0:00:02 > 0:00:05"A change is as good as a rest," they say.
0:00:05 > 0:00:09So, a long weekend, not too far away,
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and not obvious like Paris or Rome.
0:00:12 > 0:00:16A place where I can take in some local history, 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 > 0:00:24So, if you like groves of sun-ripened peaches,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27freshly-grilled squid straight from the sea,
0:00:27 > 0:00:29and a Roman arch or two,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32well, this could be for you.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34# Hey, Rick
0:00:34 > 0:00:37# Where are we going this weekend? #
0:00:37 > 0:00:40Thessaloniki.
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 > 0:00:49# So, Rick, make the booking
0:00:49 > 0:00:51# And let's get cooking
0:00:51 > 0:00:56# And get those taste buds going this weekend. #
0:01:03 > 0:01:04I've been to Thessaloniki before,
0:01:04 > 0:01:09and what I remember most about it was the excellence of the cooking -
0:01:09 > 0:01:11great Greek cuisine.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18The other thing - and this really matters to me - is it's by the sea.
0:01:18 > 0:01:22So, half of what you see in Thessaloniki is the sea,
0:01:22 > 0:01:27and that gives it a great, sort of, breezy informality about the city.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31And I know this is a bit of an overworked expression,
0:01:31 > 0:01:33but it's where East meets West.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38Just like Istanbul, there's so many different cultures that have
0:01:38 > 0:01:40crossed through Thessaloniki.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44There is so much antiquity, just everywhere.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47And, lastly, it's the second-biggest city in Greece,
0:01:47 > 0:01:49but it doesn't feel like that.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52The centre of it is really quite small,
0:01:52 > 0:01:56and you sort of feel that if you lived there for a year or two,
0:01:56 > 0:01:58you'd end up knowing virtually everybody.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00I really like it.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07I'm very conscious this time, visiting Thessaloniki,
0:02:07 > 0:02:10that the Greeks have gone through some pretty tough times -
0:02:10 > 0:02:13jobs lost, pensions decimated,
0:02:13 > 0:02:17and loads of bright young people with no real picture of
0:02:17 > 0:02:19a bright, clear future for them.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25But, hang on, I've just got off the plane,
0:02:25 > 0:02:27and I'm in the French Riviera!
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Well, this hotel looks pretty posh.
0:02:31 > 0:02:33I hope there's not a dress code here.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36I didn't bring a jacket - far too hot.
0:02:43 > 0:02:44It looks nice.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47A nice, classy, old-fashioned look about it.
0:02:47 > 0:02:50The sort of place you could imagine Mrs Simpson
0:02:50 > 0:02:52and the Prince of Wales staying at.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54No, but maybe upstairs, I'd think.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Oh, this is good.
0:02:59 > 0:03:00Oh, look at that.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02I mean, that is just splendid.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Thessaloniki, the city by the sea.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11Travelling the world as I do,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15I've noticed a great difference in mime artists.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18Once upon a time, they were superb.
0:03:18 > 0:03:19They didn't move a muscle -
0:03:19 > 0:03:21not a blink of an eye -
0:03:21 > 0:03:24and they didn't wear masks.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28As far as I could tell, they were indeed statues.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31But now, and maybe it's got something to do with the economy,
0:03:31 > 0:03:33they're total rubbish.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39One piece of gold cloth doth not a mime artist make, in my book.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44I've been coming to Greece for years.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48I started in the '60s in the Greek islands,
0:03:48 > 0:03:53but, maybe as I get older, I find Thessaloniki very agreeable.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57The food's good, and you're rubbing shoulders with history.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I think it's a place you simply grow into.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It's a very old city, with a very young population,
0:04:08 > 0:04:10so many students,
0:04:10 > 0:04:13and I really didn't expect to see this -
0:04:13 > 0:04:19packed bars, all of them right along a seafront, are teeming.
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Quite uplifting on my first evening.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24All I need now is a very cold beer
0:04:24 > 0:04:27and an hour or so to watch the world go by.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41An early start and a strong Greek coffee -
0:04:41 > 0:04:46not to everyone's liking, I know, but I love it.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50None of your macchiatos or lattes this weekend, thank you very much.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58I must say, I do love a cup of Greek coffee,
0:04:58 > 0:05:02especially served in tiny little cups like this.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Sadly, everyone's going the way of espresso, but there's
0:05:05 > 0:05:09something really reassuring about Greek coffee, because it's so thick.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12It's got the grounds in it, and every time I taste it, I think,
0:05:12 > 0:05:15"Yes, it's great to be back in Greece."
0:05:15 > 0:05:20And I love the way they always serve a glass of ice-cold water, too.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23I just love sitting in somewhere like this old market
0:05:23 > 0:05:24and just watching the world go by,
0:05:24 > 0:05:27because it's sort of a litmus test, I think,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29of what's going on in a city.
0:05:29 > 0:05:33And what I'm looking for is the signs of young people
0:05:33 > 0:05:35coming through here, and there lots of them,
0:05:35 > 0:05:39because I think if you've got a sense of esprit about
0:05:39 > 0:05:42the food of your city, you need to go to the market.
0:05:46 > 0:05:48MAN YELLS IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:05:48 > 0:05:51It goes without saying that I think that when you come away
0:05:51 > 0:05:54for a long weekend, you should find the local market.
0:05:54 > 0:05:57Obviously, you're generally going to be staying in a hotel,
0:05:57 > 0:06:00so you're not going to take a whole load of red mullet back
0:06:00 > 0:06:01and cook them, are you?
0:06:01 > 0:06:05But it just gives you an idea of what is available.
0:06:05 > 0:06:08It also gives you an idea of what to order in restaurants.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11But, above all, I think it just gives you
0:06:11 > 0:06:17a feeling of how important the cuisine is to wherever you are.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20This is a...what we know as a gurnard.
0:06:20 > 0:06:24I always love these big gurnards cos they have such beautiful fins.
0:06:24 > 0:06:25This is called kaponi.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30If I was looking down here, if I was going to choose one fish to
0:06:30 > 0:06:33buy here, it'd be this, cos I have never seen such a large gurnard,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35and it's got lovely firm flesh.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38And I think because it's such a celebratory size,
0:06:38 > 0:06:41I'd probably bake it whole, just stuff it with not very much.
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Maybe a bit of garlic, olive oil, some parsley, maybe,
0:06:44 > 0:06:46a bit of lemon juice...
0:06:46 > 0:06:49But really it would be about the presentation of it -
0:06:49 > 0:06:52take it to the table and virtually carve it.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59I get such joy seeing these lovely vegetables,
0:06:59 > 0:07:00and look at this lettuce,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04with a hint of dust on the leaves from the fields.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07And these peppers - I'd love those in a salad,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09maybe with grilled sardines.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14I've had these before. They're called vlita.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17You just boil them in salted water and then sprinkle olive oil
0:07:17 > 0:07:19and a bit of lemon juice over them.
0:07:19 > 0:07:21You normally have them cold.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24It's, sort of, something we don't really do back in the UK,
0:07:24 > 0:07:29but boiled vegetables served cold with a bit of olive oil,
0:07:29 > 0:07:32a bit of lemon juice, is just like a salad.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33It's as nice as that.
0:07:37 > 0:07:40I love these sausages. They're called loukaniko.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43They're made with pork, lamb, and sometimes both,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and often with wine,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48but always with a zest of an orange or lemon,
0:07:48 > 0:07:50and very often with fennel.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53The recipe goes back to the days of the ancients.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01What I'm really enjoying about Thessaloniki is that you keep
0:08:01 > 0:08:04coming across these monuments, and it's almost like they're
0:08:04 > 0:08:06squeezed in amongst the modern buildings
0:08:06 > 0:08:10and it, sort of, makes you want to find out what they're all about.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12This is called the Arch of Galerius -
0:08:12 > 0:08:17a triumphal arch, erected by the Emperor Galerius.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21And what I've discovered is that here we've got Persians,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24and over here we've got Romans, and what you quite quickly see
0:08:24 > 0:08:28is that the Persians are a little bit smaller than the Romans,
0:08:28 > 0:08:30and the Romans have got bigger biceps, and they're
0:08:30 > 0:08:35generally beefier, because it's all about Roman power.
0:08:43 > 0:08:45This, the Rotunda, is, they say,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49one of the oldest Christian churches in the world.
0:08:49 > 0:08:51It's also been a mosque in its time.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56It was going to be a mausoleum for the Emperor Galerius,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58but he was buried elsewhere,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01and so, after a while, the city of Thessaloniki became
0:09:01 > 0:09:05a shining light in the Byzantine Empire.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09That's when the eastern part of the Roman Empire, now Christian,
0:09:09 > 0:09:13embraced the colours and richness of the Middle East.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17I love the way they used gold leaf in their mosaics.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21I always think that because it's so precious, it's almost like the
0:09:21 > 0:09:26way us cooks use saffron for that exotic, expensive look and flavour.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34In its heyday, these mosaics would have been fabulous,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37but only fragments now survive.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40I'm fascinated by the way the Byzantine craftsmen
0:09:40 > 0:09:42used food in their decoration -
0:09:42 > 0:09:47pomegranates, baskets of quinces, figs and poultry.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52I was wondering if the Rotunda was surrounded by orchards
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and farms when all of this intricate work was done.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01They've let me pick one plum from the Rotunda garden.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10A holy plum. Has a plum ever tasted so good?
0:10:10 > 0:10:13It's a bit hard, Dave.
0:10:13 > 0:10:14It's not bad.
0:10:19 > 0:10:23Something sour, something sweet, and now it's time for elevenses.
0:10:27 > 0:10:32This bakery, Elenidis, specialises in a very tasty local morsel
0:10:32 > 0:10:35invented in the '60s - the trigona.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39It's a little triangle of filo pastry,
0:10:39 > 0:10:41filled with a creamy custard sauce.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Practically everyone I met here has one for elevenses
0:10:45 > 0:10:50with their coffee, to the envy of Greeks living outside Thessaloniki.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Watching those trigonas being made,
0:10:55 > 0:10:59I can see why they are the most popular pastry in Thessaloniki.
0:10:59 > 0:11:03And I was just thinking, as you do it in an idle moment, in there,
0:11:03 > 0:11:07of Eddie Cochran's Three Steps To Heaven, but in this case it's five.
0:11:07 > 0:11:09OK? Step one...
0:11:09 > 0:11:11MUSIC: Three Steps To Heaven by Eddie Cochran
0:11:11 > 0:11:15Take a sheet of filo pastry and brush with butter.
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Fold in half.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18More butter.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Keep filling and brushing with butter until you form a triangle.
0:11:24 > 0:11:31Step two, you bake in a very hot oven so it's hard and crisp.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Like an ice cream cone, a lovely, crispy brown.
0:11:37 > 0:11:40Step three, you hollow out the centre,
0:11:40 > 0:11:45and then you dip it in syrup to make it nice and sweet.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49Step four, you stuff with custard -
0:11:49 > 0:11:50lots of custard.
0:11:56 > 0:12:00And step five, you eat...
0:12:00 > 0:12:02and that sure seems like heaven to me.
0:12:12 > 0:12:15I do think it's worth making the effort to get up here.
0:12:15 > 0:12:19Apart from the astonishingly wonderful view,
0:12:19 > 0:12:24it's also an opportunity to get a feeling of how Thessaloniki worked,
0:12:24 > 0:12:27particularly in the 15th, 16th centuries,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30when the Ottomans were in charge.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32Down there, near the port, the Jews were,
0:12:32 > 0:12:35over in that direction, the Greeks were,
0:12:35 > 0:12:37and up here were the Ottomans,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41and I think it's all those hundreds of years of political stability
0:12:41 > 0:12:45that's really created this fantastic cuisine.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48It's that sort of mixture of, obviously,
0:12:48 > 0:12:52masses of Greek cooking, but Turkish very important too,
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Jewish important too, and the Balkan cooking.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59It just creates this, sort of, wonderful mixture of great cooking
0:12:59 > 0:13:00and makes it memorable.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08I can't think of any dish I'd rather cook that
0:13:08 > 0:13:10sums up Thessaloniki better.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14It's Greek but has more than a touch of the Middle East about it.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18It's called Kozani chicken.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22It would have to be in my top three dishes from the whole series.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26It's chicken with saffron, paprika and prunes,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30and it's a true taste of where East meets West.
0:13:32 > 0:13:37I've long heard about the excellence of Kozani saffron,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39and this dish, Kozani chicken,
0:13:39 > 0:13:43just seems to bring that saffron out at its very best.
0:13:43 > 0:13:47Funnily enough, Kozani's a region just over an hour from Thessaloniki,
0:13:47 > 0:13:52but the main town in Kozani is called Krokos.
0:13:52 > 0:13:55Well, I don't know if that's a coincidence or not,
0:13:55 > 0:13:58because, of course, saffron comes from the crocus.
0:14:00 > 0:14:04I just love the way that saffron gradually reveals its colour.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06You put the saffron in and you think, "That's not enough,"
0:14:06 > 0:14:10and it just gets yellower and yellower and yellower.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12And also the smell -
0:14:12 > 0:14:16it's got this wonderful, sweet, warm smell,
0:14:16 > 0:14:18but it's not particularly obvious.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21But when you walk into a room and somebody's cooking the saffron,
0:14:21 > 0:14:23you can smell it.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28It has this sort of amazingly understated pungence about it.
0:14:33 > 0:14:35I'm just going to add some paprika now.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38This is just slightly hot Greek paprika.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40It's just so nice doing dishes like this,
0:14:40 > 0:14:43because the smell is so important.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46And I was, sort of, thinking of some of those sort of
0:14:46 > 0:14:49very, very laboured dishes where you get little bits of this and that
0:14:49 > 0:14:50put on a plate.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53That's actually not cooking to me - this is cooking.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58The chicken is partly cooked in the saffron water,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01and now I'm transferring it to the frying pan.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03This is so easy.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Now for the prunes, the perfect accompaniment,
0:15:08 > 0:15:10and the saffron-flavoured water.
0:15:13 > 0:15:14Well, look at that.
0:15:14 > 0:15:16You've got the paprika and the prunes in there
0:15:16 > 0:15:19and that lovely golden liquid with the saffron
0:15:19 > 0:15:22and now it'll be well-flavoured with chicken.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25It doesn't take too much of a stretch of the imagination
0:15:25 > 0:15:28to realise this is a very Middle Eastern sort of dish.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30You could imagine it in somewhere like the Lebanon.
0:15:30 > 0:15:34In fact, you'd probably find a very similar dish there.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36But that's what Thessaloniki and this part of northern Greece
0:15:36 > 0:15:40is all about - it's a sort of meeting of different cultures.
0:15:42 > 0:15:47Now that will simmer away for about 25 minutes until it's reduced.
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I think this will remain one of the best dishes from these travels.
0:15:54 > 0:15:59Now, what really goes with this is a pilaf with parsley,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01pine nuts and raisins.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05If you like curry or cassoulet or tagines,
0:16:05 > 0:16:07then you'll love this.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24THEY SING IN GREEK
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'I'm getting quite good, thanks to my long weekends,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37'at selecting really rather moving buskers
0:16:37 > 0:16:42'and sometimes street artists, but not too many of those.'
0:16:51 > 0:16:54'I'm slightly ashamed but I've got no idea
0:16:54 > 0:16:56'what these guys are singing about
0:16:56 > 0:17:00'but I'm hoping it's not about the financial recession.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04'I'm looking for words like "lost love" and "nights of passion",
0:17:04 > 0:17:07'not "catastrophe" and "bankruptcy".
0:17:14 > 0:17:19Anyway, I'm on my way to a restaurant where on a previous trip,
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I had one of the best dishes I've tasted
0:17:21 > 0:17:24in my whole time in Thessaloniki.
0:17:24 > 0:17:28It goes by the rather prosaic title of stuffed onions
0:17:28 > 0:17:30or in Greek, sougania.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35So, step one is to hollow out the onions.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37Now, cut one side to the middle,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40which makes peeling easier later on,
0:17:40 > 0:17:42and then simmer.
0:17:56 > 0:17:57Now for the filling.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02They're frying chopped onions in oil until soft and yielding,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06then adding minced veal, it looks about 500g.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Now they add chicken stock and next,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15allspice and nutmeg and pine nuts.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20They let it simmer until it cooks
0:18:20 > 0:18:21and then they let it cool down.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Now, each individual skin is pliable,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27they fill it with a bit of the cooked stuffing
0:18:27 > 0:18:33and bake in the oven for 12 minutes at 220 degrees.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39THEY SING IN GREEK
0:18:49 > 0:18:54'Yes, it was in fact a love song and very good.'
0:18:54 > 0:18:58As good as these onions and the spicy meat filling,
0:18:58 > 0:19:00finished with a well reduced veal stock.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02They were lovely.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09My visit to Thessaloniki seems to have stirred up
0:19:09 > 0:19:11a bit of interest here
0:19:11 > 0:19:14and it just so happens the deputy mayor turned up
0:19:14 > 0:19:17in the same restaurant while we were filming
0:19:17 > 0:19:21and so it seemed only polite to invite him to supper.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24- Thank you.- I've been in Thessaloniki before
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and I really liked these stuffed shallots.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30- Yes.- We didn't arrange to meet here but, I...
0:19:30 > 0:19:34You know, we take time off for lunch and for dinner here in Thessaloniki,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35that's what we do so...
0:19:35 > 0:19:38- Please taste and tell me. - Well, I mean, I...
0:19:40 > 0:19:43- What do you think about that? - I love it.
0:19:43 > 0:19:48I just think it... What I'm beginning to feel about the food
0:19:48 > 0:19:51in Thessaloniki, Spiros, is it's sort of, erm,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54it's Greek food as we know it
0:19:54 > 0:19:57but just a little bit more sophistication...
0:19:57 > 0:19:59What would you, why would you think that was?
0:19:59 > 0:20:03That's true. It's a very strong local cuisine.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06It's something that you don't meet in other places
0:20:06 > 0:20:09and other Greek places like Santorini, Mykonos or even Athens.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13It's a cuisine that has many influences, historical influence.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16We have the Jewish heritage, we have the Ottoman Empire heritage,
0:20:16 > 0:20:19we have the Balkan region here.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22So the cuisine and the tastes are heavier and stronger somehow.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25They're more passionate in my opinion.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28But it's sort of like, you know, there's lots of things
0:20:28 > 0:20:32that I've eaten already which I know from other trips to Greece,
0:20:32 > 0:20:35but you sort of get this feeling that whatever you eat here,
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- it's just going to be good, you know?- Yes.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42I think that Thessaloniki is the capital of food in Greece
0:20:42 > 0:20:44and people are enjoying the local cuisine,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48they don't like so much exotic food or exotic tastes but the
0:20:48 > 0:20:53local cuisine is so strong that it is something that you can see
0:20:53 > 0:20:57and experience wherever you go when you stroll around, you see there are
0:20:57 > 0:21:00so many restaurants around which is, I believe, an asset for the city.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03Cheers.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Strawberries, raspberries, little hint of red currants.
0:21:07 > 0:21:09- It's nice rose.- Lovely.
0:21:13 > 0:21:16Newcastle has its Angel of the North,
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Brazil and Lisbon have Christ writ large,
0:21:20 > 0:21:22Paris, the famous tower
0:21:22 > 0:21:25and Thessaloniki has these umbrellas.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31They're thinking of making them the emblem of the city.
0:21:31 > 0:21:36Someone from the film crew told me they're a tribute to Mary Poppins
0:21:36 > 0:21:38which I nearly believed!
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Well, you might well ask why I'm ironing my shirt.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51I'm sure people like, you know, Michael Portillo or Michael Palin,
0:21:51 > 0:21:54I'm sure they've got people that do their shirts,
0:21:54 > 0:21:58they always seem to have so many lovely pristine shirts
0:21:58 > 0:22:03wherever they are - Brazil or Mexico or Spain.
0:22:03 > 0:22:05I've just got, I've got a few other shirts
0:22:05 > 0:22:09but the problem is that the director keeps cutting bits of me
0:22:09 > 0:22:12walking down one street with bits of me walking through a palace
0:22:12 > 0:22:13and they've got to match up.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18So, basically, he just wants me to use the same shirt all the time.
0:22:18 > 0:22:21The other shirts have got blinkin' shirt makers' logos on it
0:22:21 > 0:22:25and the BBC don't like it, so I've just got the pink one!
0:22:32 > 0:22:34Now it's time for my usual morning trip
0:22:34 > 0:22:39of going round the mulberry bush - the hotel buffet breakfast,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43where I never seem able to find the butter or the teaspoons.
0:22:45 > 0:22:49So, out of this thing that reminds me from my school days
0:22:49 > 0:22:53of a gobstopper machine, some cornflakes.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Well, it's a warm, sunny, optimistic morning
0:22:58 > 0:23:01so keep it light, just a drop of milk.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03And keep it Greek, too...
0:23:06 > 0:23:12..a dollop of yoghurt and where there's yoghurt, there's honey.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13Perfect!
0:23:14 > 0:23:19Now, that looks to me like a lovely Anglo Greek breakfast
0:23:19 > 0:23:23and that's why buffets are sometimes a great idea.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Design your own food, that's what I say.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Now, the orange juice,
0:23:29 > 0:23:33always a good litmus test for a decent hotel breakfast.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43You can tell a great deal about the quality of a hotel
0:23:43 > 0:23:44from its orange juice
0:23:44 > 0:23:49which was perfect, local, Greek orange juice
0:23:49 > 0:23:52and I don't know if you could call a view optimistic
0:23:52 > 0:23:55but this surely is an optimistic view.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58And I just know I'm going to have a very good time.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04I've known Thessaloniki for some time now,
0:24:04 > 0:24:08since the days when package deal holidays were quite a new thing.
0:24:09 > 0:24:11You either liked them or you didn't.
0:24:11 > 0:24:16Well, I preferred to get a group of like-minded friends together
0:24:16 > 0:24:20and set off, a bit like Sir Cliff on his Summer Holiday.
0:24:20 > 0:24:25Yes, our ideal was the beach, red mullet, char-grilled octopus,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29Greek salad, Greek chips, I still love them,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and retsina, in that order.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36This White Tower means quite a lot to me cos in the 1970s,
0:24:36 > 0:24:39I was in Greece with about 20 other people.
0:24:39 > 0:24:43We were on various different islands and towards the end of September,
0:24:43 > 0:24:46we started to make our way back to the UK
0:24:46 > 0:24:50and we all met just here and then drove back through Yugoslavia.
0:24:53 > 0:24:58Our cars and vans were beaten up old wrecks but, boy, was it fun!
0:24:58 > 0:25:02Yes, I remember, "We'll see you at the White Tower, late September."
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'Now, this has never happened to me before.'
0:25:12 > 0:25:13Morning.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15'Every day I was here,
0:25:15 > 0:25:18the television companies from all over Greece
0:25:18 > 0:25:22'wanted to talk to ME about my experience here.'
0:25:22 > 0:25:24Which one am I talking to?
0:25:24 > 0:25:26- To the lady...- OK.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29'Well, I think they must be pretty desperate to want me
0:25:29 > 0:25:31'on their news but who knows?
0:25:31 > 0:25:35'Maybe they think I'll inspire people to come here.'
0:25:35 > 0:25:37Your first impressions?
0:25:37 > 0:25:39Well, we're having a lovely time in Thessaloniki.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43We love the food, it's really, really great Greek cooking.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47There is so much influence from the Balkans, from the Middle East,
0:25:47 > 0:25:49from Turkey, from the rest of Greece,
0:25:49 > 0:25:53some from the rest of Europe, it's just a melting pot.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55I've been here a couple of times before
0:25:55 > 0:25:57and I just think it's a beautiful city.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00The restaurants are brilliant, they're all full,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02the cafes, the bars.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05You just think, well, if there are hard times,
0:26:05 > 0:26:08the people of Thessaloniki are doing their very best
0:26:08 > 0:26:10to put them behind them.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23I'm on my way to meet Vefa Alexiadou
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and she's a bit like, I suppose, the Delia Smith of Greek cooking
0:26:27 > 0:26:29and she's held in that esteem
0:26:29 > 0:26:32and I came across her book about four years ago
0:26:32 > 0:26:34and I suppose that before that,
0:26:34 > 0:26:39I had just been used to buying those little paperback Greek cookery books
0:26:39 > 0:26:40you get in places like Rhodes,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43you know, and the very, very poor illustrations and all that.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46And it just completely blew my mind
0:26:46 > 0:26:50because I had no idea how diverse Greek cooking was
0:26:50 > 0:26:55over such an area and how different a lot of the recipes were.
0:26:55 > 0:26:58So ever since then, I've been an ardent follower of her
0:26:58 > 0:27:03so I'm a bit nervous but I'm really looking forward to meeting her.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06- Hello.- So happy. - Very nice to meet you.
0:27:06 > 0:27:08- It's an honour for me. - Oh, same for me. Gosh.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10Thank you very, very much.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14- It's the best day of my life... - Oh, you're nice.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16..to meet you, Rick.
0:27:16 > 0:27:22- Let's go to the kitchen.- OK. After you.- OK.- Lovely house.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25'Crikey! I wasn't expecting her to know me.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30'I mean, she's TV chef royalty and so famous here.
0:27:30 > 0:27:31'And looking at this,
0:27:31 > 0:27:34'she's obviously done very well for herself.
0:27:34 > 0:27:38'Slightly bigger than my Padstow cottage, I'd say?'
0:27:38 > 0:27:41- What a house! Gosh. Wow. - How do like?
0:27:41 > 0:27:42I love it.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- I've been living here 26 years. - Gosh.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Come, come to the garden. Come to see the sea.
0:27:50 > 0:27:54Vefa had prepared lunch, thank goodness. I was so hungry.
0:27:54 > 0:28:00It was a dish from Thessaloniki, moshari kokkinisto me melitzanes,
0:28:00 > 0:28:03that's stewed veal and aubergines in a tomato sauce.
0:28:04 > 0:28:10Vefa was on the screen for an hour every weekday morning for 17 years.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13In that time, she became more than a TV chef,
0:28:13 > 0:28:16she became everyone's mum.
0:28:18 > 0:28:23So, Vefa, as you know, I'm a great fan.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27But would you have had any idea how successful your writings
0:28:27 > 0:28:29and your TV appearances would've been?
0:28:29 > 0:28:32Why do you think you are so successful?
0:28:32 > 0:28:34Is it because of the recipes or...?
0:28:34 > 0:28:37It's because of the recipes, of course.
0:28:37 > 0:28:40The right way I cooked the recipes
0:28:40 > 0:28:45but people loved me more because I love them.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Every time I was cooking,
0:28:47 > 0:28:52I was giving it to them with smiling, with...
0:28:52 > 0:28:55with big love.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00I'm a person that loves the other people around me.
0:29:00 > 0:29:06I never walked on the street with a hat or big glasses
0:29:06 > 0:29:11in order to be inside and no-one recognise me.
0:29:11 > 0:29:17I wanted people to talk to me, to hug me, to touch me,
0:29:17 > 0:29:20to kiss me and I'm so happy.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23- So happy.- Oh, that's so nice. - I adore it.
0:29:24 > 0:29:29But would you have had any idea how popular your work would be,
0:29:29 > 0:29:31not only books but your TV work?
0:29:31 > 0:29:35I mean, and why do you think it was like this?
0:29:35 > 0:29:41Sometimes I was inspired of the mandarins or the oranges.
0:29:41 > 0:29:44They're hanging on the trees outside and I cut them,
0:29:44 > 0:29:47went to the channel, everything was ready there,
0:29:47 > 0:29:51the casseroles, the fire, everything was ready
0:29:51 > 0:29:53and I changed my programme.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58I said, "Today, we are going to make orange jam
0:29:58 > 0:30:04"because the oranges are perfect and I cut it from my yard."
0:30:04 > 0:30:07And the people enjoyed this.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10It has a story, you understand me?
0:30:10 > 0:30:12It's not just the recipe.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16I explain it from where it was, anything I was cooking.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19That's it, that's why I like your books so much.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23It's not just all the recipes, it's cos you're in every recipe.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24Yes.
0:30:24 > 0:30:29This is, this is the most important. Thank you.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Thank you very, very much, Rick. I'm so happy you're here.
0:30:34 > 0:30:39I loved meeting Vefa and this is her very easy to make to stew.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43It's lamb with aubergines and red peppers,
0:30:43 > 0:30:46so simple, and when I made it at a dinner party recently,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49they said it's better than moussaka!
0:30:58 > 0:31:01The first thing you do is to salt the aubergines
0:31:01 > 0:31:05to make them a bit drier and get rid of all that excess water.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11I've also sliced up a couple of red peppers ready for frying,
0:31:11 > 0:31:13in olive oil, of course!
0:31:16 > 0:31:20I really like Vefa cos she was so Greek.
0:31:21 > 0:31:22She was...
0:31:22 > 0:31:28clearly just a very ordinary cook when she first got on television
0:31:28 > 0:31:31but she took to the limelight like crazy.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35And when I asked her, you know, what made her so special,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38I loved it when she said, "people love me,"
0:31:38 > 0:31:41because that's what I like about the Greeks, there's no messing about.
0:31:41 > 0:31:43What they think, they say.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53So into the pot now goes some cubes of lamb
0:31:53 > 0:31:55and I'm just adding a little bit more olive oil here
0:31:55 > 0:31:58but not bothering to clean the pan out
0:31:58 > 0:32:02cos that's got all the nice caramelised bits from the aubergine
0:32:02 > 0:32:04and the red peppers.
0:32:04 > 0:32:06And I'm going to cook those for about eight minutes
0:32:06 > 0:32:10till they're really nice and lightly brown in colour.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15So just add a tiny bit more salt, not a lot
0:32:15 > 0:32:20because I have got salt in those aubergines and red peppers already,
0:32:20 > 0:32:21and a lot of pepper.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26That's about 18 turns of the pepper grinder
0:32:26 > 0:32:29and a large onion chopped, like so.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33And garlic, at least three cloves.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Nah, make it four!
0:32:35 > 0:32:39Always put a little bit more in. You can't go wrong.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45And now for some tomato.
0:32:45 > 0:32:47I'm just using tinned tomatoes here, it's fine,
0:32:47 > 0:32:50we're talking family supper here.
0:32:51 > 0:32:52There we go.
0:32:53 > 0:32:57Now a hefty squeeze of tomato puree and sugar
0:32:57 > 0:33:01because you need a tad of sweetness, but not too much, though.
0:33:04 > 0:33:05So that's looking really nice.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10Now, about 500ml of water, just to stop it drying out
0:33:10 > 0:33:13during the long, slow stewing process.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15Now, just going to chop up some parsley now,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19what I love to call a small handful of parsley.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Stir that in and just going to leave that to simmer away
0:33:26 > 0:33:29for about one and a half to two hours.
0:33:30 > 0:33:31That long?
0:33:31 > 0:33:32Yeah, of course that long!
0:33:32 > 0:33:37This is in real-time, Dave, we're not cutting corners here.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44So, after a couple of hours, real hours,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47not like "I've got one already made,"
0:33:47 > 0:33:50I put the aubergines and peppers on top of the stew
0:33:50 > 0:33:52for the final countdown.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56So I'm just going to finish this off in the oven
0:33:56 > 0:34:01to brown the top a bit for about 20 minutes at 200.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19So here it is - a very good example of Greek home cooking.
0:34:19 > 0:34:22And if money's short, which it is over there,
0:34:22 > 0:34:26then use more vegetables - sweet potatoes, okra, courgettes.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35- What's it taste like?- Lovely!
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I mean, it's, I'd say "honest" is the word that comes to mind,
0:34:38 > 0:34:41it's just a lovely honest stew.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The sort of thing you'd want to make for your kids.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01I'm trying to squeeze a lot into my long weekend
0:35:01 > 0:35:04but I couldn't turn down the offer of a mussel fishing trip
0:35:04 > 0:35:06in the Axios Delta.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08It's about half an hour away from Thessaloniki.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14It's a nature reserve, really,
0:35:14 > 0:35:17but they also grow fabulous mussels on ropes.
0:35:20 > 0:35:26This massive delta produces mussels, rice and salt, perfect!
0:35:26 > 0:35:29Actually, the main reason I wanted to come here is because
0:35:29 > 0:35:33of a restaurant that specialises in a mussels and rice dish.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36The very thought of it makes my mouth water.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39But that comes a bit later.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Not too much later, I hope.
0:35:44 > 0:35:46Really good quality.
0:35:46 > 0:35:48I love mussels straight out of the shell like that.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53They're so sweet but they have a slight bitterness
0:35:53 > 0:35:57and it's the only time, for me, that I really want shallot vinegar
0:35:57 > 0:35:59to go with raw shellfish, is with mussels.
0:35:59 > 0:36:01The combination is perfection.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05But, out on here, on this boat, lovely!
0:36:05 > 0:36:07THEY LAUGH
0:36:10 > 0:36:12So, the mussels are ready to be harvested
0:36:12 > 0:36:15when the drums are pretty well underwater.
0:36:15 > 0:36:18That's the weight of the shellfish pulling them down.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26Watching this, I was just thinking I was born and brought up
0:36:26 > 0:36:30on a farm and we had a thing called a winnowing machine
0:36:30 > 0:36:34which was just for separating the wheat from the chaff.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37It's exactly the same process
0:36:37 > 0:36:40but this is a mussel winnowing machine.
0:36:40 > 0:36:41They're keeping the large mussels
0:36:41 > 0:36:43which they're going to sell to market
0:36:43 > 0:36:46and getting rid of all the small ones and all the parasites
0:36:46 > 0:36:49but it's pretty impressive, I must say.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54It takes nine months for them to grow and because they're on ropes,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57you don't get that grittiness you sometimes find
0:36:57 > 0:36:59from those that come from the seabed.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06This is Doukas restaurant, in the village of Chalastra,
0:37:06 > 0:37:09where lots of fishermen go to eat - so it's got to be good!
0:37:12 > 0:37:15Vaso cooks the mussels until they just open
0:37:15 > 0:37:18so the meat's firm but not overcooked.
0:37:20 > 0:37:24She fries up chopped spring onions and ordinary onions in olive oil.
0:37:25 > 0:37:30A splash of white wine and now the rice, long grain rice.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35This takes about 10-12 minutes to cook.
0:37:35 > 0:37:37You couldn't find a better dish for lunch.
0:37:38 > 0:37:40And then the cooking liquor -
0:37:40 > 0:37:43loads of salty flavour from the cooked mussels.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48And saffron, which has had some hot water added
0:37:48 > 0:37:50so it blends evenly with the rice.
0:37:54 > 0:37:57Parsley and dill, that's the most important herb on the delta,
0:37:57 > 0:37:59so lots of chopped dill.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06Now the mussels go in and as you can see, they're just cooked
0:38:06 > 0:38:10and after a bit more cooking in the rice, they'll be perfect.
0:38:11 > 0:38:15A few more mussels on top, largely for decoration,
0:38:15 > 0:38:19and just let it steam for a minute, and then serve.
0:38:23 > 0:38:27'I always say the most important thing you can bring to a restaurant
0:38:27 > 0:38:31'is an appetite, and I've certainly got one of those today!'
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Erm, I don't always like eating on my own.
0:38:37 > 0:38:40Some of the people...
0:38:40 > 0:38:43in the crew call me Ricky No Mates
0:38:43 > 0:38:45but I am rather hungry
0:38:45 > 0:38:47and so I'm not too bothered about eating on my own.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50In fact, I'm very hungry and I've been dreaming about
0:38:50 > 0:38:54this mussel and rice dish.
0:38:54 > 0:38:55And it's lovely.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58The Greek have a really good way with rice, it's not like risotto,
0:38:58 > 0:39:01it's not like paella and it's really moist.
0:39:01 > 0:39:06The rice is a little bit al dente but only a little bit
0:39:06 > 0:39:08and it's just luscious, I'd say.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12And what I really like in these rice dishes is dill,
0:39:12 > 0:39:14lots and lots of dill.
0:39:14 > 0:39:15It's lovely.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20And I have to say what a pleasure it is to have this
0:39:20 > 0:39:23with probably the most famous dish
0:39:23 > 0:39:27in the whole of the Greek culinary lexicon.
0:39:27 > 0:39:32Horiatiki - that's the ubiquitous Greek salad.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40If you go on a relatively short car journey here out in the sticks,
0:39:40 > 0:39:43you'll see quite a bit of discarded building projects
0:39:43 > 0:39:45all over the place.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49Empty buildings or half-finished ones.
0:39:49 > 0:39:53It's a tangible sign of the well-known financial collapse.
0:39:54 > 0:39:58Otherwise, I hadn't really noticed too much hardship anywhere else.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02Yorgos is our fixer. Before the collapse,
0:40:02 > 0:40:06he was a senior TV producer on the state-run channel.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11Yorgos, we've all heard about the hard financial times in Greece
0:40:11 > 0:40:14but I've been in Thessaloniki for a couple of days now,
0:40:14 > 0:40:17there's no sign of it, really.
0:40:17 > 0:40:18Well, you know, well, actually,
0:40:18 > 0:40:22we, the Greeks, and Thessalonians also,
0:40:22 > 0:40:25we don't like to show you things like those.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28I mean, you're coming here in Greece for holidays.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31We are a tourist destination, the whole country,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and the city is also becoming a tourist destination
0:40:34 > 0:40:36so we don't want you,
0:40:36 > 0:40:40to disturb you with those images, etc, etc, etc.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44We don't want to let you have this experience of Greece.
0:40:44 > 0:40:51And second is that we don't really like to let you see it
0:40:51 > 0:40:55- because we are ashamed of this. - Oh.- OK? That's it.
0:40:55 > 0:40:58Greeks, they lost their dignity
0:40:58 > 0:41:01and then they don't really want to show you this.
0:41:01 > 0:41:05- That's it, that's all. - That's terrible.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08But now, we are back to the basics. We want to survive.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10I lost 50% of my income
0:41:10 > 0:41:15so what I care about is to have a good basic life.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17It's what we care about, all the Greeks,
0:41:17 > 0:41:20and I think that this is a good thing.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Now, just a few yards away from the western city walls
0:41:30 > 0:41:35is a fine restaurant, quite new, called Sebrico.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38It's Greek food given a bit of a modern twist.
0:41:38 > 0:41:43I really liked it because not all of these so-called modern twists work.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46I know that from having a "modern" paella in Spain,
0:41:46 > 0:41:47but enough of that.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50Here, it seems to work perfectly.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52Certainly good enough for a crew lunch.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Well, yet again, I'm not always on my own eating.
0:41:58 > 0:41:59This is another crew lunch
0:41:59 > 0:42:04and there's no better country in the world to have a crew lunch
0:42:04 > 0:42:10than Greece, because we just asked Ilyas to just bring stuff on.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12And he's brought on the most wonderful stuff.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16I mean, we've got sardines char-grilled in vine leaves
0:42:16 > 0:42:18- which we last saw in Turkey, you remember?- Mm.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20And here we've got samphire.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I've never seen rock samphire,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26samphire salad, not the marsh samphire, rock salad.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28Here we've got fava bean puree, fava Santorini,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30it's like a yellow split pea.
0:42:30 > 0:42:32Fabulous!
0:42:32 > 0:42:36And over here, we've got some halloumi cheese
0:42:36 > 0:42:37but it's a nice spinach salad.
0:42:37 > 0:42:40I mean, I love Greek salads, the standard Greek salads
0:42:40 > 0:42:43but it's really nice to get something different.
0:42:43 > 0:42:44And mussels...
0:42:45 > 0:42:49Fabulous! Really, really enjoying it. And the rest of you?
0:42:49 > 0:42:52- Fab!- It's very nice.- Very nice.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59This restaurant was born out of hard times.
0:42:59 > 0:43:03The owners, ex-students, had little money at the time
0:43:03 > 0:43:06so they pooled their resources while the rents were low
0:43:06 > 0:43:09and so they all became restaurateurs.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Ilyas is the man in charge.
0:43:11 > 0:43:13APPLAUSE
0:43:13 > 0:43:16Do you think the sort of problems in Greece,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18do you think something like this has come out of it?
0:43:18 > 0:43:21Yes. I had a lot of pressure. I started as a chemical engineer...
0:43:21 > 0:43:23- Really?- ..and now I'm a restaurateur.- Gosh.
0:43:23 > 0:43:24So I study another science.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28I don't say it's the solution but I say it helps.
0:43:28 > 0:43:31It's a good way...to move.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34To start this. You know, have another way.
0:43:34 > 0:43:36Maybe there's a lesson for other countries.
0:43:36 > 0:43:39- Perhaps maybe new ideas could spread too?- Yes, quite.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42- As an answer to crisis. - Quite encouraging, really.
0:43:42 > 0:43:47It's not only, "I say you make." We can make together.
0:43:47 > 0:43:49I think cooperation brings the best.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53The risk is not big and it's fun. That's good.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55I recommend this.
0:43:58 > 0:44:00Breakfast on my last day.
0:44:00 > 0:44:03A handy hint and tip of the breakfast buffet -
0:44:03 > 0:44:08be alert when the man bearing newly fried eggs arrives.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11He is the egg man. It's definitely worth the wait.
0:44:14 > 0:44:16If I asked anyone from Thessaloniki
0:44:16 > 0:44:18what their favourite breakfast would be,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20it wouldn't be bacon and eggs.
0:44:20 > 0:44:23It'd be this - the bougatsa.
0:44:27 > 0:44:29It reminds me a bit of a Cornish pasty
0:44:29 > 0:44:32but I can't see the Cornish ever using filo.
0:44:32 > 0:44:35IN CORNISH ACCENT: "Filo, what's that, boy?"
0:44:36 > 0:44:39It's filled with kima,
0:44:39 > 0:44:43a minced meat dish sweet with lots and lots of red onion,
0:44:43 > 0:44:46oregano and pepper and, of course, paprika.
0:44:46 > 0:44:48It's really nice.
0:44:49 > 0:44:52This place opens for business at five in the morning,
0:44:52 > 0:44:56just in time for those coming back from the bars and the clubs.
0:44:56 > 0:45:00Those were the days. Not any more, sadly.
0:45:00 > 0:45:04Now, you can do this at home in your own kitchen
0:45:04 > 0:45:07but do try to miss the cat and the clock on the shelf!
0:45:11 > 0:45:14Every throw, it doubles in size.
0:45:14 > 0:45:17I'm just always thinking, when I'm watching something like this,
0:45:17 > 0:45:19that he makes it look so easy.
0:45:19 > 0:45:22You think, "Oh, I could just pick that up and fling it
0:45:22 > 0:45:25"and it will go like that," but, of course, it wouldn't.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26It would just...
0:45:26 > 0:45:28It'd probably go all over the room.
0:45:28 > 0:45:31Philippos, what's so special about your bougatsa
0:45:31 > 0:45:35as opposed to the ones down in the centre of town?
0:45:35 > 0:45:37About my bougatsa?
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Erm, it's the ingredients that are good,
0:45:41 > 0:45:43- very good and expensive for others. - Yeah.
0:45:43 > 0:45:47And the love that I put in my pastry.
0:45:47 > 0:45:50This recipe was brought here into Thessaloniki
0:45:50 > 0:45:52from my grandfather, from Minor Asia.
0:45:52 > 0:45:55- Ah, from Turkey? - From Turkey, yes, yes, yes.
0:45:55 > 0:45:57And I make it with love.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59I love these things.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02I love... I have grown up with these things. I love it.
0:46:02 > 0:46:04That's all it, nothing else.
0:46:06 > 0:46:10The first thing Philippos does is to prepare the meat filling.
0:46:10 > 0:46:12It's either pork or beef.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15I suppose it depends whether you're Christian or a Muslim,
0:46:15 > 0:46:18but these things do matter here.
0:46:18 > 0:46:22Anyway, lots of paprika which I personally love, hot and sweet.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30Pepper, more than most of us would use in a week, I suspect!
0:46:30 > 0:46:31And oregano.
0:46:31 > 0:46:33If it's the right time of year,
0:46:33 > 0:46:36I always take a bag of freshly picked oregano
0:46:36 > 0:46:38back with me from Greece.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42It's the best, especially from the mountains of the Mani.
0:46:43 > 0:46:46Indian food lovers like me have all heard of kima,
0:46:46 > 0:46:47mince spiced meat,
0:46:47 > 0:46:51but interestingly, it's probably a Greek word.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55Now, he wraps it in buttered sheets of the filo
0:46:55 > 0:46:58until it's the right size for his baking tin
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and in the oven it goes for 20 minutes or so.
0:47:04 > 0:47:08THEY SPEAK IN GREEK
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Always very, very hungry for a bougatsa.
0:47:16 > 0:47:21But that is the most wonderful Greek pie
0:47:21 > 0:47:23I think I've ever eaten.
0:47:23 > 0:47:29It's crisp, it's so light and it's so deliciously savoury.
0:47:29 > 0:47:32No wonder everybody locally goes mad about them.
0:47:32 > 0:47:36It's probably the most famous dish in Thessaloniki.
0:47:36 > 0:47:40Actually, it comes from further Turkey way
0:47:40 > 0:47:42but it's so much part of Greece now.
0:47:42 > 0:47:45But I think it indicates about Thessaloniki,
0:47:45 > 0:47:48about how it's this sort of melting pot of cultures
0:47:48 > 0:47:50but particularly from the east
0:47:50 > 0:47:54and I think that's what makes it so special in all of Greece.
0:48:00 > 0:48:04The bougatsa, like the Cornish pasty, was a tad filling
0:48:04 > 0:48:07and I'm about to tackle another local favourite
0:48:07 > 0:48:09that's equally challenging.
0:48:09 > 0:48:11What I love about Thessaloniki
0:48:11 > 0:48:15is that it's still full of family-run restaurants.
0:48:15 > 0:48:17This place is a must.
0:48:17 > 0:48:20Something very close to our national bosom -
0:48:20 > 0:48:22fish and chips.
0:48:22 > 0:48:24But not as we know it.
0:48:27 > 0:48:31This restaurant, Tou Aristou, can't sell enough of them.
0:48:31 > 0:48:35They make it with salt cod which is washed over and over again
0:48:35 > 0:48:40with cold water, constantly changed until it softens,
0:48:40 > 0:48:42then they cut it into portions.
0:48:47 > 0:48:52The sign above says it was first established in 1940.
0:48:52 > 0:48:55Well, I wouldn't mind betting this is something to do with
0:48:55 > 0:48:57our own British squaddies or sailors based here
0:48:57 > 0:48:59at the start of the last war.
0:49:00 > 0:49:02Well, it's only a guess!
0:49:02 > 0:49:05I suppose if you were expecting our fish and chips,
0:49:05 > 0:49:08you'd be a bit surprised because obviously this is bakaliaro,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10it's salt cod.
0:49:10 > 0:49:12But it's so...it's so Greek.
0:49:12 > 0:49:15It's so nice in the batter. It's very moist.
0:49:15 > 0:49:19And what I'm loving is this sauce, which is secret
0:49:19 > 0:49:23but I think it's skordalia or "skordhalia", as they call it,
0:49:23 > 0:49:27which is like garlic and breadcrumbs and lots of olive oil
0:49:27 > 0:49:30and a bit of lemon juice or vinegar.
0:49:30 > 0:49:32But it is...
0:49:32 > 0:49:35a celebration cos we all love fish and chips.
0:49:35 > 0:49:38And I think when you've sat down to eat here
0:49:38 > 0:49:41and you've made that little shift from, you know, fresh cod
0:49:41 > 0:49:45and mushy peas and our chips to this, you'd get it.
0:49:45 > 0:49:50You'd see just how wonderful and how celebratory it was.
0:49:50 > 0:49:54And if you came here in the winter, you would not get a seat.
0:49:54 > 0:49:57You'd be waiting for hours in a queue.
0:49:57 > 0:50:01So a little tip - if you want to get into this place easily,
0:50:01 > 0:50:03come to Thessaloniki in the summer
0:50:03 > 0:50:06cos all the locals are out away on holiday.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13Right outside my hotel
0:50:13 > 0:50:18there's a bronze statue of the philosopher and teacher Aristotle.
0:50:18 > 0:50:20It's not surprising, really,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23because the whole place is called Aristotle Square
0:50:23 > 0:50:28and further down the road is a brilliant statue of Alexander,
0:50:28 > 0:50:32the greatest warrior and general that ever lived.
0:50:32 > 0:50:37And so my next culinary foray is based on the one thing
0:50:37 > 0:50:41that connects the two of them, and that is the humble peach.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48It's just so lovely here. I mean, the family,
0:50:48 > 0:50:51they're all picking the peaches and preparing a bit of lunch.
0:50:51 > 0:50:56It's so beautiful - the green of the leaves and the luscious fruit.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59I've never been in a peach orchard like this.
0:50:59 > 0:51:01It's just that I feel so relaxed.
0:51:01 > 0:51:04And I'm just reminded that we're very close
0:51:04 > 0:51:06to Aristotle's school and, of course,
0:51:06 > 0:51:10his most famous pupil was Alexander the Great.
0:51:10 > 0:51:14And in gratitude for all that Aristotle taught him,
0:51:14 > 0:51:17Alexander gave him a peach tree which was known at the time
0:51:17 > 0:51:21as the rose of China, but probably came from Persia.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24And, of course, he planted it and the story goes that
0:51:24 > 0:51:28all these beautiful orchards came from that one tree
0:51:28 > 0:51:34and probably, I like to think, Aristotle's most famous quote,
0:51:34 > 0:51:39"The roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet."
0:51:52 > 0:51:54Just a couple miles away,
0:51:54 > 0:51:57there indeed lies the classroom of Aristotle.
0:51:57 > 0:52:00It's an area that looks a bit like a quarry.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02'There are holes in the cliff wall
0:52:02 > 0:52:05'where I suppose beams were inserted to make shelter.'
0:52:09 > 0:52:12'It was very much Aristotle's view that Alexander
0:52:12 > 0:52:17'should be a fine leader and a total despot to the barbarians,
0:52:17 > 0:52:21'and to look after the Greek people like friends and relatives and to
0:52:21 > 0:52:26'deal with the barbarian hordes like you would beasts or invasive plants.
0:52:26 > 0:52:30'And it was here that the seed of that philosophy was sown.'
0:52:33 > 0:52:36'The peach tree - a thank-you present to Aristotle -
0:52:36 > 0:52:40'might well have been accompanied by Alexander's famous saying
0:52:40 > 0:52:42'about his former teacher.'
0:52:45 > 0:52:49'He said, "I'm indebted to my father for living,
0:52:49 > 0:52:52'but to my teacher for living well."'
0:52:53 > 0:52:56'Well, it didn't do him much good.
0:52:56 > 0:53:00'He popped his clogs at the tender age of 32.'
0:53:00 > 0:53:01INDISTINCT CHATTER AND LAUGHTER
0:53:04 > 0:53:06CAMERA CLICKS
0:53:06 > 0:53:07HE SPEAKS GREEK
0:53:07 > 0:53:10- Thank you so much.- Right.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15Now, then, they've just done this wonderful spread for me
0:53:15 > 0:53:18and I don't know how to do justice to it but I'm just going to try...
0:53:18 > 0:53:21This is everything peach, so we are starting off...
0:53:21 > 0:53:23I just need to try a bit of this, which is
0:53:23 > 0:53:27a bit of filo pastry with some curd cheese and peach jam.
0:53:28 > 0:53:29Oh.
0:53:29 > 0:53:32Wonderful combination of curd cheese and the peach jam.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36That's, I think, a breakfast dish and again, this is a breakfast dish.
0:53:36 > 0:53:38This is peach pie.
0:53:40 > 0:53:43Oh, I love your peach pie.
0:53:43 > 0:53:47And this is a peach omelette,
0:53:47 > 0:53:49with a local cheese called... What's the cheese?
0:53:49 > 0:53:50- ALL:- Batzos. - Batzos.
0:53:52 > 0:53:55Is there peach in there? Oh, yeah, a little bit of sweetness there,
0:53:55 > 0:53:57that's really good. Really nice.
0:53:57 > 0:53:58Again, breakfast.
0:53:58 > 0:54:01But this one, I suspect, is for your dinner.
0:54:01 > 0:54:05It's actually... What I'm really interested in is this peach glaze
0:54:05 > 0:54:08which goes with this grilled chicken.
0:54:08 > 0:54:11Mmm, fabulous. Nice salty sweetness.
0:54:11 > 0:54:16Popular in loads of restaurants around here. Lovely.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20A profusion of peach dishes and I think I only need to, erm,
0:54:20 > 0:54:22offer you a toast.
0:54:22 > 0:54:24- Yasu...? ALL:- Yassas.
0:54:24 > 0:54:26Yassas. Always getting that wrong.
0:54:27 > 0:54:28Peach juice, of course.
0:54:31 > 0:54:35'Out of all the peachy delights I'd tasted that morning, the peach pie
0:54:35 > 0:54:39'was the best, and one of the women gave me the recipe, as you do.
0:54:39 > 0:54:40'And it's dead easy.'
0:54:41 > 0:54:46'About ten peaches, sliced and cut up really roughly.
0:54:46 > 0:54:48'No need to peel them either.
0:54:48 > 0:54:49'And then into a pan,
0:54:49 > 0:54:54'to soften with a couple of strips of vanilla pod and then honey.
0:54:54 > 0:54:59'Lots of honey. If you like honey, use even more.
0:54:59 > 0:55:03'That will take about ten minutes to get the right juicy consistency.'
0:55:05 > 0:55:07'Now, the pie.
0:55:07 > 0:55:11'I'm using ready-made filo, otherwise I'd be here all morning.
0:55:11 > 0:55:15'And I use melted butter to coat generously.
0:55:15 > 0:55:19'Four of these buttery sheets of filo make the base,
0:55:19 > 0:55:20'leaving one for the top.'
0:55:24 > 0:55:27'Now, fill generously with the honeyed peaches.'
0:55:30 > 0:55:35'Top with the filo and it is done. It's a superb pie.
0:55:35 > 0:55:37'And if the cost of fresh peaches puts you off,
0:55:37 > 0:55:40'then tinned ones are really good, too.'
0:55:42 > 0:55:45'35 minutes in a medium to hot oven.'
0:55:48 > 0:55:51'A sprinkling of icing sugar,
0:55:51 > 0:55:55'a dollop of Greek yoghurt and thank you,
0:55:55 > 0:55:57'or as they say in Greece - "Efharisto".'
0:55:59 > 0:56:01It's just yummy.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04Oh, so good with yoghurt, too, the Greek yoghurt.
0:56:05 > 0:56:06Mmm.
0:56:07 > 0:56:10'Yassas. Kalispera Thessaloniki.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14'Time, nearly, to go to the airport, but not quite.'
0:56:16 > 0:56:18'Just enough time left for a swim.'
0:56:27 > 0:56:30'I've always associated Greece with tavernas
0:56:30 > 0:56:33'and they've always got to be blue.
0:56:33 > 0:56:37'And they've got to be next to the sea, just a few steps away.
0:56:37 > 0:56:40'Now don't get me wrong, I really love those old buildings
0:56:40 > 0:56:42'and walls and arches and frescoes
0:56:42 > 0:56:44'and great stories from the Ancients.'
0:56:46 > 0:56:50'But the lure of the blue taverna further along the coast
0:56:50 > 0:56:54'calls me like the Sirens did to Odysseus.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56'A call I can't resist.'
0:56:57 > 0:57:00'With it comes the smell of grilled fish.
0:57:00 > 0:57:03'There'll be octopus drying on lines and mackerel.'
0:57:05 > 0:57:09'It is a fitting end to a long weekend.'
0:57:11 > 0:57:14Gosh, I've had a wonderful time in Thessaloniki.
0:57:14 > 0:57:17I mean, it's just been such a friendly city.
0:57:17 > 0:57:20The food's been fabulous, as I expected.
0:57:20 > 0:57:22But it's just the people.
0:57:22 > 0:57:24They're going through really hard times,
0:57:24 > 0:57:28although they try to hide it from us tourists.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30But I think it brings out the best in them.
0:57:30 > 0:57:32I've had some fantastic conversations with people and
0:57:32 > 0:57:36it is such a beautiful city to visit.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40The antiquities, everywhere, popping up out of the ground
0:57:40 > 0:57:44and the general gastronomic delight of the place.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48But, all through the couple of days I've been there,
0:57:48 > 0:57:50I've been dreaming of somewhere like this.
0:57:50 > 0:57:52I just had to get out to the beach and we are only
0:57:52 > 0:57:56about 30, 40 minutes out of the city centre.
0:57:56 > 0:57:59There is something about great tavernas on the beach
0:57:59 > 0:58:01that nobody does as well.
0:58:01 > 0:58:05I don't know whether it is the lovely pale awnings or the
0:58:05 > 0:58:08blue everywhere or the fact that everything is sort of cooked
0:58:08 > 0:58:11so ruggedly. When you're on the beach, that's what you like.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14You like a bit of sun-dried octopus,
0:58:14 > 0:58:17or some dried mackerel or a beautiful bass like this.
0:58:17 > 0:58:19And after, a swim.
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 > 0:58:38# We can try dishes in Roma
0:58:38 > 0:58:40# Or Barcelona
0:58:40 > 0:58:43# For some thing more exotic though the spices of Morocco
0:58:43 > 0:58:45# Yes you can take your pick
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# And even break the ice in Reykjavik
0:58:51 > 0:58:52# So Rick make the booking
0:58:52 > 0:58:54# Let's get cooking
0:58:54 > 0:58:57# And get those taste buds going
0:58:57 > 0:58:58# Next weekend. #