Rick Stein's Mediterranean Escapes

Rick Steins Mediterranean escape started in Marseille where his last series ended. He caught the ferry to Bastia, the ancient capital of Corsica, where he was invited to a typical Corsican feast. Here pulenda, a kind of polenta made with chestnut flour, took pride of place along with figatellu, a strong-tasting local sausage made with offal and cheek from the Corsican black pig. At Bonifacio, Rick sailed across the rough straits to Sardinia, where he sampled an especially good spaghetti with cuttlefish ink and a rich tomato sauce.

Rick continued his travels in Sicily and enjoyed the colours and ambience of Catanias busy fish market. He then travelled to Puglia on Italys mainland where the local dishes have been influenced by centuries of poverty. Rick cooked Peas with onions, parma ham and olive oil, then gave his take on a fennel sausage recipe he had tasted at a local restaurant.

From Corfu, Rick headed to the Spanish island of Mallorca where he ate what he described as the most succulent lamb he has ever tasted. He interpreted Mallorcan-style cooking with his Chicken with sobrasada, a soft and spreadable Mallorcan sausage made with pork loin and fat, paprika, salt and cayenne pepper. Rick then travelled to Barcelonas La Boqueria market, which he says is the best place to eat Catalonian food. With Catalonia in mind, he cooked the local food of salt cod fritters with allioli (a punchy garlic sauce from Catalonia).