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Chef Gino D'Acampo sets off on another tour of his home country, this time exploring the north of Italy. In the first edition he examines the food that has shaped the city of Florence, beginning by tackling the bistecca alla Fiorentina - a thick and juicy steak - before preparing sliced T-bone with a colourful courgette ribbon and goat's cheese salad. He then heads to the town of Prato, sampling a pastry chef's speciality brioche buns with an aromatic, creamy filling, and conjuring up his own dessert of apple poached in red wine with amaretti biscuit cream.
Gino D'Acampo's next stop is Venice, where he takes a trip on a gondola with a local countess to find out about a type of Venetian tapas called cicchetti, before creating his own ciabatta-based platter, featuring courgette and fennel with capers, prawns on chilli mayonnaise and breaded cod on lemon mayonnaise. The chef then heads out of the city to the nearby island of Burano, where he participates in a highly unusual method of cooking risotto.
Gino D'Acampo explores the gastronomic region of Emilia-Romagna. In a part of Italy famous for its cured meats, the chef is amazed to find an ancient cellar packed with prized culatello, including one reserved especially for Prince Charles. He then buys a wedge of Parmesan cheese and uses it to enhance a colourful dish of fried aubergine, tomato and mozzarella, topped with basil and olive oil dressing. His culinary quest continues in Modena, where he samples some of the world's finest traditional balsamic vinegar and prepares chicken and pancetta served with asparagus and cherry tomato salad.
Gino D'Acampo tours the picturesque region of Liguria in north-west Italy. His first stop is the village of Camogli, where he meets a family making a living from fishing tourism, before preparing sea bass in caper and butter sauce served with griddled, marinated carrots. Keen to explore more of the coast, the chef heads to Recco, where he helps a baker prepare the town's famous type of focaccia. Finally, Gino rustles up one of Liguria's most popular dishes - trofie pasta with rustic pesto, green beans and potato.
Gino D'Acampo travels through the landscape of Tuscany, beginning in the city of Siena, famous for its sloping Piazza del Campo and its `panforte' - a rich, spiced fruit-and-nut cake dating back to the 13th century. The chef tastes this ancient Christmas treat and, inspired by its flavour combinations, creates his own chocolate version. Next, he visits some Benedictine monks and tours their vast vineyard, before using their Tuscan red wine in his recipe for marinated beef skewers and three-bean salad.
The final leg of Gino D'Acampo's tour takes him to Bologna, widely regarded as Italy's gastronomic capital. Making his way to a trattoria, he meets a chef who has been honing her bolognese sauce recipe for almost 30 years. Gino then prepares his grandfather's take on tagliatelle alla bolognese and explores the local speciality of mortadella. Finally, he goes on the trail of the region's distinctive local pasta - tortellini - and creates his own version with ricotta cheese, hazelnuts, orange zest and chocolate chips.
