- 3 minutes ago
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00On Eating Dirty, David will be in Catania feasting at a gourmet seafood restaurant in the middle of a fish market.
00:07I'm in love. You see how excited I'm getting.
00:10Experiencing the slow-roasted flavours and strict traditional rules in Rome's oldest porchetta shop.
00:16No, no, no, no, no good.
00:18Here, the customer is never right.
00:20And enjoying a wonderful selection of home-cooked food like Nonna used to make in the heart of Naples.
00:25This is all my favourite foods. There's heart, there's love, there's soul.
00:29Tonight you're going to be going like this.
00:31I'll be your guide as David Rocco goes on a wild ride through Italy.
00:50It's eating dirty, baby.
00:52Our first stop is in Catania, a historic port city on Sicily's east coast, sitting right at the foot of Mount Etna.
01:04Mr Rocco's here to check out the lively fish market, as famous for its fishmongers as it is for its fresh seafood.
01:10There's lots of character, all just a stone's throw from the heart of the town.
01:14I love this place. This is like the pulse, the heart of Catania. It's the main fish market. It started after World War II. And to me, I love the theatre.
01:26It's kind of like going to Costco, you know, when they give you some samples.
01:31Here they're so willing to let you try something.
01:37He says eating this, it's like three times stronger than Viagra.
01:44This is why the Sicilians are so happy.
01:49This is Marco who has a local restaurant here called Scirocco.
02:01He was one of the first to actually see the vision of this piscaria in Catania.
02:06And he opened this restaurant that has the freshest fish.
02:09They begin their journey by getting green olives for the caponata.
02:12And then they set off into the market to grab fresh sardines to make becca fico.
02:17This must be so much fun for a local chef to be able to walk five feet, ten feet to all his suppliers.
02:27Ciao, Fabio. Buongiorno. Ci puoi aiutare?
02:30Dovamo preparare delle sarde a becca fico. Ci servivano un bel po' di sarde, un chilo di sarde. Local sarde.
02:36These were fished last night. Twelve dollars later, they're in the market.
02:41Grazie, Fabio.
02:42Marco's gonna make a traditional dish.
02:44Sardines in becca fico.
02:46This is incredible what Marco's done. He's taking the traditional becca fico, which is the sardine that is usually prepared open-faced style with breadcrumbs, pine nuts, raisins, some olives, red wine vinegar for that sweet and sour.
03:04He rolls all that up into the sardine, dips it in a batter, sprinkles some breadcrumbs and then deep-fries it.
03:11And he's created this beautiful broquette. Can you see that? It is like crunchy. Fantastic.
03:20You have a beautiful crust, but inside the impasto is so flavorful.
03:29This is a Palermo style.
03:30This is a Palermo style.
03:31Palermo style. You're from Palermo?
03:32No. We...
03:33Isn't that bad to do Palermo style in Catania?
03:36Yes, because it's more easy to eat by one.
03:39I've eaten these in Palermo. I've eaten these in Sicily. Never like this.
03:43We know that Catania meets Palermo.
03:46Yeah, but you guys are also competition.
03:49I'm in love. I'm in love. This is important, eh?
03:53Next up is fresh fish for the caponata.
03:55In this period we prepared the caponata with alla lunga.
03:58In the Mediterranean Sea there's a period where you can catch tuna from 1st of June to end of September.
04:04From Sicilia to Libya.
04:06And alla lunga is in the same family as tuna and Marco says it's even better.
04:10After picking up the freshest fish possible for the caponata, Marco and David head to Scirocco.
04:15They're about to dive into two classic Sicilian dishes.
04:18One with a modern twist and the other sticking to the traditional old world style.
04:23This is the Sicilian caponata done the original way with fish.
04:28So you have those beautiful plump eggplants that are fried.
04:31But he's added mahi-mahi.
04:33And Marco says this was the original way of making caponata here.
04:37And then the recipe moved into just with eggplant because capone was more expensive.
04:42So whose recipe is this?
04:43Of my father.
04:44My father had a classic restaurant with a Michelin.
04:47So you've taken Michelin star recipes and you've made them fun, accessible.
04:53Yes.
04:54Street food.
04:55You've almost created the recipes to reflect the environment.
04:57The fish market.
04:58People walking on the street.
05:00I mean this is fun, fun food.
05:02This here is an explosion of flavor.
05:04Wow.
05:05Wow, wow, wow.
05:08La vera caponata.
05:10La vera caponata.
05:11Hmm.
05:12Next is a traditional octopus salad but with a distinctly modern twist.
05:18Now this guy has guts.
05:21Traditionally octopus salad is made up of boiled octopus, chopped up with olive oil, salt, lemon.
05:29Sometimes not even olive oil, just lemon juice.
05:31I mean the Sicilians are really strict.
05:33This guy, he's crazy.
05:36He goes to put a mayo.
05:38A mayo.
05:39A mayo.
05:40Lemon and mint.
05:42It takes the octopus into a whole different stratosphere.
05:45Mayo on octopus.
05:48This might be the best octopus salad I've ever had.
05:52You see how excited I'm getting.
05:53I'm getting excited.
05:54Your dad must be proud of you.
05:57No?
05:58Yes.
05:59When we opened it, I said I was crazy.
06:02But now he says I'm fortunate, right?
06:05Because I made the fish more money than him.
06:08I made the stellar dishes.
06:10Yes.
06:11Great.
06:12You're great.
06:13I love your style.
06:15David decided to pop into the kitchen to meet the staff.
06:19Where Massimo fries up some fish that's served in a cone.
06:22The perfect street food.
06:25This recipe is simple.
06:26You gather fish like mullet, shrimp and anchovies.
06:29Then you lightly batter them with flour and fry them to perfection.
06:33The key in this case is getting the freshest fish imaginable.
06:36This is so light, it's so beautiful.
06:44But Mr Rocco remembers some of this needs to get to the customers.
06:47I promise this is the last one.
06:49I promise.
06:50Guys, I'm out of here because I'm going to be eating way too much.
06:53Ciao, grazie, siete bellissime.
06:55Grazie.
06:56David, ever the cheeky charmer, somehow ended up nicking bites off every table.
07:00Just charm and quick hands.
07:02I'm not sure if this is the way I had it.
07:04Yeah, you can have that one then.
07:06Why not, right?
07:08Was it better yours than mine?
07:10I don't know.
07:11Hers looks a little different though.
07:13No, they're the same.
07:15They're the same.
07:16I'm sorry, I love food.
07:18I'll take some.
07:21We've got to eat.
07:22This is part of the communal atmosphere here.
07:25Hey, don't laugh.
07:26I'm going to come after yours.
07:27Just that.
07:29Bon appetito and eat dirty.
07:34Ciao.
07:35Ciao.
07:36Ciao.
07:37Ciao.
07:38It's a beautiful thing.
07:40Marco every morning walks the market 10 feet away, picks his fish and seafood and makes
07:45it into beautiful street food.
07:47These anchovies and eat the whole thing.
07:50Head, tail, tutto.
07:52When I grow up, I want to be Marco.
07:54I want to have a little place by the market and sell really fun food.
07:59I mean, this is what I think being a chef's all about.
08:02Delivering happiness.
08:04Food that takes from tradition but makes it accessible to everyone.
08:09Forget about the Michelin star.
08:11This is where it's at.
08:13A short hour and a half flight away is Rome.
08:24A city that's steeped in history.
08:27Romans are famously stubborn and stickless for tradition.
08:30And nowhere is that more apparent than here at Air Bruchetto.
08:34Opened in 1890, this place has been serving simple pork sandwiches for 130 years.
08:40David's meeting with Alessandro, who's the fifth generation of the family, to own this place.
08:44Cheers.
08:45Salute.
08:46This is amazing.
08:47This place is like a throwback to an old time in Rome.
08:51Siamo riusciti a conservarlo.
08:54Siamo riusciti a conservarlo.
08:55Siamo riusciti a conservarlo e andiamo avanti sempre.
08:57Roscello come stava.
08:58It's true.
08:59You almost feel like you're going back 130 years.
09:01Alessandro, you te engana boga fama.
09:04You serve me wine on an empty stomach.
09:06A little, a little nasaggia.
09:09Here, the porchetta is the star of the show.
09:12You have the holy grail.
09:14This roasted pig that's in this glass case.
09:17And it's like you expect music and the gods and the heavens to be singing.
09:22Alleluia.
09:23As he shaves and cuts and gives little crispy bits of porchetta on a panino.
09:29Porchetta is slow roasted pork belly, which is cooked for several hours on a low heat before
09:35being crisped in the final hour to give this lovely crunchy pork rind.
09:40Mmm.
09:41Porchetta is so Roman.
09:45This is what you have on a Sunday afternoon.
09:48This is what you have after a soccer match.
09:51And then you wash it down with a little bit of white wine.
09:54Roman style.
09:56What are the spices?
09:57Sale, pepe, aglio and rosmarino.
09:58It's simple.
09:59It's clean.
10:00Semplice, ma non è facile fare un buon prodotto così.
10:01Wow.
10:02This is really fantastic.
10:03L'anno prossimo sono cento anni di fornitura con la stessa ditta.
10:06So you've been getting the porchetta of the same supplier for a hundred years.
10:10Sono due famiglie.
10:11La nostra e la loro.
10:12This panino shop feels like a miniature museum.
10:13It's changed the glacial pace over almost a century and a half.
10:15All that's been added, some pictures on the wall, awards and news reviews, you know,
10:18it's been added.
10:19It's been added.
10:20Some pictures on the wall, awards and news reviews.
10:23It's been added.
10:24It's been added.
10:25It's been added.
10:26It's been added.
10:27It's been added.
10:28It's been added.
10:29It's been added.
10:30But other than that, it's just stayed unchanged as two World Wars and four Italian World Cup
10:37wins pass by.
10:38A tiny time capsule.
10:39Literally, it's a hole in the wall.
10:40That's what air bucchetto means.
10:41The place is like maybe the size of two mattresses.
10:44If you're lucky or special, you can get yourself a table like these two local regulars.
10:49Cheers.
10:50Like when I was young, no?
10:51The classic taste of l'infanzi.
10:52Classic taste.
10:53Of your childhood.
10:54Yeah, yeah, yeah.
10:55Yeah.
10:56Yeah, yeah.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Yeah.
10:59Yeah, yeah, yeah.
11:00It's not easy.
11:01Yeah.
11:02To find this.
11:03Viene spesso?
11:04Solo vantarmi.
11:05Only 40 years you've been coming.
11:08E quante volta a settimana?
11:10Three, quattro.
11:11Oh, veda.
11:12Three, quattro volta a settimana.
11:14Wow.
11:15Lega bene con la porchetta.
11:16Sei contento ora che stai mangiando la porchetta.
11:21The menu here is very short and very simple.
11:24You have cheese and salumi panini.
11:28You can have porchetta or pizza bianca.
11:30And they have a couple of side dishes.
11:32So David's chosen this side dish of cicoria or Italian dandelion greens and vinegar peppers.
11:37Of course, the porchetta sandwich is the most important thing here.
11:40This family's been making it the exact same way for decades.
11:43No tweaks, no trends, just tradition.
11:45And around here, you simply don't mess with it.
11:48Here, they're traditionalists.
11:50Porchetta comes served with bread.
11:53Simple.
11:54No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
11:58Not good.
11:59No.
12:00No, no, no.
12:01This is a Roman style.
12:02No American style.
12:03No mix.
12:04No mix.
12:05No mix.
12:06You'll try.
12:07Only this.
12:08Otherwise, get out.
12:09Yes, you know.
12:10See?
12:11What?
12:12It's great.
12:13So if I want anything on the porchetta, I have to have it on the side like this and like
12:17this.
12:22Here, the customer is never right.
12:25It's his way or get out of here.
12:29Suitably chastened and to escape Alessandro's scathing Roman gaze, David figured he'd take
12:34his sandwich outside.
12:36Less offensive that way.
12:37He's joined out there by Alessio, the sixth generation and very much the good cop of this
12:41father-son dynamic.
12:42Do you ever get sick of eating a porchetta sandwich?
12:44No.
12:45Never.
12:46Never.
12:47I've never been.
12:48What's the best part of their job?
12:49The people.
12:50The people?
12:51Yeah.
12:52The people that come every day, every year, every ten years.
12:54Yeah.
12:55They do their job.
12:56Then they have one hour, and half an hour.
12:59They come here, take a sandwich, one glass of wine, and they...
13:03That must feel kind of special.
13:06This is their gorgonzola with vinegar peppers and a drizzle of balsamic glaze.
13:11This is their most recent menu update, added in 1975.
13:16David brings us outside with him.
13:18He wants to try it on the sandwich, but he's afraid of getting scolded.
13:21So am I not to do this, or am I going to get in trouble?
13:24Yes, you can.
13:25Yeah?
13:26I'm not going to get thrown out.
13:27No, no, no, no.
13:28Others are not going to get me out.
13:29No, no, you can't.
13:30Oh, yeah.
13:31It's good.
13:32The vinegar pepper, the gorgonzola.
13:35Wow, this is a really amazing combination.
13:38Your grandfather put this on the menu?
13:40Yeah, and my father is perfectionist.
13:42But never inside the porchetta, always on the side.
13:45Yeah, on the side, on the side.
13:46Have you thought of introducing something to the menu?
13:50Me, personally?
13:51Yeah.
13:52You have to work 20 years.
13:53I could not, I could not, yeah.
13:54No?
13:55Your dad wouldn't let you.
13:56Another 20 years inside?
13:57Maybe.
13:58Maybe, yeah.
13:59Your father has a little bit of a Roman attitude.
14:00Has there ever been an experience where a tourist has come and said,
14:03can I have mayonnaise, or can I...
14:05Yeah.
14:06And your father says, oh, yeah.
14:07Every day, every day, every hour.
14:09Every hour.
14:10He kicks them up, but with a smile.
14:11There's a place down the street.
14:13Before leaving, Mr. Rocco decides to chat with some customers
14:15and see what they think of the place.
14:17This nice family are on vacation from the north of Italy.
14:20How is it?
14:21It's very, very good, the porchetta,
14:23and the aromas that are inside the porchetta,
14:26from the simplicity.
14:27Yeah.
14:28And then, to eat it here in Rome,
14:30it's a whole other thing.
14:32If you like this, it means...
14:34We already understood.
14:35It's very, very good.
14:37Yeah.
14:38So where are you guys from?
14:39From Venice.
14:40From Venice, so tourists.
14:41So how does it compare to the porchetta in Venice?
14:43No, you can compare them.
14:44Better here?
14:45Yeah.
14:46Okay, shh.
14:47Don't tell anyone.
14:48It's amazing how simple these are.
14:49Yeah.
14:50Bene.
14:51Buon appetito.
14:52Grazie.
14:53I mean, they've been doing this for 130 years.
14:55Alessandro said he started when he was seven.
14:58He's been here for more than 55 years.
15:00He took it over from his father.
15:02His father took it over from his father.
15:04Six generations.
15:05Businesses come and go.
15:06Trends come and go.
15:08But these guys just stay the course.
15:15Our final destination is Naples, just a few hours' drive away.
15:21It's David's ancestral home, where his father grew up and where he feels a deep connection.
15:26He's here to eat at one of his favourite restaurants of all time, run by his good friend, Antonio.
15:32It's a small place that serves a great selection of Neapolitan food.
15:35Before they open for the evening, we're joining Antonio and his brother-in-law Gaetano for an aperitivo outside.
15:41Salute.
15:42Salute.
15:43Salute.
15:44Salute.
15:45I'm so excited to be here.
15:46This is my favourite place in Naples.
15:47You know that.
15:48This, fiori di zucca ripieni, ricotta provola and salame.
15:52These are a thing of beauty.
15:54In fact, I come just for his zucchini flour.
15:57This dish is just so good.
15:59Why bother letting zucchinis grow when you can make the flours into something wonderful?
16:03You take fresh, soft ricotta cheese, small cubes of Neapolitan salami, chunks of smoked provolone cheese, grated Parmigiano.
16:11Mix it all up and using a piping bag, you stuff the flours and then wrap them.
16:17Then it's a quick dip in a light batter and into the fryer they go to get that perfect golden crunch.
16:22The result?
16:24A proper knockout.
16:26This is joy.
16:28All the food groups you need, all the food groups you want.
16:32Oh, that got sick.
16:37Mamma mia.
16:40Why I love coming to eat here is because it's like being at home.
16:44I don't know, this is beautiful.
16:46The second antipasti on the table is this traditional Neapolitan cod.
16:51It's chunks of white cod, lightly floured and deep fried until crispy.
16:56Then it's served with a sauce of black olives, capers and cherry tomatoes, which is ladled over the top.
17:02It's like this fantastic connection to home.
17:05My mom's cooking.
17:06These are the flavours I grew up with.
17:08You just want to grab bread and just do sharp batter and just keep eating.
17:12Una volta deciso di aprire locale, ho deciso o si mangia o me piaci a me, o me piaci a mia nonna o non si mangia proprio.
17:20E così sono andato a mano.
17:21And that's what I love.
17:22You don't cook for your customers.
17:24Te cuchina per te.
17:25I love that.
17:26The last of our antipasti is this lovely looking stuffed red pepper.
17:30It's stuffed with moistened bread, olives, capers and provola.
17:38Then it's rolled and coated with breadcrumbs.
17:41A little drizzle of olive oil and then it's baked.
17:44Look at that.
17:45Isn't that nice?
17:46These stuffed peppers are to die for.
17:48Very simple.
17:53There's nothing fancy here.
17:54Just simple ingredients but there's heart, there's love, there's soul, there's Antonio.
17:59Right in here.
18:00You can taste his family's legacy here.
18:02L'ho detto bene.
18:04L'hai detto benissimo.
18:05Ci hai fatto quasi emozionare.
18:07Quasi, quasi.
18:08Quasi.
18:09Not just that.
18:10It's a family.
18:12This is a half hour before they open and there's already 40 people in line.
18:18Armenia.
18:19May I make a suggestion?
18:20Their meatballs are great.
18:21The eggplant parmigian is great.
18:23The furie di zucca with ricotta is amazing.
18:26The stuffed peppers is great.
18:27The brajola is great.
18:28Nothing.
18:29You want to go not great, there's a restaurant just down the street.
18:32Wait.
18:33Hey, we have the same barbara.
18:35Okay, the brajola, they put pine nuts and raisins and a little...
18:39Right.
18:40Because your grandmother, when something's good, you go like this, right?
18:44Well, tonight you're going to be going like this.
18:46It's like a double hand.
18:47Double hand.
18:48Now the place is open and immediately full, Antonio needs to get back into the kitchen.
18:52They do all the Neapolitan greats here.
18:54The super cheesy pasta patate, Genovese pasta with its slow cooked beef and many more besides.
19:00The trouble is, it's packed in there now and Dave is going to have to find somewhere to sit down.
19:05Ah yes, his new American friends.
19:08These look like likely candidates.
19:10I hope you guys don't mind.
19:11This is kind of Neapolitan.
19:12You just help yourself to a table.
19:14I don't know if it was date night.
19:15Date night.
19:16No.
19:17No, she's like date night.
19:18This is the brajola.
19:20Brajola is a thin cut flank steak of beef stuffed with provola cheese, a sprinkling of raisins, pine nuts, black pepper and a handful of fresh parsley.
19:31It's then rolled up, tied with string and slow cooked in a delicious ragout.
19:36The sauce is olive oil, onions, basil, red wine and lots of passata cooked for four to five hours until it's very tender.
19:46I ordered brajola because here it is something that's out of this world.
19:51Wow.
19:52Look at that.
19:53And so the raisins give it a nice sweetness, the pine is some nuttiness.
19:57Prego, prego.
19:58Okay.
19:59Yo.
20:02It's better than my mother.
20:03It's better.
20:04From New York.
20:05No, so she can't hear.
20:06She's just, uh, you know, maybe rolling in her face like, oh, stop being here.
20:10Now, guys, make yourselves at home.
20:13You know what you got the buttons, eh?
20:15What kind of Italian art?
20:18What?
20:19Shame on you.
20:20No.
20:21Yeah, okay, but is this.
20:24Boom.
20:25Boom.
20:26Boom.
20:27That's it.
20:28Boom.
20:29Scarfetta is like little shoes because you grab, you grab them, you make little shoes and you go like this.
20:34Shoes.
20:35Shoes, yeah.
20:36Talking of little shoes, Scarparello translates as shoemaker's pasta.
20:41The sauce is as simple as it gets.
20:44Tomato ragu, some chili flakes, basil, pecorino, cheese, and that's all there is to it.
20:51And it's being delivered with a smile by the lovely Manuela, who's a pro at balancing charm and plates.
21:02Manuela, grazie.
21:03Sit down.
21:04Sit down.
21:05Sit down.
21:06I haven't seen you in a long time, so.
21:08How are you?
21:09I'm happy now that you brought me my spaghetti a las Scarpaniel.
21:12Oh, good.
21:13Really good.
21:14Really Italian.
21:15Really Italian.
21:16Yeah.
21:17Oh, my God.
21:18This is so good.
21:19So, you've been working here for two years.
21:21Yeah.
21:22I mean, there's a great mix of Neapolitans, Italians, and tourists.
21:25Is there anything they ask that drives you crazy?
21:28Of course.
21:29The cappuccino after the meal.
21:31Oh, my God.
21:32Come on.
21:33How is possible?
21:34Not after eggplant parmigiana, stuffed zucchini flour.
21:37Yeah.
21:38Then you have scarpariola.
21:39Then meatballs, then bragiola.
21:40Yeah.
21:41Then you have cappuccino.
21:42No.
21:43No.
21:44I say no.
21:45In a city that's pretty chaotic, at the Campagnola, you will always be taken care of,
21:50and they will not serve you.
21:51Cappuccino, no.
21:52No cappuccino.
21:53Bello limoncello.
21:54Always limoncello.
21:55You're a bello guaglione, eh?
21:57This guy's number one.
21:58My gunna, free gunna, so na na mi na na.
Comments