0:00:02 > 0:00:04A change is as good as a rest, so they say.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09I think a long weekend is just the thing.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11Not an obvious place like Paris or Rome,
0:00:11 > 0:00:16but somewhere where I can take in some local history and a bit of culture.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20But, of course, it's the food that will always be the key,
0:00:20 > 0:00:25and if you like seriously fresh seafood and really busy bars serving
0:00:25 > 0:00:29plates of clams and cold beers, along with a great sense of history,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32then this could well be for you.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34# Hey, Rick!
0:00:34 > 0:00:37# Where we going this weekend... #
0:00:38 > 0:00:39Lisbon.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43# Are we flying a few hours away
0:00:43 > 0:00:47# For some delicious food, they say?
0:00:47 > 0:00:51# So, Rick, make the booking and let's get cooking.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55# And get those taste buds going this weekend. #
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Well, it's some time since I've been to Lisbon,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11but what I remember most of all was the seafood.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14But not just the wonderfully fresh seafood,
0:01:14 > 0:01:17but the little restaurants that sold it,
0:01:17 > 0:01:20with, all the time, a view over the water -
0:01:20 > 0:01:23not the open sea but the River Tagus.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25And the other thing was the tiles -
0:01:25 > 0:01:30everywhere the buildings seemed to be clad in these beautifully faded blue
0:01:30 > 0:01:32and green tiles.
0:01:32 > 0:01:33I remember those particularly.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37Just lovely. And the other thing were the narrow streets,
0:01:37 > 0:01:41often going up and down some really, really steep hills.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43ALL: Really?
0:01:43 > 0:01:44Yes, really.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Not so good if you're carrying heavy filming equipment, but fine for me.
0:01:49 > 0:01:50I don't have to.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Now, this is a nice, practical, ordinary sort of hotel.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03It's not going to break the bank and it has all the accoutrements for my
0:02:03 > 0:02:06long weekend, namely a bar.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11How often does this happen to me?
0:02:11 > 0:02:13Please work.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15Don't make me have to go back downstairs.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Oh, brilliant.
0:02:18 > 0:02:19This is nice and modern.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23What's that? A Japanese bathroom with its little panes.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25The bed looks nice. Nice double bed.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Sofa. That'll be good.
0:02:27 > 0:02:28And the view.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32A road and another hotel.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Well, you can't have everything.
0:02:35 > 0:02:36No, you can't.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39I'd much rather overlook this square
0:02:39 > 0:02:42with a view of the River Tagus
0:02:42 > 0:02:46or a view of the castle or this square, but if, like me,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49you happen to plan your weekend around mid-June,
0:02:49 > 0:02:53you may find that all the hotels are booked in the centre because of
0:02:53 > 0:02:56this man - St Anthony.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Today is his day.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01St Anthony's patronage is bountiful.
0:03:01 > 0:03:07He is the patron saint of fishermen, the poor, amputees, travellers,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11horses, pregnant women and swine herds, to name but a few.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13BAND PLAYS
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Summer here means warmer waters and the coming of the sardines.
0:03:19 > 0:03:25They're at their very best, full of oil and extremely sweet and tasty.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28Now when I have the luxury of eating a grilled sardine,
0:03:28 > 0:03:32no matter where I am in the world, I think of Portugal.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34They should be on the national flag.
0:03:34 > 0:03:38SHE SPEAKS PORTUGUESE
0:03:38 > 0:03:39I'm really looking forward to this.
0:03:39 > 0:03:43I just asked them how to eat this on bread because, obviously,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46there's loads of bones in a sardine.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48I couldn't totally understand what she was saying
0:03:48 > 0:03:50but I got the general gist of it. I think, basically,
0:03:50 > 0:03:53you just take the skin off and then you pull it apart.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57It's very hot, but very fresh...
0:03:57 > 0:03:58and very tasty.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04And I noticed that she said, now you pull out the backbone...
0:04:04 > 0:04:06but you have to eat these bits here.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13There is just something incredibly wonderful about getting messy eating
0:04:13 > 0:04:15food like this, which is so good.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17It is sort of part of the whole...
0:04:17 > 0:04:18enjoyment of it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24You'd love this. I promise that.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYS
0:04:33 > 0:04:36I suppose you could call this a kind of thanksgiving to St Anthony,
0:04:36 > 0:04:38the protector of the fishermen.
0:04:38 > 0:04:44And it started because poor old Anthony couldn't really get the locals to
0:04:44 > 0:04:48listen to his sermons, and so, according to legend,
0:04:48 > 0:04:52he walked the seashore preaching to the fish,
0:04:52 > 0:04:54who became incredibly attentive,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57poking their little heads up out of the water.
0:04:57 > 0:05:03BAND PLAYS, PEOPLE SING AND CLAP
0:05:09 > 0:05:14This is lovely but I've just noticed the girls are much more enthusiastic
0:05:14 > 0:05:17at singing and dancing than the boys.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Was it ever thus?
0:05:24 > 0:05:28Anthony is also the patron saint of matchmakers,
0:05:28 > 0:05:33and it's a very common sight to see men carrying a small pot of basil.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37These are unmarried men looking for someone to share their life with,
0:05:37 > 0:05:39and so they look avidly around,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42hoping to find the woman of their dreams
0:05:42 > 0:05:46so they can deliver their humble plant as a token of their love.
0:05:46 > 0:05:47I couldn't help noticing
0:05:47 > 0:05:50there's an awful lot of women holding pots of basil.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I do hope they know what they're letting themselves in for.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03And this is really to celebrate the humble sardine.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I'm really enjoying these floats.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09It's a little bit like St Merryn Carnival back in Cornwall -
0:06:09 > 0:06:11maybe just a tad more professional.
0:06:11 > 0:06:13There's so much thought that's gone into it.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18I was rather hoping to see a float with a sardine theme,
0:06:18 > 0:06:20but I guess that's been done many, many times before.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25MUSIC CONTINUES
0:06:31 > 0:06:34They tell me these celebrations go on for weeks.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38Well, I've only been here five hours and it's time for bed.
0:06:52 > 0:06:57'My very first breakfast here in Lisbon has to be this -
0:06:57 > 0:07:00'the famous pasteis de Belem,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04'the most brilliant custard tart you've ever tasted.'
0:07:04 > 0:07:08I'd go further and say that these sweet, mellow, warm,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12very gooey and exceedingly tasty little tarts
0:07:12 > 0:07:15were a real eye-opener for me.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18And this cafe-cum-bakery with its rabbit warren
0:07:18 > 0:07:21of tile-encrusted rooms is a sheer delight.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Naturally, the recipe is a closely guarded secret,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29and so from eight in the morning until 11 at night,
0:07:29 > 0:07:31the queues are always there.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Well, I'm extremely partial to a custard tart,
0:07:37 > 0:07:40but they don't get any better than these.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43What makes them so special
0:07:43 > 0:07:47is the extraordinary softness of the custard
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and the crispness and the lightness of the pastry.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54Seriously, when you bite into them, it's bliss.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58But the other thing is when you just put a little bit of cinnamon -
0:07:58 > 0:08:02not too much - and a little bit of icing sugar on the top,
0:08:02 > 0:08:05it just completes it.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Interestingly, these tarts are a part of history,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11because next door to here is a monastery,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15and in the 15th and 16th century, monasteries were like hotels.
0:08:15 > 0:08:16They were the only places
0:08:16 > 0:08:19that you could actually get a bed for the night,
0:08:19 > 0:08:22and these custard tarts came out of that
0:08:22 > 0:08:27and became so popular that in about the 18th century, this shop opened,
0:08:27 > 0:08:29and the rest, of course, is history.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32But what is so good, I think, is food and history.
0:08:32 > 0:08:37It's not just about the recipes but it's also about the ingredients
0:08:37 > 0:08:40because, as you know, the Portuguese went everywhere in the world
0:08:40 > 0:08:43and they brought sugar cane back from the Americas,
0:08:43 > 0:08:47and they brought cinnamon back from the East Indies.
0:08:47 > 0:08:49So there is a real food chain there,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51and I think that's what makes them so special as well.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Like Rome, Lisbon was built on seven hills.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03I'm thinking more San Francisco than Rome,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06with these excellent little trams shuffling around all over the place.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08TRAM BELL RINGS
0:09:08 > 0:09:13Maybe I'm a bit of an old romantic, but if we'd kept them in our cities,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15how much better and more beautiful
0:09:15 > 0:09:20our lives and our cities would have been? And a lot cleaner, too.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25A lot of people have written in asking,
0:09:25 > 0:09:28what makes a Rick Stein weekend?
0:09:29 > 0:09:33Well, I think what I would look for, first of all, is...
0:09:33 > 0:09:35- Only about three.- All right.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40What I'd look for first of all is a good hotel.
0:09:40 > 0:09:43I don't want one of those sort of really expensive ones with
0:09:43 > 0:09:46sort of somebody playing the piano in the foyer when you arrive.
0:09:46 > 0:09:48But I want one that's at a reasonable price,
0:09:48 > 0:09:51good, comfortable bed,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53decent breakfast and close to the action,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55quite near the centre of the city.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Next, three, here's the next one - the food.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01I'll never go anywhere unless I know the food's good.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03I mean, coming to Lisbon,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05that was the really exciting thing about Lisbon,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08having all that seafood, but not only seafood.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12I mean, they do really good pork in Portugal.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14I wanted to try that.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16And the third thing, really, is
0:10:16 > 0:10:18what I would call mooching.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22I don't really like going on tours on these sort of
0:10:22 > 0:10:23touring buses and all that.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24It just makes me really grumpy.
0:10:24 > 0:10:27I start getting critical about the other people on the bus,
0:10:27 > 0:10:28and claustrophobic.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30I like just walking around on my own.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- OK?- Yeah, I think that's...
0:10:34 > 0:10:36quite good, really.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37Um, dois, tres!
0:10:37 > 0:10:40THEY SING
0:10:59 > 0:11:02A great example of mooching is this.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06I saw these girls carrying musical instruments and begged them to play
0:11:06 > 0:11:09just one more for me.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11They did and it made my morning.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25Um, dois, tres!
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Bravo!
0:11:27 > 0:11:28'That was good mooching, that.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31'And, interestingly, they're not musicians,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34'they're engineering students.'
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Well, I think just looking at Lisbon from this vantage point,
0:11:39 > 0:11:42you can see how interesting it is, cos it's built on hills,
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and also how different the architecture is.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49It's one of the oldest cities in Europe and you can just see it -
0:11:49 > 0:11:50a castle over there
0:11:50 > 0:11:53and old buildings with lovely terracotta tiles down there.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56And that bridge from the '60s over there,
0:11:56 > 0:11:58which looks a bit like the Golden Gate Bridge.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00One of the things that I really like about it
0:12:00 > 0:12:01is it's not that prosperous.
0:12:01 > 0:12:04If you take places like London and Paris these days,
0:12:04 > 0:12:07all the shops are so deluxe,
0:12:07 > 0:12:10but wandering around the little streets of Lisbon,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13there's lovely little cafes, little bars,
0:12:13 > 0:12:15little shops selling things like sort of
0:12:15 > 0:12:20stuff for dressmakers or springs and bits of string.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25It's just a delightful place just to wander around and always
0:12:25 > 0:12:28you've got the thought of having some lovely seafood
0:12:28 > 0:12:29for lunch or dinner.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38It's one of those things - the informed might call it inevitable,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40the uninformed might call it lucky -
0:12:40 > 0:12:42but wherever I go,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46I always seem to traipse in the footsteps of Lord Byron.
0:12:46 > 0:12:50I've swum off the Lido in Venice and so has he.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55I've been to remote monasteries in Greece and Albania and so has he.
0:12:55 > 0:13:00And I've even contemplated swimming the Hellespont from Europe to Asia.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02He did it. I contemplated it.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17But I think he rather liked Lisbon,
0:13:17 > 0:13:21not for the general cleanliness of the place, more for its glorious,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25unrivalled location on the banks of the Tagus.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29He wrote this in his most famous poem, Childe Harold -
0:13:29 > 0:13:33What beauties doth Lisboa first unfold!
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Her image floating on that noble tide.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40SHIP HORN BLARES
0:13:42 > 0:13:47But now for lunch and, as this is my long weekend, this is a must -
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Ramiro, probably the busiest restaurant in town.
0:13:51 > 0:13:56When I say restaurant, it started life as a cervejaria -
0:13:56 > 0:13:59a place where they serve cold beers and bits of seafood,
0:13:59 > 0:14:01the perfect combination.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05And so, naturally, it grew, and now they are a huge success story.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Ramiro, who sadly isn't with us any more,
0:14:11 > 0:14:16learned at the age of 12 how to cook fish and seafood from the fishwives
0:14:16 > 0:14:20down the port, and it's still done in the kitchens here
0:14:20 > 0:14:22in exactly the same way.
0:14:22 > 0:14:28The place is packed but I'm with a famous Portuguese chef, Nuno Mendez,
0:14:28 > 0:14:31who cooks in London of all places.
0:14:31 > 0:14:36He tells me that everyone's heard of the Spanish food but Portuguese is
0:14:36 > 0:14:38still a bit of a mystery.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43The craftsmen that we have, the artisans that we have,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45it's really brilliant and we are invisible.
0:14:45 > 0:14:50I feel like Portugal is still very much invisible in the...
0:14:50 > 0:14:52around the world or, like, outside of Portugal,
0:14:52 > 0:14:53in terms of the product.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57I mean, when you look at the quality of the ham, the seafood, I mean,
0:14:57 > 0:14:58our wines, the...
0:14:58 > 0:15:00Everything like... Our fish is really...
0:15:00 > 0:15:03It's stunning. I mean, like... It's all about pure ingredients.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05I mean, like, look at these. These are brilliant.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08They are like... These are the soft shell clams and we just prepare...
0:15:08 > 0:15:11- Can I have some?- Yes, please. - Oh, sorry.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13A little bit of garlic.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14- Yeah.- A little bit of coriander.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17What's amazing is that it's been very well recognised
0:15:17 > 0:15:19but people can see the clear difference
0:15:19 > 0:15:21between the Spanish and the Portuguese cuisine, so...
0:15:21 > 0:15:23- Which is?- Well, everything.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Everything is different. You know, the ingredients that we use,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28the coriander, the chilli...
0:15:28 > 0:15:30You don't get coriander in Spain, do you?
0:15:30 > 0:15:34Definitely, yeah. I mean, you find it in southern Italy perhaps a little bit, but it's different.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The seafood is different, the way it's prepared is different.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Well, I suppose it's part of your sort of colonial past, isn't it?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43Absolutely. And we use spices a lot.
0:15:43 > 0:15:46You don't really see that that much in Spain.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49I mean, the pork... We have the same pork that the Spanish have,
0:15:49 > 0:15:52although most of the pork is actually fed and...
0:15:52 > 0:15:54fed in Portugal and bred in Portugal,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56because there's more acorns here
0:15:56 > 0:15:59than on the other side of the border. Portuguese...
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'I think Nuno has got a good point,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03'and it's discovering Portuguese food
0:16:03 > 0:16:05'that's given me so much pleasure.'
0:16:08 > 0:16:13After all, Portugal separated from Spain as far back as 1640, and,
0:16:13 > 0:16:16of course, in Spain they've got their tapas, paella, sangria,
0:16:16 > 0:16:20tortillas, and their jamon writ large.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23But when it comes to Portugal, well, what do we know?
0:16:23 > 0:16:28Sardines, of course, but there's so many other brilliant seafood dishes.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34Finally, the joke here is your desert.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37This is your dessert, a steak sandwich.
0:16:37 > 0:16:38I can't tell you...
0:16:38 > 0:16:42I don't know why they call them nails - prego.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44But after a plate of seafood,
0:16:44 > 0:16:50for some reason which only maybe God can explain,
0:16:50 > 0:16:54it is the perfect way to finish in this restaurant.
0:17:00 > 0:17:05Pork and clams Alentejo, my favourite Portuguese dish,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08and I love it because it's a marriage of seafood and meat.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12Alentejo is the part of Portugal where the pork comes from,
0:17:12 > 0:17:17and I'm cutting up some lovely pork loin here into small pieces,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and I'm going to marinate them.
0:17:20 > 0:17:26Into this bowl goes my pork and then a couple of generous tablespoons of
0:17:26 > 0:17:28this puree of red pepper.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Now, this is to make the essential flavour of this dish.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36It's red peppers, which I've deseeded and salted for 12 hours,
0:17:36 > 0:17:39then roasted, then pureed.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43You can make a lot of this - I've made a jarful -
0:17:43 > 0:17:47and keep it in the fridge, but that is the big flavour in this dish.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51A couple of cloves of grated garlic and now some pimenton.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54You think this is Spanish but it also Portuguese.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Hot smoked red chilli peppers.
0:17:57 > 0:17:59In that goes,
0:17:59 > 0:18:01and a generous slug of white wine.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04Stir that all around,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08and now I'm going to marinate that for about 12 hours in the fridge
0:18:08 > 0:18:10with a bit of clingfilm on top.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19So, that's been marinating for many an hour.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22I'd just like to give it a good old sniff.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23I love marinated meat.
0:18:23 > 0:18:28And a lovely smell of pepper, of pimenton, that really smoky...
0:18:28 > 0:18:30and also red peppers.
0:18:30 > 0:18:31Just a little stir, then.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34I'm just going to drain off the excess marinade.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38So, just working that marinade through the colander,
0:18:38 > 0:18:41just to keep the... make the pork as dry as possible.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Olive oil in the pan.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I've got my pan already heated here.
0:18:46 > 0:18:47And now the pork.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49PORK SIZZLES
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Now we need to cook that till it's got a really nice colour on it.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55I just can't tell you how much I love this dish.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59I first had it, like, in the '60s when I first went to Portugal,
0:18:59 > 0:19:03and I couldn't believe pork could taste so good.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07And that combination of pork and seafood - pork and clams -
0:19:07 > 0:19:11I think this really is the original surf and turf dish.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14And now I'm just going to add some onions and cook them with the pork.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21And then the excess marinade, in that goes.
0:19:23 > 0:19:24Now, a little bit of tomato puree.
0:19:32 > 0:19:34So, there go the clams.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38I just need to probably put a lid on here now,
0:19:38 > 0:19:39just to help them to open up.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43That's smelling so good.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47Put that on for a couple of minutes and just wait while they open up,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49and it's looking a little bit dry, the sauce,
0:19:49 > 0:19:52I might have to add just a tiny bit of water,
0:19:52 > 0:19:53but let's have a look.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Oh, yeah. It's so quick.
0:19:56 > 0:19:59Just a tiny bit of water just to get a bit more sauce.
0:20:03 > 0:20:05That's looking great. And now I'm just going to finish off
0:20:05 > 0:20:07with some chopped coriander.
0:20:09 > 0:20:12That's one of my favourite seafood dishes ever.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17It's the stuff of some very happy long lunches over the years.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21All you need is a cold Portuguese rose to drink with it.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40This is the Belem Tower.
0:20:40 > 0:20:45I love it. It's right at the end of the Tagus River and it used to guard
0:20:45 > 0:20:47the river from boats trying to get up here.
0:20:50 > 0:20:53But I just like it because it's so ornate.
0:20:53 > 0:20:55It's so sort of wonderfully over the top.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58It sort of reminds me a bit of those Spanish galleons
0:20:58 > 0:21:00in the time of the Armada.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02They had all the same sort of detail,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05whereas our British ships were much more prosaic.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09And I imagine a tower like this in Britain built in the 16th century,
0:21:09 > 0:21:13as this was, would similarly be very simple, but it says to me Portugal.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16And also it's quite romantic, I think,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20because this would be the last thing that Portuguese sailors heading out
0:21:20 > 0:21:24to the New World - to Africa, to the Indies, to China - would have seen.
0:21:24 > 0:21:27It would have been a great memory for them
0:21:27 > 0:21:30as they left their beloved country.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40And who'd have thought these intrepid, brilliant navigators,
0:21:40 > 0:21:43through colonising Africa,
0:21:43 > 0:21:48India and the Far East and bringing back cinnamon, nutmeg and coriander,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52would not only forever influence the cuisine of their own homeland,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55but also the way we all eat today?
0:21:57 > 0:22:00And just think of India without chillies,
0:22:00 > 0:22:02because they didn't have any
0:22:02 > 0:22:04till the Portuguese came along and planted them
0:22:04 > 0:22:06in the 16th century.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11They also introduced tomatoes and potatoes, but just think of it,
0:22:11 > 0:22:16a curry without chillies - it's like roast beef without horseradish.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25This is the restaurant A Valenciana,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30the number one place for Lisbon's favourite spicy dish.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35Again, it came from those days of the navigators - chicken piri piri.
0:22:35 > 0:22:40I love big barbecue cooking over proper charcoal.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41Thanks, chef.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I mean, this is so hot, I can hardly stand it.
0:22:45 > 0:22:47I don't know how they put up with it.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51That one, there. The chickens are spatchcocked -
0:22:51 > 0:22:54that means they're opened up and just marinated in lemon juice,
0:22:54 > 0:22:56garlic and salt.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58And then they are just going to brush them with piri piri sauce
0:22:58 > 0:23:00just before they send them out.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03But this is Lisbon's dish.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06This is the most popular dish in the city,
0:23:06 > 0:23:07and, in fact,
0:23:07 > 0:23:14it's probably to Lisbon as fish and chips is to anywhere in the UK.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17I just love simple food like this -
0:23:17 > 0:23:21cooked over a charcoal with a bit of chilli sauce, some chips, a beer,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23thank you very much.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31Well, I actually love piri piri sauce, so, um...
0:23:33 > 0:23:34..a little bit extra. I like that.
0:23:34 > 0:23:39I like my chilli. Piri piri is actually Swahili for pepper pepper.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43And I guess originally it came from...
0:23:43 > 0:23:46from Mozambique, the Portuguese colony, of course.
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So let us just try it.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Lemony, salty, garlicky, nice and hot.
0:23:56 > 0:23:58Beautiful chicken.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Really, really lovely taste of charcoal.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03What more could you want?
0:24:03 > 0:24:05A bit of salad, a beer and look at that.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09Isn't that just...? When I walked in here - well, I would say this -
0:24:09 > 0:24:11it just looks so Portuguese.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15So simple. Nice tiles, dark wood...
0:24:15 > 0:24:16Perfect.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24If you ever come to Lisbon and don't have the chicken piri piri, well,
0:24:24 > 0:24:25big mistake.
0:24:28 > 0:24:30I've got another lunch in an hour or so
0:24:30 > 0:24:32with a couple of Portuguese food bloggers.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35Well, my weekend centres around food
0:24:35 > 0:24:38but the most important thing one can take to a restaurant is,
0:24:38 > 0:24:40yes, an appetite.
0:24:43 > 0:24:46And for this, I just need some time on my own
0:24:46 > 0:24:50to reflect without any interruptions.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Such luxury.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55Hello. Good morning.
0:24:55 > 0:24:56Good morning.
0:24:56 > 0:24:57Would you have a couple of tricks?
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Oh, no, no, no. Seriously, I'm fine.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01No? Just, like, a couple of tricks, yeah?
0:25:01 > 0:25:05'I was quite determined not to have anything to do with this man,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07'but I'm such a soft touch.'
0:25:07 > 0:25:11- Take one card.- OK.- Don't show me. - OK.- And sign your name on the card.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13- OK.- You need to put it there.
0:25:13 > 0:25:14- Only name.- OK.
0:25:14 > 0:25:16I want to shuffle like this.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I don't see any more.
0:25:20 > 0:25:21Rick.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24I have the magic pen. I put the pen in my nose like this.
0:25:24 > 0:25:27Oh, my gosh! You would like the pen?
0:25:27 > 0:25:29Yeah, it's free. OK, I'll put it here.
0:25:29 > 0:25:31OK.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Like, can put the card here?
0:25:33 > 0:25:35- Yeah.- On the middle.- Oh, right in the middle?- In the middle, yeah.
0:25:35 > 0:25:37- OK.- And I put the cards in my mouth, OK?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39All of the cards are in my mouth.
0:25:39 > 0:25:42- OK.- But it's not beautiful to see but...- No, I understand.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46OK, just go like this and then go to the top like this and...
0:25:46 > 0:25:48And go like that.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50- OK.- Mm-hmm?
0:25:50 > 0:25:51OK.
0:25:53 > 0:25:54- No?- No, no.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00I don't believe it.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04- Is that your name on the card? - Oh, gosh.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07RICK LAUGHS
0:26:07 > 0:26:09- Like, erm...- That was unbelievable.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11- Like, erm...- I just thought you'd got it wrong, there.- Ha-ha!
0:26:17 > 0:26:20Lunch part two, the freshest sardines -
0:26:20 > 0:26:26with a dusting of sea salt over hot charcoal, the smell is pure Lisbon.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34The oil drips and after a few minutes they're done.
0:26:37 > 0:26:40I'm meeting up with Sergio and Maria Rebelo,
0:26:40 > 0:26:46two articulate food bloggers who are so proud of their national cuisine.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51So, Sergio, what do you think is so particularly good
0:26:51 > 0:26:52about Portuguese cuisine?
0:26:52 > 0:26:55I think it's a cuisine based on humility.
0:26:55 > 0:26:57You know, you have great respect for the ingredients.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00You are given these amazing ingredients and what you do is
0:27:00 > 0:27:02not stand in their way.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04And people still come from a rural tradition.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06They know a lot about the ingredients.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10They know a lot about what they are cooking so they know what fat content,
0:27:10 > 0:27:11how much it should be cooked...
0:27:11 > 0:27:14You know, we don't cook with... from a recipe.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18We cook... You know, we look at the ingredients and we don't measure the amount of salt,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20or the amount of olive oil.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24We do it by passion, by, you know, the feeling.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27So, you live in Chicago now?
0:27:27 > 0:27:30Would you ever dream of getting sardines like that there?
0:27:30 > 0:27:31Dream? Yes.
0:27:31 > 0:27:32THEY ALL LAUGH
0:27:32 > 0:27:34The reality is very different.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37You know, the sardines don't have wings, so they don't really...
0:27:37 > 0:27:38They are not meant to fly.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41In Portugal, people are so crazy about the freshness of fish that people
0:27:41 > 0:27:43actually don't like to eat fish in Lisbon,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46because Lisbon is on the river, it's not on the oceans.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48- So Lisbon....- What?!- ..would not be a place to have fish.
0:27:48 > 0:27:49This is a bad place for fish?
0:27:49 > 0:27:51Not a good place because it's on the river.
0:27:51 > 0:27:52It's on the Tagus River.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56So when people really want fresh fish, they go to the beach.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Says, "Let's have a great fish meal."
0:27:58 > 0:28:01That's how crazy people are about the freshness of the fish.
0:28:04 > 0:28:07So there's only one thing for it,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and that's to take Sergio's advice and head to the coast
0:28:10 > 0:28:13and find a fabulous seafood restaurant for supper.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21But, first, I recommend having a look at this -
0:28:21 > 0:28:23this impressive aqueduct.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28It's quite modern as aqueducts go - 18th century.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31I love functional architecture -
0:28:31 > 0:28:33things like beam engine houses
0:28:33 > 0:28:38from Cornish tin mines or Yorkshire cotton mills, or this -
0:28:38 > 0:28:42a beautiful thing that brings fresh water from where it's plentiful
0:28:42 > 0:28:44to those who need it.
0:28:48 > 0:28:52The road west out of Lisbon takes you to the sea,
0:28:52 > 0:28:54where the rollers come straight from America.
0:28:58 > 0:29:01Now, this isn't what I was hoping for.
0:29:01 > 0:29:05What I was hoping for were gooseneck barnacles.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07They are a local delicacy
0:29:07 > 0:29:09and we were hoping to come out here
0:29:09 > 0:29:12and see some fishermen gathering them.
0:29:12 > 0:29:14What happens is at low tide
0:29:14 > 0:29:18they scramble down the rocks and they wait for a wave to break
0:29:18 > 0:29:22and then go right down and pick these barnacles up,
0:29:22 > 0:29:23which they call percebes.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26They are fantastic eating, let me tell you.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29But they are not here today.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32Even the seagulls have come inland, it's so rough.
0:29:32 > 0:29:34But what a lovely place to be.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37It's warm. There is a lovely damp breeze.
0:29:37 > 0:29:38There is a smell of ozone.
0:29:38 > 0:29:42It feels like Cornwall but just a little bit warmer.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47This is turning into quite a packed long weekend,
0:29:47 > 0:29:50and I'm pleased to say I've found my seafood restaurant
0:29:50 > 0:29:53on a beach on my way to Sintra.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57It's only about half an hour or so from Lisbon.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01This is a sheer delight, though, for a seafood cook.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05It's the sort of place we love for a crew supper, or for a crew anything,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09really. We have so much fun on these shoots.
0:30:09 > 0:30:14One of the most popular dishes here is a lovely concoction of prawns
0:30:14 > 0:30:19with clams, lots of olive oil, coriander and serious amounts of garlic.
0:30:19 > 0:30:22I could smell this from the beach.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25The thing about this place is it's not about the menu,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27it's what's fresh that day.
0:30:27 > 0:30:30You're crazy if you don't order the prawns.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35And then in go the clams. This is a seafood classic.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39I've made similar dishes using lots of freshly chopped parsley
0:30:39 > 0:30:43and a splash of white wine, but now this is how the Portuguese love it,
0:30:43 > 0:30:45and so do we.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51I mean, this is such a nice restaurant, right on the beach,
0:30:51 > 0:30:54and it sort of just feels unspoiled, but, in fact,
0:30:54 > 0:30:57it goes back to the time when the Portuguese had a royal family -
0:30:57 > 0:31:01not any more. And it was just a wooden shack then,
0:31:01 > 0:31:03and the queen used to come here.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07The king would come hunting locally and she'd just come down here and
0:31:07 > 0:31:09order horse mackerel.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Horse mackerel are what now gets put into lobster pots for bait,
0:31:12 > 0:31:14but she had a real thing about them.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18And on the back of that, on the back of this, sort of almost like,
0:31:18 > 0:31:22incidental royal patronage, the place grew and grew.
0:31:22 > 0:31:25But it's still got the feel of almost a shack on the beach,
0:31:25 > 0:31:28and I think that's really, really good in a restaurant, because, you know,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30as you get busier and busier,
0:31:30 > 0:31:34you tend to want to put more money into making places look deluxe,
0:31:34 > 0:31:36but who wants anything more than this?
0:31:39 > 0:31:41Well, these are the famous percebes.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43I absolutely love them, and the way you open them...
0:31:43 > 0:31:46And I can understand people not liking them,
0:31:46 > 0:31:49but I say to all these sort of things, just try them once.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53It's... You just twist the bottom of the barnacle and just pull away like
0:31:53 > 0:31:55that, and that's the bit you eat.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58To me, I always think they are like the claw of a lobster.
0:31:58 > 0:32:03They are that order of perfection in seafood.
0:32:03 > 0:32:05But, as I said, most people,
0:32:05 > 0:32:07would you want to eat those?
0:32:07 > 0:32:10Probably not,
0:32:10 > 0:32:13but I love them.
0:32:30 > 0:32:34This is Sintra, one of Lord Byron's favourite places.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38He even wrote to his mum to say how beautiful it was.
0:32:45 > 0:32:49Lo! Sintra's glorious Eden intervenes
0:32:49 > 0:32:53In variegated maze of mount and glen.
0:32:53 > 0:32:55Thus wrote Byron,
0:32:55 > 0:32:57but I'm blowed if I can see what he was writing about.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And actually, it comes from Childe Harold...
0:33:00 > 0:33:04And similarly Byron was writing about a place in Greece that I've been to
0:33:04 > 0:33:07recently called Zitza, about how it was the best view in the world,
0:33:07 > 0:33:10second only to Sintra.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12But that wasn't very good either.
0:33:12 > 0:33:14So I think that something's happened,
0:33:14 > 0:33:19that maybe, looking around, it just looks so wonderfully neglected here.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23There's all these buildings that are crumbling, but it's a sort of must.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27You must come from Lisbon for a day trip to Sintra.
0:33:27 > 0:33:29It... Actually,
0:33:29 > 0:33:33you can feel how great it must have been for them to escape the heat of
0:33:33 > 0:33:36the city in the summer, for all those kings and princes,
0:33:36 > 0:33:41but it's a little, little bit sort of, erm, you know, a bit dilapidated.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45It's good for mooching about, though.
0:33:45 > 0:33:46Lovely little lanes.
0:33:46 > 0:33:50I've often dreamt about a quirk in time travel -
0:33:50 > 0:33:54Byron and my paths might cross over and we can meet up.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58But I think he might say, "Come along, Shelley, quickly!
0:33:58 > 0:34:02"Here comes that dreadful bore of a seafood cook who talks about sardines
0:34:02 > 0:34:05"all the time! Let's get out of here, quick!"
0:34:08 > 0:34:10I've just been looking at these tiles.
0:34:10 > 0:34:13You can see how beautiful it would have been in Byron's time.
0:34:13 > 0:34:17The variegated maze, the mount and glen.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Without the trees, you can see the Moorish castle, the mountains,
0:34:21 > 0:34:24the glens... That's the palace where I was standing.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27It's just much more obvious now.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33The castle was built by the Moors,
0:34:33 > 0:34:37who conquered most of Spain and Portugal in the eighth century.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41They brought citrus fruits and almonds and ice cream to the country,
0:34:41 > 0:34:44as well as their techniques for growing rice.
0:34:44 > 0:34:49And without the invasion of the Arabs, there wouldn't be paella.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52I know that's not Portuguese, but there wouldn't be paella!
0:34:53 > 0:34:57I like this street artist depicting a Moorish soldier -
0:34:57 > 0:35:00anger and savagery, he does extremely well.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02I love his snarl.
0:35:03 > 0:35:07NORTH AFRICAN MUSIC PLAYS
0:35:09 > 0:35:12Ah!
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Crikey! I really wasn't expecting that.
0:35:20 > 0:35:25I was preoccupied because I thought five euros was far too much to put in his pot.
0:35:28 > 0:35:30But what a performance.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35Do you know? I thought mime artists didn't do very much except stand still
0:35:35 > 0:35:37and be quiet, but this one was brilliant.
0:35:37 > 0:35:41He reminded me of the old dad in Steptoe And Son.
0:35:46 > 0:35:47So, what to cook?
0:35:47 > 0:35:50Well, it has to be a legacy from the Moors,
0:35:50 > 0:35:53something sweet and totally delicious.
0:35:54 > 0:36:00Almond tart - crisp, toasted almonds, butterscotch, in a tart.
0:36:00 > 0:36:02It's dead easy to make.
0:36:02 > 0:36:04You see it everywhere. I love it.
0:36:07 > 0:36:09I don't do complicated sweets.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11It's not my forte.
0:36:11 > 0:36:16But the point of actually sieving flour is not to get rid of the lumps -
0:36:16 > 0:36:19it's just to add lots of air into your pastry.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23I'm using about 150 grams of plain flour.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Now butter. Crumb it in so it becomes, well, a bit like sort of
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Demerara sugar, and nice and moist.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36Now caster sugar, about 60 grams, and give it a good stir.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40It needs an egg yolk for that richness and to bind it.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46And a bit of water to make it pliable for rolling.
0:36:49 > 0:36:52A bit of flour...
0:36:54 > 0:36:56..and roll it out.
0:37:00 > 0:37:02Well, that's looking all right on the rolling pin.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04Oh, it's starting to break up a bit as I...
0:37:04 > 0:37:08As I roll it into the baking tin, but I expected that.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11I mean, it's sort of no pain, no gain, really.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15It's so short that it is inevitably going to break up a little bit,
0:37:15 > 0:37:17so I'm just having to patch it.
0:37:17 > 0:37:22But don't worry - when you bake it, you will not notice a thing.
0:37:22 > 0:37:26OK, now, I just need to get some beans and some paper to put in there.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Well, this, as you probably all know, is called blind baking -
0:37:31 > 0:37:35getting that pastry cooked just enough so that it makes a perfect vessel
0:37:35 > 0:37:38for your filling.
0:37:38 > 0:37:41Just add all of those flaked almonds.
0:37:41 > 0:37:44They'll take a while because there is a lot of volume in there,
0:37:44 > 0:37:46but once they start to toast, I've got to be quite careful,
0:37:46 > 0:37:50cos they'll go quite quickly. Yeah, beginning to go now.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Just shake the pan a little bit like that,
0:37:52 > 0:37:56just to get the ones from the bottom of the top.
0:37:56 > 0:37:58Yeah, that's beginning to come up really nicely.
0:37:58 > 0:38:00I think it's probably time to go.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02All right, into the bowl.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07Now for the butterscotch sauce.
0:38:07 > 0:38:13The pan is still very hot, so first sugar, about 120 grams.
0:38:13 > 0:38:17Then butter, a big chunk, 120 grams or so.
0:38:17 > 0:38:19And now milk.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23Now, this is producing lovely smells of distant times -
0:38:23 > 0:38:25making toffee apples, I think.
0:38:26 > 0:38:30You don't want to cook it too long, otherwise you get fudge.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34Perfect, now, to tip over all those toasted almonds.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40That's been in a moderate oven for ten minutes,
0:38:40 > 0:38:43so the pastry has just begun to bake.
0:38:46 > 0:38:49I just love almonds and I think it's very appropriate that...
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Almond tarts, of course, you're going to see them all over Portugal
0:38:52 > 0:38:54and all over Spain.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58And, you know, almonds, garlic, olive oil, lemons,
0:38:58 > 0:39:03tomatoes, all fit into that sort of idea of the Mediterranean diet.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06I love them and I love this tart.
0:39:07 > 0:39:1020 minutes later, bubbling perfection.
0:39:10 > 0:39:16Wait another hour and voila, an almond tart with fresh raspberries,
0:39:16 > 0:39:18with a dusting of icing sugar.
0:39:18 > 0:39:20Now, how cool is that?
0:39:27 > 0:39:31This is the House of Fado.
0:39:31 > 0:39:35Fado is the music that comes from the soul here in Lisbon.
0:39:35 > 0:39:37A bit like blues and flamenco -
0:39:37 > 0:39:41music born of deep longing and serious grief.
0:39:41 > 0:39:46And in Lisbon, long before the music has begun, they make a soup,
0:39:46 > 0:39:50a famous soup. It's called caldo verde.
0:39:50 > 0:39:57It's so simple and it's made with water, onions, potatoes, chourico,
0:39:57 > 0:40:03and it's all blended before the star of the show, the shredded kale,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05hence the name verde - green.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11This was the food of the poor, but now everyone eats it.
0:40:11 > 0:40:17And fado, fado was the music of the poor, the lament of the lonely heart,
0:40:17 > 0:40:20and so the simple soup and the music
0:40:20 > 0:40:25are bound together by tradition for eternity.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29So, Andrea, caldo verde, I've never tasted it before.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32How important is it to the Portuguese?
0:40:32 > 0:40:34Caldo verde is the best soup in Portugal.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38It's very typical in the House of Fado and it's very good.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- Very delicious.- So, at what time of night would you serve the caldo?
0:40:42 > 0:40:43- What time?- Any time.
0:40:43 > 0:40:48- Midnight, two o'clock, one o'clock, any time you can...- Fab.- ..go here.
0:40:48 > 0:40:52Yes. Cos I'm looking forward to it, to the fado.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56- Yes.- And maybe I'll be feeling a bit, "Oh, life is so sad,"
0:40:56 > 0:40:59- but then I get a bowl of caldo verde.- And it makes me happy!
0:41:02 > 0:41:06Simplicity is a very overused word in cookery programmes,
0:41:06 > 0:41:11but this soup was as simple as they come.
0:41:11 > 0:41:16And, as so often happens in dishes with very few ingredients,
0:41:16 > 0:41:19it was utterly delicious. It truly was.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24SHE SINGS IN PORTUGUESE
0:41:38 > 0:41:43There are those who know every word and sentiment of these sad songs.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47I reckon they'll be of a similar people to those who laugh
0:41:47 > 0:41:51jolly loudly to every Shakespearean joke in the theatre.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59FADO MUSIC PLAYS
0:42:01 > 0:42:05SHE SINGS IN PORTUGUESE
0:42:14 > 0:42:18I haven't a clue what on earth this song's about, but does it matter?
0:42:18 > 0:42:21The atmosphere is so special.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24She is excellent, too.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31And the soup and the wine, perfect!
0:42:32 > 0:42:38They say fado gets much better and more intense the later the hour,
0:42:38 > 0:42:43but not being a connoisseur, I thought, well, sensibly, "It's time for bed."
0:42:43 > 0:42:47But the streets and the people are still partying.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50I think I might just have another beer.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54Be warned, it's just that sort of a place.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56BAND PLAYS AN UPBEAT TUNE
0:43:01 > 0:43:06It was a long night of fado, soup and a few beers,
0:43:06 > 0:43:12and now the familiar challenge of the hotel breakfast buffet.
0:43:12 > 0:43:15It's all part of the long weekend thing, you know -
0:43:15 > 0:43:19nothing is standardised when it comes to the buffet breakfast.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21It's a voyage of discovery.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25It reminds bit of that song Round And Round The Mulberry Bush,
0:43:25 > 0:43:29but having a pair of reading glasses comes in very handy,
0:43:29 > 0:43:31because everything is in small print,
0:43:31 > 0:43:34and so your much-loved apricot jam
0:43:34 > 0:43:37turns out to be marmalade at the last minute.
0:43:37 > 0:43:39Are you butter or a cheese spread?
0:43:39 > 0:43:42You look the same. And what about the teaspoons?
0:43:42 > 0:43:46Usually I give up on them and stir with a fork.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49What's this? Sausages but not as we know them.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52And beans. Dave, they've got beans!
0:43:53 > 0:43:54And now you have to choose -
0:43:54 > 0:43:57it's one more time around the mulberry bush
0:43:57 > 0:44:01before you really decide to be a sensible healthy eater
0:44:01 > 0:44:03or a lover of the all-day breakfast.
0:44:08 > 0:44:10'Press the lever, Rick!'
0:44:20 > 0:44:24One of the reasons I chose Lisbon for a long weekend was because of
0:44:24 > 0:44:27the fish, but fish markets to me are like
0:44:27 > 0:44:30Madame Tussauds or the Tower of London.
0:44:30 > 0:44:32I have to go to a fish market.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35As a seafood cook, it gives me such a buzz.
0:44:35 > 0:44:39They may all look the same but there are always differences,
0:44:39 > 0:44:41and here is no exception.
0:44:45 > 0:44:47Well, another city, another fish market,
0:44:47 > 0:44:51but there are some very interesting things to say about it.
0:44:51 > 0:44:53There is a lot of very large fish here.
0:44:53 > 0:44:56Like, this is the biggest John Dory I have ever seen.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59They are normally just, like, this big.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Fantastically large sea bass.
0:45:01 > 0:45:05I haven't seen sea bass as big as that since my childhood.
0:45:05 > 0:45:07So, there's really plenty of fish around here,
0:45:07 > 0:45:10and of course that is really good for the Portuguese,
0:45:10 > 0:45:12because fish is the main part of their diet.
0:45:14 > 0:45:16Now, this is the boss lady round here.
0:45:16 > 0:45:20She is mission control for all the seafood cooks in Lisbon.
0:45:20 > 0:45:22Her name is Azucena.
0:45:22 > 0:45:26The skippers of the fishing boats ring her with what they've caught as
0:45:26 > 0:45:28they steam back home.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Then the cooks phone her and she tells them what's good.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39I chose a fish for lunch and couldn't resist it.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41It's called a corvina.
0:45:41 > 0:45:45I know it's big - really big - but it's for all of us.
0:45:45 > 0:45:49Now, good news, there's a restaurant upstairs and they always say,
0:45:49 > 0:45:51"Where there is a restaurant within the market,
0:45:51 > 0:45:54"then look no further for a place to eat."
0:45:55 > 0:46:00If you like white, steaky cutlets that taste of the sea, you'll love this.
0:46:02 > 0:46:07Virtually every restaurant I've been to here cooks over charcoal.
0:46:07 > 0:46:11Much as I love barbecue cooking, it's hard to get it right,
0:46:11 > 0:46:12as you can see.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15It's easier to cook fish steaks under the grill.
0:46:16 > 0:46:21I've just realised that corvina, in fact, as described in Portugal,
0:46:21 > 0:46:23is like a giant sea bass.
0:46:23 > 0:46:28We had the same fish in Bordeaux a few months ago called maigre,
0:46:28 > 0:46:31but it just tastes like bass to me, but big bass.
0:46:31 > 0:46:37And cooked like this on the charcoal, with lovely salad, it's just...
0:46:37 > 0:46:39I'm in heaven.
0:46:40 > 0:46:42We do love our crew lunches.
0:46:42 > 0:46:46They are most convivial but far too short.
0:46:47 > 0:46:49I just love fish and salad.
0:46:49 > 0:46:52If somebody said, "What was your favourite dish?"
0:46:52 > 0:46:57I think that would be. Just noticing some people behind there are having
0:46:57 > 0:47:00whole grouper heads with boiled eggs and potatoes,
0:47:00 > 0:47:03and they're pretty well-to-do people.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08That is indicative to me about how much the Portuguese love their fish.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Supermarkets have taken their toll here.
0:47:20 > 0:47:25There's only the fish keeping the last market I went to alive,
0:47:25 > 0:47:29and it wasn't very long ago before this place was dead on its feet.
0:47:29 > 0:47:31But look at it now!
0:47:33 > 0:47:37It's full of people cooking food and customers eager to eat it.
0:47:37 > 0:47:41What's good about it is you can wander around, see the sights,
0:47:41 > 0:47:45smell the smells and decide what you really want to eat.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49I'm really liking this place.
0:47:49 > 0:47:53It's part of half of a market here in Lisbon.
0:47:53 > 0:47:54The markets are dying.
0:47:54 > 0:47:56It's the same in a lot of cities.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59People prefer going to supermarkets, I guess.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02But here, this guy's got this idea.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05He worked for a famous travel magazine.
0:48:05 > 0:48:10He got this idea of getting really good chefs here into this market.
0:48:10 > 0:48:13Over there you've got classic Portuguese dishes.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15There's chefs down there.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19You've got hamburgers, Asian food, sushi, ice creams over there.
0:48:19 > 0:48:23You've got a magnificent wineshop up there.
0:48:23 > 0:48:26And then just next to it, there's a fantastic demonstration area.
0:48:26 > 0:48:31There's a cook shop and it's absolutely filled with all the right sort of people.
0:48:31 > 0:48:36Apparently you can still get a meal here at two o'clock in the morning.
0:48:36 > 0:48:37It's just a great idea
0:48:37 > 0:48:41and I think it's possibly the future for central markets anywhere.
0:48:44 > 0:48:48This is a famous and very simple dish of deep-fried beans.
0:48:48 > 0:48:50They call it fish from a garden.
0:48:52 > 0:48:56You don't have to be a professor of food history to know that this dish
0:48:56 > 0:49:00was born out of poverty, like so many good things.
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Probably fish for the masses was too expensive or there wasn't any fish.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09Well, I'm looking forward to this.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12I watched you cooking it
0:49:12 > 0:49:15and I just thought you'd like to know that the Portuguese actually
0:49:15 > 0:49:18introduced tempura to the Japanese.
0:49:18 > 0:49:20And like Japanese tempura...
0:49:21 > 0:49:23..it's deliciously light.
0:49:23 > 0:49:27Only just a sort of suspicion of batter on it.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Beautifully cooked, just cooked.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33And I really like this dip, too.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36This is Joao Cepeda, a journalist.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39It was his bright idea to rejuvenate this market.
0:49:39 > 0:49:42The good thing about all the background of the people who have done this,
0:49:42 > 0:49:47like myself, coming from journalism and from the printing side is that
0:49:47 > 0:49:50we are very obsessive with the consumers.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54So we see everything from their own eyes and not so much on the eyes of
0:49:54 > 0:49:55the restauranteurs' side,
0:49:55 > 0:49:58so we know that what people really like is the theatre.
0:49:58 > 0:50:01To see these small kitchens really, actually working,
0:50:01 > 0:50:04using the fire on the food.
0:50:04 > 0:50:07But presumably for the chefs it's good because they can get some gauge
0:50:07 > 0:50:09about what people think of their food.
0:50:09 > 0:50:13Well, they can get money first, so they're happy because of that as well.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16- Money first. Very important, that. - So, they are selling a lot and that is important.
0:50:16 > 0:50:19But also we have two or three Michelin-starred chefs here,
0:50:19 > 0:50:23and these people have probably the first opportunity to actually speak
0:50:23 > 0:50:27to people that would never have the chance to taste their food, and so they love to be here.
0:50:27 > 0:50:30I can tell you that all of their names are here, all the chefs' names...
0:50:30 > 0:50:32- Yeah.- It's not a, you know, a normal spin-off.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36It's the actual restaurant in a smaller version.
0:50:39 > 0:50:40So, in essence,
0:50:40 > 0:50:45it's a few prize recipes that you can see being made in front of you,
0:50:45 > 0:50:48and then you taste. That's the secret here.
0:50:48 > 0:50:53Like this - this is scrambled eggs with salt cod and tiny chips.
0:50:53 > 0:50:58It's a traditional dish brought up to date by chef Miguel Castro e Silva.
0:51:00 > 0:51:01Voila.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06It's lovely.
0:51:06 > 0:51:09I just love the matchstick potatoes, the fried potatoes.
0:51:09 > 0:51:11It has got a bit of crispness.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13- And juiciness.- And juiciness,
0:51:13 > 0:51:17and it's just a lovely combination with the salt cod, the bacalhau.
0:51:17 > 0:51:21Fabulous. I just would never have thought of using little fried potatoes
0:51:21 > 0:51:24in a mix like this, but the combination is irresistible.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Thank you.
0:51:29 > 0:51:34It has to me the atmosphere of a food festival and it's great to see
0:51:34 > 0:51:37chefs cooking their favourites. Look at this.
0:51:38 > 0:51:40This is a fabulous dish.
0:51:40 > 0:51:46It is the cheeks from the famous black pig braised and served on a bed of mashed, sweet potato.
0:51:46 > 0:51:49This is, I think I am right in saying,
0:51:49 > 0:51:52the favourite dish of Susana Felicidade.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55I'm going to try this sweet potato first.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58- OK.- Oh!- What do you think?
0:51:58 > 0:52:02- Beautiful.- The best, huh? - The best.- It is?- A little bit of cinnamon in there, is it?
0:52:02 > 0:52:06- No.- Nutmeg!- You're right.
0:52:06 > 0:52:07- Now you know.- It's beautiful.
0:52:07 > 0:52:10And now for the pork, the cheek.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12The cheek, the pork, what do you think?
0:52:13 > 0:52:15Oh!
0:52:16 > 0:52:19That pork is so dark.
0:52:19 > 0:52:24- Yes.- I'd have said almost... it's as full-flavoured as beef.
0:52:24 > 0:52:25It's fantastic.
0:52:25 > 0:52:30Iberian pork doesn't mean just Spanish pork, does it?
0:52:30 > 0:52:32It means Portuguese as well.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35- I hope so.- It certainly does, it's absolutely beautiful.
0:52:35 > 0:52:37Because the pork is Portuguese, the chef is Portuguese,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40- everything in that plate is Portuguese.- Fabulous.
0:52:42 > 0:52:45- Salud. What do you say?- Saude!
0:52:45 > 0:52:46- Saude!- Saude! Yeah.
0:52:46 > 0:52:50'It's early days, and I hope this idea works.
0:52:50 > 0:52:55'If it does, I hope it spreads because it's so good to see these
0:52:55 > 0:53:03'old markets still centred around food and not on tatty suitcases and tattier trailers.'
0:53:05 > 0:53:09Salt cod fritters, they are as common in Lisbon as custard tarts.
0:53:09 > 0:53:13You find them everywhere and they are delicious.
0:53:13 > 0:53:19Light brown and crusty and filled with salt cod and coriander.
0:53:20 > 0:53:24This is bacalhau, dried, salted cod,
0:53:24 > 0:53:28and this is a really good piece, actually because the sort of thicker and the moister-looking,
0:53:28 > 0:53:30the better the quality.
0:53:30 > 0:53:36And this is what the same piece of cod looks like after 48 hours' soaking.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39Yes, it does need to be soaked for that long.
0:53:39 > 0:53:45Quite a novel way of soaking salt cod is to put it in the cistern of your loo.
0:53:45 > 0:53:49Because, actually you do need to keep changing the water and obviously as you pull the chain,
0:53:49 > 0:53:53it does that. However, a friend of mine said,
0:53:53 > 0:53:56"Make sure you take the blue tablet out."
0:53:56 > 0:54:03So, what I'm going to do now is simply poach this cod in milk for about 15 minutes.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07'Gently, gently,
0:54:07 > 0:54:11'you want to soften the flesh so it comes easily away from the skin and
0:54:11 > 0:54:16'bones and the milk, with that extra bit of fattiness, gives it succulence.'
0:54:18 > 0:54:21So, that's been poaching for 15 minutes.
0:54:21 > 0:54:22I'm just lifting it out
0:54:22 > 0:54:26and letting it go a little bit cold otherwise I would burn my hands.
0:54:26 > 0:54:28It's quite interesting,
0:54:28 > 0:54:32I think people are much keener on salt cod and bacalhau than they used to be
0:54:32 > 0:54:34and I suspect that is through holidays
0:54:34 > 0:54:37in places like Spain and Portugal.
0:54:37 > 0:54:42The flavour, I think, when you first come across it is quite difficult,
0:54:42 > 0:54:45but it's one of those tastes that after you get used to it,
0:54:45 > 0:54:48you can't have enough of it.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50It's like a lot of things.
0:54:50 > 0:54:54I remember as a child eating olives and thought, "Those are horrible,"
0:54:54 > 0:54:58but after a while, those things that taste a bit off-putting first time
0:54:58 > 0:55:01can often be the things you really, really like.
0:55:06 > 0:55:09I suppose the Portuguese have probably got a salt cod recipe
0:55:09 > 0:55:12for every day of the year but I love these fritters.
0:55:12 > 0:55:13I had them at the airport
0:55:13 > 0:55:16when I was leaving the last time I was in Lisbon.
0:55:16 > 0:55:19I thought, "That is the best fishcake I've ever tasted."
0:55:19 > 0:55:22I like to hand-chop my parsley and coriander.
0:55:22 > 0:55:25I could put it in the mixer, but I like the smell as I'm chopping.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28There we go, and now just to mash these potatoes.
0:55:28 > 0:55:32Again, I could have put those potatoes into the food processor,
0:55:32 > 0:55:38but I find when you try and mash potato in a processor it goes a bit sort of gluey.
0:55:40 > 0:55:45And now just adding the parsley and coriander on top of that and then
0:55:45 > 0:55:49tumbling out my cod, olive oil,
0:55:49 > 0:55:53garlic and parsley and just mix that all together.
0:55:53 > 0:55:56Now, just a little bit of egg to bind all that,
0:55:56 > 0:55:59so I'm just whisking this egg. I may not need to add it all.
0:55:59 > 0:56:03Just...I want to get the mixture exactly right, so about half in there.
0:56:06 > 0:56:07And now some pepper.
0:56:07 > 0:56:11Quite a lot of pepper. No salt because there is still plenty of salt left
0:56:11 > 0:56:13in the soaked cod.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16There we go, now that's ready to mould up and fry.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22I'm enjoying this, making little moulds with two spoons.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26They just look very nice when they come out of the fryer.
0:56:26 > 0:56:29Incidentally, you don't want to put too many in the fryer,
0:56:29 > 0:56:32because you drop the temperature of the oil and they will start falling
0:56:32 > 0:56:34apart. They're looking really nice.
0:56:36 > 0:56:40So, I thought long and hard about what dishes I should cook for
0:56:40 > 0:56:44my long weekend and this, I think, is probably the most important.
0:56:44 > 0:56:51I'd go as far as to say the most popular snack in Lisbon and it's pretty damn good.
0:56:58 > 0:57:02JAZZ MUSIC PLAYS
0:57:05 > 0:57:07So, thanks, Lisbon,
0:57:07 > 0:57:11it's been a great weekend and it's nice to be reunited
0:57:11 > 0:57:14with your lovely vinho verde.
0:57:19 > 0:57:22Just found this place just across the bridge with Lisbon in the
0:57:22 > 0:57:27background. Rather special, but it says something about Lisbon, really,
0:57:27 > 0:57:29that most of it is rather special.
0:57:29 > 0:57:33It's very hard to find bits of Lisbon that you don't think,
0:57:33 > 0:57:35"I'd like to sit down and have a coffee here,"
0:57:35 > 0:57:37or "I'd like to sit down and have some grilled fish."
0:57:37 > 0:57:41It's all like that, but most of all what I miss, I suppose, obviously is the food,
0:57:41 > 0:57:44but particularly the seafood.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48I mean, I just didn't really understand what they mean about fresh,
0:57:48 > 0:57:53the Portuguese. They mean literally straight out of the sea and on to your plate, it's that good.
0:57:53 > 0:57:57Over the weekend, this guy was saying to me that he felt the Portuguese
0:57:57 > 0:58:00didn't really shout loudly enough about their cuisine,
0:58:00 > 0:58:05not like the Spanish with all their reds and golds and vibrancy.
0:58:05 > 0:58:09But I think Portuguese food is equally as good, so,
0:58:09 > 0:58:13a little cheers from me with a glass of vinho verde,
0:58:13 > 0:58:16which I have been drinking ever since I was a teenager
0:58:16 > 0:58:20and I had forgotten how brilliant it was. Chin chin to Portugal.
0:58:22 > 0:58:27# Hey, Rick, where we going next weekend?
0:58:28 > 0:58:31# Are we flying a few hours away?
0:58:31 > 0:58:34# For some delicious food, they say
0:58:34 > 0:58:40# We can try dishes in Roma or Barcelona
0:58:40 > 0:58:43# For something more exotic the spices of Morocco
0:58:43 > 0:58:47# Yes, you can take your pick
0:58:47 > 0:58:49# And even break the ice in Reykjavik
0:58:50 > 0:58:54# So, Rick, make the booking Let's get cooking
0:58:54 > 0:58:58# And get those taste buds going next weekend. #