0:00:02 > 0:00:05A little bit of what you fancy does you good
0:00:05 > 0:00:10and that's precisely what I think about taking off for a long weekend.
0:00:10 > 0:00:15Not too far away. Not obvious, like Paris or Rome.
0:00:15 > 0:00:20I'll soak up some culture and enjoy the history,
0:00:20 > 0:00:22but food will always be key.
0:00:26 > 0:00:31So if, like me, you love fresh egg pasta - who doesn't -
0:00:31 > 0:00:34and rich rosemary-scented ragu,
0:00:34 > 0:00:39perfectly aged Parmesan, sharp and crystalline,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43if you'd like to explore a university older than Oxford,
0:00:43 > 0:00:45or climb a medieval tower,
0:00:45 > 0:00:48all while eating in the food capital of Italy,
0:00:48 > 0:00:52then this weekend could be for you.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57# Hey, Rick, where we going this weekend?
0:00:57 > 0:00:58Bologna!
0:00:59 > 0:01:03# Are we flying a few hours away
0:01:03 > 0:01:06# For some delicious food, they say?
0:01:06 > 0:01:11# So, Rick, make the booking and let's get cooking
0:01:11 > 0:01:14# And get those taste buds going
0:01:14 > 0:01:16# This weekend. #
0:01:17 > 0:01:20MUSIC: Lungo Filaccio by Roberto Cardinali
0:01:28 > 0:01:30My first impressions of Bologna?
0:01:30 > 0:01:36Well, it's very red. It's medieval and much smaller than I expected.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42Bologna is right in the middle of northern Italy,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and my hotel is right in the middle of Bologna.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48This suits me down to the ground.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51You don't need a car - it's next to everything.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Hello - my name's Stein.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02OK. Welcome to Bologna. Is it your first time?
0:02:02 > 0:02:04Yes, it is my first time.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06- Here is your key, there you go. - Thank you.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08And your room is located on the second floor.
0:02:08 > 0:02:09Thank you very much.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17'My hotel is just how I like it - classic, comfortable Italian.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'Perfetto for my long weekend.'
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Oh, it's nice. Single bed, nice big single bed.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32DISTANT SIREN WAILS
0:02:32 > 0:02:38Ah, I love that. I feel part of the city. Great.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42Police siren. What more could you ask for?
0:02:42 > 0:02:44'Hmm. Earplugs?'
0:02:48 > 0:02:52It's the sort of town where you only have to walk a few yards
0:02:52 > 0:02:55and there's a perfectly acceptable restaurant.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59A few more yards, and there's an inviting bar.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02Further on...well, just use your nose.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Soon I found myself in the Quadrilatero -
0:03:07 > 0:03:09a network of tiny streets
0:03:09 > 0:03:12where everything resonated food.
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Italian food.
0:03:14 > 0:03:16You can smell it in the air.
0:03:17 > 0:03:19Now, this what I've come to Bologna for.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22It's famous for its fabulous food.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29Grazie.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Fantastic.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34Well, I've just arrived.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37This place, this street is literally two minutes from my hotel.
0:03:37 > 0:03:40I was just walking by the end of it, I just thought,
0:03:40 > 0:03:41"I've got to walk up there."
0:03:41 > 0:03:43And there's just shops filled
0:03:43 > 0:03:48with hams and whole parmesans, tortellini...you name it.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Wine shops, little bars.
0:03:50 > 0:03:52And it's almost as if this street
0:03:52 > 0:03:56sums up Emilia-Romagna, the whole province,
0:03:56 > 0:03:59because it's known as "the stomach of Italy",
0:03:59 > 0:04:00because it's so fertile,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04and when you talk to people about coming to this part of Italy,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06they say, "You've got to go to Bologna,
0:04:06 > 0:04:07"it's where the best food is."
0:04:07 > 0:04:12But the whole area is just what Italian food is all about.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14So, off we go.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20Eating in Italy is so sociable. That's the first thing you notice.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22I could sit here and watch for hours,
0:04:22 > 0:04:24but it's getting late,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and tomorrow I want to be up at the crack of dawn.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32That's the famous Asinelli Tower.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Now, I'm saving you for tomorrow, tower.
0:04:35 > 0:04:40Yes, I know you've got 498 steps, but that doesn't scare me.
0:04:55 > 0:04:59Now, because I like to read up on things before I get there,
0:04:59 > 0:05:03I learned that Bologna's known by three names.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Number one, La Rossa, "The Red One,"
0:05:06 > 0:05:10after the red tiles of the roofs, the brickwork, the cloisters,
0:05:10 > 0:05:15and of course, the politics - staunchly communist.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18Number two - La Dotta.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21That means "The Learned One," and I suppose it qualifies
0:05:21 > 0:05:24because it's got the oldest university in Europe.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28Number three, La Grassa.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31This is the one I like, and this is the one that really interests me,
0:05:31 > 0:05:34because it means "The Fat One".
0:05:34 > 0:05:36It's known all over Italy for its food,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38especially the mortadella,
0:05:38 > 0:05:44and of course the tortellini, always served in "brodo" - broth.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49It's really hard to think of another city
0:05:49 > 0:05:52more famous for its food than Bologna.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56Now, I can think of Valencia for paella, Naples for pizza,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Venice for risotto.
0:05:58 > 0:06:03But bolognese sauce, that, for me and anybody of my generation,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07was the first time they ever tasted exotic foreign food
0:06:07 > 0:06:13and indeed, for me, I remember as a teenager cooking spaghetti bolognese
0:06:13 > 0:06:18for my friends and thinking, "Actually, I think I can cook."
0:06:18 > 0:06:23So I personally owe Bologna a great debt of gratitude.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27But I happen to know that spaghetti bolognese,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30as we call it, is unheard of here.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32For a start, they call the sauce ragu,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35and they serve it with fresh tagliatelle.
0:06:35 > 0:06:41Never, ever spaghetti, which is a dried pasta from the south.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45But, oh, spag-bol, how I love thee.
0:06:45 > 0:06:51No pizza, no curry, no stir-fry can compete with thee.
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Whether thou cometh from Bologna or Naples or indeed Manchester,
0:06:56 > 0:06:58it doesn't matter to me.
0:06:58 > 0:07:02You are there in all your ruddy glory.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04You're going to take some beating.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20It's lunchtime, a very rainy lunchtime,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24but it doesn't matter in Bologna because it's so atmospheric.
0:07:24 > 0:07:25Just because it's Italy,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29it doesn't have to be bathed in golden sunshine to look beautiful.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31It just is.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40This place, Scacco Matto - it means Checkmate -
0:07:40 > 0:07:43has come highly recommended.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It's run by Mario Ferrara, and he's a brilliant chef.
0:07:49 > 0:07:52And he made this dish so tasty -
0:07:52 > 0:07:56raviolini stuffed with sweet onions and Parmesan.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Mario, did you get this love of cooking
0:08:05 > 0:08:08from watching your mother when you were little?
0:08:08 > 0:08:10HE SPEAKS IN ITALIAN
0:08:17 > 0:08:20He's actually from southern Italy, where they don't have egg pasta,
0:08:20 > 0:08:23and they roll out the pasta in a totally different way.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26He's learned this from working in restaurants in Bologna.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29He's really good at it.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32It's just obvious to me that the more you do yourself,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36the better you feel, and I think that's why I love being a chef,
0:08:36 > 0:08:38and I can tell it's why he does, too.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43Very good.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49The star of the show are these sweet white onions.
0:08:51 > 0:08:57He adds fennel seeds, oil, and water,
0:08:57 > 0:09:02no frying, and he simmers them until they're silky soft.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05He's actually making an onion sauce with Bechamel,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08but it's just really simple, and what I picked up from Mario is
0:09:08 > 0:09:12that it's all about the onions, they're just a local sweet onion.
0:09:12 > 0:09:13So, when you get to eat this,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16you'll get this concentrated taste of onion,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18and a little bit of fennel seed.
0:09:18 > 0:09:22And what he's saying is the fennel seed is good for the digestion,
0:09:22 > 0:09:24it makes everything taste lighter,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28and that's the sort of bit of information I really like,
0:09:28 > 0:09:31because there's so much fennel seed in Italian cooking.
0:09:31 > 0:09:32I love it. It's very...
0:09:32 > 0:09:35To me, I always think, when I taste fennel,
0:09:35 > 0:09:36I think of Italy.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38But I didn't realise that there was this idea
0:09:38 > 0:09:40of making things taste lighter.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42You learn something every day.
0:09:42 > 0:09:46Mario blitzed the onions in a food processor,
0:09:46 > 0:09:48and he sieved them, too.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51Now he makes a roux with butter and flour,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55then in goes that wonderful onion mix.
0:09:55 > 0:09:56It smells divine.
0:09:56 > 0:09:58Then a leaf of gelatine,
0:09:58 > 0:10:03and an unfeasibly large helping of Parmesan cheese.
0:10:03 > 0:10:04And then mix.
0:10:07 > 0:10:12He adds two Technicolor egg yolks for extra unctuousness
0:10:12 > 0:10:17and, once chilled, it's put into a piping bag.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23And that's the filling for this heavenly raviolini.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27I have to say, this is my type of cooking -
0:10:27 > 0:10:32taking something inexpensive, like the local sweet white onions,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35and turning them into something quite sublime.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38This is what I call being a chef.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45The sauce ingredients are all cooked in butter -
0:10:45 > 0:10:50porcini mushrooms, cut up, sun-dried tomatoes, and parsley.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55Now, a spoonful of the pasta water to loosen things up -
0:10:55 > 0:10:59a very common Italian touch, that.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03Then the raviolini into the sauce, and serve up.
0:11:08 > 0:11:12Finally, a few chopped hazelnuts and that's it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14Bellissimi!
0:11:17 > 0:11:19Well, I watched this from start to finish.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27Amazing what you can do with onions.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- Beautiful.- Delicious.- Delicious.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36You're missing a treat.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43It doesn't take a lot to make me happy,
0:11:43 > 0:11:46and going to a market always puts a smile on my face.
0:11:48 > 0:11:53This is the Mercato delle Erbe - the vegetable market.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Well, I'm very happy to be here in this market at this
0:11:58 > 0:12:01time of year, because normally I'm around here in the summer,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04and just being here in early spring, everything's different.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08I feel a bit like Jools Holland in that programme called 'Later...'
0:12:08 > 0:12:11I'm saying, "Over here we have The Beatles. The Rolling Stones.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13"Emerson, Lake and Palmer."
0:12:13 > 0:12:19So, over here we have these tomatoes from Sicily called Merinda.
0:12:19 > 0:12:22I don't know why we don't get them in the UK this time of year.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25They make the most superb salads. Fabulous.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Down here, we have the local onions, which they cook and cook for
0:12:28 > 0:12:32about three-quarters of an hour until they're really soft and sweet.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Sensational.
0:12:34 > 0:12:35Here we have...
0:12:35 > 0:12:38Why don't we have these at this time of year in the UK?
0:12:38 > 0:12:41Don't write to me and complain that I have a downer on the UK.
0:12:41 > 0:12:43I don't. I love where I live.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48But we need all these chicories, all these beautiful shades of pink
0:12:48 > 0:12:50and green and purple.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53And over here, round the corner, we have...
0:12:53 > 0:12:57Cima di rapa. Very, very good with pasta, that is.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59A speciality dish from Puglia.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04And up here, puntarelle - lovely bitter leaves, make a great salad.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07AND...finally, for colour...
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Look at that!
0:13:09 > 0:13:13'Here we have ruby-red radicchio di Treviso,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16'with its lovely bitter undertones.'
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'By complete chance, I bumped into Tim, a chef from London,
0:13:22 > 0:13:24'here in the market.'
0:13:24 > 0:13:27'I don't know him, but I do know where he works,
0:13:27 > 0:13:31'so I know what kind of cooking he does, and it's high-end,
0:13:31 > 0:13:34'and I wanted to hear what he's looking for.'
0:13:34 > 0:13:36It's a bit of a pilgrimage for me.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38It's almost like visiting Lyon, you know.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Lots of great stuff came from here and still is produced.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45Within an arm's reach, you've got balsamic production,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Parma ham, Parmesan cheese.
0:13:47 > 0:13:49The finest ingredients come from this region.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52The simple, most honest cookery comes from this region.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55I think it truly is the heart of Italy.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56What I don't understand is,
0:13:56 > 0:13:59because I'm so knocked out by the place,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01but why don't more British tourists come here?
0:14:01 > 0:14:03Why not more British chefs?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05- I think it's massively overlooked. - Yeah.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07I think people just travel down to the bigger places,
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and they've just overlooked Bologna completely.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13Quite often you'll see Italian families here,
0:14:13 > 0:14:15but nobody from England - it's bizarre.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20It is bizarre, because so many people go on holiday to find
0:14:20 > 0:14:22- great places to eat, to find great food.- Yeah.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24- They need to come here. - Absolutely.
0:14:24 > 0:14:27It's a chef's playpen here, you know. Literally.
0:14:31 > 0:14:33Bologna isn't really a fishy place.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37It's not that far from the coast, but its own produce is so good,
0:14:37 > 0:14:40fish isn't that high on the agenda.
0:14:40 > 0:14:44But here is a fish stall that I have to investigate.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47There's tuna, mullet, mantis shrimps,
0:14:47 > 0:14:51and the most exciting to me, calamari,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54and opposite, a market cafe full of locals.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56That's always a good sign.
0:14:58 > 0:15:02The chef's already stuffed these whole calamari
0:15:02 > 0:15:04with mashed potatoes and capers.
0:15:04 > 0:15:06I love capers.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11He fries them in oil with just a little seasoning,
0:15:11 > 0:15:13and then he assembles the dish.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18There's a smear of squid ink, and some trapanese pesto,
0:15:18 > 0:15:21made with almonds, tomatoes and basil.
0:15:22 > 0:15:24Then wilted spinach.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27This is fancy presentation.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30He slashes the calamari with great precision
0:15:30 > 0:15:32to expose the stuffing,
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and arranges it carefully on the plate.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40To finish, a few strands of nonsense,
0:15:40 > 0:15:46a splash of oil, then dill, and a few edible flowers.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49- Buon appetito. - That looks lovely. Thanks.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57It's squid stuffed with potatoes, capers and parsley, and olive oil.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59It's really good.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01And, actually, when I saw it, I was thinking,
0:16:01 > 0:16:04"This is a market, this looks like, sort of, three-star food
0:16:04 > 0:16:09"with all the flowers and all that lovely bits and bobs on it."
0:16:09 > 0:16:11But it's just a market stall.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15And in fact, it's not the only one.
0:16:15 > 0:16:18There's a ring of little cafes and restaurants
0:16:18 > 0:16:20inside the market, around the edge.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23One of the things that's really coming across to me
0:16:23 > 0:16:27over this weekend is how well I'm eating here,
0:16:27 > 0:16:29how much I'm enjoying it,
0:16:29 > 0:16:33and how authentic every single restaurant seems to be.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37And there's no sign of a menu turistico anywhere -
0:16:37 > 0:16:38thank goodness.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41So, now's the perfect time for me
0:16:41 > 0:16:45to cook something authentically Bolognese.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50This is cotoletta alla bolognese.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53You see it in every restaurant in Bologna.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55It's fabulous and so over-the-top.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04I have to confess, I'd never tried it before I went to Bologna,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06but I loved it.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10In Milan, they have a similar breaded veal cutlet,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and this one is made with rose veal, I'm just flattening it out here.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16But, in Bologna, they go that little bit extra -
0:17:16 > 0:17:22they put slices of Parma ham and then slices of Parmesan,
0:17:22 > 0:17:27and sometimes they'll put shavings of white truffle on there, too.
0:17:27 > 0:17:33That, to me, sums up what is so special about Bolognese cooking.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37It is about excess, it's about enjoyment.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43I always like to season the meat rather than the flour.
0:17:43 > 0:17:45I think it's just more accurate.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48You could've course put your salt and pepper in the flour.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53So, first of all, a little coating of flour,
0:17:53 > 0:17:57and next, a little coating of egg to make the breadcrumbs stick.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Last bit of this is coating with breadcrumbs,
0:18:02 > 0:18:04and these breadcrumbs are oven-dried.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08Very important that they're very, very crisp.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Not only does that add to the crispness of the frying,
0:18:11 > 0:18:13but also gives a nice golden colour.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19Let's have a quick look at that.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22Yes, that's a nice golden brown.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25So, about another minute on the side here.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30So... Lift that out...
0:18:32 > 0:18:36..and then out with the excess oil.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40Back with the escalope.
0:18:40 > 0:18:45Add some ham, Parma ham,
0:18:45 > 0:18:46and then some cheese.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52This is a classic combination in Bologna
0:18:52 > 0:18:56of Parma ham and Parmesan cheese, the best Parmesan cheese.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00In fact, I bought that back from Bologna.
0:19:00 > 0:19:06It's just so rich and so indulgent that you are so delighted.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11There we go, just allow that to bubble up a little bit.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13Lid on.
0:19:13 > 0:19:18Leave for about two to three minutes and all will be melted and charming.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23That was half a cupful of chicken stock just to keep it moist.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Very simple, very Bologna.
0:19:26 > 0:19:29Cotoletta bolognese.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Perfetto.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46One of the pleasures of this city
0:19:46 > 0:19:49is that it hasn't really been discovered by tourists yet.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Well, in huge numbers anyway.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55If you go to Florence or Venice or Rome,
0:19:55 > 0:19:57you'll know what I'm talking about.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Here, you have space to think.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04And, on a fresh spring morning like this one, it's lovely.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13This is the Basilica of San Petronio.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16It's half-finished and it's an expensive lesson
0:20:16 > 0:20:19in getting a little bit too big for your boots,
0:20:19 > 0:20:22because the city fathers here wanted to build a church
0:20:22 > 0:20:24to rival that of Rome.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But the Pope got to hear of it and said,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32"No. Assolutemente no, capisce?"
0:20:32 > 0:20:34And there we are.
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Time now for coffee,
0:20:39 > 0:20:43the most important beverage in the whole of Italy,
0:20:43 > 0:20:46and this is a little coffee bar run by Cristina,
0:20:46 > 0:20:50the Secretary of the Italian Coffee Association.
0:20:50 > 0:20:52In Italy, that's really important.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Cristina, how come you love coffee so much?
0:20:58 > 0:21:02Because you were working in an office across...and saw this cafe.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Yes, I was a secretary.
0:21:04 > 0:21:08And you know that in Italy, we are used to drinking coffee
0:21:08 > 0:21:09a lot of times a day.
0:21:09 > 0:21:12And, so, one time, two times, three times, four times,
0:21:12 > 0:21:14and then...I am there.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17I jumped the counter.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20Why do you think the Italians are so good at coffee?
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Well, we are quite coffee-addicted
0:21:22 > 0:21:25because we invented the coffee machine
0:21:25 > 0:21:29and so we start to drink it before everybody in the world,
0:21:29 > 0:21:31and we are very proud of it.
0:21:31 > 0:21:35You know now that your machine is all over the world,
0:21:35 > 0:21:37and we now have to wait for coffees
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and Nobody minds.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42I hope so, I hope so.
0:21:42 > 0:21:45I want to be a good ambassador of coffee, of Italian coffee, yes.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48Just tell me this. What does "espresso" mean?
0:21:48 > 0:21:53We all say espresso, but what's the idea behind an espresso?
0:21:53 > 0:21:58In Italy, the idea of an espresso is a little moment,
0:21:58 > 0:22:01a very, very quick moment, a social moment
0:22:01 > 0:22:03when you meet a friend, you say,
0:22:03 > 0:22:07"Ciao, hello, how are you? Come on, let's have a coffee now."
0:22:07 > 0:22:09And when you want to say something private,
0:22:09 > 0:22:11you can go away from the office,
0:22:11 > 0:22:14just take a coffee together and discuss...
0:22:14 > 0:22:18And...this is a way to drink coffee in Italy.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21What's so special about your coffees here, then?
0:22:21 > 0:22:25We use the pressure and the heat to extract
0:22:25 > 0:22:31something that could be like a syrup of coffee with the crema on the top.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34This is the espresso. You must have the crema on the top.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37- So, it's something that you want to drink quickly, then.- Yes, of course.
0:22:37 > 0:22:40- Basically, you need to be standing up.- Yeah.
0:22:40 > 0:22:43- Basically this is the right way. - A bit like beer.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44You know, if it's got a good foam on it,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47you want to drink it all before the foam's gone.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:22:51 > 0:22:56Bologna is famous for its towers, particularly Le Due Torri -
0:22:56 > 0:22:58the two right in the middle.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05In medieval times, there were loads of these towers,
0:23:05 > 0:23:07maybe as many as 100.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09Nobody really knows.
0:23:09 > 0:23:11There's only a few left,
0:23:11 > 0:23:15but an artist called Toni Pecoraro has made a guess,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17maybe with a bit of artistic licence,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20about how it might have looked when they were still there.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24It was indeed a medieval Manhattan.
0:23:29 > 0:23:32They were built by rich local families.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35The higher the tower, the richer the owners,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36and if you lost your money,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41legend has it that the city fathers would cut your tower down to size.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45It was a sort of public humiliation on a grand scale.
0:23:46 > 0:23:50The Asinelli is and always was the tallest,
0:23:50 > 0:23:53and it's the only one that's open to the public.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58I'm afraid there's no avoiding this. It has to be climbed.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04To tell the truth, I have a bit of vertigo.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Actually, a lot of vertigo.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13But I'm going to do it anyway.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22All I know is it's a long way up
0:24:22 > 0:24:24and an even longer way down.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40The plan was that I should get to the top
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and share the fabulous view with you at home.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46But such was my vertigo,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50I'm afraid I wanted only to get back down as quickly as possible.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52I could feel the tower sway.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54It was terrifying.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01It's funny. I didn't see the director up there, either.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06But I wanted to show him this. It's quite remarkable.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09It's known as the Whispering Walls.
0:25:09 > 0:25:12So, tell me more about what you found.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Well, it's this sort of whispering wall,
0:25:14 > 0:25:15it's unbelievable,
0:25:15 > 0:25:19but you can hear somebody so clearly.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21You have to face the wall, which is a bit odd.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25You sort of think, "Only in Bologna, really."
0:25:25 > 0:25:28- We'll give it a try. - You have that corner there.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31- Yeah, this one. You go over there. - And I'm over here.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35I would never have believed this, you know, when you told me.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38I keep thinking I'm in some Shakespearean play.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The whole of the centre of Bologna is like a Shakespearean play,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44but this beats it all.
0:25:44 > 0:25:48I know. Just imagine the whisperings that went on in the 16th century -
0:25:48 > 0:25:51maybe ordering deaths, or even love trysts.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Definitely love trysts
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and, yes, planning to kill people.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59But, you know, yesterday, I was standing here and I saw this girl,
0:25:59 > 0:26:03I knew nothing about it, and she was talking into the wall and laughing.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05I thought she was on drugs.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Blimey. Probably people might think I'm on drugs.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I don't think so, Dave.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12THEY SNIGGER
0:26:18 > 0:26:21This is Piazza Maggiore,
0:26:21 > 0:26:24and the raised pavement in the middle
0:26:24 > 0:26:26is called the crescentone.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28They say if you walk across it
0:26:28 > 0:26:30before you graduate,
0:26:30 > 0:26:32that's if you're a student,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35it's bad luck and you won't get your degree.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Well, anyway, I've already got mine, so I'm OK.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I don't know if all the undergraduates here
0:26:41 > 0:26:42believe that, though.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45I met up with some third-year law students.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47They come here for a top education,
0:26:47 > 0:26:51but that's not the only thing about Bologna they love.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55What's it like being at university here in Bologna?
0:26:55 > 0:26:57We love being a student in Bologna
0:26:57 > 0:27:03because we have the oldest European university.
0:27:03 > 0:27:11But, moreover, we have one of the best food in all of Italy.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14So, would you say the food during your university career
0:27:14 > 0:27:15has been really important?
0:27:15 > 0:27:17The great cuisine here in Bologna...
0:27:17 > 0:27:21- Yes.- Yeah.- We have special dishes like lasagne...
0:27:21 > 0:27:26- Tagliatelle en brodo.- Tagliatelle. Crescentina.- Tortellini.
0:27:26 > 0:27:28I think that tortellini
0:27:28 > 0:27:33is the most important representative food of Bologna.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37A funny thing is that a lot of guys from Bologna
0:27:37 > 0:27:42has a tattoo like a tortellino
0:27:42 > 0:27:46because it is like a symbol from Bologna.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50I'm very impressed, because you clearly love your food.
0:27:50 > 0:27:51Yes. We love food.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Afterwards, they sent me
0:27:54 > 0:27:58some pictures of those tortellino tattoos.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Cool young Bolognese.
0:28:00 > 0:28:06They have them etched on their arms, legs, necks, to remind them of home.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09It looks like there's a bit of competition for the most outlandish.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13My favourite's the tortellino from outer space.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18Now, these ladies are a wonderful advert
0:28:18 > 0:28:20for their local fresh egg pasta.
0:28:20 > 0:28:24Their speciality is tortellini and tortelloni.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37In Bologna, there's a special name for people, usually women,
0:28:37 > 0:28:40who make fresh pasta every day -
0:28:40 > 0:28:42sfogline.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46That means they make sfoglia, or leaves of pasta.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50Just like our word folio - sfoglia.
0:28:53 > 0:28:59Well, I'm so enjoying this. At this end, we have tortelloni...
0:28:59 > 0:29:02With the ricotta cheese.
0:29:02 > 0:29:03With ricotta cheese.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05And over there, we have tortellini...
0:29:05 > 0:29:07- Yes.- The little ones...
0:29:07 > 0:29:09- With pork meat.- With pork meat.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13But what I'm loving is just everybody doing things by hand.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15It's so peaceful and...
0:29:15 > 0:29:19I often say this, but it just makes you feel good about life.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21Yes, you sing if you want to sing.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26Maybe something about Aretha Franklin or...
0:29:26 > 0:29:29- Nothing Italian, I'm sorry. - RICK LAUGHS
0:29:32 > 0:29:37The two sisters who run this pasta shop, Daniela and Monica,
0:29:37 > 0:29:41are known simply as Le Sfogline - "The Pasta Makers".
0:29:52 > 0:29:57- I really like your aprons. I mean, it's all about the eggs.- Yes.
0:29:57 > 0:30:00Because we use a lot of eggs in our job.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04So the colour of the pasta, it's full of eggs?
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Yes, because it's typical.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12When you buy eggs, the yellow should be really yellow,
0:30:12 > 0:30:15because sfoglia has this colour.
0:30:15 > 0:30:17If you go elsewhere for example,
0:30:17 > 0:30:19this colour, it's impossible to find it.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22Why do people love your pasta?
0:30:22 > 0:30:24What's special about yours, as opposed to...?
0:30:24 > 0:30:27Because we have the heart we're putting inside that.
0:30:28 > 0:30:32- This is a big, big satisfaction for us.- Yes.
0:30:32 > 0:30:33Because we use these.
0:30:33 > 0:30:39My fondest memory of when I was a teenager of sophisticated food
0:30:39 > 0:30:42back in England was spaghetti bolognese.
0:30:42 > 0:30:45- Oh, it's horrible for us! - Really?
0:30:45 > 0:30:49Impossible to eat spaghetti alla bolognese with ragu.
0:30:49 > 0:30:54Ragu is for tagliatelle or for lasagne.
0:30:54 > 0:30:59But spaghetto is from Naples, not from Bologna.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01Gosh, I'm so sorry.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04It was a big mistake, a big mistake.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06So what's the difference?
0:31:06 > 0:31:07I mean, it's only pasta.
0:31:07 > 0:31:10With sfoglia, we can make
0:31:10 > 0:31:14tortellini, tortelloni or tagliatelle.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19It is not spaghetti, absolutely not.
0:31:20 > 0:31:26For spaghetti, we need another kind of flour.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28You see, people wouldn't know that back home.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31They wouldn't realise the difference.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34So that's what it's all about, it's in the pasta.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38But then, I was really surprised when Daniela mentioned
0:31:38 > 0:31:41that she'd made a spaghetti bolognese
0:31:41 > 0:31:43for a family supper the night before.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47"What?" I said. "But I thought you said there was no such thing?"
0:31:47 > 0:31:51But of course, this is not the "spag bol" we know.
0:31:51 > 0:31:55According to her, it's Bologna's own way of cooking spaghetti
0:31:55 > 0:31:57and she offered to show me.
0:31:57 > 0:32:04First, she fries onion slices in olive oil and adds tinned tomatoes.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06Then sugar and salt.
0:32:06 > 0:32:09They use quite a lot of sugar in their cooking.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12The spaghetti, dried of course,
0:32:12 > 0:32:16and then into the sauce, tuna, tinned tuna.
0:32:16 > 0:32:22And being a Catholic country, it's served on Fish Fridays.
0:32:22 > 0:32:24Et voila!
0:32:25 > 0:32:29- The real thing.- Mmm, yes. - Spaghetti bolognese.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31USES ITALIAN PRONUNCIATION: Bolognese!
0:32:31 > 0:32:34- It's difficult for you to say it. - Oh, I know.
0:32:34 > 0:32:39- That's delicious. But I mean, it's really simple.- Yeah.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- But that doesn't matter.- No.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- It's lovely. - Oh, thank you very much.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47I've really, really enjoyed it, thank you for telling me so much about pasta.
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- It's a pleasure.- We are always here to teach you.- Thank you.- Yes.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54- Thank you, I'd love to come back. - OK.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56BELL TOLLS
0:32:56 > 0:33:00I've come to realise over this long weekend in Bologna
0:33:00 > 0:33:04how important precise recipes are to the Bolognese.
0:33:04 > 0:33:08Everything must be exactly as it should be
0:33:08 > 0:33:13and that includes tagliatelle, or in this case, a tagliatella,
0:33:13 > 0:33:15a single strand,
0:33:15 > 0:33:20which should match, proportionately, the Asinelli Tower behind me,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22both in height and width.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24And if you don't believe me,
0:33:24 > 0:33:27you'll find a recipe for those proportions
0:33:27 > 0:33:30in their Chamber of Commerce, locked away.
0:33:32 > 0:33:36One of the things I look for in my long weekends is new dishes.
0:33:37 > 0:33:39This one keeps cropping up
0:33:39 > 0:33:43and I've just got to make it back home in Cornwall.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47This is tagliatelle with salsiccia sauce.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51It's so popular in Bologna, almost more so than ragu.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59I've noticed when we were in Bologna how yellow the pasta was,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02and that's because they're using really good free-range eggs.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04It just makes all the difference.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08I mean, otherwise, it just looks a bit bland.
0:34:08 > 0:34:10A bit pale, a bit wan.
0:34:11 > 0:34:17In a way, it's a sort of good test to know when the dough's ready,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20the fact that it's come off your hands.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22Now I'll wrap it in clingfilm
0:34:22 > 0:34:24and leave it to rest for half an hour in the fridge.
0:34:26 > 0:34:31So this salsiccia sauce, it's very, very simple.
0:34:31 > 0:34:36Just onions, celery, garlic, bit of rosemary.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40But the Bolognese really like it
0:34:40 > 0:34:43and it's sort of a bit of a special dish for them
0:34:43 > 0:34:46and the normal ragu bolognese, the beef sauce,
0:34:46 > 0:34:49I suppose it's because it's ubiquitous,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52they really look forward to having this sausage sauce.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54I'm using sausage meat,
0:34:54 > 0:34:58but if you can get a really meaty Italian sausage,
0:34:58 > 0:34:59so much the better.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02Sorry to say, British ones won't work,
0:35:02 > 0:35:04because of the seasoning and also the rusk.
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Now fennel seeds - I love fennel seeds -
0:35:09 > 0:35:11and a bit of chilli.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14I really love making pasta sauce,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17because it always amazes me how simple they can be.
0:35:17 > 0:35:20I also really like sausage pasta,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22sausage meat ragus,
0:35:22 > 0:35:23because they're still
0:35:23 > 0:35:26a bit unusual back home.
0:35:26 > 0:35:28That was some white wine,
0:35:28 > 0:35:30about 75ml of white wine.
0:35:31 > 0:35:33Just bubble that down a little bit
0:35:33 > 0:35:36and now I'm just going to add some good, strong chicken stock.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41Then, half a glass of cream and season.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48A little stir and then I'm just going to leave that to simmer
0:35:48 > 0:35:49for about 20 minutes.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53Now for the dough.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57No-one in Bologna would be seen dead with one of these pasta machines.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59But still, they make nice Christmas presents
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and it takes the pain out of rolling it.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07So, that takes only about three to four minutes to cook because it's...
0:36:07 > 0:36:09Obviously, being fresh pasta,
0:36:09 > 0:36:12it doesn't need to cook as long as the dried version.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21It's ready to serve.
0:36:21 > 0:36:24Tagliatelle alle salsicce.
0:36:28 > 0:36:30Of course, with a generous grating
0:36:30 > 0:36:33of Parmigiano Reggiano.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36Viva Bologna!
0:36:43 > 0:36:46Early next morning, I set off into the hills.
0:36:48 > 0:36:50Up here, it's still deep winter.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56It would be lovely in spring, with wild flowers and rich pastures.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58That's what I was looking for.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01I'm going to where they make the most famous cheese
0:37:01 > 0:37:02in the whole of Italy.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07Parmigiano Reggiano.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14This place is called a caseificio - a dairy.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18And I've been to many of these in Britain, but never here.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Simone met me at the door.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Good morning, Rick. Welcome to the caseificio.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28It's nice to meet you. My first trip to a Parmesan place.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30Oh, I'm glad.
0:37:30 > 0:37:33I'd like to show you how Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is made.
0:37:33 > 0:37:34Oh, thank you.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47Each one of these vats makes one great big ball of Parmesan,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50which is cut into two cheeses.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52So, you can see how small-scale this is.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57Six vats, so no more than 12 cheeses a day.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59The vats are lined with copper,
0:37:59 > 0:38:01because it's naturally antibacterial.
0:38:01 > 0:38:04I didn't know that until I came here.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07These are the great things you pick up as you travel around.
0:38:07 > 0:38:09It means when the cheese making's done,
0:38:09 > 0:38:12they can just flush them out with water.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17Just watching them put these cheeses into the truckle
0:38:17 > 0:38:21and incidentally, locally, Parmesan is just called cheese.
0:38:21 > 0:38:23There is no other cheese.
0:38:23 > 0:38:26But watching them doing it with such skill,
0:38:26 > 0:38:28and folding everything up,
0:38:28 > 0:38:31you sort of think that Parmesan Reggiano
0:38:31 > 0:38:34has to be made by hand, and there's a...
0:38:34 > 0:38:36They say that the hand of the master
0:38:36 > 0:38:39is better than any machine.
0:38:39 > 0:38:40And I totally agree.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44The other thing is, I think that the whole idea of making things
0:38:44 > 0:38:47by hand adds so much value to a product.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51I mean, this truly is gourmet food.
0:38:53 > 0:38:54Wow.
0:38:56 > 0:38:57Gosh.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00That is something, isn't it?
0:39:00 > 0:39:02The smell is so lovely, it's so...
0:39:02 > 0:39:04Welcome to the cheese warehouse.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07So many cheeses, I mean, how many are here?
0:39:07 > 0:39:12- Well, Rick, this warehouse can host 7,000 cheeses.- Uh-huh?
0:39:12 > 0:39:15And, if we want to make a calculation,
0:39:15 > 0:39:19we can approximately say that we are surrounded by something like
0:39:19 > 0:39:22six million British pounds.
0:39:22 > 0:39:23- Six million quid? - Yeah.
0:39:23 > 0:39:27- God...- The fact is that you need a big wallet to host them.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32'The very best flavour is from the middle of a newly cut cheese,
0:39:32 > 0:39:36'and they've offered to open one for me, today.
0:39:36 > 0:39:39'I was surprised to see loads of the staff
0:39:39 > 0:39:41'beginning to gather around us.'
0:39:42 > 0:39:45So, Rick, we are so glad to have you here today
0:39:45 > 0:39:47that we have a special surprise for you.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50- Yes? - We have a 13 years old cheese.
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- 13 years?- Yeah, that's correct.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54- Made on February...- Oh, you shouldn't do that just for me.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56This cheese, we are going to open it.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- Look at the colour on it. - Hear the sound.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02- You know, sounds like wood. - LOUD TAPPING
0:40:02 > 0:40:04It does.
0:40:04 > 0:40:08- So, let's open it and let's taste it.- OK.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11- Would you? - I'd love to.
0:40:11 > 0:40:14You will see the difference, in terms of colour.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15It will more...amber.
0:40:15 > 0:40:17- I-I've got to take a picture of it. - Sure.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19Gosh, that is an amazing.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Look at the colour of it.
0:40:21 > 0:40:23- Fab.- Do you want me to take a picture of you?
0:40:23 > 0:40:25- Yeah, yeah, with the cheese?- Yup.
0:40:25 > 0:40:26Yeah.
0:40:26 > 0:40:27Say old cheese.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29Old chee-eese.
0:40:29 > 0:40:31HE LAUGHS
0:40:33 > 0:40:37You know, Rick, we never say that we cut a wheel.
0:40:37 > 0:40:42We can say that we break a cheese, or we open a cheese,
0:40:42 > 0:40:47because what we want to obtain is to emphasise the natural structure,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51the granularity, which is one of our landmarks, OK?
0:40:51 > 0:40:54The knife we use is called "hook".
0:40:54 > 0:40:58- Yeah, I can see why. - It looks like... Yeah.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00There's a real sense of occasion.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02It's an experiment to age a cheese this long,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05and everyone wants to know how it's turned out.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07I think this is fabulous.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13I mean, we could be opening a really old bottle of Burgundy, now.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16I mean, it's that degree of, sort of, excitement.
0:41:16 > 0:41:20One thing - as Simone was saying - is you...you actually eat,
0:41:20 > 0:41:22you can eat the rind of Parmesan,
0:41:22 > 0:41:25because it's just cheese, and they use it to make stock.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27So, don't throw your Parmesan rind away.
0:41:27 > 0:41:32Make some tomato sauce with it, or some lovely vegetable stock.
0:41:32 > 0:41:34And this would be just sensational.
0:41:38 > 0:41:39It sounds incredible.
0:41:45 > 0:41:47Wow...look at...
0:41:47 > 0:41:49- Wow. - It's amber.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51THEY APPLAUD
0:41:53 > 0:41:56- Like amber, you know. - Look at...
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Oh, I feel so privileged.
0:42:00 > 0:42:03It's like tasting an old wine, it really is,
0:42:03 > 0:42:04but obviously it's cheese.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07I can taste... There are so many, like, bits of crystal in there.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11- Yeah.- I suppose, the older it gets, the more...crunchy.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13You know that taste of Parmesan,
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- with old Parmesan, it's really crunchy.- Yeah.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19Gosh.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22Such a great product, Parmesan, I mean...
0:42:22 > 0:42:25There's nothing quite like it in the world.
0:42:25 > 0:42:26I don't think people realise
0:42:26 > 0:42:29that it's possible to visit places like this,
0:42:29 > 0:42:32but there is an museum on one side of the dairy
0:42:32 > 0:42:35and a shop, full of gourmet foods, on the other.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38So it's definitely worth a trip out.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43Now, literally, just down the road is our lunch stop.
0:42:43 > 0:42:46It's an agriturismo, which means a farm
0:42:46 > 0:42:48where they also cater for visitors,
0:42:48 > 0:42:50and they're well worth going to,
0:42:50 > 0:42:53because the food is generally very good.
0:42:53 > 0:42:57This one's a pig farm and a restaurant.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00But, out in the back, they're boiling a pig's head.
0:43:00 > 0:43:02Well, of course they are.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06THEY SPEAK ITALIAN
0:43:11 > 0:43:14This is a pressure cooker made out of what appears to be
0:43:14 > 0:43:17a 44 gallon drum, and maybe a beer barrel, I'm not sure.
0:43:20 > 0:43:22I like these boys.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25THEY LAUGH
0:43:25 > 0:43:27Oh, yeah.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29They're making what we call brawn.
0:43:29 > 0:43:32It's probably not what everybody likes to see,
0:43:32 > 0:43:34but I just love this farm.
0:43:34 > 0:43:39They're cutting out great, great, big, big, pork legs in there,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41and the dogs are looking on.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44It's, sort of, real Cold Comfort Farm stuff.
0:43:44 > 0:43:45It's lovely.
0:43:49 > 0:43:51They're making pork steaks for our lunch,
0:43:51 > 0:43:53just grilled over charcoal.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55They're massive.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58You need a big appetite here.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00Served with a nice glass of Sangiovese.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02Yummo.
0:44:08 > 0:44:12I'm a great lover of simple food, and delicious food,
0:44:12 > 0:44:14and it doesn't get more simple and delicious than this.
0:44:14 > 0:44:17Just a lovely, big pork steak.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19And this is an agriturismo.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23It's well within an hour of the centre of Bologna.
0:44:23 > 0:44:25Such a good idea to come out here.
0:44:25 > 0:44:27Bologna can be a bit claustrophobic -
0:44:27 > 0:44:30don't get me wrong, I love it, but it's very enclosed.
0:44:30 > 0:44:33It's a bit like Venice without the canals.
0:44:33 > 0:44:37So, just to get out for half a day, lunching somewhere like this,
0:44:37 > 0:44:39just the perfect thing to do.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48After a long day in the countryside,
0:44:48 > 0:44:51we get back to the city tired and hungry.
0:44:52 > 0:44:55Time for an early supper.
0:44:55 > 0:44:58Biassanot is a traditional trattoria,
0:44:58 > 0:45:01and my nose is leading me there,
0:45:01 > 0:45:04telling me that it's good place to find dinner.
0:45:05 > 0:45:08Oh, that looks nice. Grazie.
0:45:13 > 0:45:16It's interesting, this place called Biassanot -
0:45:16 > 0:45:17the restaurant is called Biassanot,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19and it means "chew the night."
0:45:19 > 0:45:21The people that chew the night.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23It's in a really bohemian part of Bologna,
0:45:23 > 0:45:25very near the railway station.
0:45:25 > 0:45:28And it, sort of, refers to, sort of, people coming here,
0:45:28 > 0:45:31before going out on their railway journey,
0:45:31 > 0:45:34out to the country, absolutely ravenous
0:45:34 > 0:45:35and having something to eat.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39I think this is a bit more upmarket than the sort of things they would
0:45:39 > 0:45:41be looking for in those days.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47I watched Luca, the chef, making my stuffed rabbit.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51He starts by laying Parma ham over the bone fillets,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54then he beats together eggs and Parmesan,
0:45:54 > 0:45:56and fries it in oil.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I'm getting used to Parma ham and Parmesan turning up in everything.
0:46:02 > 0:46:06So, Luca's slicing up a frittata, which they normally stuff
0:46:06 > 0:46:10with things like Parma ham and mozzarella and then fold.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13But, in this case, he's just using it as a bit of stuffing,
0:46:13 > 0:46:15which I think will be really, really nice.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17That and the Parma ham, of course.
0:46:19 > 0:46:23He rolls it up and he ties it...
0:46:26 > 0:46:29..and then, he puts it in an oiled roasting dish.
0:46:32 > 0:46:34This is why I love being...getting in kitchens
0:46:34 > 0:46:36and watching exactly what's happened,
0:46:36 > 0:46:39because Luca's just sprinkled what I thought
0:46:39 > 0:46:42was just pepper over there, but in fact it's salamoia...
0:46:42 > 0:46:44- Salamoia?- Yup.
0:46:44 > 0:46:50..bolognese, and it's actually salt, rosemary, and garlic and pepper.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54It's a little, sort of, spice, a sort of bit of flavouring
0:46:54 > 0:46:57that you probably wouldn't see in most books.
0:47:00 > 0:47:04So, Luca's cooking the rabbit for one hour at 180.
0:47:04 > 0:47:07But he's just added a bit of white wine, as well.
0:47:16 > 0:47:20When it's done, he cuts it up and braises the slices in some stock.
0:47:23 > 0:47:26It's served with a reduction of the stock,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28thickened with a little flour as a sauce.
0:47:30 > 0:47:33I don't know why we've got such a down on rabbit in the UK,
0:47:33 > 0:47:35because it is so delicious,
0:47:35 > 0:47:37and particularly when it's done like this,
0:47:37 > 0:47:38stuffed with that frittata,
0:47:38 > 0:47:42which was just made with eggs and Parmesan,
0:47:42 > 0:47:44and then there's Parma ham in there too.
0:47:44 > 0:47:45It is so over the top.
0:47:45 > 0:47:47So gloriously over the top.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49But it really works with the rabbit.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53You know, don't...don't have a faint heart if you come to Bologna,
0:47:53 > 0:47:56because you're going to get a lot of very rich and lovely food.
0:48:03 > 0:48:07The University of Bologna is over 1,000 years old,
0:48:07 > 0:48:10even older than Oxford, where I went.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13This is the Archiginnasio Library
0:48:13 > 0:48:15and you can see the seals on the walls
0:48:15 > 0:48:18of wealthy families who sent their sons here.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21The list of alumni is impressive.
0:48:21 > 0:48:24Thomas a Becket, Albrecht Durer,
0:48:24 > 0:48:27Marconi, before he invented radio,
0:48:27 > 0:48:31and Giorgio Armani, before he was Armani.
0:48:32 > 0:48:34Where there are students, there are bars,
0:48:34 > 0:48:37and this is the oldest bar in Bologna.
0:48:37 > 0:48:40It's called Il Sole, which means "The Sun".
0:48:40 > 0:48:44I've come for an early aperitivo with a food blogger -
0:48:44 > 0:48:46I love food bloggers -
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Enrica Lazzarini.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51Well, I'm so pleased you've introduced me
0:48:51 > 0:48:53to this bar, it's fabulous.
0:48:53 > 0:48:55It's just... I feel like I'm at home.
0:48:55 > 0:48:58This is one of my favourite places to come with my friend,
0:48:58 > 0:49:01or with my husband, because in this osteria,
0:49:01 > 0:49:07obviously, they serve only wine or beer, nothing more.
0:49:07 > 0:49:12So, if you want to eat something, to have a kind of aperitif,
0:49:12 > 0:49:16you just go outside, walk around, and take some food with you.
0:49:16 > 0:49:19- Really? Do they not mind? - Yeah, they don't mind.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21Because their specialty is, obviously,
0:49:21 > 0:49:23to serve up wine and beer.
0:49:23 > 0:49:25It's very civilised.
0:49:25 > 0:49:28There ought to be more places like it around.
0:49:28 > 0:49:29So, what have you bought?
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I mean, you've got... This is mortadella, I presume.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35Yeah, I took with me some specialties of Bologna,
0:49:35 > 0:49:36you know mortadella very well.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40And this is a quite uncommon piece.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42This is salame rosa.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43It's made, more or less,
0:49:43 > 0:49:46with the same ingredients of mortadella.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49- As mortadella.- But the taste is completely different.
0:49:49 > 0:49:52- Oh, well. - You can have a crescentina.
0:49:52 > 0:49:54These are like little pillows,
0:49:54 > 0:49:58- but you never open them up, though. - No, we usually just press.- OK, OK.
0:50:00 > 0:50:02Mm.
0:50:02 > 0:50:03- You like it? - Mm.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06It's similar, but not the same.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09Yeah, because it's cooked in a different way,
0:50:09 > 0:50:11with different parts of the pig.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13But the main ingredients remains the same.
0:50:13 > 0:50:17I think that there is a smoke taste, at the very end.
0:50:17 > 0:50:19Slightly smoked, yeah, yeah.
0:50:19 > 0:50:23So, what do you think is so, sort of, particular about
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- the cuisine of Bologna, then? - Oh, well,
0:50:26 > 0:50:30the love of cooking, and the love of food, is in our DNA.
0:50:30 > 0:50:35We grow up looking at our granny and mother
0:50:35 > 0:50:38cooking from the very beginning of the day, all day long,
0:50:38 > 0:50:41because all of our recipes, you know,
0:50:41 > 0:50:43takes a lot of time to preparing.
0:50:43 > 0:50:48And it's just about the love, for sharing this thing with our family.
0:50:48 > 0:50:52Well, I mean, long may it last because, really, I think, you know,
0:50:52 > 0:50:53a lot of people say this,
0:50:53 > 0:50:57but your own food is how you sort of identify.
0:50:57 > 0:51:02- It's almost a very important part of your culture, really.- Yes.
0:51:02 > 0:51:03It's your identity.
0:51:03 > 0:51:05Without your food, who are you?
0:51:05 > 0:51:08- No-one.- No-one. THEY LAUGH
0:51:10 > 0:51:11It's my last evening.
0:51:11 > 0:51:16Just round the corner from my hotel is a restaurant called Ciacco.
0:51:16 > 0:51:20It's run by Stefano, and his friend and chef Riccardo.
0:51:20 > 0:51:23Like me, they're both very keen on fish,
0:51:23 > 0:51:26and today's special is gurnard.
0:51:26 > 0:51:30And this is one of the best-looking gurnards I think I've ever seen.
0:51:32 > 0:51:35Got a very, very complicated bone structure,
0:51:35 > 0:51:37and you can't really pull them out with tweezers.
0:51:37 > 0:51:42So he's actually cutting the whole strip, where the bones are, out.
0:51:42 > 0:51:43It's served with - what else?
0:51:43 > 0:51:45Fresh egg pasta.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47This one is called passatelli.
0:51:49 > 0:51:54Passatelli's just a pasta dough, made with breadcrumbs, flour,
0:51:54 > 0:52:00Parmesan, eggs, nutmeg and lemon zest.
0:52:00 > 0:52:01But use a potato ricer.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04Something I've never done before.
0:52:06 > 0:52:08Riccardo finely chops a few shallots,
0:52:08 > 0:52:10then carrots and leeks.
0:52:10 > 0:52:14He fries them in oil with some garlic and a sprig of oregano.
0:52:14 > 0:52:17Then he adds lentils and water.
0:52:17 > 0:52:19He seasons it, and leaves it to simmer.
0:52:23 > 0:52:27In another pan, he fries pieces of the gurnard fillet in a little oil,
0:52:27 > 0:52:29with a clove of crushed garlic.
0:52:34 > 0:52:36I'm really interested in this dish.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39What he's doing now, he's just added the lentils,
0:52:39 > 0:52:41which have been cooking for about 20 minutes,
0:52:41 > 0:52:45and then he's added some fumetto, which is fish stock,
0:52:45 > 0:52:49and now I suspect he's going to reduce it a bit.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52But I'm really interested that he's chosen gurnard
0:52:52 > 0:52:55because it's really firm, and for something like this,
0:52:55 > 0:52:57it will hold its shape very well.
0:52:57 > 0:52:59I'm liking this very much.
0:53:01 > 0:53:04The passatelli cook in literally a minute.
0:53:04 > 0:53:08And then, they're tipped into the sauce, drizzled with olive oil,
0:53:08 > 0:53:09and served.
0:53:14 > 0:53:16Riccardo joined me for supper.
0:53:16 > 0:53:20I can't speak Italian, but because we're talking about food
0:53:20 > 0:53:22I think I got the gist.
0:53:27 > 0:53:32HE SPEAKS ITALIAN
0:53:38 > 0:53:41Riccardo is just saying that he loves fish,
0:53:41 > 0:53:42he loves cooking with fish
0:53:42 > 0:53:44and the very important about fish
0:53:44 > 0:53:46is letting the fish speak for itself,
0:53:46 > 0:53:49and not using too many other ingredients.
0:53:49 > 0:53:53Just a few ingredients to bring out what's best about a particular fish,
0:53:53 > 0:53:55and that's exactly what he's done with this.
0:53:58 > 0:54:03And then, I had Riccardo's dessert, which was brilliant.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06So good, I had to show you.
0:54:06 > 0:54:10This is panna cotta with green pistachio brittle.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14So, first of all, some cream.
0:54:15 > 0:54:17And then some milk.
0:54:19 > 0:54:22Add 100g of sugar to that quantity...
0:54:23 > 0:54:27..and my vanilla seeds
0:54:27 > 0:54:29and the vanilla pod.
0:54:29 > 0:54:31So, I'm just going to bring that up to the boil,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34simmer it for a little bit, to pick up all that flavour
0:54:34 > 0:54:35from the vanilla.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40Meanwhile, I'm just setting a leaf of gelatine
0:54:40 > 0:54:42to soften in cold water.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46So, that's come to the boil now.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Just leave that to simmer for a...a minute.
0:54:49 > 0:54:51Now, I'm going to add the gelatine.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57It's smelling delicious.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01The vanilla pod comes out,
0:55:01 > 0:55:04and it's poured into individual glasses to set.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07OK, now just to put those in the fridge.
0:55:07 > 0:55:12By rights, I should let them cool a little, but I'm a bit of a bloke.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13It's my fridge, it'll be all right.
0:55:13 > 0:55:18Next, I'm going to make the salted caramel pistachio sauce.
0:55:18 > 0:55:20First, salt the nuts.
0:55:20 > 0:55:21Now for the caramel.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23It's incredibly simple.
0:55:23 > 0:55:28All you need is hot water, sugar and butter.
0:55:28 > 0:55:30You have to judge it just right.
0:55:30 > 0:55:32If you take it off too soon,
0:55:32 > 0:55:35it's too light and it doesn't get crisp enough.
0:55:35 > 0:55:38And too late, and you've got something jet black
0:55:38 > 0:55:41which is virtually bursting into flame.
0:55:43 > 0:55:47It gets dark very, very quickly, and there, it's going right now.
0:55:47 > 0:55:50So, I need to pour that right all over those pistachios,
0:55:50 > 0:55:53because that will set really, really quickly.
0:55:58 > 0:56:00As soon as the brittle's cooled and set,
0:56:00 > 0:56:04it needs to be broken up and blended to a powder.
0:56:09 > 0:56:13And then, it's added to a jug of cream, and mixed up,
0:56:13 > 0:56:15keeping back a little for decoration.
0:56:19 > 0:56:21Once the panna cottas have set,
0:56:21 > 0:56:24I briefly stand them in hot water, just to loosen them,
0:56:24 > 0:56:27and then I'll turn them out.
0:56:27 > 0:56:28Hopefully...
0:56:30 > 0:56:31Argh!
0:56:34 > 0:56:36Oh, look at that.
0:56:36 > 0:56:38I'm really pleased, really relieved.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40It's really, sort of, firm and wobbly,
0:56:40 > 0:56:42just how a panna cotta should be.
0:56:42 > 0:56:43Fabulous.
0:56:43 > 0:56:45Now for the cream.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Just finish off with some of the chopped pistachios.
0:56:50 > 0:56:52Gosh, that looks so Bologna.
0:57:01 > 0:57:03Well, that's it, really.
0:57:03 > 0:57:06All too soon, my long weekend's over.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Arrivederci, Bologna.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12You're like a big, generous mamma, always in the kitchen,
0:57:12 > 0:57:17feeding your little boy big, hearty dinners of pasta.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19Grazie.
0:57:19 > 0:57:20It's time to say goodbye,
0:57:20 > 0:57:23it's time to give my stomach a holiday.
0:57:24 > 0:57:26Ciao, mamma.
0:57:27 > 0:57:29I must say, it's been lots of fun.
0:57:29 > 0:57:31The first couple of days, a bit gloomy,
0:57:31 > 0:57:33it rained rather a lot, but it didn't matter
0:57:33 > 0:57:36cos I kept finding snug little restaurants
0:57:36 > 0:57:38to have some fantastic food.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42Also, it's got so much atmosphere, even when it's gloomy.
0:57:42 > 0:57:43It's even better.
0:57:43 > 0:57:47And, being a university city, it's always lively.
0:57:47 > 0:57:51But now the sun's out, those great-looking food shops
0:57:51 > 0:57:53and the markets and the produce stalls
0:57:53 > 0:57:55are all so much more colourful.
0:57:55 > 0:57:58And it's really the food, of course, that I'm here for.
0:57:58 > 0:58:03I mean, there's been fantastic hams, wonderful cheeses,
0:58:03 > 0:58:05Parmesan, of course.
0:58:05 > 0:58:06Great meats.
0:58:06 > 0:58:10Fabulous vegetables, seasonal vegetables, you name it.
0:58:10 > 0:58:13But, above all, the pasta.
0:58:13 > 0:58:16Just sensational.
0:58:16 > 0:58:18I think love is infectious,
0:58:18 > 0:58:23and Bologna is a city in love with its own food.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25# Hey, Rick
0:58:25 > 0:58:28# Where we going next weekend?
0:58:28 > 0:58:32# Are we flying a few hours away?
0:58:32 > 0:58:35# For some delicious food, they say
0:58:35 > 0:58:37# We can try dishes in Roma,
0:58:37 > 0:58:39# Or Barcelona,
0:58:39 > 0:58:42# For something more exotic, though
0:58:42 > 0:58:43# The spices of Morocco
0:58:43 > 0:58:47# Yes, you can take your pick
0:58:47 > 0:58:50# And even break the ice in Reykjavik
0:58:50 > 0:58:52# So, Rick, make the booking
0:58:52 > 0:58:54# Let's get cooking
0:58:54 > 0:58:59# And get those taste buds going, next weekend. #