All language subtitles for A.Taste.of.Italy.S01E01.Orvieto.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-squalor

(pulsating music)

(gentle music)

- [Nisha] I'm chef and
restaurateur, Nisha Katona.

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.

Buon giorno.

In the markets.

This is like an Aladdin's cave

for the pork lover, which I am.

On the streets.

(pork sizzling)

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.

Oh!

You bringing your
family, your history.

- Our history is the
base of our future.

- [Nisha] Proving there's more

to Italian food than just pizza.

Mint and tuna, try it.

I 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
idyllic Italian escape.

Delicious.

(cheerful music)

The beautiful region of Umbria

is known as Italy's green heart

with its grassy hillsides
and lush valleys.

Today, I'm in Orvieto and
I'm heading up the funicular

as locals do everyday to the
beautiful historic center.

But I'm in search of some
fantastic local food.

Perched on a rocky outcrop
Orvieto's lofty location means

that the only
challenge for visitors

to the city is getting to it.

(soft ding)

Oh, wow.

It is this natural fortification

that has given Orvieto
prestige throughout history.

Now we're approaching the wall

and we're entering
this ancient city.

Firstly, it served as
the political center
of the Etruscans,

the ancient people who
came before the Romans,

and later as a place
of refuge for the Pope.

(gentle guitar music)

Gosh, it is so magnificent.

We've got the rain,
we've got the sun,

which just makes it
so green and fertile.

No surprise then that Orvieto
is bursting with gorgeous,

fresh goods and produces some
of Italy's best known wine.

This is incredible.
- Cheers.

- [Nisha] All of
which I'll be putting

to good use in my
own dish later on.

That looks phenomenal,
it smells even better.

As a member of the
slow city movement,

promoting high quality
local food and drink

is what it's all about here
and I'm off to find out more.

Somewhere I'm told
the wine is so good

that even the chickens
are drinking it.

(gentle guitar music)

- Ciao!
- Ciao, Maurizio.

- Ciao, you're welcome.

- [Nisha] Thank you,
nice to be here.

Il Labirinto Di Adriano
is known as the best place

in the city to try
traditional dishes

like this slow cooked
chicken in red wine sauce.

But I'm told it
has a special name.

- Today, we are
cooking galena ubriaca.

- Galena ubriaca.
- Bravissima, bravissima!

- [Nisha] What is that?

- It is a drunk chicken.

- [Nisha] And luckily for me,
Maurizio's has already started

the chicken's marinade with
chopped carrots, celery, onion

and lovely fresh
herbs from his garden.

- And now we drunk.

- Now you're gonna get the
chicken drunk, are you?

Gosh, I've really turned
up at the perfect time.

- [Maurizio] Okay
and we cover it.

- What kind of wine is this?

- Is Sangiovese, is
important because it is

a very especially
wine of Orvieto.

It's a good wine, good recipe,
good flavor and good food.

- [Nisha] And always red wine
to give a rich glossy sauce.

- We rest for 12 hour.
- 12 hours you marinade this?

- It is important because
the chicken drunk,

drunk, drunk and relax.

Okay?
- Okay.

- I love the impression now
I can really visualize it.

This long slow
marinade will make

the chicken melt
in the mouth soft.

- Now we're cooking the chicken
that I prepare yesterday.

You see the color of-
- The color changed.

- The onions, yes.
- Yeah.

- It's changed.

- So it's gone from that
deep red to purple now

and the smell...

- Yes.

- It's fantastic.

- And now we cook together.

- Extra-virgin olive
oil and into the panic

it goes skin-side down to
release the flavorsome fat

and get it nice and brown.

- [Maurizio] Brown is
important because if

the skin is not
brown it is chewy.

Okay?
- You want it crispy.

- [Maurizio] Yes.

(chicken sizzling)

- That is why your
restaurant smells so amazing

'cause it's smells of that slow,

loving wine dish being cooked.

And so slow, nothing rushed.

- Grazie, is very
important for me.

- [Nisha] And now
time for yet more wine

for a final flavor hit.

- [Maurizio] Okay.

For two hour cook.

- And while Maurizio
finishes things off,

plenty of time for me to go
and explore because apparently

there's more to this
restaurant than meets the eye.

It is absolutely fantastic.

I've read about these
ancient Etruscan wells

and labyrinths under the city.

And this is obviously what
they were talking about.

This incredible
underground network,

holds over a thousand
caves and tunnels.

This is an ancient, ancient
fossilized mangrove tree.

Can you believe that?

So these are the branches,
completely fossilized going down

into the roots because
this was the seabed.

So we're 18 meters down.

Historically, these were
used to storage workshops

and by some as escape routes.

He's still cooking dishes up
there that were cooked hundreds

and hundreds of years ago.

The history just flows
from the feet of this city.

It's incredible.

(uplifting serene music)

Maurizio's father
accidentally discovered

these perfectly preserved caves

while building his restaurant.

I can't think of a more
atmospheric place to eat.

Speaking of which, I think
it's time for my lunch.

- Nisha.
- Wow.

- (Maurizio speaking Italian)
- Grazie mille.

- [Nisha] Just look at that.

Delicious drunken
chicken simply serve

with roasted vegetables
as well as crispy bread

for mopping up that
thick glossy sauce.

I am drunk on this place.

It is so wonderful, Maurizio.

- [Maurizio] Grazie.

(soft music)

- Beautiful.

- It is a very pleasure
to see you eating-

- It is really good.
- Grazie.

- [Nisha] It is so perfumed
and rich, like beautiful.

- [Maurizio] Yes.

- I love that you
just served this

on good bread to
soak up the sauce.

- [Maurizio] Yes.

- Cheers to the drunken chicken.

- [Maurizio] Cheers.

- Well, thanks to
Maurizio's delicious wine,

the chicken's not the only
one feeling a little merry.

So to soak it all
up, I'm heading down

the road for a
decadent local dessert.

(cheerful piano music)

- Buon giorno.
- Buon giorno.

- Oh wow, these are those
famous torta semolino,

these semolina and
chocolate cakes

that are really
typical for Orvieto.

And you can only
get them in here.

These sumptuous sweets are
made with a crumbly pastry case

and filled with a
semolina frangipane pan.

Once baked, they're crowned
with a dark chocolate ganache

and drizzled with
lemony marzipan.

I love to end a meal
with an Italian coffee

and if there is a local cake
so much more the better.

I'm gonna grab a slice of this.

Bar Montanucci has been open
for over a hundred years

and prides itself
on making everything

from scratch using only the
best quality ingredients.

I think I see a theme
emerging in this town.

- Prego.
- Grazie mille.

Isn't that fantastic?

Rich and chocolatey
on top and light

and nutty on the bottom.

Semolina cake has
a distinct texture

that I just can't wait to try.

Italian coffee and
a piece of cake

to end the day, fantastic.

(uplifting serene music)

Heaven knows, I need
some help with digestion

after the amount
I've eaten today.

But thankfully in Orvieto,
there's a remedy close at hand.

Lamberto Bernardini's
shop is the only place

in the world you
can buy orvietan,

a type of ancient digestively
cure known as amaro.

Good thing I like a nightcap.

Smells so good.

What a beautiful place.

How old is it?

- [Lamberto] From
the 12th century.

- That's incredible.

So tell me about this
amaro, is a digestive.

I need a digestive.

- Yes, it's a digestive born
in Orvieto in 16th century.

Every pharmacist in
Europe producer this.

- [Nisha] Historically,
orvietan was used as an antidote

to food poisoning but also
as a cure for love sickness.

I think we could all
do with a bit of that.

- And I produce
this with 25 herbs.

- [Nisha] And the first step
is to mix them all together.

And then?

- [Lamberto] Put it inside
a mortar and press a lot.

- [Nisha] Lamberto grinds
the herbs like this

to release their potent flavors.

- [Nisha] You look like a
priestess at a baptismal font.

This is so big.

Just magical, it's
like being in some

kind of wizard school, isn't it?

It's amazing.

Next, the herbs are put
into a bag and submerged

in pure alcohol for 20
days to let them infuse.

The mixture is then watered
down to a 30% potency.

- After that you have this.

- [Nisha] Wow.

- [Lamberto] This is finished

but it is not
finished for drink.

I transfer from here to
the container on here.

The process is all
natural without a machine,

just by hand with me.

- Wow, I love the slow
simplicity of it all,

using techniques that date
back hundreds of years.

How did you find the recipes?

- I have a many, many document.

I show you the original
document from the 16th century,

the pharmacy book
with the recipe.

- [Nisha] And this
is the same recipe

that is still used today.

It's so incredible that you
brought this back to life.

I feel as though I'm gonna
taste history itself.

I'd love to taste it.

- Okay.
(lively music)

- Wow, salute.
- Salute.

(lively folk music)

- It's lovely.

A little bit bitter
like perfume.

- There's a word in
Italia, it's amaricante.

- Amaricante.

- Is not bitter.
- It's not.

- It's different.

- You do feel it working.

It's lightness
into your stomach.

- Yeah, because it's
important to work inside.

- It's right, I feel I could

be hungry again in half an hour.

- [Lamberto] Oh, good.

- [Nisha] Well, that's lucky
because I've still got a couple

more local favorites
to squeeze in

as well as my own
Umbrian inspired dish.

I think I'll be needing a
little more of that digestive.

I'm in Umbria
eating my way round

the historic hill
town of Orvieto.

I've already tasted
that dark delicious,

drunken chicken,
nutty semolina cake

and even an ancient
herbily cure.

Wow.

But there are a few
more morsels tempting me

before I cook my own dish.

I love to work out what
it is that locals queue up

to snack on wherever
I go in the world.

And here in Orvieto,
I'm told that

my answer lies at
the local bakery.

- Buon giorno.
- Buon giorno, ciao.

- Ciao, I've been hearing
about a little pastry

that everyone is eating.

- Oh, it's lumachelli.

- [Nisha] It's this one?
- [John] Yeah, this one.

- [Nisha] What are they?

- They are bacon and
cheese, but Italian.

So they have pancetta,
which is pig's belly

and then Pecorino Romano,
which is Italian cheese.

They're really good.

- Locals queue up
each day to buy

a huge bags of these
tightly coiled lumachelli,

whose name translates
to mean little snail.

Ironic really considering how

quickly people here devour them.

- [John] You want to taste it?

- I would love to
taste them, yeah.

Oh gosh, it's warm.

- [John] It is.

- That's good pancetta.
- Yeah.

- Hmm, and the cheese, no
onions, nothing just pancetta-

- No, just two
simple ingredients.

- Where does it come from?

What's the history of it?

- [John] It's kind
of farmer snack.

They call it like pocket
food 'cause they take them

when they're going to farm.

When they're really really
starved and that they eat one

and then they're okay.

- Yeah, it's completely
full of calories.

It's a little energy tablet.
- It is.

- You need to be working the
fields if you're eating these.

Cheap filling and
oh, so delicious.

It's not hard to see why
these are so popular.

Goodness, you can keep
eating them, couldn't you?

Can I come and see
how you make this?

Sure, why not?

- [Nisha] Rather than using
an official written recipe

for lumachelli, bakers
here tend to pass on

the process orally,
meaning that everyone

does them slightly differently.

- [John] Here we have the dough.

- Are they simply pizza dough?

- Yeah, we make the
dough and then we put

in the pancetta and
Pecorino Romano.

- It's such a good
idea, isn't it?

You can do it at home.

If you're making pizza dough,

you could just add
in whatever you have.

- Pancetta, yeah.
- How many do you sell?

Are they popular?
- They are, they really are.

We sale like 800 to
700 a day with this.

- Wow, they're so popular in
fact that people here buy them

by weight rather than quantity.

I might need to buy a kilo.

All right, my turn.

- You have to just
want to make it equal.

- [Nisha] So like a cigar?
- Yep.

- [Nisha] Yeah, that's
a terrible one, I
could eat that one.

Hmm, it's harder than it looks.

We're filling this
tray quite nicely.

And into the oven they go for

precisely 14 minutes
at 295 degrees.

This precision is
important to achieve

a soft inside and
crispy exterior.

Wow.

Gosh, they're gorgeous.

You know, the fat glistening
and going a bit brown

and okay, I can spot mine, John.

The ones with no definition.

it looks like a little scone.

I'd love to take some away
for later, is that okay?

- [John] Yeah, why not?

- [Nisha] I see
what you're doing.

You're giving me all
the ones that I made.

- Yeah, so you can taste it,

- Yeah, so I can taste it.

So your customers don't
have to look at it.

- No.

- Here you go.
- Oh, that is fantastic.

Thank you so much.

It was such a good lesson.

The simplicity of these
gorgeous pastries proves

that high quality ingredients
are what it's all about here.

I love peeking into
the local shops

to see which are in season.

One thing I've seen
a lot of in the shops

is a prized mushroom
called funghi porcini.

And I've come to
meet a chef who's got

a real passion for them.

Riccardo is the head
chef at Il Malandrino.

For him Autumn in Orvieto means

only one thing, mushrooms.

Today, he's preparing
me a simple dish using

a small number of
choice ingredients

that all come from
within a few miles.

Fresh fettuccine served with
porcini and white truffle.

- Buon giorno.
- Buon giorno.

- [Riccardo] Prego.

- [Nisha] I've been
so excited about this.

So these are fresh,
fresh mushrooms?

- Fresh mushroom
and fresh truffle.

- So basically my
idea of heaven.

There is nothing on earth
that tastes like that.

I feel completely spoiled.

Porcini aren't easily
cultivated and usually have to

be foraged by hand hence
their hefty price tag.

Your eyes light up when you talk

about the porcini mushrooms.

Is it a big deal
here in Orvieto?

- It is the best period for us.

And we have a very
big culture about food

and traditional food.

- Also what is seasonal and
is local seems to be the thing

that really gets you excited.

- With my parents, see,
when I'm younger, we coming

every Sunday early
morning at five o'clock

we go to find the mushroom.

- [Nisha] Oh, to have
an Italian childhood.

- But the problem now
is we don't have time

and we need to discover
again that tradition

and discover to live slow.

- It's clear it's not
only slow food but also

a slow lifestyle
that's important here.

In Italy. you have such
a bounty of ingredients.

Must be incredible
to be a chef here.

- Yes, it is incredible.

But at the same time
is really difficult

because the people
are very demanding.

- [Nisha] Yeah, demanding
because they too have grown up

with good food and
good ingredients.

Martin Scorsese said that if
you have an Italian mother,

why would you ever go to
an Italian restaurant?

So the standards are up
there, I don't envy you.

It's very hard.

- Is for what I put my mother
in the kitchen as well.

- Oh, that's the way to do it.

That's the way to do it.

Only in Italy would a chef
keep his mother in the kitchen

with him and what a
perfect way to pass

on traditional skills
and experience.

It's lovely to share
this mushroom passion.

You don't know many people-

- Now when we finish it
but before you just roast

the porcini with truffle.
- That is heaven.

I'm like a truffle hunter like
a pig and who can blame me?

They're just so delicious.

(serene uplifting music)

If I've learned anything
today it's the importance

of slowing down and savoring
simple ways of doing things,

especially when
it comes to food.

So I think it's time I've
put this into practice.

I had a fantastic time
in beautiful Orvieto

and I've been really inspired
by the passion of the people

that I've met here.

There was Maurizio with
his drunken chicken

and the porcini that I
cooked with Riccardo.

So put those together
and what do you get?

My golden masala chicken with
glossy porcini mushrooms.

I'm gonna use the dried kind
that you can get in any shop

in the UK and they are so
full of flavor and gorgeous.

And all you have to do is put
a bit of warm water on them.

This rehydrates and
softens the mushrooms,

releasing all of their
rich, savory flavor.

Now I wanna start with bread.

I got this from that
fantastic bakery.

You can hear the crunch
and they crack it whenever

anyone buys a loaf to show
that it's really fresh.

And I'm gonna make like a
local and use it to mop up all

the delicious sauce
in this recipe.

You guessed it extra virgin
olive oil into a pan.

Flavor the oil with garlic,
just cut the bulb in half.

And thyme from Maurizio's
garden, absolutely stunning.

And then we get our
beautiful Italian bread in.

Let the bread infuse and
sear for a couple of minutes

on each side to lock in the
flavors of that perfumed oil.

I know this has done 'cause
can you hear the crunch?

(tong scraping)

It's already fantastic.

I'm gonna put it
aside, let it rest.

So the garlic stays
in with the thyme.

Now to create the sauce,
I'm gonna use some onions.

Now these are beautiful little
shallots, you can use any.

Cut them in half

and drop them in.

So we just want those
to caramelize a bit.

Look at this stunning
yellow corn fed,

free-range chicken
full of flavor.

Cut it into strips and
chuck it in the pan.

You can hear that sizzle.

You want it cooked through.

You want it brown, but you
don't wanna overcook it.

You want it juicy.

(chicken sizzling)

What I want to do is
to season that chicken

a little bit on its raw side
with a bit of black pepper.

I do that because it kind of
traps the black pepper against

the flesh before I turn it over

so you're getting a bit
more flavor from it.

Otherwise, sometimes
the chicken's sealed

after the flavors
to sink through.

That chicken's looking
gorgeous and golden.

So now time for the
stars of the show.

So there's our soaked
porcini mushrooms.

Look at the color of the
liquid that comes out of them.

That that's not just color.

That smells phenomenal,
smells like a roast dinner,

nothing less, honestly,
it's incredible.

And in they go a few at a time.

They're just such a
classical combination.

These mushrooms and chicken,

(soft lively music)

they go back to the days of
the farmers and the foragers.

Cook for just a
little longer until

the chicken is poached through.

You might start to panic
because it starts to patch.

And you start to see brown
elements around the pan,

but that's where
the goodness is.

And when you put the masala in,

it de-glazes the
pan and washes all

that goodness back
into the source.

And that's how you
get the best flavor.

Speaking of which,
time for wine.

I was going to use
an old Orvieto wine.

But if you can't get hold
of it, masala is perfect.

Masala's gonna give
you a little bit

of sweetness as well.

You could also use red or
white wine or even Dry Sherry.

You want that masala
to thicken down

until it kind of coats
the back of a spoon.

Then in with some of
that rich mushroom liquor

and a pinch of
salt for seasoning.

Now what that's gonna
do is really add

a roasted note to this
and bring a new mommy

that only mushrooms can.

Make sure you swing that
juice round the pan and gather

every little bit of that
caramelized gorgeousness

from around the edges.

And it's just soften
that whole dish

and give it an extra
elegance, I'm gonna go in

with a good slick
of double cream.

(lively music)

Now let's play it
up on and time for

those gorgeous garlicky breads.

Get some of those mushrooms
on the top, pride of place.

That looks phenomenal.

It smells even better.

I'm gonna put a little,
little touch of parsley.

(whimsical music)

So there you have
it, my masala chicken

with porcini mushrooms,
local ingredients,

one pound, about half an hour.

And it tastes like
a million euros.

But I may not charge my
guests quite that much

because joining me are
Lamberto from L'Orvietan

and his friend, Angelo.

I'm making your supper.

- There you go.
- Grazie.

- This is medicine, so good.

- [Nisha] You like it?
- So good.

- Molto buono.
- Molto buono.

- Grazie mille.

I'm so glad.

Now we should've had a
little digestive, Orvietan?

Yeah, maybe afterwards.

I've loved taking things
slowly in atmospheric Orvieto

with lovingly cooked dishes,

full of top quality ingredients.

This truly is an
authentic slice of Italy

and one I hope to return
to again and again.

- Cheers.

(bright folk music)