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Gino's Italian Escape Season 4 Episodes
Season 4 Episode Guide
7 Episodes 2016 - 2016
Episode 1
Hidden Italy: Abruzzo
22 mins
In his new Italian culinary adventure, Gino visits places off the beaten tourist path to show the traditional Italian cuisine only the locals know about. His journey starts in the little known rural region of Abruzzo. In the local coastal town of Pescara, Gino meets a family of traditional pasta makers who specialize in spaghetti alla chitarra. On Trabocchi Coast, Gino meets a fisherman who is carrying on his family's long tradition of ancient trabucco style of fishing, and cooks delicious chitarra pasta with cherry tomatoes and rocket leaves. He also meets a modern shepherd and his beautiful maremma sheepdogs, and makes a bet that he can make better lamb skewers with a green bean and goat cheese salad than the locals.
Episode 2
Hidden Italy: Trentino Alto-Adige
23 mins
Italy's Swiss-like northernmost region of Trentino-Alto Adige, once part of Austrian South Tyrol, is alpine cattle country, and it's Gino's first time here. First, he visits a local dairy farmer to learn how to make delicious cheese called caciotta al timo from fresh alpine milk and thyme, and uses it to prepare a nice plate of tagliatelle pasta with tomato sauce, Italian speck and herb cheese. Next, Gino visits a local producer of speck, the local bacon-like specialty trademarked by Trentino-Alto Adige region. Finally, he prepares his own non-baked version of traditional Bavarian apple strudel, combining favorite local fruit, apple, with raisins, amaretto liqueur and fresh raspberry coulis.
Episode 3
Hidden Italy: Lombardia
22 mins
Gino is in Lombardy visiting Lake Como, a place so breathtaking that even Hollywood stars like Madonna and George Clooney love to relax there. In the Beverly Hills of the region, the pricey laketown of Cernobbio, Gino takes a sightseeing boat ride with a well connected female real estate agent as guide, makes cheeseballs stuffed with olives and coated with roasted peanuts to go with Harry's Bar's specialty, the Bellini cocktail, dares to reveal the secret behind the cocktail's safely kept recipe, and asks Harry's Bar owner if he approves of Gino's version. Then, in the tiny laketown of San Siro, Gino learns the traditional local way of fishing for agone, the fish that live in Lake Como, and prepares delicious breaded fried agone fish served with tomato salad and garlic and lemon dressing. Finally, he suggests Franciacorta wine as the wine to go with a perfect meal like this.
Episode 4
Hidden Italy: Umbria
23 mins
Gino visits the landlocked region of Umbria, the proud home of Cucina Povera or peasant food. First, Gino visits the striking 13th century Ponte delle Torri aqueduct. Then, on a large Umbrian lentil farm, Gino learns the traditional way of cleaning lentil, and uses it to make a lentil salad with roasted butternut squash and lemon dressing. In the small town of Spoleto, Umbria's meat capital and home of the medieval Norcinerias or butcher shops whose butchers were masters of the knife cutting craft, Gino learns about the bacon-like Guanciale or cheek of the pig from the local Norcineria master. Finally, with the Ancient Rome's Cascata delle Marmore, the tallest man-made waterfall in Europe, in the background, Gino prepares a nice plate of conchiglie pasta with guanciale, tomato and parmesan cheese.
Episode 5
Hidden Italy: Liguria
21 mins
Gino returns to the northwestern coastal region Liguria, Italy's Riviera, notably the 'Cinque Terre' strip. It's ancient olive country, where he visits a grower and a cooperative to learn about the harvest and extra virgin pressing. The innovative owner of a 'gelato' salon (softer and less cold then regular ice cream) with extraordinary variety in flavors shows him how it's made. A butcher has an equally stunning choice, notably of sausages. Finally Gino combines local specialties in a chicken and pasta recipe.
Episode 6
Hidden Italy: Tuscany
23 mins
Gino visits Tuscany and the oldest winery in Italy and tastes 3 Chianti Classico wines, which by law must be made with at least 80% Sangiovese grapes. Tuscany is so loved by the British it is nicknamed Chiantishire.! Chianti Classico wines started in the 1800s. Other grapes sometimes added are Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot or Merlot. He visits a small hamlet with 31 locals. He rides a bike on the old white roads of the amateur cycle race called L'Eroica, with a cyclist from Ireland that has lived in Italy for 20 years. Gino cooks a wild boar ragout and Ribolita, a bread soup, whilst he is outdoors.
Episode 7
Hidden Italy: Piedmont
23 mins
Piedmont is the largest of the mainland Italy states, the birthplace of Fiats, and the largest rice growing area in Italy. In fact, rice has been growing there since 1475 in the Po valley where the river starts and then flows out to Venice. Piedmont is known for truffles and hazelnuts grown at 500 meters above sea level. Gino first visits a hazelnut factory and then goes Truffle hunting black, and the more rare white truffles with a friend, Luca, and his truffle-hunting dog. Gino then uses truffle shavings to cook the perfect steak with the truffle butter. Finally, he visits the female owner of a big rice farm, learns about the rice-farming life, and uses her first class rice to prepare delicious duck risotto.
