Valencia, Spain, is visited. Included: the restaurant La Pepica; an art nouveau market; the rice-growing region of La Albufera. Also: chef Mario Batali shows how to make risotto with asparagus.
Pork is highlighted. Include: a tour of Smithfield, a meat market in London; chef Fergus Henderson of London's St. Johns Restaurant on “snout-to-tail dining”; and a Devonshire countryside butcher. Also: a Tuscany restaurant; and New York City's Momofuku, where many dishes feature pork.
San Francisco's Tartine Bakery, which specializes in scones, is visited. Also: a trip to Totnes, England, where scones are served with clotted cream; a stop in nearby Dartmouth to learn about sticky toffee pudding; and a return to California for a feast of sweet cherry soup with red wine, mango and crème fraiche.
Wine regions are explored, including Tuscany's Brunello and Spain's Penedès regions; and California's Sonoma and Napa valleys.
A fishing expedition with British chef John Burton Race, who later shows how to make sea bass with seaweed-wrapped scallops; and poached mackerel with soy sauce, garlic and ginger. Also: a visit to Barcelona's La Boqueria marketplace.
Host Mark Bittman and chef Mario Batali offer competing recipes for steak á la fiorentina. Also: an American rancher who raises cattle via traditional methods.
A look at fast food, including pizza; tapas; a steak sandwich; a burrito; a fruit dessert.
Vegetables are featured. Included: shopping at the world's food markets, such as Barcelona's La Boqueria; Rome's Campo di Fiori; and the Sonoma Farmer's Market in Sonoma County, Cal.
El Bulli, a restaurant in the Spanish coastal city of Roses that features head chef Ferran Adrià Acosta, is visited. Included: recipes for liquid olives; olive oil spring; Parmesan air; yogurt shells with ice cream. Also: a visit to Valencia, Spain, spotlights the architecture of Santiago Calatrava.
Pork is the focus. Included: how pigs are raised; Italian hams and salami; Barcelona's Café Viena; a recipe for prosciutto broth with pork belly and vegetables.
A boat tour of an oyster farm in Northern California's Tamales Bay; barbecuing oysters with garlic butter and chipotle; grilling oysters with fresh horseradish, lemon and butter; poaching oysters in champagne sauce; a recipe for a crab-stuffed tortellini with ginger and coriander broth.
A celebration of pasta. Included: a pasta lesson; three pasta dishes; potato gnocchi with fresh horseradish and beets.
Sunday dinners. Included: a Catalan-style barbecue featuring aioli, pan con tomate and grilled sausages; handmade ravioli stuffed with ricotta and Parmesan cheese with fresh tomato and basil sauce.