Original subtitles

I've got a confession to make.

Spain isn't just a place I love to visit.

Last year, I actually made the decision

to move here to the city of Marbella.

And that is something worth celebrating.

As I've traveled through Spain,

experiencing the incredible food,

I realized I wanted to explore More about the food

right in front of me here in my new home of Marbella.

So I've decided to take on a very ambitious feast

for my local family and friends

who have really made Marbella home for me.

Now, obviously I can't do this by myself.

I'm gonna need a little help.

I'm Eva Longoria and I'm a proud Mexican American.

11 generations ago, one of my ancestors

left Spain for the New World and a new life.

And now I've come full circle.

We have found Spain.

After 20 years of vacationing

in this unique corner of Andalusia,

I've made it my home.

Where the Mediterranean meets the Alboran Sea,

in the foothills of the Sierra Blanca mountains,

lies the beautiful city of Marbella.

You know what I love about Marbella,

is this easy living.

To help with my dinner party celebration--

I'm so excited.

...I've enlisted some locals known as marbellís,

who have been my close friends

and fellow foodies for two decades.

I love when Rocio's in my kitchen!

I have a whole week to find dishes

that show off just how unique the food here really is.

For me--

Now we're going to make the best gazpacho you ever had.

Dishes representing Marbella's

rich gastronomic variety--

from cherished local traditions--

...to modern innovations drawn from across the globe.

We are artists of the food, you know.

We have to surprise the people.

That make me so happy.

With these dishes and this weather,

the party should be a slam dunk.

It's always sunny in Marbella! No?

My dinner party is tonight,

and the first friend to arrive this morning

is one of the most celebrated chefs in all of Spain.

Oh my God!

Yeah you are. Come in, come in.

Oh, my God, that's beautiful.

Dani Garcia has earned eight Michelin stars through his career

and has restaurants around the globe,

but his passion is championing local ingredients and dishes

that have fed generations of marbellís.

What is this?

Well, I'm so excited about this

'cause everybody coming today is from Marbella

so they're gonna expect this.

Dani and I have been busy planning some of these dishes

since we met up four days ago in the oldest part of town.

I love that you have to go to the meat place for the meat,

and you got to go to the bread place for the bread,

and you got to go to the market for the fruits and vegetables.

Unlike the crazy supermarkets that we have in America

that have everything for convenience,

I actually like the little adventure

that you have to go on to put a meal together.

It takes effort.

Locals have been coming to the Mercado Municipal

since the 19th century for their fresh, seasonal produce

and for an old school bite at the artisanal stalls.

Dani! - Good morning.

Oh, I'm so happy to see you.

Oh, my gosh! What did you order me?

- Say no more. - Yeah.

Say no more.

You cook with the fat of the pork.

Made with local sherry, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme--

Mmm! I taste all the herbs.

...and slow cooked in pork fat,

a technique originally used to make tougher cuts of meat

softer and juicier.

This is amazing.

This is one of your favorite dishes here?

What do you think the food scene is like here in Marbella?

Yeah.

That is the luxury.

Bougie.

Marbella really is a tale of two cities.

It has a reputation as a modern international party hot spot,

but there's also a deeper rooted culture and a movement

to keep it alive, epitomized by locals like Dani.

Like you're from--

Yeah.

- Let's take a look. - Yeah.

This is beautiful.

I've never seen so much variety.

What makes the seafood in Marbella so good?

So all of these seas contribute to this habitat.

- What is this one? - Clams.

These are spitting at me.

It's alive.

Aah! Did you see that one?

So what are we gonna order?

Look at that. They're so cute!

Beautiful.

We put it in order,

so we'll have it all fresh for the party.

And while 3 million kilos of sardines

are caught locally each year, Dani says in Marbella,

there's only one way to cook them.

You know that I've been coming to Marbella for 20 years

and I've never had an Espeto.

Yes!

Why? Is that bad?

It's a big pecado.

Sin. It's a big sin.

Why?

Espetos-- wood fired, cooked sardines

are said to date to the 19th century,

when hungry local fishermen would grill

the cheapest fish in their catch

on sticks wedged into the sand along the shore.

This seafarers soul food became a symbol

of the region's cultural heritage.

I love that smell. Hola.

Wow!

- Yeah. Can we make one? - Yeah.

Oh, gosh.

I'm going to skewer some sardines.

In the middle.

- It's gonna support. Yeah. - Ready?

Okay.

Is it there?

- Yeah. Yeah. - I did it?

I didn't feel it. Let me do another.

And I'm gonna-- I feel it. Yay! I did feel it.

Look how beautiful that is in the sun.

The sardines are so good.

All you need is salt, fire, and a decent aim.

I don't think it's gonna cook it so far from the fire.

Luckily, there are plenty of others to enjoy,

with crusty bread and your fingers,

which is how it's done at Andalusian beach parties,

or moragas.

Cheers. - Cheers. Come on.

Mm. That's so good!

You can taste the olives. - Of course.

I like the meat. I don't like the skin.

Well, then you and I could go on a date.

This is like a fun meal.

I like meals you eat with your hands.

This?

This is gonna be amazing,

to have Dani Garcia making Espeto in my house.

But you know what I love about Marbella,

is this easy living.

This is Marbella.

Marbella may be famous for its stunning coastline,

but just as important to the city's culinary history

are the surrounding mountains of Málaga,

the province Marbella sits within.

These ranges have the highest concentration

of goats in Europe.

Felipe!

- Hola, mi Eva! - Hola!

It already smells amazing.

Using baby goat, or kid, my friend Felipe,

a private chef who has lived here his whole life,

is improvising a signature dish for my party.

Goat was once a staple here.

And Felipe is representative of a new generation of marbellís

who want to keep some of the old customs alive.

Wow!

I got the idea to serve goat at my party a few days ago,

when I was introduced to a classic Marbellan dish

at a beloved local institution.

The Golden Mile is a four mile avenue known

for its modern boutiques and restaurants.

But there are a few old places left from the days

when this was a farming and fishing town.

And today I'm going to one of my favorite, Venta Los Pacos.

It's very humble, very simple.

It really is a true Marbella experience.

Paco Sánchez runs this venta, a traditional roadside tavern

where truckers and laborers would once stop to rest,

back when this was the main road through farmland.

When Paco grew up and took over the venta,

he began serving home cooked meals to cater

to the growing local population.

Instead of smuggling in sausages,

diners could savor old school recipes,

including callos a la andaluza-- tripe stew, and--

Oh, wow! Oh!

Cabrito al ajillo--

Or baby goat in garlic.

It just falls off the bone.

Mm. Wow.

Wow. It's really gamey. And a lot of herbs.

For me, serving goat at my party

will be my own little way

of celebrating age old local traditions.

I love when Rocio is in my kitchen!

'Cause I know I'm gonna eat well and amazing.

Tonight's dinner party would not be complete

without some help from my girls, Rocio and María.

I first met María,

a former actress, on a film set in the States,

and she introduced me to Rocio, her best friend.

And we've been friends for over 20 years.

But they never cease to surprise me.

We're preparing some traditional salads

using local produce loved by marbellís.

Both Rocio and María have vivid memories of growing up here.

Marbella was a small little town,

and when I was a little girl, there were no pavement

in the road. - What was it?

- It was dirt. - Dirt roads? -Yeah.

Do you remember a moment when it did change?

It was when you stopped seeing horses on the street--

- Mm. - ...and you saw Ferraris.

Horsepower to horsepower.

I love this. There's so much meat.

So I'm gonna do like--

The inspiration behind this tomato carpaccio

came from a cooking class

María invited me to earlier this week.

As part of her global foundation,

for which I'm an ambassador,

María runs Casa Angeles,

a day center for children with special needs.

Some of their activities are growing,

cooking, and eating food together.

What are you planting now? - So this is the new harvest.

We just took out the tomatoes and the green pepper.

And this is how I grew up,

like everybody was going to the farm

and pick up the vegetables and bring it to do a salad.

It was really good. - Yeah.

I don't know if you know this,

but Guadalhorce, which is very close to here,

they have vegetables they don't have anywhere else in the world.

Less than an hour's drive northeast of Marbella

In the surrounding province of Málaga,

lies the fertile Guadalhorce River Valley.

With its abundant diversity of crops,

it's known as the region's vegetable garden.

At Casa Angeles, I'm going to join the kids

as they learn how to make gazpacho,

the iconic cold soup, using some of these local veggies.

I think it's so great,

'cause then they can make the connection between

where the food comes from

and then when it shows up on your plate.

And there's one unique item

that María says will be the star of our gazpacho.

I need to see this secret ingredient.

Oh, is this it?

This is it. It's called huevo de toro.

Where did that name come from? "Bull's balls."

- I wonder why. - I wonder why.

It's called huevo de toro.

So every region has a tomato,

so it has a very thin skin.

And it's very sweet when you try it.

Oh, it is soft. Look at how thin that skin is.

Oh my God. - Right?

So when you cook it, the skin is--

It peels off. - Nothing.

- Nothing. - It's like nothing. Oh my God.

- Is it sweet? - It is sweet. Mm!

So now we're going to make the best gazpacho you ever had.

Because of the huevo de toro. - Huevo de toro.

- And-- - Don't hold them like that.

This special tomato's fragile skin makes it hard

to grow and transport.

So it fell out of favor until a few years ago,

when some local farmers began to cultivate it again.

Today's cooking class is run by chef Victor Carracedo.

Victor is passionate about

regional and sustainable traditions.

Gazpacho is an ancient Andalusian dish,

originally made in the eighth century

from water, oil, garlic, breadcrumbs, and seasoning,

it kept laborers hydrated

as they worked the scorching fields.

Over the centuries, new ingredients were added.

You are welcome.

Oh!

Ooh! I love that.

This tomato is so subtle.

It's not fibrous. It tastes sweeter.

Without all these little chefs to help,

I just hope the one we whip up at my party

turns out as good as this one.

And you can taste the sun.

You can taste the Costa del Sol. - Aw!

My party prep is in full swing.

Dani's threading the sardine Espetos.

Rocio, who comes from a family of butchers,

is making traditional veal and pork meatballs.

While I attempt to make something

that reflects the modern side of Marbella--

a fresh take on a dish everyone loves.

I hope I do this dish justice because it really is special.

I chose this intriguing dish yesterday,

when I set out to learn more about

what's called Marbella's Golden Age.

Since the 1950s,

Marbella's always attracted an international crowd.

Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Brigitte Bardot--

they all frequented Marbella.

Movie stars and aristocrats partied at the Marbella Club,

opened by Prince Alfonso, the king of Spain's godson,

turning the town into a global hot spot.

Newcomers brought new flavors,

making the food scene more cosmopolitan.

And I want to reflect that at my party.

And that's why I'm here at Nota Blu,

one of my favorite restaurants in Marbella,

and it's owned by my dear friend Zazou,

who's lived about three different lives.

How are you? - How are you? Good?

I am good.

So, I feel like Marbella is full of people like you.

International. You are originally from Algeria.

What is your story? How did you end up here?

That happened to me. It was almost 20 years ago, exactly.

The first time I came to Marbella.

- Ah, yeah? - And I said,

"One day I will live here."

I feel like everybody in Marbella

knows you as a restaurateur, but you were a football player.

When he moved to Marbella ten years ago,

Zazou swapped his passion for football for food,

and his rise has been meteoric.

No, you started washing dishes.

You didn't start-- with a restaurant.

- Yes. - Yeah, yeah.

With his chef, Fabián,

Zazou has created a uniquely Marbellan menu

that infuses prized local produce

with the international spirit of the city.

I'm hoping it'll inspire me for my party.

Okay, perfect.

Oh, I love this sauce.

You taste the butter, but the miso adds this, like,

salty, smokiness to it.

So you still have the sole meuniere. the very famous taste.

But with miso, it changes completely.

This is so nice too, 'cause in Spain,

like, there's so much pork.

So to have not only a fish,

but a Japanese inspired fish,

it's like it's just a nice cleansing of the palate.

I love it.

So what is this?

The sauce is made with labneh,

a middle eastern strained yogurt, and Japanese mayo.

Then the toppings are assembled over top quality local tuna,

which has a depth of flavor,

coming from the nutrient rich local waters.

Bon appétit!

Mm!

That makes me so happy.

Mm. So this crispy bread, what is that?

Mm-hm.

Oh, it's light. Very light. It's like I'm eating air.

The brick pastry with ancient origins in the Middle East

is the perfect base for this symphony of flavors.

Yeah. So I feel like I could make

the sashimi pizza at my party.

I've been told this.

For me, this inventive fusion food,

blending local produce with global ideas

symbolizes how this city embraces outsiders as its own.

Cheers to us. We may not have been

born in Marbella, but it's definitely our home.

Oh.

The menu for tonight's party is now set.

My guests are on their way,

and we've got to get nine dishes ready to go.

Olé!

Dani is making the gazpacho I made with María and the kids,

but adding his signature cherry twist.

This is like a rebel gazpacho.

What would your mother say to this gazpacho?

The Espetos are all lined up

and Felipe is cooking the rice bed for his goat dish.

Now we got to get cracking

with the spectacular centerpiece of the menu.

Oh, are you cutting the tuna? - Oh, yeah.

It's like butter. You're just cutting right through that.

Using a magnificent prime cut,

Dani is making a unique tartare.

Raw, dressed wild bluefin tuna that's sustainably sourced

off the nearby coast.

So what are the two choices you're giving?

Where the fat is.

This dish perfectly unites Dani's

global approach to cooking... Wow.

...with his passion for unsung local produce.

In the pig, yeah.

The ears, everything.

- Exactly. - Yeah, yeah.

This technique is another aspect

of how the past is preserved here.

Wild tuna is caught just as it migrates into the Mediterranean

from the Atlantic, when they're at their fattest,

giving them their melt-in-the-mouth texture.

It's so exquisite that many sushi restaurants in Japan

import it from here.

All right, now it's time for what?

Oh!

I didn't even know there was a white soy sauce.

Oh, yeah. So you don't need that much.

Wow!

- Oh, now we put it together. - Yeah.

Alongside the belly and loin,

Dani adds some seared tuna as a third element to the dish.

Gorgeous.

It's going to be the fanciest dish at the party.

It's the final sprint.

Rocio is frying up the meatballs,

along with a traditional almond sauce,

thickened with toasted bread.

Felipe is adding final touches to the goat and rice.

And last on the list--

It looks like we might be making guacamole.

But my guacamole is different.

Okay.

Another Dani spin on something that,

as a Mexican American, I thought I was the expert.

Are we gonna put this in the guacamole?

No way!

That is very creative.

Just time to fry up the shrimp

and we should be all set for the perfect party.

Oh, it's raining. Oh, it is raining!

No way!

I cannot believe it might rain on my party!

Run! Run, Dani!

Where's Felipe?

With the heavens suddenly opening,

we all jump into action to save the food.

No! The paella!

Oh!

Oh my God!

It's always sunny in Marbella, no?!

It must be a miracle.

One hour later and the rainstorm is already over.

The table is set and our party dresses are on.

Just as my guests arrive.

Wow!

Oh my God, I'm so glad it stopped raining.

These are friendships

I've forged during 20 years of visiting Marbella.

Hola, hola, hola! Oh!

Including my sweet Alina and her hubby,

dancer/choreographer Manuel.

María's boyfriend, Nico, an architectural designer.

And Davinia, a singer and dancer

who's married to Chef Felipe.

This creative bunch, most of whom were born and raised here,

are the people who have made this home for me.

Considering the whole bash was almost rained out,

I just hope my dishes will taste all the better

to my discerning guests.

First, the starters.

Dani!

The black cherry pulp adds an elegant sweetness

to the fresh flavor.

Ooh! Amazing.

This is so good.

This is typical Málaga salad.

It's like the recipe from Rocio's mother.

I told him we were gonna have a guacamole-off.

It's hard 'cause I'm Mexican,

so I'm a very harsh judge on guacamole.

Are those fried shrimps on that?

- Yeah. - Crispy fried shrimp.

- They're crystal shrimp. - Wow.

- They're see-through. - That shrimp--

This little fried shrimp, in the guacamole is so good.

- Wow! - Oh, my God, it's so good.

Everybody's ready for the main courses,

...including the one I've been bragging about all week,

because Dani Garcia is making it in my house!

I hope.

Oh, did we save the Espetos?

No, I don't know. I'm going to try.

The starters at my housewarming party

were a storming success.

Maybe the rainwater gave it a special flavor.

But before we dive into our delectable mains,

we're all feeling a little nostalgic.

Dani, you remind me of the first moments I arrived in Marbella.

'Cause all my first memories are with Dani.

Thank you. Thank you.

- And of course, María. - Aww.

I fell in love with Marbella 20 years ago

through your eyes.

And so, I just want to say thank you for being my--

My familia de Marbella. - Marbella is better with you now.

- Yeah. - Eva, first of all,

Marbella is more beautiful with you in it.

For me, having so many years in the United States

and then my best friends are back in my home town with me.

It's like bringing my chosen family back to my roots.

Yeah.

So we all want to welcome you to Marbella and to--

- Permanently! - Permanently.

Don't leave. I love you so much.

Bravo!

And no one has taught me

that food means family more than my son.

Papa, who's the best cook in the world?

Who cooks the best food for you?

He's looking around.

Who cooks your favorite foods?

- Oh! - Of course! It has to be Mommy.

Me, too.

Now for the mains.

Old traditions kept alive with creative new flavors

added to the mix.

Each dish with its own rich history.

These are the sashimi pizzas that are from Nota Blu.

I mean, I made them, but I made it as close as I could.

I'm hoping these light as air pizzas will be a crowd pleaser.

- So good. So tasty, no? - Wow.

I love it.

No, but, Nico-- Nota Blu, you love this.

- Pretty close. - No.

No.

5% different.

Rocio's meatballs with their subtle nutty flavor are next.

Mm, you can really taste the almond sauce.

- It has saffron. - And saffron.

- Yeah. - That's why it's yellow.

- Mhm. - Yeah. -Mhm.

It looks like a curry, but it's not.

No, the almond sauce makes it...

It's mild.

Rocio. Amazing.

That's a hard act to follow.

But then-- Wow!

It's time for Felipe's rich arroz with herby goat.

Wow, wow, wow. Gracias. Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow.

I'm so excited.

Oh, my God, it's so good.

He does like a beef broth

that he boiled for a very long time to get all the flavors.

And Dani has saved the day

by salvaging the all important sardines.

Espetos!

Infused with olive wood smoke,

this ancient fisherman's treat is a favorite here, too.

- How good is this? - And finally--

the jewel in the crown.

- This is the tuna tartare. - Oh!

Wow! - Beautiful!

The white soy sauce adds an umami hit,

yet allows the natural flavor

of this stunning local tuna to shine.

Now, everybody's going to expect this level

when they come to the parties.

Normally I just make tacos.

Now I'm gonna have to step it up.

I feel like we had

a little bit of Marbella in every plate, no?

- Yeah. - Yeah.

The flavor of the sea and the mountain.

We have old recipes and new recipes.

Also, two in one-- traditional but new.

This may be a city with two stories

of enduring local traditions and global influences,

but it has one vibrant spirit.

A night is never complete without music and dancing.

Davinia!

Cue the flamenco.

Olé!

Another beautiful tradition

kept alive by artists like Davinia

and our friend and guitarist, Raul.

-At the end of my incredible culinary

journey through dazzling Spain,

where better to come home to than a place where the people,

the land, and the cuisine

have all captured my soul.

Bravo! Bravo!