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In the first of the series, the greedy cooks eat their way around Emilia Romagna, home of parma ham and parmesan cheese, to find out if food and family are still at the heart of Italian life. To begin, they spend an enjoyable Sunday lunch with a traditional Italian family whose fortunes ferment with the balsamic vinegar in their vaults. For the daughters, weekends are dominated by the loving preparation of traditional tortellini, a symbol of their love and ties with their family. In Bologna, they meet a feisty female crime journalist whose life does not revolve around cooking and a fast food tortellini millionaire whose livelihood depends upon these changing lifestyles. They check in at a dating agency to see how Italian women find husbands now and Antonio is cajoled into going on a blind date. Finally, they are surprised to uncover the essence of family when Gennaro is moved to tears by an unusual group of cheese makers. Homely recipes in this episode are Mamma Contaldo's ricotta dumplings and slow cooked family stew with polenta. Gennaro also creates a seductive warm chocolate and amaretto pudding.
The pair eat their way around the region of Campania, looking at how poverty in the area created Italy's best-loved cuisine and how 'poor-man's food' ended up making the same region rich. Gennaro takes Antonio to his home town Minori on the Amalfi coast where he has an emotional reunion with his many friends and family members and, after receiving a lesson from his Great Aunt on pasta making with an umbrella spoke, reminisces on the food of his childhood. Like many from the region his upbringing was tough; they lived off the land, made pasta from flour and water and were inventive with ingredients and leftovers. As Gennaro free-dives for lunch, storing his catch in his swimming trunks, it's clear where he gets his passion for food. In Naples, they discover how pizza was originally considered inedible by anyone but the starving until it was endorsed by a queen. And in Gragnano, a pasta millionaire explains how this cuisine then took over the world. The global popularity of this style of food means that much has changed since the Two Greedy Italians were boys and now the wealth of the Amalfi coast has given birth to a new style of food; one chef's signature dish - a reproduced tomato covered in real gold leaf. The chefs cook some great Italian 'cucina povera' dishes including a ragu alla Napoletana, linguine with prawns and mussels, and a very local lemon and ricotta tart.
When Antonio and Gennaro were boys, every Italian thought that the food from their own region was the best. In this episode they set out to discover if regional pride is still as strong today. Antonio returns to his home town of Borgo Franco to devour the truffles, cheeses and game of the Piemonte region in the far north-west of the country. From the moment they arrive, it's a battle between north and south, with Gennaro reluctantly admitting that the local food has some merits despite its lack of vegetables. The pair join in the celebratory feasts of the Asti palio, a famous horse race celebrating an ancient battle between regions. The local fans are passionate about their riders and the pair nearly come to blows when they support opposing teams. They discover that there are changes afoot in Italy, however. The recent waves of immigration have brought strange, new ingredients to the Turin vegetable market and foreign food producers are being restricted by tough rules from nationalistic politicians. The question is, will Antonio and Gennaro embrace the new influences on their beloved Italian cuisine? Or are the Two Greedy Italians traditionalists at heart? Antonio cooks a traditional dish of pasta ribbons with chicken liver sauce, and a German-influenced apple strudel which brings back memories. Gennaro gets creative with pork fillet with honey and ginger.
In this final episode of the series, religious sceptic Antonio and fanatical believer Gennaro eat their way along a culinary pilgrimage through Puglia's monasteries, holy shrines and festivals to discover whether food and religion are still as closely linked as they were in their youth. After a pilgrim's picnic, they visit a monastery once as famous for its vibrant produce as for its 2,000-year-old saint's tooth. Here they discover the impact of a more material world on the Catholic religion and Gennaro chooses to spend a night in a friary cell. At the shrine of his personal saint Padre Pio, Gennaro finds himself moved by the religious fervour of the pilgrims whilst Antonio questions the ethics of the religious tourist industry and bemoans its impact on the food available. Later, they join an olive harvest, eat at a straw-fired bread oven and join in a unique celebration of the Day of the Dead where it becomes clear that in this historically poor region, religion is still simple and pure and food is still revered as a gift from God. They cook recipes traditionally associated with religious festivals: Easter lamb with peas, sweet and sour bread salad and double layered panettone and ricotta pudding.
