- 1 year ago
The Food Truck NZ - S03E04 - Little Italy
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00:00Chef Michael van der Elzen is taking to the streets of New Zealand for a tiki tour of
00:07taste buds.
00:08His goal, to transform some of the world's most popular fat-filled dishes into healthy
00:13gourmet truck food.
00:14It's going to be a lot of work.
00:15Tonight on the food truck.
00:16Come on, just a little bit more.
00:22Michael puts Italian food through the wringer.
00:24That looks like a fried egg.
00:25Spaghetti like my mother used to make.
00:26Un applauso, Michael!
00:28Un applauso!
00:31And tries to give the taste of old Europe a new twist.
00:34I've created little Italy and little old Auckland.
00:39Can Michael do Italian with the price, speed and taste Kiwis demand?
00:44Find out on the food truck.
00:48There are two things the Italians do better than anyone else.
00:55Cars and food.
00:57And just like their cars, Italian food comes in every conceivable size and shape.
01:02Fat, flat, long, thick and thin, not to mention stuffed, sliced, cheesy, oily, even squirty.
01:09Italian cuisine is great.
01:11It's one of the world's most loved cuisines.
01:13Anywhere you go in the world, you'll find a pizza and a pasta.
01:16Because it's so simple, so fast and above all, pretty damn cheap.
01:21But somewhere along the way, fast pushed simple off the menu and cheap took over completely.
01:27Unfortunately, because it is so simple, we tend to overcomplicate it.
01:32We put too many toppings onto our pizzas, too much cheese in our pasta
01:36and we use far too much cream and probably too much oil.
01:39Michael is determined to make Kiwi Italian healthier.
01:42In less than a week, he'll be attempting to woo Auckland's jaded diners
01:46when he turns the food truck into a pop-up Italian ristorante.
01:50But to have any chance of success, he needs to know the competition.
01:54First stop, a slice of the thinking man's pizza at $6 a piece.
01:59Oh yeah.
02:01I've got venison and spinach, I've got my multi-veg and I've got my little Italian meatball one.
02:08These have been lovingly made and then just finished to order.
02:12You're still getting that fresh, flavoursome crunch, but it's super fast.
02:17Five minutes from ordering to eating. It's pretty damn good.
02:22We're off to a good start, but what about the Italian classics at the other end of the market, like tiramisu?
02:29That's probably one of the worst tiramisu's I've ever eaten.
02:32It's not a hard dessert to make really well.
02:35Alright, what about this $9 risotto?
02:37It already looks wrong.
02:39Well, it is cheap.
02:40That's terrible.
02:41Sounds like Michael needs some comforting.
02:43Time for some comfort food.
02:45Lasagna anyone?
02:47This is just typical of a lunch bar where you buy lasagna.
02:50It's just cheese and meat and pasta.
02:53Right then.
02:55Time to pull out the big guns.
02:58Because there's one comfort food that is the mother of all comfort foods.
03:02One spag bol please.
03:04Spaghetti bolognese?
03:05Spag bol.
03:06It's the comfort food comfort foods turn to when they need comforting.
03:10But is it too comfortable?
03:12$15.
03:13You can share this with two people and you can probably still have some left over for breakfast.
03:18You know, you've got your basil on top, you've got all your spaghetti, a little bit of seasoning.
03:23But in 20 minutes I'm going to be asleep.
03:25I'll be killed up with a little cordagone.
03:28Hopefully Michael doesn't fall asleep because he's got a lot of work to do reinventing the Italian wheel.
03:34Time to think outside the pizza box.
03:37I think for me to succeed I'm going to have to bring my food back to basics.
03:41Michael's on his way to Freeman's Bay School for New Zealand's only Italian festival.
03:46An annual celebration of all things Italian.
03:49Especially the tasty bits.
03:51Michael's here to get the hard word on authentic Italian cuisine.
03:55And he's not going to have trouble hearing it.
03:59Hey guys, I like the tiramisu.
04:04Award winning restauranteur Tito Cuciniello runs rustic Italian eatery Pane e Vino.
04:09That means bread and wine.
04:14Tito's an expert in a great deal more than that.
04:16Including authentic regional dishes made.
04:20Michael is hoping he comes away from this with a few Italian state secrets.
04:24I think he gave that lady a heart attack.
04:26And his hearing intact.
04:32Good, well now that we've got the introductions out of the way.
04:35Okay, so you never did a carbonara in here?
04:38Never, you were going to show me that.
04:40Carbonara because we make the bacon carbon.
04:43Carbon, like a little bit crispy.
04:45Crispy smoked bacon is carbonara.
04:47I was wondering what carbonara meant.
04:49Yeah, yeah.
04:50It's the most popular dish in Rome.
04:52Is it?
04:53Yes.
04:54Apparently not just in Rome.
04:56Don't worry guys, the pasta's coming sooner.
04:58Lovely.
04:59Take the bacon out.
05:00Yes.
05:01Red onions.
05:02Always red, not white?
05:03Always red.
05:04Because red onions are the ones that really give it the taste.
05:06Okay.
05:07We fry the onions.
05:08No garlic?
05:09No garlic, no garlic, no garlic.
05:10Onions, bacon so far, good.
05:12Because the bacon dissolves the fat.
05:14And the onions keep the taste of the fat.
05:16Yes.
05:17Penne pasta and an egg are added to the sauté at the same time.
05:21Beautiful like this, okay?
05:22And you don't want to cook that egg anymore because otherwise it turns to scramble.
05:25Scoop a pecorino please.
05:27Pecorino is a sheep's milk cheese often used as an alternative to parmesan.
05:31Now all we need is some cream.
05:33No cream because the cream really, excuse me about that,
05:36but the cream we only put in New Zealand.
05:39Okay.
05:40Because we like cream.
05:41Okay.
05:42No cream?
05:43Oh well, win in Rome.
05:44As long as we've got salt.
05:46No salt.
05:47No salt?
05:48Yeah, because it doesn't need it.
05:49The bacon is salt.
05:50The bacon is salt.
05:51Yeah, you get the smoked bacon dissolving on the oil
05:53and get all the fat and salty stuff on the oil.
05:55Yeah, that's your salt.
05:56So it doesn't need much.
05:57Good, good.
05:58There you go, okay?
05:59Done.
06:00With so few ingredients required,
06:02bacon.
06:03there really isn't a lot for Michael to get wrong.
06:05And then onions, yeah?
06:07Oh, is there?
06:08Bravo.
06:09Thank you, sir.
06:10Okay.
06:11Beautiful.
06:12Good.
06:13Take it out from the fire, okay?
06:14And that's when it's finished to cook it with the egg.
06:15Okay.
06:16Don't cook it under the fire, yeah?
06:17Good.
06:18Done.
06:19A little bit scrambled, huh?
06:20Yeah, it's okay.
06:21Good?
06:22Yeah, good.
06:23Mine looks like scrambled eggs.
06:24Hmm, it may be more breakfast than lunch,
06:27but Tito seems happy.
06:29A round of applause for Michael!
06:32Tito only put like three ingredients into his pasta.
06:36If I start adding more veggies in there
06:39and doubling the amount of ingredients that goes into that pasta,
06:42I'm going to lose the essence of that simplicity.
06:46So how am I going to take something that tastes so fantastic
06:49and change it for the sake of making it healthier
06:52and making it faster?
06:53I really don't know where to start.
06:55I don't.
07:00Chef Michael van der Elzen is taking Italian lessons.
07:04A round of applause for Michael!
07:06In just a few days, he's planning to open a pop-up Italian ristorante
07:10and sell his own pimped-out pasta to passers-by in Auckland.
07:15But first, he wants to test-drive his kooky creations,
07:18so he's come to the Italian auto centre in Auckland
07:21in search of Italian grease monkeys with an appetite.
07:25There's one.
07:26And another.
07:27Not her.
07:28I am surrounded by beautiful Italian vehicles,
07:31not so beautiful or Italian mechanics,
07:35but that doesn't matter because they're going to be my testers.
07:38What I'm hoping for is one pasta and one sauce that works,
07:42hopefully together,
07:44and then I've achieved something.
07:46While the boys are working up their appetite,
07:48fiddling with beards and tinkering with alphas,
07:50Michael also gets to work under the bonnet,
07:53mixing flour, water, egg and olive oil to create a pasta base.
07:56For my first pasta, I want to make a vibrant green pasta.
07:59Silverbeet, spinach and watercress.
08:02Just blanch these or quickly cook them.
08:04Now we need to squeeze as much water out of these veggies as possible.
08:08If these are too wet and they go into our mix,
08:10it's going to make your pasta dough too soft and too wet.
08:13And what we have left is a little golf ball of green goodness.
08:17Like all golf balls, Michael's goes in the hole,
08:20and the end result is a nice flat green.
08:24So what I'm going to do now is I'm going to cut this into a linguine,
08:27which is in between a spaghetti and a fettuccine.
08:30See, a pasta machine would be a lot faster than this, but hey.
08:33Drying is just like hanging out the washing.
08:35Impresto. Vibrant green pasta ready to be cooked.
08:39For his second pasta, Michael's seeing red.
08:42Come on, just a little bit more.
08:44With paprika, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste as his base.
08:48You can do it.
08:49Each pasta will have its own colour-coordinated sauce,
08:52starting with a green pesto.
08:54I want to try and make one a little bit different, with so much flavour.
08:57It's going to blow your head off, but very little fat.
09:00Michael combines rocket, unsalted roasted pistachios,
09:03fresh basil, garlic and a few capers.
09:06These are naturally salty.
09:08It saves me having to add more salt.
09:10Cottage cheese stands in for parmesan to reduce fat.
09:13And finally, just a squeeze of lemon, just to lift all those flavours.
09:18That is beautiful, really nutty.
09:21Well, it takes one to know one.
09:23Michael's red pasta sauce is even simpler.
09:26He combines onion, loads of garlic, curly parsley.
09:29It should actually be Italian parsley, shouldn't it?
09:32Along with thyme and oregano.
09:34And then finally, the all-important tomatoes.
09:36And the thing is, it's not bad using canned tomatoes,
09:39because if you look at the ingredients, you've got chopped tomatoes,
09:42tomato juice, no salt, no oil, no nothing.
09:45And like a true Italian, Michael combines cooking with singing.
09:49Honey, where are you, my honey?
09:53Half a teaspoon of honey.
09:55That's it, finished.
09:57Damn good pasta sauce, and you know what's in there.
09:59In just a few minutes, the fresh pasta is cooked pasta,
10:02and lunch is served.
10:04I am going to finish this with just a touch of parmesan.
10:07First car out of the blocks is the Ferrari red pasta.
10:11Spaghetti like my mother used to make.
10:13Spaghetti like my mother used to make, not the board study.
10:16Homemade spaghetti. Absolutely.
10:18Unless this man's mother was a terrible cook, that's a compliment.
10:21No, I'd live with this.
10:22And the compliments keep coming.
10:24This one tastes really good.
10:25Yeah, it's nice. It's got a good tomato-y flavour.
10:28You've done a great job.
10:29But does the pasta need a compliment?
10:31You want meat. You're missing meat.
10:33Absolutely. I'm a Kiwi.
10:35I'd more likely buy it if it had meat in it.
10:37There's no meat in Michael's green pasta, but it's packed with iron.
10:41Try it. Let me know.
10:43I think these compliment each other a little bit better.
10:46It's a green and green work together.
10:48I really like the pesto.
10:49Do you like that?
10:50I reckon this one's nicer than that one.
10:52It is, but it's quite a different flavour.
10:54It's slightly better, I think. It's more balanced.
10:57Balanced like a set of wheels.
10:59But just then, a real Italian arrives for a service.
11:03How's your van?
11:04Oh, just dropping it off for a service.
11:06OK, he's not Italian, but he knows Italian.
11:10For an Italian company, he must know pasta and pasta sauces.
11:13What's this? A fettuccine, is it?
11:15It was kind of a linguine.
11:17Oh, should be half that thickness.
11:19Yes.
11:20It seems Michael has got a fat noodle on his hands.
11:23Other than that, very nice. A lovely lunch.
11:25Great.
11:26But we haven't addressed that one issue no one likes to raise with a mechanic.
11:30Price.
11:31If I made you a good-sized portion of this for dinner, how much would you pay for it?
11:34I don't know. It's probably sort of $5 to $7.
11:37$5?
11:38Maybe up to sort of $10.
11:39Typical mechanic, not great at accurately estimating the final price.
11:43$10? $15?
11:45$20-something?
11:46Pretty generous.
11:47It's made with love.
11:49Of those two pastas, as much as I'd love to take both of them through to game day,
11:53I think they're just too similar.
11:55And for me, I loved the green one more.
11:57It was just a bit kooky.
11:59So maybe if I think of a good dessert, I've got a game day on my hands.
12:05But with just a few days before game day, Michael needs extra speed.
12:09Not in the truck, but in the kitchen.
12:11A lot of people asked me yesterday for some meat.
12:14So what I want to do is a Kiwi favourite, bolognese.
12:18But this is not bolognese as we know it.
12:20For a start, there's these little guys.
12:22Beluga lentils. Not only do they look like mints, they're full of nutrition.
12:26And then I've got my tomato sauce from yesterday.
12:28So we pop this in now, simmer it for 10 minutes, bolognese, done.
12:33Well, not quite.
12:34Instead of just serving it with spaghetti, I want to create a little ravioli
12:38filled with my bolognese meat and then bake it in the oven.
12:41I'm kind of creating a pie, so you can't get any more Kiwi than that.
12:45Bolognese pie.
12:48Well, if you're calling it a pie, you better have a sauce.
12:51Best thing I can make to go with that bolognese pie is a peperonata,
12:55which is a traditional Italian sauce.
12:58Garlic, onions, roasted peppers and tomatoes are reduced in the pan.
13:03Then we'll blend it into a beautiful puree.
13:06After baking, the peperonata is added to Michael's bolognese pie ravioli hybrid,
13:12which has come out looking like an embarrassed fried egg.
13:15It's a little bit odd, but a very food truck.
13:20It's actually quite delicious.
13:21But I'm glad I've gone for this dip, because it needs it.
13:24And the best part about this peperonata is there's no sugar in it whatsoever.
13:28Oh, can't we have something with sugar in it, Michael? Like a dessert?
13:32I'm going to take a really well-known Italian dessert, tiramisu.
13:35Yes.
13:36And I'm going to mix it with another very well-known Italian dessert, the profiterole.
13:40Another curious hybrid. If Michael was a scientist, we'd be calling him mad.
13:45So, I want to make a tiramisu-flavoured pastry.
13:48Michael removes the butter from his pastry and replaces it with coconut oil,
13:52and adds black coffee and water.
13:55Pop that into a mixer.
13:56In go three eggs, while the pastry mix is still hot.
13:59Pop those into an oven on a high heat, like 200 degrees, for about 20 or 30 minutes.
14:04Michael's filling also gets the Weight Watchers' treatment.
14:07So, I'm replacing my mascarpone with ricotta cheese. Far better option.
14:12For my sweetness and for my sugar, I've got some figs and some raisins soaking in a little bit of masala wine.
14:19I'm just going to blitz them, add some vanilla, add my ricotta, and I have my filling.
14:25Pipe that into the centre, and then we just dip it in the cocoa powder.
14:29I'll see what this tastes like.
14:34They're really crunchy. Far too crunchy.
14:36But the flavour is good. I love the ricotta filling.
14:39I think if I work on these overnight, tomorrow, I might have something that I'm proud to serve.
14:46Chef Michael van der Elzen has some big ideas about how to improve Italian cuisine.
14:51It's a little bit odd, but a very food truck.
14:54And tonight, he's launching his creations on the street.
14:57The street which Michael somehow plans to turn into a restaurant.
15:01We're not even sure this is legal.
15:03Tonight, I'm going to do something that I have never done before.
15:06I'm going to create a food truck pop-up.
15:10Tonight, I'm going to do something that I have never done before.
15:13I'm going to create a food truck pop-up restaurant.
15:16And I won't be serving food in takeaway containers. No, no, no.
15:20Tonight, we have lovely ceramic plates, proper knives and forks, and their own little table,
15:26with a romantic setting, and maybe even provide some music.
15:30I've created Little Italy and Little Old Auckland.
15:34It's one thing to pop up in the middle of Auckland, but will unsuspecting locals pop in?
15:40To succeed, Michael needs to tune in to the local groove around here.
15:44And apparently, it's quite a groove.
15:47The thing is, I am parked down the end of an alleyway.
15:50So I'm hoping there's a few officers around here.
15:53I'm hoping come dinner time, they'll come here for my Italian experience.
15:58Like any respectable sit-down dinner, Michael's menu has three courses,
16:02beginning with an entree of his baked ravioli.
16:05And I've added a little radicchio leaf, just to give us a little bitterness,
16:09and a nice healthy salad on the side.
16:11$10.
16:12Next, we have the green veggie fettuccine.
16:15$15.
16:16It is getting up there for the most expensive things I've sold out of the truck.
16:20But I really do think it's worth it.
16:22Here we have the tomato sauce.
16:25But I really do think it's worth it.
16:27Here we have the sweet delight to finish, tiramisu profiteroles.
16:32Two of those for $8.
16:34I think this is a pretty exciting menu.
16:36And no one's more excited than Michael.
16:39They're much better than they look.
16:41Especially about his profiteroles.
16:43I don't know what happened yesterday, but I worked all night last night.
16:46I cut the flour down, I cut the egg down, and whammo, beauties.
16:51Michael's little beauties have also received an extra glaze of honeyed coffee,
16:56and a dusting of cocoa.
16:58If I don't sell all of these tonight, I'm going to cry.
17:02It's turning into a perfect evening for al fresco dining.
17:06And it's not long before Michael's first customer arrives.
17:10Hello sir, how are you?
17:11Yeah, good.
17:12Two of these bakes.
17:14Have here, take away.
17:15I have to take them away, I'm afraid.
17:16You're going to have to take them away, unfortunately.
17:17I've got these beautiful tables all set up, don't they look lovely?
17:20I'm going to go in my motor scooter.
17:21Not so geared up for the old takeaways.
17:23I think I'll put them onto these, actually.
17:25Thank you so much.
17:26I genuinely hope you enjoy it.
17:27Sure will.
17:28It's a pity I'm not going to get your feedback.
17:29See you later.
17:30Take care.
17:31It's not the start Michael was looking for,
17:33but then a strange noise heralds the arrival of Mike's next customer.
17:40Hi, how are you?
17:41Two servings of your profiteroles.
17:43Take away, thanks.
17:44Take away, no problem.
17:45Another takeaway.
17:46Michael will have to wait for feedback.
17:48Here we go.
17:49Should I write to you and tell you how great they were?
17:52You could ring me.
17:53In a highly unusual move for a celebrity chef,
17:56Michael gives a customer his phone number.
17:58Not even Jamie Oliver would do this.
18:00I hope you enjoy them.
18:01Take care.
18:02Thanks.
18:03It seems nobody wants to hang around.
18:05But when you're riding your own portable seat,
18:07who needs to dine in?
18:09The thing is there's two meals gone, no feedback.
18:12At least I'm selling.
18:15Hi there, how are you?
18:16Dine in or take out?
18:17Take out.
18:18Take out, no problems.
18:19By no problems, Michael means problems.
18:22I think it was a bit of a mistake doing takeaway, you know?
18:24I'm not really geared up for a proper takeaway,
18:27like bags and lids.
18:29There you go, thank you.
18:32But then Michael's high-risk strategy of providing a feedback hotline pays off.
18:37Hello.
18:38Hi.
18:39Hi, how are you?
18:40Yeah, good.
18:41Good to hear you.
18:42You're the profiterole lady.
18:44Yeah.
18:46You're the profiterole.
18:51Beep, beep, beep.
18:53Almost pays off.
18:55Flat battery.
18:57I really want to cook for some more people.
18:59I'm ready, I've got lots of food all lined up.
19:02I need some more patrons.
19:03That's what I need, more patrons.
19:05Be careful what you wish for, Michael.
19:08Good evening, how are we?
19:09Good evening.
19:10Oh, another table.
19:11Hello, how are you?
19:12Good evening.
19:13Michael has to become both chef and waiter.
19:15Table for two.
19:16He can barely contain his excitement.
19:18Ooh, lovely, lovely, lovely.
19:21And involuntary muscle spasms.
19:23Two fettuccine, please.
19:24Perfect.
19:25Need like a sieve.
19:26Here we go.
19:29From now on, you've got to be fast.
19:34Lady first.
19:37Table two.
19:41Bon appetit.
19:42It doesn't taste like greasy.
19:45Really tasty.
19:47All the infusion of herbs and freshness of the pasta as well.
19:51I love this.
19:52This is the buzz part of being a chef.
19:54This is when you see people smile.
19:56It's the most amazing feeling to see people smile eating your food.
20:00One fettuccine.
20:01The fettuccine's delicious.
20:03There's lots of vegetables in there.
20:04There's a really nice, light texture.
20:06It seems healthy, which is nice, which is good for a change,
20:09especially when you eat out.
20:10I really enjoyed lentils.
20:12Yeah, I'm pretty happy with it.
20:13And actually, we'll probably use some lentils in my own bolognese now.
20:17Definitely got the tiramisu through,
20:19and I'm still shocked that, you know, no butter in there.
20:22The food is going down a treat,
20:24but with the restaurant setting comes the restaurant critics.
20:28Is it under-seasoned?
20:30Yes.
20:31It's under-seasoned.
20:32It needs a bit of salt.
20:33It needs to be flat.
20:35I think just kind of put one dimension on it.
20:37Hasn't left any of his one dimension behind, though.
20:40This is quite nice, isn't it, people?
20:43Quite romantic.
20:44All you need is some music.
21:08Madonia.
21:21That was good.
21:22I had a full restaurant.
21:24Now I have an empty restaurant.
21:27This is one problem with being parked in the alleyway.
21:30I don't have much through traffic,
21:32and a lot of people wouldn't have a clue I'm parked down this alleyway.
21:36As the stars come out and the patrons disappear into the night,
21:39the spoils are left to the staff.
21:41It's romantic, isn't it?
21:43I've even got a little bottle of pinot.
21:45My little taste of Italy is all but over.
21:49Salute.
21:50Salute.
21:51Thank you for the beautiful music.
21:52Thank you for the food.
21:53I only set up three tables because I was a bit worried
21:55that I would get smashed on those three tables,
21:57but in the end I could have actually increased it.
22:00Maybe I could have had ten, but hey,
22:02the food was good, the people loved it.
22:05Just a few more of them would have been good.
22:07I brought the taste of Italy to the streets of Auckland,
22:11and that was a cool thing.
22:14Next time...
22:15The beginning.
22:18Michael deconstructs Spanish food
22:20and gives tarpas the treatment.
22:22Pretty old school.
22:23It's lovely, it's healthy, and it's summer.
22:25It just screams Spain.
22:27Salute.
22:29And discovers the other side of wine matching in the wild.
22:32It's a butacol.
22:33Phenomenal.
22:34Beautiful.
22:35Were we supposed to pay?
22:36That's next time on the food truck.
22:39Yeah, it's chaos.
22:40It's chaos.
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