Original subtitles

Michael: Umbria, home to magnificent waterfalls, tranquil pastures,

and lush green hills topped with ancient cities.

My umbrian feast includes an antipasto of

springtime frittata.

A secondo of stuffed pork roast with crackling.

A contorno of warm lentil salad.

And finally, my dolce is sweet carnival fritters.

♪

♪

Umbria is in the middle of Italy,

deep in the rustic countryside,

and it is known as the green heart.

And with an abundance of farming,

it grows some of the finest fruit and vegetables,

like these asparagus that play a key role in my umbrian frittata.

And the food philosophy of umbria is simple.

They use the very best of ingredients that are in season.

But a frittata without artichokes

just doesn't work for me.

And to give this frittata a rich meaty note,

all i'm doing is removing the casing from

a savoury italian sausage

and then crumbling the meat up

so it is in nice bite-size pieces.

Another key ingredient for me is pancetta.

It is going to add another dimension of savouriness

and that wonderful flavour from the fat content...

As it renders down and melts out.

♪

There.

I have got my ingredients all prepared, because this frittata

cooks pretty quickly.

♪

(Sizzling)

♪

Whilst my sausages frying up,

let's grab those onions and garlic.

Frittatas in italy are very popular

and there's really no hard and fast rule

as to what goes into it.

It's whatever you have handy at the time

and they are so flavourful, quick and easy to make.

Guaranteed people will come back for more every time.

Now i can add my asparagus

because i've not grilled or blanched them,

just going in raw, pick up a little heat

and they'll soften up nicely.

And these artichokes will add their own unique taste.

A little bright flavour as a counterpoint to

the richness of the sausage and pancetta.

(Sizzling)

Move that one side

and now it's time to get some really big flavours going on

with this gorgeous fresh herbs.

Sweet basil,

that unmistakable pop of flavour from fresh mint.

Earthy thyme.

That will give a big deep note.

Rosemary, it has that sort of pine note to it,

and the savoury fragrance of marjoram.

A course chop.

And then into a pestle and mortar

to break down and pull out all of those aromatic notes

and bring them together.

A little salt.

And that coarse salt helps break down

the fibrous texture of those herbs.

A splash of olive oil...

..Just to bring it all together.

And look at that.

So aromatic and packed full of flavour.

A teaspoon of that in my frittata

is going to add a ton of flavour.

And last but by no means least,

a little spinach and some peppery arugula.

Just let that wilt down

and then we are good to add the eggs.

♪

A low and gentle heat.

And it doesn't take long before that egg starts to firm up

and as it does, it binds all those lovely delicious

ingredients together.

And off to the oven we go.

♪

Look at that beauty.

It is almost like a mosaic of ingredients

all embedded in the egg.

Slide it right out.

And i've got to cut me a nice big slice.

Now, i love serving up a simple radicchio salad.

Crisp, a little bitterness.

And i have got to have a little cheese.

A little pecorino.

Oh, the smell is amazing.

Mm!

This frittata is like a symphony of textures and flavours.

I'm now going to jump straight into my secondo because

i can't wait to show you

the best pork dish ever from Italy.

♪

Michael: Porchetta is nothing much more

than a roll and stuffed pork roast.

In my version,

i'm taking a pork loin and rolling it in pork belly

to make a savoury, tender,

slightly chewy crust,

and i like to think of it as pig candy.

Other people call it crackling.

And this pork belly is the foundation of

any great porchetta.

Think of it as just wonderful rich tasty meat

and then the best of flavours coming from those layers of fat.

Now for my seasoning.

Toasted fennel seeds,

because in umbria where porchetta is a favourite,

they like to season them using fennel pollen.

A little dried sage for that really savoury note

and rosemary.

The two herbs in my mind give you the perfect flavour to

a great porchetta.

A little fresh garlic

which is going to soak into the pork belly

and the pork loin

and just melt down in the long slow roasting.

A quick blitz to bring it all together.

(Food processor whirring)

And a good drizzle of oil

so i can rub my seasoning mix all over

and through the pork belly.

(Food processor whirring)

Now to work the flavouring in.

And i've crosshatched the flesh side of this pork belly

so those little openings will be like little pockets to capture

all the flavours from the seasoning.

Next, my pork loin.

This is quite a lean piece of meat so it's the perfect way

to incorporate this loin into the pork belly

which is quite generous with its fat.

And of course, my loin has got to get a little seasoning too.

(Italian opera playing)

♪

The tying of the pork belly is really important.

It's how the pork belly stays rolled up

during the entire cooking process.

(Italian opera playing)

And my porchetta needs to sit in the fridge for up to 24 hours

so the skin becomes super dry

because that will help it become nice and crispy.

And then before you put in the oven,

a little seasoning with salt,

and that too will help it become crispy.

And i have one in the oven that should be ready to come out.

♪

All golden brown and glistening.

That is a sight to behold.

Listen.

(Knife tapping)

That's exactly what i'm looking for.

Lift this off.

Just remove the string.

And a sharp serrated knife is the best.

(Crunching)

That's a beautiful sound too.

That is magnificent.

You can see the seasoning,

still perfectly moist, tender and juicy

with that incredible crispy crackle to it.

(Crunching)

Some people like the outside cut where it's a little more cooked

and had all the juices dripping out of it.

Me? i like it right from the centre.

Mm. that is so good.

Tender and juicy

and a wonderful flavour from those aromatics.

The fennel, the sage, rosemary, and garlic.

(Crunching)

Super crunchy, super flavourful,

and just a complete contrast to that wonderful soft, tender,

juicy inside.

That incredibly crackly crunch to the outside.

Now what to serve with my delicious porchetta?

It has to be the right thing.

♪

Contorni is the italian word for side dish.

And this side dish showcases one of the finest

umbrian ingredients.

Lentils.

And this lentil salad that i'm going to be serving warm

is known as insalata tiepida di lenticchie,

and it is the perfect side dish

to go with my porchetta.

And lentils like this are really common in umbria.

You can find them in just about every grocery store.

They cook really quickly,

they cook easily,

and this warm salad is a perfect way

to showcase them.

A few simple aromatics as the base foundation.

A little garlic and some fresh thyme.

(Man singing in italian)

♪

Now, i've cut my veg fairly small.

A little bit bigger than the lentils

which means they will kind of match the size

but more importantly,

they'll cook super-fast like the lentils do.

So just a gentle sweat down on

the carrots, onion,

celery and garlic.

And a sprig of fresh thyme for that wonderful earthy

aromatic note.

Turn the heat down a touch and in with my rinsed lentils.

(Sizzling)

And just a little light vegetable broth.

And a gentle simmer.

♪

Those lentils have plumped up nicely,

soaked up all that flavourful vegetable broth.

Just need to give it a little drain

to take some of the excess liquid out.

Cooked in no time at all.

To dress it up a little,

a little chopped parsley

and some sun-dried tomatoes.

A little soft, a little chewy

but a beautiful addition to a simple salad like this.

And just look at the colour.

They're gorgeous.

I think my lentils have drained enough.

In they go.

And look how soft they are.

Perfectly cooked but still holding their shape.

And they have sucked up all of that juice,

packed full of flavour.

A drizzle of olive oil.

A hit of acidity with a little red wine vinegar.

Brings things back to balance.

A good crack of black pepper.

♪

Mm. it smells good.

And it's that quick, that easy,

to make a warm lentil salad for porchetta.

♪

Simple, tasty and delicious.

Look how plump they are.

Seasoning is right on for a rich bit of porchetta.

♪

So very good... mm.

Because you really get to taste everything about the salad.

It's good cold,

but warm, it's absolutely heavenly.

And now a little dolce.

How does an umbrian treat that is served during carnival time

sound to you?

Deep-fried dough balls with honey.

(Man singing in italian)

♪

Every year just before lent,

italy throws a massive party

and they call it carnevale.

And in umbria,

they like to dress up in costume,

throw confetti

and eat sweet sticky treats called castagnole,

which are deep-fried floury dumplings drizzled with honey.

And to get those light fluffy dumplings

it all starts off...

..With a little yeast.

And what's unique about this fast acting yeast is

it will activate much more quickly

than your average dry yeast.

But to activate it

it requires a liquid,

and i am using a little anise flavoured liqueur.

And that gets things started along with a sprinkle of sugar.

Keep that off to one side in a warm spot.

Fresh orange zest.

Zingy bright colour,

amazing flavour,

and just using the zest is all i need.

Add to that a little lemon for a perfect citrus combination.

That is going to pack a bright fresh flavour to my castagnole.

Now, look at that.

I can see tiny little bubbles which are going to add

the lightness to my castagnole.

And don't forget anise seed flavoured liqueur in there

mixing with the orange and lemon.

It sounds really delicious already, huh?

In goes the sieved flour to thicken it up

to a good soft but dense batter.

Working it through until it's all incorporated.

So let the carnival begin.

Just form a little dumpling size of a spoon

and into hot oil.

Six or eight at a time.

It gives you a chance to keep an eye on them.

And this is a carnival treat every kid loves,

including me.

♪

(Man singing in italian)

♪

The light flavour from the anise

or licorice flavour in the background,

but a big hit of citrus, the orange and lemon.

And the texture of the dough is surprisingly light and fluffy.

An umbrian frittata as an antipasto to start

and a secondo of a delicious porchetta

served with a contorno of warm lentil salad

and a dolce of sweet,

sticky fried carnival dough balls.

These are some of my favourite recipes from umbria.

An entire meal.

Buon appetito.

♪

(Man singing in italian)

♪