We have found a wonderful escape from all this madness in the form of Stanley Tucci's 'Searching for Italy' series on BBC TV.
I don't normally go for food programs - especially when they are presented by a celebrity - but this is something different for its sheer joy and pleasure. Imagine an entire series of Montalbano in which the Inspector spends his whole time going from restaurant to deli to farm to kitchen to dinner party - all over the most beautiful towns, cities and countryside of Italy.
The only crime which is committed in this show was when the market was flooded with fake and vastly inferior Parma ham. "You mean people actually bought this?" Tucci asks incredulously after he has tasted exhibit A, served to him by a young man who has devoted his entire working life to the real thing.
Tucci is effortlessly charming, polite and humorous. You quickly lose count of how many times he murmurs, "Oh my God", as he samples a local delicacy given to him by the region's universally acclaimed king or queen of his or her speciality.
A woman throws together a simple pasta dish with only four ingredients including the pasta, but the ingredients are the best and freshest to be found anywhere in the land - the soft wheat milled by the artisans of the farm, the tomatoes grown on a surprisingly small patch of land made fertile by the ash from Mount Vesuvius, means that you will not be able to replicate this simple recipe at home, no matter how hard you try. Stanley takes one mouthful and asks the woman, "Will you marry me?" Her and her off-camera husband both laugh.
I guarantee you will not be able to watch this without becoming hungry and yearning for a prolonged trip around all the beautiful places of Italy. Stanley got himself a dream job.
Sounds good. I will earmark it for viewing probably tonight. I see it was acquired by BBC2 from CNN and is on Iplayer. Thanks for the tip.
ReplyDeleteOh good. If CNN made it, people outside of the UK may be able to watch it too if they haven’t already.
DeleteI can only READ it (as we cannot watch that programme) - but even reading makes my mouth water! And "real" tomatoes will stay a dream as long as one doesn't have a garden (and the sun of Italy).
ReplyDelete...or the ash of Vesuvius...
DeleteWhich channel, what time please, Sounds interesting. Glad to hear you like Montelbano too. I have watched them all many times - my usual watching when there is nothing else on.
ReplyDeleteIt can be found on iPlayer, Weave, which means you can watch it any time you like. Do you use it? It is very easy to log on and there is loads of other stuff of interest there as well. We are treating it the same way as we treated Montalbano - watching them all more than once! You will love it.
DeleteP.S. Go to 'Search iPlayer' and type in the title: Searching for Italy. There are loads of episodes.
DeleteThanks for the tip. I will look for this tonight. 4 ingredients to a meal sounds like perfection.
ReplyDeleteIf only you could source them.
DeleteThis sounds wonderful, right up my alley. I wonder if I can find it?
ReplyDeleteMaybe CNN?
DeleteI find him a hard watch
ReplyDeleteHe reminds me very much of the prof
He reminds me of Phil Silvers, but then again I was never married to Phil Silvers.
DeleteI've watched this. You have captured the essence of the man's enthusiasm for the culture and the food.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it good?
DeleteWe binge watched all of it and I even made the courgette pasta Spaghetti alla Nerano !! Oh my God !!! I’ve always liked Stanley Tucci …. Love him even more now. XXXX
ReplyDeleteI have never been any good at all at cooking courgettes.
DeleteI’m hopeless with cooking aubergines . XXXX
DeleteMe too. Maybe it's because I don't like them.
DeleteI binge watched the whole lot last night. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteIt leaves you wanting more.
DeleteWell there is more in the near future. According to adverts for coming attractions on CNN, Mr. Tucci has traveled farther afield in Italy. and a new series is due "in the Spring."
ReplyDeleteAbsolute bliss watching - thanks for this.
ReplyDelete