Spain... On The Road Again
by Charles Pinsky
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Claudia Bassols, Gwyneth Paltrow, Mario Batali, Mark BittmanDirector: Charles Pinsky
Brand: New Video
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 690 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-01-20
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: DOCURAMA
Movie Reviews of Spain... On The Road Again
Movie Review: Mouth-Watering and Thoroughly Enjoyable Reality/Travelogue/Food Show.
Summary: 5 Stars
I hate reality TV, travelogues put me to sleep, and I can only take cooking shows in small doses, but I love "Spain...on the Road Again". In this case, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is a thirteen-part travelogue/food series that aired on PBS in fall of 2009. Chef and restaurateur Mario Batali, who lived in Spain for several years, provides the sparse narration for a food-oriented road trip through 10 regions of Spain in the company of four famous personalities. Batali is joined by friends Mark Bittman, the New York Times food writer, and Gwyneth Paltrow, the actress. The charming and beautifully-accented Spanish actress Claudia Bassols rounds out the quartet and acts as a translator when the Spanish of the American's isn't up to the task.
Batali has an overbearing personality, but the mixing and (not always) matching of these four people is interesting enough. Often Batali is paired with Paltrow and Bittman with Bassols, but they switch around. Every person is not there for every episode, as Gwyneth Paltrow goes off to be with her family in London or Bittman is off on a book tour. A lot of conversations of dubious significance take place in the Mercedes convertibles that they tool around in, but this gives the audience lots of opportunity to see the countryside. And we do see both rural and urban Spain, touching on every region except the southwestern part of the country. The intrepid travelers take us to where the food is grown, raised, or caught, as well as to the restaurants in which it is served.
We see a lot of the country by car. Though the hosts draw our attention to points of interest, and they get out of the cars and go in some museums, cathedrals, resorts, etc., these are more like teasers than tours of the sights. They offer a lot more detail about the food. We visit expensive trendy restaurants as well as more traditional establishments that look accessible to middle-class budgets. We watch specialty cheesemakers, pastry chefs, and country cooks do their thing. Our hosts make lobster stew with some fishermen on the beach of Menoa. The food really runs the gamut. And it literally made my mouth water every time. Spain offers perhaps the best Mediterranean cuisine at this time, and nothing could be a better advertisement for Spanish tourism.
That's what "Spain...on the Road Again" is. It's an ad for Spain. And apparently for Mercedes, given the number of times we see those cars. It couldn't be more effective or enjoyable. The odd combination of personalities, the lovely scenery, stunning architecture, and food, food, food. Great food, even for a semi-vegetarian like Paltrow. (Like me, she eats seafood but not other meat.) I'd hop on a plane to Spain right now if I could afford to. Some of the dishes could be made at home, some couldn't. Sometimes they are explained, but not in the case of restaurant food. If you've seen Mark Bittman's "The Best Recipes in the World" series, the format of the food segments is similar. It's just thoroughly enjoyable. This is an hour-long show, but I am always surprised that it ends so soon.
Summary of Spain... On The Road Again
Get ready for the road trip of a lifetimeFrom the seaside cliffs of Mallorca to the bustling tapas bars and majestic museums of Barcelona, this is the ultimate road trip across Spain. Academy Award®-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, celebrity chef Mario Batali, celebrated author Mark Bittman (How to Cook Everything), and Spanish actress Claudia Bassols embark on a ten-week tour of a country at the forefront of the culinary and cultural worlds. Each episode finds the four in a new locale, from learning how Cava is made in Catalunya to meeting the famed pigs of Salamanca, as they steadily reveal the undiscovered delights of a country brimming with gastronomic and aesthetic treasures.
DVD Features: Deleted Scenes; Filmmaker Audio Commentary; Behind the Scenes
Stills from Spain?on the Road Again (Click for larger image)
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? How did the show come about?
Charlie and I have been talking about doing something together for a while and we both love spain intensely. Gwyneth came in as we were closing in on production skeds and it just worked out perfectly.
? How is this more than a cooking show?
It is more about travel and the fun we had along the way than any traditional dump and stir. Some shows we do not even cook, although we always eat.
? What did you enjoy most about this project?
Hanging in Spain with the cooks and winemakers as well as Gwyneth, who is a great eater and lover of culture. The day to day making of tv was simple and relaxed and every night we had a nice dinner and stayed in nice places. It was kind of like a little vacation that happened to be made into a tv show.
? How does Spanish cooking differ from Italian?
Your heritage is Italian but you have spent time in Spain. Do you try to incorporate both styles for certain recipes? Both styles of food love olive oil and seasonal produce. Spain has its rice dishes and Italy has pasta. We use all of the Spanish influence at Casa Mono and the rest of my joints are Italian.
? What were some of the differences between each region?
It is all based on the intensity of the sun, as it is in the rest of the world. In the south there are sweeter fruits and more intensely flavored dishes, often fried.... in the north things are cooked longer and slower and the flavors are often more complex but also muted.
? For Americans who consider themselves familiar with Spanish cuisine, what would surprise them about food in Spain?
The incredible regional variation is always a surprise for Americans travelling anywhere who had previously considered a national cuisine to exist.
? What surprised you about food in Spain?
I think the shellfish and killer wine of Galicia was the most surprising. I simply had not experienced that corner as much as the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.
? If someone goes to Spain, is there one ?must try? food?
JAMON, CROQUETAS AND FIDEOS
? Do you have any future shows planned for different countries?
We are working on an Italian show idea and a South American one, too.
? In the show, Gwyneth Paltrow mentioned the possibilities of writing a cookbook. Do you have any plans of future projects with her?
She is in the middle of her first cookbook right now and we are always planning something together - probably the Italy show is our next collaboration that the public will hear about.
? What are you doing now?
I am working on the Mario Batali Foundation which is intended to raise awareness of and money for children?s hunger relief, literacy and children?s disease research to help guarantee that each child is well fed, well read and well cared for. Children are the future and need the opportunity to thrive so that they are prepared for the challenges we are developing for them thru our mistakes now.
Map of Spain?on the Road Again
(courtesy of Quentin Bacon)
Exclusive Recipe from Spain?on the Road Again (courtesy of www.spainontheroadagain.com)
Gypsy Potage (Serves 6)
- Two 14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 large Spanish onion, cut into small dice
- Scant 1 cup tomato puree
- 2 tablespoons sweet pimentón (Spanish smoked paprika)
- Pinch of saffron threads
- 1 pound baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 1/2 pounds skin-on, boneless bacalao (salt cod), soaked in water for 3 days (change the water twice a day)
- 5 cups water
Put the chickpeas into a large heavy pot, add 2 cups cold water, and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook until they are just beginning to color. Add 1 garlic clove to the chickpeas, and reserve the other. Add the onions to the skillet and cook until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato puree and pimentón and cook for about 5 minutes, until the tomato puree is slightly reduced. Add the onion mixture to the chickpeas (add a bit of the chickpea liquid to the skillet to help get all the onion and tomato mixture?don't waste a bit!), then add the saffron. Add the spinach, stirring until it wilts. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the reserved garlic clove, the parsley, and cumin to a paste. Add the paste to the soup, along with the bacalao, breaking it into large pieces. Add the remaining 3 cups water, bring to a rolling boil and cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and add it if necessary, then turn off the heat, cover, and let stand for about 10 minutes before serving.
If you've ever considered traveling to Spain, or have been to certain spots but not everywhere, this is the DVD set for you. The set includes 13 one-hour episodes as well as plenty of sensual extras, especially for the home gourmet. The series follows master chef Mario Batali, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman, Spanish actress Claudia Bassols, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow on a real road trip around Spain, sampling its fantastic cuisine, fancy and plain, and tasting more varieties of wine than your local wine store could ever stock. And the foursome takes in some of the country's most impressive sights and attractions, including much of the countryside that's often overlooked in travel guidebooks. In the group of episodes called "Basking in the Basque Country," for instance, Paltrow and Batali (longtime friends before this series was shot) try organic goat yogurt, a perfectly cooked 65-degree soft-boiled country egg, strong café au lait, and an assortment of freshly baked goodies, all at one breakfast. (Expect to become extremely hungry as you watch.) The group travels to cities, vineyards, tiny towns (where one vegetable farmer treats them to a fabulous meal of freshly picked, then grilled veggies cooked right on the fire, finished with some salt and olive oil--"heaven!" declares Paltrow), and everywhere in between, seeking out the best food and drink and other amenities Spain has to offer.
Batali is an old hand on camera; Bittman surprisingly telegenic and self-deprecating, and Bassols a very knowledgeable and companionable guide to her own country. Paltrow she seems to be here largely for her star power, though her Spanish is acceptable and she's very appreciative of the experiences she's privy to. Sometimes Paltrow's waxings can seem a little over the top; of architect Frank Gehry, whose buildings in Bilbao the group visits, she says, "Frank Gehry has to be a good guy, because his buildings are so innovative, and yet so sensitive." (Clearly Paltrow hasn't yet visited the Experience Music Project in Seattle.) But the series' pluses are enormous, and happily the focus on great food (try not to salivate while you watch Bittman and Bassols down tapas made of grilled anchovies and button mushrooms), stunning countryside, and lovely people of Spain. Buen apetito! --A.T. Hurley
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