Get ready for the road trip of a lifetime

From 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)

Q&A with Mario Batali

• 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.