

what I'm going to do is, I want some water,

about 125ml,

some bay leaves...

a little bit of salt.

And then we're going to bring that to the boil.

But I'm going to cover it

and we're going to cook it through for about 15 minutes.

Then, we're going to reduce the sauce, with the lid off,

for another five minutes.

Are you impressed by the uniformity

-of the size of my balls?

-I am.

These albondigas are superb.

They are, aren't they? They're a good size,

-they're, you know...

-Ball shaped.

-Yeah, but proper.

And the egg and the breadcrumbs should ensure

that the meatballs don't fall to bits.

Cook your meatballs until they're nicely browned.

You can also put them in the oven, by the way.

Set them aside, and they'll go into the sauce in a minute.

By which time, the sauce will have been enhanced

by a spoon or two of yogurt.

As the meatballs cook into it,

all the juice from the meatballs will go into that sauce.

It's going to split a little bit and you're going to get

little crusty bits and it's going to be brilliant!

Oh, it's hot!

Of course, the juices...

Ooh! Oooh!

Oh, Si, look at these, mate.

Oh, they look like the ones you get in tapas shops.

-It's weird.

-Oh, they look so good,

they could be on a commercial.

So, with meatballs and sauce cuddling,

time to move on to the patatas bravas.

Patatas bravas come in many forms

and generally with tomato sauce, but ours don't

because we've got tomato sauce on our meatballs.

So we're doing a nice, piquant,

kind of vinegary paprika sauce for the top.

Parboil the diced spuds,

then fry them in hot oil for around 15 minutes.

Oil.

The sauce kicks off with tonnes of garlic.

Now, the garlic's nice and crispy, but it's not burnt,

it's lovely little chips.

So, what we do now is we add a tablespoon of vinegar de Jerez.

Sherry vinegar.

This is going to be great on the potatoes.

You've got to have vinegar

-on your chips, haven't you?

-Absolutely.

I want a tablespoon of sweet paprika.

Mate, that smells fantastic.

And about a teaspoon of hot paprika. Some salt.

And a pinch of sugar.

Give that a stir.

And you get that lovely kind of red look over your potatoes.

Back to our albondigas.

I'm just going to finish off the meatballs

with some chopped parsley and push that through.

-Look at that.

-Oh, it's beautiful, man.

Shall we just have a little taster?

-Yeah, let's...

-Let's make ourselves a little tapas.

-Perfect.

Dos meatballs.

Some of your wonderful potatoes, just like so.

A little drizzle of sauce.

Ohh!

Beautiful. I don't know where to...

-Oh, meatballs.

-Yeah, it's got to be, man.

-Good texture.

-Beautiful texture.

-Juicy.

Oh, they're brilliant.

Oh, wow! That's a really nice mix, man.

Oh, you've got to take them with the potatoes.

That sauce - the vinegar, the hot paprika, the sweet paprika,

it's amazing on the patatas bravas.

-Really, really good.

-Mm.

This is food to flamenco dance, to.

Absolutely.

THEY STAMP THEIR FEET A LA FLAMENCO

Oh!

You know, Si, we've been on the road for weeks, travelling around the Med,

and haven't even been in the sea!

-I went in, in Sardinia.

-But you were fully clothed.

I haven't even unpacked my trunks yet.

-I'm sure we've got time for a dip.

-Well, it's hot enough.

Let's pull in here. Look, there's people in the water there.

The seabed feels kind of gloopy.

I know, I can feel it between my toes.

Here, what's that bloke doing?

Kingy, people don't come here to swim, do they?

Oh...

It turns out that this is a resort called Mar Menor,

a saltwater lagoon and natural spa.

The special conditions here produce a magic mud...

Said to be recommended for arthritis, rheumatism,

strains, sprains and skin conditions.

-I hope it works for saddle sores.

-We can but try, I suppose, Dave.

We are now bathing in the salty waters on the muddy Mediterranean

for its health-giving properties.

As the mud dries in the sun, we smear each other with the fruit of the sea.

-The salt in the water, the sunshine beating on our glorious bodies.

-It's lovely.

It smells like a bust sewer.

And every cut and every spot I have on my fine body is itching and furious.

-I'm hungry.

-I know, so am I. Breakfast.

-Go on.

Were not done yet, though.

-I'll stand here like this, drying off, and you go and get some breakfast.

-All right.

What are we having?

While we are covered from head to toe in supermud, I think we deserve a treat.

Churros, those deep-fried sticks of doughy joy,

often dipped in hot chocolate.

-Churros, Kingy, churros!

-Nice one, dude!

We dip the churros in the chocolate.

At this stage it's very difficult to decide where the chocolate starts and your body stops.

Mmm!

-They're good!

-Mm!

There are a few theories on the origins of these little beauties.

Go on, then, Einstein.

-They're not Spanish!

-Aren't they?

No, they come from China, and they were brought here by the Portuguese.

I didn't know that.

But it was the conquistadors that went to South America,

they brought back chocolate, so thus we have the tradition

of dipping our churros into the hot chocolate...

and eating.

Ladies and gentlemen, you've had anthropology, history,

beauty therapy, and a little snack, too.

Where else do you get that but the Hairy Bikers?

HE CHUCKLES

Hey, you've got chocolate on your chest, mate.

-How are you feeling, Si? Purified?

-I do, actually. No, thanks to you!

Anyway, we'd better eat up the miles if we're going to get to the Festival of San Juan on time.

Just one more detour, Dave.

We're coming off at the next junction

because up ahead is one of Spain's greatest castles.

Holy Moley!

Built under Moslem rule, Lorca Castle was for centuries

at the heart of the conflict

between the Moors and the Christians.

Though long considered impregnable,

it finally fell to Christian forces in 1244,

when the Moorish empire was coming to an end

in this part of Spain.

This is a stunning castle, isn't it?

You can imagine the battles, the fortification,

the Moors, the Christians.

But look, you can see right across.

It's like being in an aircraft.

-Quite remarkable.

-Hey...

-What?

-It's a theatre.

Oh, no!

It's a troupe of flamenco dancers.

-Oh, no!

-Well, sugar my plums!

Oh, no!

Well, you know, when in Spain...

-Oh!

-..you either fight bulls, or...

When the Christians gained control of Spain,

they drove Moorish farmers off their land.

With that expulsion, a new word came into the language -

felamengu - meaning "expelled farmer".

The ousted Moors fled to the mountains

and joined bands of itinerant Gypsies.

And it was the mix of those cultures which created flamenco

from the word felamengu, or displaced farmer.

-Fantastic.

-Fabulous.

It's all about attitude, Kingy.

Oh, yeah? Well, you've got plenty of that, dude.

It's that disdain.

You are a Moor, a Gypsy, who's been cast out.

-You could do that. I'm not doing it.

-I'd watch.

Hey, you were on Strictly, not me.

-Week seven.

-Yeah, week seven. Yeah.

How many weeks is there?

I'll go and get me trousers on.

-Ole!

-Ole!

SHE SPEAKS IN SPANISH

-Uno.

-Dos.

-Ah, uno. Si.

-Y uno.

-Je comprendo.

-Si.

Week seven? I don't think

he's going to make it past the end of the afternoon.

Ole!

Well, no, that... That was interesting, Dave,

but I think we're going to see how it's really done now.

How rich is the culture in southern Spain, hey, Kingy?

Phenomenal, mate.

The merging of peoples isn't always smooth,

but just look what it creates.

-Whay, bravo!

-Bravo!

-What a night!

-I know.

Well, we've nearly made it, Kingy.

The midsummer festival of San Juan beckons

and it's not far.

We need to cook something really special, mate,

for our last night in Spain.

Something to celebrate the marvels of the Mediterranean.

Something fun, something flavoursome,

something really Spanish -

tapas.

Tapas? What could be more right?

Little plates of love for the revellers on the beach.

First, we need some inspiration, and I think I have an idea.

And...in the last place you'd expect.

Well, this is us back at the sea.

Yes, but Torremolinos is a bit different

to the places we've been to so far.

-Oh, yes.

-Are you sure about coming to Torremolinos in search of fine tapas?

Well, apparently so, dude.

I was researching it on me phone

and there's a five-star-rated tapas gaff

that we should go and visit, apparently.

Well, we've been looking for the hidden Mediterranean,

maybe we've found the best tapas in Spain...

in Torremolinos!

Oh, Kingy, what we doing here? We've been to some of

the most culturally important places on the Mediterranean,

and now we go to Torremolinos. Not that I'm dissing it.

Look, we're in Calle Danza Invisible,

so, apparently it's here.

It's called... What do they call it?

Bodegas.

SI LAUGHS

-Told you.

-La Bodega.

-La Bodega. Here it is.

-Looks brilliant, actually.

-Doesn't it? See?

-Hola!

-Hola!

-Tapas?

-Tapas, si.

-Hey! Muchas gracias.

-Gracias.

-Beautiful.

-This is a proper bar.

-Oh, look at this!

-This looks really good, Si.

-It does.

-It's real Spanish tapas.

-Hola, senors.

-Hola, senor.

-Good morning.

-Good morning, good morning.

-This is wonderful.

-It is.

How long has this tapas bar been here?

From 1981.

'81. And what do you have there?

I have some mussels.

Oh, wow, they're huge!

You have to try.

-Hey.

-Oh, now here we go.

Tapas. It's a start, isn't it?

-A little lemon.

-A little lemon.

-These are huge.

-They're big boys, aren't they?

Big ones.

Oh!

-Oh, they're so fresh.

-Sweet. Fresh.

-And sweet.

Oh, they're fantastic.

We have hot tapas.

-OK.

-If you want to try it,

we have to go inside the kitchen.

Any help, advice and inspiration we can get from you,

-we'd be very grateful.

-Let's go.

-Domingo, this is fantastic.

-Muchas gracias.

-Hola.

-Hola.

-Hola.

-How are you?

-He is Pepe.

Hey, Pepe. Pleased to meet you.

-I'm Simon.

-Simon.

-David.

-David.

So, what are we going to do?

We are going to start with the... boquerones?

Boquerones are anchovies.

These ones are marinated in lemon juice,

dipped in cornmeal and deep-fried.

Simple, but delicious.

And so popular that people around Malaga are nicknamed

Boquerones after this little delicacy.

This certainly beats a bag of cheese and onion with your pint.

And somewhat.

-Oh, wow.

-Wow!

The lemon, the lemon is great.

Mm, marinated in lemon juice and you can really taste it.

It's a holiday in your mouth.

Second, it's grouper dipped in cornmeal and egg,

-and served with garlic mayo.

-Or aioli.

-Pepe, what's next?

-Clams.

-The razor clams.

-Si.

SPEAKS SPANISH

Are the three chefs all called Pepe?

-It's all...

-Yeah.

-All Pepe?

-It's like...

No problem, we say,

-"Pepe one, one boquerones."

-The boss, Pepe.

-PEPE:

-Olive oil.

-On the plancha.

-Plancha, oil.

Yes, they are two minutes.

-It's done.

-Done.

Two minutes, Si. Just enough time to debate

the hotly contested origins of tapas.

The clue is in the name. Tapas means lid.

And some say tapas originated in tiny bars

where people had nowhere to put their plates.

Except on top of their glass, like...a lid.

But others insist the little plate was actually used

to keep flies out of the drink, and the snack came later.

One thing's for certain - they're flippin' lovely!

And our razor clams are ready.

-Garlic and oil.

-Garlic and olive oil.

-OK.

-Superb.

-With lemon.

-With lemon, done?

-Yes.

-OK.

-Should I dip?

-Oh, I think you should.

DOMINGO SPEAKS SPANISH

Oh, man!

Oh, they are so sweet and good.

Pepe, perfecto, eh?

-Yeah, superb.

-Oh, man!

This place is a real find, Si.

And the tapas are getting bigger...

..and bigger.

Yes, this octopus on seasoned potatoes could feed a family.

Or just us.

Aw, man, that's a beautiful thing.

It is a beautiful thing, isn't it?

Wow!

And this, camerero.

Oh, look, it's like a seafood crown.

But what I love is seeing chefs that are so used to doing...

You know, this is what they do.

-Just ease.

-Ease, yeah.

-Do you know, this really does inspire me to cook tapas. Does it you?

-Oh, God, yeah.

-Wow.

-Have a bit of a dip in.

Oh, man.

Mm!

What I love about it is it's inspired food,

-but really simple.

-Yeah.

Simple and natural. It seems to be the two returning rules

-of Mediterranean cookery.

-Absolutely.

Are you going to the party tonight on the beach?

-San Juan?

-Eh? You want to come?

Well, yeah, we've got to go.

It's beautiful. We make paella on the beach. It's very nice.

-That'll be great. We were going anyway...

-So we'll meet you there.

-Ah...

-Would you?

-For me, it would be very good

that you come with us, with my family.

Oh, wow, Domingo, that would be fantastic.

Fantastic, Domingo, muchas gracias.

Thank you. Pepe, thank you. Muchas gracias.

Well, wasn't that lovely?

And we've got an invite for tonight. Brilliant!

Yes, that was some tapas masterclass.

I think we should put what we've learned

into practice immediately.

Cos it's great food for parties,

whether you're on the Costas or in Cleethorpes.

We're going to cook four different tapas dishes,

each a little wonder.

Black pudding with onions...

garlic and chilli prawns...

garlic mushrooms with sherry vinegar

and padron peppers.

We're cooking tapas, aren't we, Dave?

Yes, and this is our tribute to Torremolinos.

And my first tapas offering is some morcilla.

That's Spanish black pudding.

But it's cooked with all sorts of spices

on a little bit of toast with tomato.

Good old British black pudding would do the same job here.

What I am going to do is fry off some garlic prawns.

Really, really simple dish.

And I bet this isn't the first prawn film

to be made in Torremolinos.

Hey-hey!

First off, I'm going to cut an onion

into those little crescents as beloved by the Spanish.

Yes, and I'm going to finely chop some garlic. Oh!

Now, I've got some oil in the pan

and I'm going to fry me onions.

We'll sweat those down.

While they're sweating, I'm going to slice some garlic.

Now, a little tip that I saw one of the Pepes do

when we were in the...when we were in their kitchen.

When they finely chop garlic,

they add a bit of salt and chop the salt through it as well.

So I just thought that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Now, with this prawn tapas,

and how you traditionally have the prawns here in Spain,

you take the middle part of the shell off

and leave the end of the tail and the head in place.

That's what you're looking for. So a little bit of tail.

So you can pick it up with your fingers if you so wish.

And then you break it away from the head.

I'll just keep the onions moving.

And a bit of colour on these.

Remember, it's fried black pudding, so I don't mind

a bit of brown on this, you know. Now my garlic goes in.

Keep that moving.

Now I want four tablespoons of finely chopped parsley.

That's sweated down really nicely.

Now it's time for my spices.

And here come the Spanish, Moorish, Mediterranean spices -

sweet paprika, hot paprika,

cumin and allspice.

Oregano, a pinch of cloves

and a pinch of cinnamon.

Right, while Dave's doing that,

all I'm going to do is just saute off some garlic.

We want to do this pretty gently

because we want to infuse the oil with that garlic.

And then the parsley.

A good pinch...

..of flaked chilli.

Now, the black puddings here

come either crumbly or sliceable.

I hope these are sliceable ones.

So I'm going to skin it first and cut it into cubes.

The Spanish black puddings,

the white bits in it, they're not fat,

like in a British black pudding, it's rice.

Right, mate, I'm going to fry these prawns off

-while you're cubing.

-Brill.

So, increase the heat under your pan.

Don't overcrowd your pan. Beautiful.

Cook them until they're pink on one side,

about a couple of minutes,

flip them over again, pink on the other,

a couple of minutes, serve them.

Lastly, a bit of salt onto my onions, like so.

Look at that, Si.

It's like a sticky, unctuous

-onion mess.

-It's beautiful.

What I do now is set this aside, I'm going to fry off

my black pudding. I want that quite a high heat,

I want to get a bit of crisp on the outside.

I'm not worrying too much if it does start to fall apart.

It's great, looking beautiful.

-They're beautiful, aren't they?

-Yeah, really nice.

Wherever you are in the world, prawns are still a treat.

They are.

It has to look right, doesn't it? It has to look appetizing.

Absolutely. Four each in there.

-Yeah.

-Some parsley sprinkles,

I'm going to put a slice of lemon in there as well.

Cheeky wedges.

Cheeky wedges, mate, yeah, please.

-In there?

-Perfect.

That's our prawns. Done.

That's our first tapas, Kingy, without a Pepe in sight.

-Perfect.

-Back to the black pudding.

-Kingy, could you do us a favour?

-Yes, mate.

-I want four pieces of toast.

-Got you.

So, you know, like that.

-On the bias.

-Yeah.

I'll fry my puddings.

Black pudding's ready, it's nice and hot.

I'm frying the black pudding in a separate pan,

to get it really crispy,

because the onion mix is quite wet.

Nice bread work, that's proper scorchio, innit?

Flippin' is scorchio.

It's a nice bit of charcoal on, it's what you want.

There you are, Kingy, look at that, I think I'm ready, do you?

Yeah, lovely, that, dude.

Right, just tumble those cubes of black pudding...

into the onion mixture.

Oh, look at this.

The onions have gone like chutney, but remember,

we've got all the spicing that's in the onions

is going to wrap around that wonderful spicy morcilla.

Toast's done, mate.

You see, that looks right, doesn't it?

It's just kind of scorched bread.

That's going to add something to the flavour as well.

And there's a really nice little touch at the end of this recipe.

I've got two tomatoes. Deseeded them and diced them.

The tomatoes are kind of folded in, they're not cooked in,

but it gives it a freshness that I love.

And you eat with your eyes as well.

I think food like this has to be attractive and colourful.

We've deliberately left the skin on the tomatoes

so that it holds together in these little cubes.

And that is done. Just a little sprinkle of sea salt on the top.

Have a taste of that, mate, see what do you think.

I think this one's right up your street.

Oh, yeah. That's brilliant.

But if this has to stand on here, the oils are going to

soak into the toast, it's going to be absolutely fabulous.

All you do now is...

..like so.

A little bit of parsley.

-A little bit of oil.

-Oh, for sure.

And that's my spicy black pudding, onion and tomato tapas.

-Beautiful.

-It is, isn't it?

And for tonight's party, we're doing two more tapas,

which couldn't be simpler.

Mushrooms turned over in garlic and oil

and infused with sherry vinegar.

And padron peppers blackened and blistered

in searingly hot oil.

Tapas as tasty in a rainy back yard in Britain

as in the heat of a Spanish summer.

Time to scale up, and off we go.

-Watch your step.

-Oh, I'm fine.

-Hola.

-Hola.

Domingo!

Gambas. Morcilla.

We have gambas.

-Prawns.

-With garlic.

And morcilla.

It's, er...padron peppers, mushrooms with sherry vinegar.

-Vinegar de Jerez.

-Hey, look!

Eat, eat, eat, eat!

CHATTER

How is our tapas? Is it OK?

Beautiful, really beautiful. Wonderful.

That's wonderful. Incredible.

I like because it's a little...

-A little picante.

-A little picante.

-But I like this.

-Spicy, a little spicy.

Job's done, Kingy.

We made Spanish tapas and the locals liked them.

Let's celebrate San Juan-style, dude.

For teenagers, this is the start of the summer holidays.

Look, there's his school books going in.

-Yeah.

-School's out.

It's lovely, isn't it?

For families, it's a chance for old and young to party together.

And the evening is packed with tradition.

What's the significance of the fire?

Oh, the fire, because the people write their desires, OK?

-Yes.

-For the rest of the summer.

-Your wishes.

-Yeah, the wishes.

The wishes. And the people throw to the fire.

Well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing for us.

What's your wish, Kingy?

No-brainer, dude - I wish I could do the whole Mediterranean adventure all over again.

That is incredible!

Oh, man! What a trip!

3,000 miles of incredible biking, right across the Mediterranean,

from Southern Italy to Sardinia... Buongiorno! Buongiorno!

-..and Corsica.

-Then France, the Balearics, and now Spain.

It's been epic.

The food has been a revelation, too.

If that had a wedding dress, I'd marry it.

From the cucina povera in Italy...

..to Michelin-star level dining in Majorca.

It's joyous, isn't it?

So much variety.

Fantastic, Chef.

And yet, there is an idea that links them all.

That is the best piece of meat I have ever eaten.

Beautiful, fresh ingredients, put together simply as possible.

The taste of the sea. It's beautiful.

Dave, it's the people I'll remember most.

Le barbe magnifique!

HE GUFFAWS

It's balls!

The warmth, the hospitality...

Oui, oui, oui, oui, oui!

Everyone sharing their culture and cuisine.

-Buon appetito.

-Grazie!

Je m'appelle Simon.

Muchas gracias!

-Salute!

-Salute!

It's been an absolute privilege.

Can you manage to get some in the pan?

And for me, the chance to do all of this with my best mate is something I'm never forget.

I really like you.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

And what a way to finish.

Hey, look, dude, everybody's going in.

But why are they going in?

Well, Luis just told me that if you bathe at midnight,

you'll be beautiful for the rest of the year.

And we need all the help we can get. Quick, get in!

Wait for me!

Hurry up!