All language subtitles for A.Taste.of.Italy.S01E02.Bari.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-squalor

(techno music)

(soft guitar music)

- [Narrator] I'm chef and
restaurateur Nisha Catona.

The star of the show there
is a gorgeous aubergine.

I love coming to Italy on
delicious foodie forays,

to see what Italians
are really eating.

This is a tuna hot dog, I've
never seen anything like it

(speaks Italian)

In the market.

This is like an Aladdin's
cave for the pork lover,

which I am.

On the streets

and in the restaurants.

It's well-worth getting
here just to try this.

Now I'm taking the
path less traveled

to hidden culinary hotspots.

It's one of the most beautiful
cities I have ever seen.

On a voyage to uncover recipes

and ingredients passed
down through generations.

(laughs)

You bringing your
family, your history.

- Our history is the
base of our future.

- Proving there's
more to Italian food

than just pizza.

Mint and tuna try it, would
never have thought about it.

And on the way I'll
be cooking new dishes

inspired by my travels.

- It's fantastic

- A million different colors

and a thousand
different flavors.

So join me on an
eidetic Italian escape.

Delicious

Today I'm in the exciting
port town of Bari,

which is the biggest city in
the Southern region of Puglia.

And it's famous for its
seafood, of course it is.

But it's also famous for a
number of traditional dishes

that I've heard about
that I cannot wait to try.

Bari sits near the bottom

of Italy's Eastern coast
and may have been inhabited

since this earliest 1500 BC.

In a city with
such ancient roots.

It's no surprise that
many of Bari dishes

are steeped in history,

and I'm off to meet
Enzo at his restaurant,

Le Arpie to try one such recipe.

Tiella barese patate e cozze
is a baked layered dish

of potatoes, vegetables,
rice, and mussels.

A bit like a sumptuous seafood
risotto Groton born in the

Puglian countryside.

- Joe Enzo,Nice to see you.

- [Joe Enzo] Nisha.

- Yes nice to meet you.

- Welcome my restaurant.

- Thank you very much,
so nice to meet you Enzo.

- You want see inside ?

- Yes, thank you

Such a beautiful restaurant
and the dishes you serve here,

those are the old dishes, the
old style traditional dishes.

- Just only traditional
dishes cooking in Le Arpie.

- This is what
really excited me.

- Would you come in kitchen?

- I'd love to see some
of that, thank you.

- Come on

In the kitchen, chef Hussein

is getting ready
to assemble a dish.

Hello Hussein, nice to meet you.

(speaking Italian)

What are we gonna cook here?

- Yeah, this is a
traditional dish in body.

(speaking Italian)

Is a kitchen poverano

- Is a poor kitchen,
cucina poverano

- Cucina povera
translates to poor cooking

and no waste tradition
when necessity has resulted

in some of Italy's
most loved dishes.

So this is kind of a peasant
dish that came from the land

and then it came to Bari
and you add to its muscles.

So we start with
extra-virgin olive.

- Absolutely.

- And then tomatoes and mussels

- Okay now, cipolla,

potatoe

and zucchina.

- The potatoes,
onions, and courgette

are sliced the day
before and kept together

overnight in a
container of water.

Once in the dish, they're
topped with pecorino cheese,

parsley and more olive oil,
then the muscles go on.

So why, why a half shell?
Why not without shell?

- Because the
shells are important

because it's the
case, for protection.

- This retains the moisture,
and now you put the rice.

Okay, and this is
our Arborio rice.

- [Joe Enzo] Always.

- [Nisha Catona] Holds
the right amount of water,

it becomes a right texture.
This certainly is a hearty dish.

- The power for one
day, to work to blend.

- And that's why we got the
double carb thing going on,

we've got a potato and rice.

- Yes

That's a heavy, heavy,

so it gets the workers
through the day.

Beautifully simple
in a way, isn't it?

- Yes.

And now repeat.

- One layer of muscles and
either side the potatoes.

(speaks Italian)

So did you learn this
from your mother?

You know this is a
restaurant you built

on these ancient,
traditional dishes.

Do they come from your
mother, your grandmother had,

where did they?

- My mother and my
grandfather in Sunday morning,

my grandfather
prepared this dish.

- It's so interesting to
hear that you learned this

from your mother and
your grandfather.

So you soaked the
potatoes, the onions

and the courgette overnight
you keep that starchy water

and you use the water from
the muscles to cook this dish,

no waste of any shred
of flavor, yeah.

The dishes topped with more
Pecorino Romano cheese,

a drizzle of olive oil
and a sprinkle of parsley.

You know in this restaurant,
you serve these ancient dishes.

Are they all cucina povera?
They come from this?

I think that's what I've
really learned here in Italy

is that passion for
cooking a Povera,

it's very important
because we can all do this.

After a final scattering
of Jew like tomatoes,

the dish is ready for the
oven where it will cook

for 40 minutes at 200 degrees.

What I love is it's
just good ingredients

and you have faith that they
do their own thing in the oven.

and I cannot wait to try it.

But wait, I will have to.

And the beautiful
old streets of Bari

certainly aren't a bad
place to pass the time.

- Okay. Nisha, is Ready

(speaks Italian)

- Enjoy, for you.

- Thank you, Thank you Enzo.

You know every layer has
got lovely flavor to it.

Enzo was telling me that
this is what the workers

in field used to
eat and you can see

this would be really
good sustenance.

And every bit of this dish
tastes a little bit different,

you know the potatoes are
almost gravitated because

of that pecorino,

so you're getting that
almost often was hit,

but then it's a gorgeous,
almost paella taste

from the rice itself.

It's such a treasure trove of
a dish because those muscles

have been cooked in a shell,

they have retained
the flavor of the sea.

Everything else
tastes of the land.

You know, it's almost poetic.

It's that story of it being a
Land dish that came to Bari,

suddenly became a seafood dish.

This is a dish to me that
almost encapsulates the history

and the geography of this
region, it's fantastic.

After my first taste of Bari

I'm already in love
with the simplicity

and honesty of the cuisine.

And my next stop is perhaps
the ultimate Italian experience

to see something that the
Pullians have been making

for over 700 years.

Here in the oldest part of Bari

there is a street where local
grannies make fresh pasta

and sell it on their doorsteps,
I'm here to meet Juan

who's become a bit of a
local celebrity, Nana Nuncia.

The narrow alleyways of Bari's
old town are a must visit

for any pasta lover
and aligned with ladies

making a shape of pasta
known as Orecchiette,

or little ears.

(speaking Italian)

- It's Bellissimo. Did
you make all this ?

(speaking Italian)

- All different flavor.

(speaking Italian)

- So this a Orecchiette ?

(speaks Italian)

- Those are big,
so these are small.

And these are orecchiette small
ears, they're little ears.

(speaks Italian)

- Yeah these are more like mine.

This is a big one? What
do you cook that with?

(speaks Italian)

It's all good. I could
hardly come to Italy

and pass at chance to have
a real pasta master class.

Can you show me how,
just semolina flour?

(speaks Italian)

- Yes, grano duro, so
this is unprocessed,

this is pure semolina
flour with a coarse grain.

Coarse Semolina flour is
made from hard durum wheat.

This makes it especially suited
to making pasta shapes with

more texture to
circuit lots of sauce.

- No Farina.

(speaks Italian)

- Delicate fresh
pasta like ravioli

are often made using finer 00
flour made from soft wheat,

which gives them
a smooth texture.

(speaks Italian)

- Warm water.

You make it look facile
but its difficile.

(speaks Italian)

- You're not even looking.

(speaks Italian)

- It's incredible.

It's faster than the
eye can see, so fast.

(speaks Italian)

And it kind of erupts
in your hands, amazing.

It's really like an
ear. Can I try some?

I really want to taste some.

(speaks Italian)

- Perfect, that's a lot.

Thank you.

This dish starts
with a vegetable much
loved by the Italians

chimi de rapa, a better green
leaf related to the turnip,

but you could use
tender stem broccoli,

or even greens
like kale or chard.

After a few minutes, the
freshly made Orecchiette

go in with the greens.

(speaks Italian)

- In a separate frying
pan Nononcia adds chili

to some olive oil
flavored with garlic.

(speaks Italian)

- This is the real
flavor of Puglia.

When the olive oil is hot,

a couple of salty
anchovies around it,

then the cooked pasta and
chimi de rapa go on top.

What a beautifully simple way

to celebrate this
homemade pasta.

(speaks Italian)

And that's it, just
a matter of minutes

from start to finish.

(speaks Italian)

- It's beautiful.

You see how the Oricchiette
is glistening, you know,

it's really holding the sauce,

so every time you
get a spoonful,

it's like I get a spoonful
of the source as well.

The the semolina is
so tasty, it's all,

if you could just have it
with salt, really satisfying,

really great texture,
it's fantastic.

What an incredible treat, I've
absolutely loved the simple

and delicious dishes
I've already had in Bari,

and especially
how personally are

to the people who make them.

But before I make
a dish of my own,

I've heard this one more
Bari specialty I have to try.

I'm in the port city of Bari,

a place where the Puglian
countryside meets the riches

of the Adriatic sea.

And from that mix of land and
ocean comes some fantastic,

simple ingredients
which are celebrated

in humble and flavorsome dishes.

Already I've had Tiella di
riso, a hearty potato-rice

and vegetable dish, born
to feed farm workers

and transformed with mussels
when it arrived here in Bari.

And of course Nononcia's
pride of Puglia, orecchiette

with simple greens, fresh
chilli and anchovies,

but I'm yet to try perhaps
the most simple Barisie dish

of all, that once again
brings together knowledge

passed down through
the generations

with very humble ingredients.

I'm in the heart of the old town

in a very sweetly
named apricot square

to meet a lady who makes the
ultimate Bari street food

From the pictures alone,

I can see that this dish
has been in carmalis family

for generations.

(speaks Italian)

- Polenta has its roots in
Northern Italian cuisine

and is made from a coarse
flour of ground corn.

- And you're going to fry it.

(speaks Italian)

- Like this, so
it's always squares.

(speaks Italian)

- What's not to like, amazing.

Can I try one? Can
I try some? Yeah.

Carmela simply drops
the squares of polenta

into hot sunflower oil.

(speaks Italian)

The smell of corn, yeah.

- Popcorn

Yes, like popcorn,
yes it is, yeah.

- So what is the
history of this dish?

(speaks Italian)

And that's it ?

Who was she?

(speaks Italian)

- Previne from needing
to make some money

she couldn't feed her children

so she came up with
this and it's delicious,

and it stayed like
the best foods.

Yeah.

I love that every
dish here has a story.

(speaks Italian)

Amazing, it's a cucina povera,
which is the best, yeah.

Is this ready?

(speaks Italian)

- Beautiful.

After just a few minutes frying

the squares of polenta
are golden and crispy.

(speaks Italian)

A sprinkle of salt and
they're ready to eat.

(speaks Italian)

Wow the smell.

- It's like popcorn.

It's really lovely, so crunchy.

(speaks Italian)

Really amazing, thank you so
much, so nice to meet you.

- Okay.

- See you bye-bye.

- Bye.

- It's clear to me
that here in Bari

the most revered
dishes are the simplest

and what's essential is
using the best ingredients

and what better place
to find them than

in the bustling central market.

These fish markets
are so mesmeric

everything glistens in
such a structured way,

I just don't know
where to begin.

So I might as well start
with a local delicacy.

So very often in
restaurants in Bari,

you will go in and
you have the option

of cooked versions of fish
and raw versions of fish.

I'm about to eat a raw squid.

(speaks in Italian)

It's really delicious, it's
kind of like that oyster hit,

you know if you love oysters,
you'd love raw squid.

It's a taste of the ocean.

And it turns out squid
isn't the only seafood

the Barisie love raw.

So this is raw prawn and
it's only like eating sushi,

I'm a big sushi fan and I know
it's not to everyone's taste.

That's almost floral.

And the stunning raw seafood
just keeps on coming.

It's kind of
contagious you know,

he's a raw fish evangelists,
this is fantastic.

This is a red prawn

Yeah, it's crazy, it's
almost slightly garlicky.

This has just been
seasoned by the sea.

What's so incredible about
markets like this is you are led

by the ingredients, I came
in here, sort of thinking,

I knew what I wanted to cook

and then I'm completely
waylaid, A by his passion,

B how delicious
those red prawns are,

so I'm going to buy
something with them.

(speaks Italian)

I wanted 10, actually
want about 30.

(speaks Italian)

And next I'm after one
of the first ingredients

that caught my eye here in Bari.

(speaks Italian)

I decided I really
want to cook mussels

because look how
flashy they are.

I know they're going
to open up beautifully

and give me lots of juice.

One kilos, please.

- One kilo?

- One kilos, yeah.

Two euros for a kilo,

that is incredible floral.

(speaks Italian)

The thing I love about
markets like this is,

is there's always
something new to discover.

He's washing octopus and
they're draining them.

(background chatter)

Why does he have to do this?

To tenderize it, so you
can eat them raw, I see.

(speaks Italian)

Just time for one more morsel.

(speaks Italian)

They're very good.

Now that I've had my
fill of raw seafood,

it's time to find some
beautiful Puglian vegetables.

I spotted this broccoli,

and I think this is the
stuff that Nonononcia

was cooking with, so
they call it rapini,

which implies it's
from the mustard family

its a little bit of fleurette
but what I love about it

is it's primarily stem and leaf

and thats where all the
sweetness and flavor is.

This is where I
channel my mother

and get really picky about
the ones that I'm choosing.

(speaks Italian)

Thank you very much, see you.

Left to my own devices I
might never leave this market,

but with seafood on the
menu I found a stunning spot

by the Harbor to turn
those beautiful ingredients

into a dish of my own.

I've been inspired by
everything that I've eaten here

in Bari and I'm putting
together a very simple

mussel and potato one
pot that kind of combines

the techniques of Bari cooking,

but also their
prized ingredients.

What's really struck me in Bari

is how they celebrate
wonderful produce

by cooking it very simply

and that's exactly what
I'm going to do here.

So we start with a
good glug of olive oil.

Now, all I'm going to do
is crush a clove of garlic,

this is very often
what the Italians do,

just to bring some flavor
to the oil. There we go.

I want to base the
potatoes to this dish.

I love the way in Italy
they cook potatoes

with mussels.

All over the base
lets just do that.

Let's get these in.

Putting the potatoes
at the bottom means

they'll are soak up all
the delicious flavors

as the dish cooks.

Now the potatoes have
gone into the hot oil

and they're splattering,
getting a little bit of color,

but more importantly,
getting coated

in that garlicky olive oil.

A sprinkle of salt will draw
moisture out of the potatoes

and help to speed
up the cooking.

Now, the Tiella that I
had at Lorenzo's place,

I found myself fighting for
the kind of brown potatoes

on the top.

And that's what I'm trying
to recreate in this warm pot.

And so I'm creating that
brown this at the bottom,

if it starts to
stick, don't be afraid

because when you
put the liquid in,

the whole dish will loosen
up and it'll just be perfect.

I'm going to put a little
splash of water in there.

There we go.

Heat down to medium,

and we want those to
just begin to steam.

They only need to cook
for around five minutes.

And I'm going to cook with
this fantastic rapini.

Do you know what I've loved
about the way many Italians

cook, Nononcia for instance,

is that she cooks her
vegetables in with her pasta.

And I'm going to
throw my vegan too,

so in goes the cime di rapa,

tender stem Broccoli would
also work brilliantly.

What I love about this technique
of just putting your veg in

with your potatoes, it's kind
of hands off and liberating

isn't it, just makes
it a lot easier.

A good glug of white wine
brings a touch of acidity

and some gorgeous
fruitiness to the dish

and a sprinkle of chili
flakes gives a little heat.

Now we're cooking on muscles
and what I love about mussels

is that they are very
sustainable, they are very cheap

and they are widely
available in the UK.

All you need to do is make
sure you're cooking with the

closed ones, you all know
that mantra, that easy.

They'd been washed and
we just pop those in.

And now there's
beautiful red prawns,

which I'm hoping will taste as
good cooked as they did raw.

Such a wonderful thing to
be cooking here with the sea

in view and this is
where those mussels

and prawns came from,
it's a magnificent truth.

And that just means to steam
away for eight minutes until

the muscles are open and
the alcohol is burnt off.

I love this kind
of one pot cooking,

I t's not just that it's quick,

but it's about trusting good
ingredients to come together

and do that own alchemy.

And there's the
magic in cooking,

you truly become this wizard

and all you're doing is
trusting good ingredients.

And so that's my ode to Bari,
a one pot dish of mussels

and potatoes with leafy
greens and plenty of wine.

Bari really has been
about simple recipes,

passed down through
the generations,

revered and treasured by
the people who make them.

Lorenzo's fantastic
Tiella di riso

learned from his grandfather.

This is a dish to me that
almost encapsulates the history

and the geography
of this region.

Carmella's Scully Oxy passed
down from the famous Tenella,

and of course Nononcia
orecchiette with rapini,

the ultimate dish of Puglia,
Bari really is a treasure trove

for any food lover.

It's really delicious.

(jazz music)