The F Word 5x9

1. - Welcome to The F Word.

2. Tonight is the last of the heats, and this time,

3. we're opening our doors to the rest of the world.

4. As the year comes to an end, so does my search

5. for The F Word's best local restaurant.

6. Each week, I've been picking two of your favourite

7. restaurants to compete in The F Word kitchen.

8. Make sure every dish you send out

9. is absolutely perfect, 'cause that will make

10. the difference between winning and losing.

11. I've held nail-biting heats for eighteen

12. national cuisines, and I've found

13. five of my semi-finalists already.

14. Argentinian steakhouse Santa Maria del Sur,

15. Indian restaurant Lasan, Chinese Sweet Mandarin,

16. Simply Thai from Teddington,

17. and British restaurant The Pheasant.

18. 23 out of 25!

19. They're all through, but who will I choose

20. to join them in the semi-finals?

21. So far, we've concentrated on the most popular

22. international cuisines, but Britain

23. also boasts restaurants serving

24. delicious food from many other countries.

25. So tonight, we feature the very best of these

26. in my "Rest of the World" category.

27. As Moroccan restaurant Doukan

28. take on Greek restaurant, Retsina.

29. So, I want all these desserts

30. to be absolutely perfect, yes?

31. Both of them are hoping to secure

32. a place in next week's semi-finals.

33. Plus, I make my own version of

34. a classic Greek ingredient, Halloumi cheese.

35. That's not a very big teat, is it?

36. - Good evening.

37. Now, Khalil, how are you?

38. - I'm nervous, that's the really-

39. - Nervous and excited to be here?

40. - Absolutely, yes.

41. - What's the secret success behind Doukan, what is it?

42. - Simple dishes from my mom's cooking.

43. - Zeta, what's the secret behind your cooking, what is it?

44. - Good quality cooking, and keep your customers happy.

45. - That's what tonight's all about.

46. If you want to make it back to the semi-finals,

47. okay, you need to do bloody well tonight, okay?

48. Because only the top six high scores

49. go through to semi-finals.

50. This needs to be the best service of your lives.

51. Tonight, Greek restaurant Restina

52. and Moroccan restaurant Doukan

53. will battle for a place in next week's semi-final.

54. Here's why I chose them.

55. The ninth and final category in my search for

56. The F Word's best local restaurant is the rest of the world.

57. From Japanese to Lebanese, from Polish to Portuguese,

58. here in Britain, we've got it all.

59. My team and I have been all over Britain

60. checking out your favourite restaurants.

61. - If I had this for lunch every day

62. my backside would be the size of a box.

63. - After months of searching through

64. an extraordinary array of international cuisines,

65. we whittled down your nominations to

66. two truly outstanding restaurants.

67. Both serve food from the Mediterranean,

68. and I couldn't wait to put them to the test.

69. The first is Doukan, in Wandsworth, South London.

70. Doukan serves classic Moroccan food,

71. and the man behind it is hospitality-manager

72. turned owner, Abdeslam Khalil.

73. - We've been asked time and time again

74. whether I could recommend a good

75. Moroccan restaurant in London.

76. I generally couldn't, and I opened my own.

77. - Doukan opened a year ago,

78. and is a hit with the locals.

79. - Everything I've ever chosen off

80. the menu has been just delicious.

81. - Khalil left Casablanca

82. 20 years ago to study hotel management

83. in London, but as his yearning to cook grew,

84. he started to teach himself in his spare time.

85. - I am not a trained chef, I am self-taught.

86. When I make dishes, I don't look at a book.

87. I just think of the core ingredients, and I keep

88. on tweaking them until it reaches all the senses.

89. Very important for you to taste.

90. Service.

91. - F Word viewers had nothing but praise

92. for Khalil's food, so I decided to pay Doukan a visit.

93. - Hello, sir.

94. - Should I come this way?

95. - Please come through.

96. - Excellent, good to see you.

97. Tell me the success behind the restaurant.

98. - Well, really it's just passion for Moroccan cuisine.

99. I just cook because my mother cooked beautifully.

100. I grew up in a household where having lunch

101. was the most important thing that happened.

102. - I'm glad that you're so passionate,

103. the fact that it has to be authentic.

104. Passionate guy, very passionate.

105. What a quaint little place, too.

106. From the outside, looks like a little cafe bar.

107. Walk inside, there's a little mini oasis, nice.

108. To kick off my Moroccan feast,

109. Khalil brings me a lamb's liver tureen.

110. - It's the way my mum used to make lamb's liver.

111. - Oh, lovely, and so the liver's been sauteed?

112. - That's right, they've been actually

113. cooked twice, very gently.

114. - Thank you very much indeed.

115. Yeah, the chopped lamb's liver's delicious.

116. I mean, authentic, sauteed with

117. cumin, and he cooked them twice.

118. Very very quickly, chopped them, and then

119. quickly again, so, for a guy that's self-trained,

120. he definitely knows how to cook.

121. Next up is chicken breast stuffed

122. with figs and almonds, with spiced couscous.

123. In terms of couscous, do you steam that, or is it-?

124. - Yeah, it's steamed, a lot of people ask me,

125. you know, how do you get your couscous right?

126. And it's really the simplest thing you can do,

127. you just, you don't leave it alone.

128. You need to give it a little bit of love and attention.

129. - Mm, my god, that's holy.

130. Pretty good chicken stuffed with figs, with an

131. apricot sauce, sounds very very sweet, but he's

132. managed to get the balance absolutely spot on.

133. - If we win the competition, it'll mean so much

134. to me, it's like the underdog winning the race.

135. - Great lunch, yeah, really enjoyed it.

136. It's been a tough decision.

137. I can only put two restaurants through

138. to cook in the F Word kitchen.

139. And Doukan is one of them, congratulations.

140. - Oh, thank you very very much.

141. - Absolutely brilliant,

142. really good. - Thank you.

143. - And I'm very very happy, absolutely delicious.

144. You kept that authenticity, and that's

145. really important for a local eatery.

146. - Thank you very much, you actually

147. filled my heart with joy.

148. We went through, thank the lord, cheers.

149. We're going through, yeah.

150. - Nice, well done.

151. - For a chef that's not even professionally

152. trained, he's certainly been listening

153. to his mother, that's for sure.

154. - I think my mother would be proud.

155. - The other restaurant I've chosen

156. from your nominations in the "Rest of the World"

157. category is in Belside Park, North London.

158. Retsina is a traditional, family-run Greek restaurant.

159. Since his father retired thirteen years ago,

160. son Minos has been managing the business.

161. - Retsina's our family business,

162. it's been going on for around 25 years,

163. so it's our life in one way or another.

164. - Minos' mother Zeta has been cooking for

165. over fifty years, but still refuses to hang up her apron.

166. - I like to be in the kitchen,

167. I joined to be in the kitchen,

168. and make me really pleased.

169. - What makes my mom a great chef,

170. she's a perfectionist, you know,

171. she was brought up with Greek food,

172. and she knows what Greek food is all about.

173. - Zeta's delicious Greek recipes

174. keep Retsina's customers coming back for more.

175. - The food is absolutely fantastic, you know,

176. you just feel the quality of it, it's brilliant.

177. - I've been to quite a few Greek restaurants

178. before, but this one's definitely

179. the best restaurant, without a doubt.

180. - F Word viewers gave Retsina such glowing

181. testimonials, I decided to go there for lunch myself.

182. Hello!

183. - Hi there.

184. - How are you?

185. - Minos, nice to meet you.

186. Welcome. - Minos, good to see you.

187. Smells amazing, and where's the chef?

188. How are you?

189. - Nice to meet you, I'm very well, thank you.

190. - Nice to see you,

191. you look beautiful. - You're very welcome.

192. - Now, what's for lunch today,

193. what have you got as a special?

194. - Got a nice lamb in the oven, we have a souvla,

195. kebobs, moussaka, roast potatoes.

196. - Okay, brilliant, well I'll leave it to you.

197. - Leave it to me.

198. - After Zeta's lovely

199. warm welcome, I already felt at home,

200. but would the food live up to its reputation?

201. First up, calamari,

202. octopus, and a selection of dips.

203. Nice, and how are the octopus cooked?

204. - It's grilled.

205. - Grilled.

206. It really does smell amazing.

207. Mm, you can really balls up, cooking octopus,

208. but that is done beautifully.

209. So far, Zeta's cooking was seriously good.

210. I couldn't wait to get a stuck into my main course.

211. Shoulder of lamb, beef stifado, roast potatoes

212. and lamb, and chicken spit-roast.

213. The dishes kept on coming.

214. Delicious, I mean, really good.

215. That shoulder of lamb, that's the cut that a lot

216. of chefs don't understand how to cook, she does.

217. There should be a lot more chefs in London

218. coming to spend a day with this lady here,

219. to see how to braise, yeah, a shoulder of lamb.

220. - It will be very honour for us, we're going

221. to be over the moon, to win it.

222. - The problem I'm faced with is

223. the variety of restaurants, so

224. the unfortunate news is,

225. and I'm really sorry to say this,

226. 'cause I know you don't like taking any time out,

227. but it's true, congratulations.

228. Congratulations, it tasted fantastic.

229. Really, congratulations, authentic

230. and delicious. - Thank you.

231. - So now you have to take another day off, okay?

232. If you couldn't spot the chef,

233. you'd want to meet the person,

234. because you can't quite believe that

235. that level of authenticity is there.

236. So, it's just the most amazing Greek food.

237. - I very pleased, and I will try

238. my best to keep those fifty customers happy.

239. - So, from your nominations,

240. I've chosen two extraordinary restaurants.

241. Will The F Word diners prefer the traditional Moroccan

242. dishes Khalil creates for his beloved restaurant Doukan,

243. or Mama Zeta's home cooking at the Greek restaurant Retsina?

244. We're back in London, at the F Word restaurant.

245. We're going global in our "Rest of the World" category

246. to celebrate local restaurants serving us

247. delicious food from all four corners of the Earth.

248. And thanks to your nominations and months

249. of searching, we found two exceptional restaurants.

250. Greek Retsina, in North London,

251. and Moroccan Doukan, in South London.

252. - Sardines are very popular in both

253. Morocco and Greece, so I've challenged

254. the brigades to cook their starters

255. with this delicious Mediterranean fish.

256. Guys, it's not a race, okay, tonight is about

257. that level of excitement, consistency,

258. and make sure you're happy with everything you send.

259. At Doukan in South London, Khalil's love for food

260. stems from his Moroccan childhood.

261. - I've always kind of embraced food,

262. I was surrounded in food, due to a mother

263. that is very very passionate about cuisine.

264. - For his starter tonight,

265. Khalil is making sardine fritters.

266. He mixes sliced sardines with shallots,

267. cumin, lemon thyme, rolls them into balls,

268. and fries them until golden.

269. He serves with bulgur wheat, and tomato,

270. and a green pepper dressing.

271. So, Khalil, you've gone for a modern

272. interpretation with this round, sardine dish.

273. - The idea actually was to make a meatball

274. without actually being a really a miso sardine,

275. because it's all dark and horrible when you do that.

276. - The idea came from where?

277. - It's the way we've always done them.

278. I mean, my mom always fried them,

279. she didn't fry them in balls necessarily,

280. she did them sort of butterflied

281. with some flowers chermoula.

282. - She was a big influence on your cooking?

283. - Oh, very much so, I mean the only influence, really.

284. - Now, Zeta, on New Year's Eve, are you gonna

285. put your feet up, and say "No more cooking"?

286. I'm gonna- - I'm not cooking once a year,

287. I'm not cooking New Year's Day-

288. - That's your night off?

289. - Yes.

290. - So that's the only day across the year?

291. - Which I'm no cooking, yes,

292. 'cause I work in the kitchen. - Oh my god, you wait 'til-

293. And you wait 'til the end of the year to do that?

294. - Yes.

295. - Tucked away in the suburbs of North London

296. is Retsina, a restaurant that serves classic

297. Greek food in a warm, friendly atmosphere.

298. - I've been coming here for twenty years.

299. It's gotta say something for the restaurant

300. and the people.

301. - Retsina's food is all about simplicity,

302. so tonight they're cooking grilled

303. sardines with Greek tomato sauce.

304. They glazed their sardines in olive oil,

305. and sprinkle with oregano, then grill them

306. on both sides, and serve with salad,

307. and a Greek tomato sauce made with chopped tomatoes,

308. garlic, coriander, cumin, and paprika.

309. You're cooking the sardines on the grill?

310. - Yes.

311. - On the bone.

312. - And the bone.

313. - So you're convinced that your sardine, yes, grilled,

314. plainly, on the bone, is gonna be far tastier

315. than Doukan's, yes? - Yes.

316. - Why?

317. - You have to have the bone to give more taste.

318. - Okay, interesting, and why do you think yours,

319. without the bone, is gonna taste better than Zeta's?

320. - I think Zeta's wrong, it's got a few pits

321. of bones in there just to keep the flavour.

322. - Oh, so you've kept, you've used your bones.

323. - I made sure the little bones in the salad there.

324. - Eating sardines, you can accept a few bones

325. here, there, everywhere, yes? - Exactly.

326. - I know the men wanted it in there.

327. - Unless you're the Queen Mother.

328. - I feel a fight come here from Zeta.

329. - Zeta from Retsina takes her food very

330. seriously, but for some Greeks, it's almost a religion.

331. Traditional home cooked food is sacred to Greeks,

332. and there's a group of keen Greek cooks

333. who are about to put my skills to the test.

334. I've been given the ultimate challenge to create

335. an amazing dish for a fantastic Greek cookbook.

336. Whether or not my recipe makes the grade

337. will be down to this crew, the congregation

338. from a Greek Orthodox church in North London.

339. They're so passionate about Greek food

340. that they're putting together their own cookbook.

341. - For the Greeks in Cyprus, food is very important.

342. It is the most important thing in their lives,

343. so we decided just to make a book, and then sell

344. it just to raise some money for the church as well.

345. - Nikki Roussou Andreou has collected dozens

346. of traditional Greek recipes to ensure they're

347. preserved for future generations of London Greeks.

348. And only the best will go in her book.

349. - If Gordon's recipes is good enough, is going to

350. just put in the book, otherwise, he's not.

351. - I love a challenge, but in order

352. to succeed, I need to create a fantastic dish

353. using a classic Greek ingredient.

354. I've chosen one that's doubled in popularity

355. in Britain over the past halloumi cheese.

356. And I'll be making it from scratch.

357. Now, I'm taking a bit of risk here,

358. because we're all so used to eating

359. halloumi cheese made out of cow's milk.

360. I'm gonna push the boat out and make mine

361. with 100% sheep's milk.

362. Today's cow's milk is used in mass-produced

363. halloumi because it's cheaper.

364. But traditionally, Greek Cypriots use sheep

365. or goat's milk, because it provides a richer flavour.

366. I want the very best, so I'll be doing the same

367. with the help of dairy farmer Kylie Fedgold.

368. So why is it that we're not actually,

369. sort of eating and drinking more sheep's milk?

370. - A lot of people don't actually associate

371. sheep with milk, you know, if you think

372. of famous French cheeses, we've got Roquefort,

373. it's an unpasteurized sheep's milk cheese.

374. - That's not a very big teat, is it?

375. - No, that's why I say it's a finger and thumb job, really.

376. - Jesus.

377. The fat content in sheep's milk

378. will make my halloumi creamier and softer

379. than cheese made with cow's milk.

380. I'll tell you what, you make it look so easy.

381. Yeah, and there's an art to it, isn't there.

382. - I think she's just about empty there, Gordon.

383. - You sell that, unpasteurized?

384. - We do sell it unpasteurized, obviously,

385. we produce it normally in a nice clean milking parlour.

386. - It's so creamy.

387. - It is. - Incredibly creamy.

388. That looks fantastic, you know that?

389. - It does.

390. - Really good, thick, rich, creamy.

391. And about to be turned into the most amazing halloumi.

392. That's harder than I thought it was gonna be, thank you.

393. - Well, well done.

394. - With a trunk full of the freshest

395. sheep's milk, I leave Essex and head

396. to West Sussex to meet one of the only

397. halloumi cheese makers in the UK.

398. Mark Hardy produces halloumi using nothing

399. but sheep's milk, and I'm relying on

400. his expertise to teach me to make the very best.

401. - This is halloumi we made about three days ago.

402. - I'm dying to taste it.

403. - Nice "Greek-iness" to it.

404. - That's lovely, got really good flavour.

405. As it breaks down in the mouth,

406. there's more creamy, beautifully seasoned

407. all the way in, which is lovely.

408. Really nice indeed.

409. So that's the objective, for mine

410. to come out as good as this one.

411. - It is, I'm sure it will.

412. - My halloumi will be made

413. using the most traditional Greek Cypriot methods.

414. Never made it before, always been fascinated by its texture.

415. Bring the milk up to-

416. - 32 degrees.

417. - An enzyme is added called rennet,

418. and in thirty minutes, it sets the milk,

419. so it can be split into curds and whey.

420. And the curd here, that's basically this sort of,

421. that's the foundation of the cheese.

422. - It's where the cheese will come from.

423. - As the curds and whey are warmed,

424. the consistency constantly changes.

425. - It's like scrambled egg, now.

426. - It does look like scrambled egg, doesn't it.

427. The curd is then pressed into a mould, and left to cool.

428. Halloumi is simmered in the whey for 45 minutes,

429. and it's this process that stops it melting

430. like other cheeses when you cook it.

431. So now they're floating, and that's it.

432. - Yeah.

433. - It's still quite soft, aren't they?

434. - When you lift it out, it should

435. bounce back, basically, which is what it doing.

436. - To preserve the cheese,

437. and give the halloumi its salty flavour,

438. it's dropped into brine for 24 hours.

439. Then it will be dressed with mint to enhance its flavour.

440. Now, I gotta think of something

441. really exciting to do it justice, yeah.

442. I've a recipe in mind that will compliment

443. the slightly salty flavour of my hand-made halloumi.

444. But will it be good enough for Nikki's all-Greek cookbook?

445. - Hi, how are you? - How are you?

446. - I'm okay, good, about you?

447. - Very well indeed, thank you, very happy to be here.

448. Now, that looks amazing.

449. - Oh, that's good.

450. - Yes. - Okay, thank you.

451. - Nikki has set me the challenge of coming up

452. with a recipe that can sit alongside

453. these truly authentic Greek dishes.

454. Right, I've got work cut out big time.

455. And all I've got is this amazing halloumi.

456. Hand-made, so, I'm gonna do salad,

457. pan-fried scallops, with some wonderful

458. sauteed 100% sheep's milk halloumi.

459. Slice the scallops and coat them in flour,

460. egg, and Japanese bread crumbs.

461. Get them nice and crisp on the outside,

462. and very sort of sweet in the middle.

463. Their sweet flavour will go brilliantly

464. with the salty halloumi.

465. The good thing about halloumi made with

466. 100% sheep's milk is, it doesn't crumble.

467. Now, discs of halloumi to sit on top

468. of the roasted scallops, hot pan.

469. The halloumi is fried alongside

470. the scallops in olive oil.

471. Nice thing about the halloumi,

472. when you saute like that, it doesn't melt,

473. it doesn't disintegrate, but what it does

474. do is get a really nice flavour.

475. A little seasoning on the scallops.

476. To go with the halloumi and scallops,

477. a caper and sultana vinaigrette.

478. Simply boil both in some salty water.

479. A little touch of olive oil in there,

480. and a teaspoon of white wine vinegar.

481. Then blitz.

482. Scallops onto the plate.

483. The golden-brown halloumi is then served

484. on the scallops, with the vinaigrette.

485. That looks amazing.

486. I hope I've done justice to my halloumi.

487. And more importantly, it passes the test

488. for the authentic Greek cookbook.

489. Right.

490. Please, take a little slice.

491. - Okay.

492. - You like that?

493. - Is delicious, really.

494. - Now, the first and foremost important.

495. How was the halloumi, first?

496. - Very good halloumi, is like the halloumi that

497. we are making at home, and is very very nice, really.

498. - And the combination with that

499. and the scallops? - The combination

500. is brilliant, really, is very good.

501. Is it gonna go in the cookbook?

502. - Oh, yes, 100%.

503. - Excellent, excellent. - Oh yes.

504. - There's more lemon.

505. - We wish you all the best.

506. - Thank you very much, indeed.

507. Very nice, last table is a two.

508. Okay, look what that- - Four, chef, yeah?

509. - Four, last table, yes?

510. Do a wipe down first, so they're gonna

511. have to leave the plates.

512. Good, well done, that's your last table, yes?

513. Yes? - Yes.

514. - Clear down and get ready for the main course, well done.

515. - It was very tasty, and the sauce was very

516. complimentary to the fish, once you actually

517. managed to get it off of the bone.

518. - Nice to see you both, are you well?

519. - Doing very well,

520. how are we doing? - It's nice to see you again.

521. - Thank you. - Raffi, how are you?

522. - Well, it's good to see you too.

523. - What would it mean for you tonight

524. to walk out of here as the winner?

525. - Oh, it'll be absolutely fantastic.

526. Especially for my mother, all the years that

527. she's worked in kitchens in one way or another,

528. it'll be fantastic for her, it really would.

529. - Extraordinary woman, that is so passionate,

530. hasn't taken a holiday in two years,

531. when's she gonna retire?

532. - I've been telling her that for years.

533. The reason I bought this big restaurant overall

534. was her to calm down a bit, relax a bit-

535. - But you could a deal with her.

536. Promise that you'll shave properly

537. and then she can retire, no?

538. - Maybe, maybe, yes I will, go on then.

539. - Yes, she'll be so happy. - Shave your forehead.

540. - Good to see you both, thank you.

541. - Take care, bye bye.

542. - It didn't have much taste, and to be honest,

543. when you see a sardine, you expect it

544. to be like a sardine, nice and fresh

545. and grilled, not messed around like that.

546. - Isabelle, nice to see you, my darling.

547. - Yeah, it's nice to see you.

548. - Welcome to the F Word, how are you?

549. - Very excited, yeah.

550. Can't wait. - Watching in action,

551. how does it make you feel?

552. - Well, he's not normally like that, he's a bit stressed

553. today, but I'm sure he's enjoying himself, yeah.

554. - Do you think he's gonna win tonight?

555. - Well, I really hope so, because he's so passionate,

556. and he really cooks with his heart, so, yeah.

557. - Nice to see you, hope you enjoy main courses.

558. David, was a pleasure. - Thank you very much, Gordon.

559. - Right, Retsina's simply grilled sardine.

560. Hopefully they'll just flake off the bone nicely.

561. Yeah, beautiful.

562. Touch of the sauce.

563. Flavour, delicious, seasoned beautifully.

564. And it just falls away from the bone.

565. Delicious, really good.

566. Now, Doukan.

567. It looks like a plate of meatballs on couscous.

568. He's left the skin on, which is a bit disturbing.

569. Does it deliver in flavour?

570. It's quite mushy and floury inside and it

571. doesn't actually taste much of a sardine.

572. It's a clear winner for me,

573. definitely Retsina's char-grilled sardine,

574. simply done, tasting delicious, no fuss.

575. If the diners don't like their starters, they don't pay.

576. The results are in.

577. Thank you.

578. So, Doukan, let's start off with you first, yes?

579. The number of customers that're happy to pay

580. for their starter, out of 25, is

581. congratulations, 21 out of 25.

582. Great start.

583. What did they like, JB?

584. - Great presentation.

585. - Great presentation, clearly.

586. - And a great zesty sauce as well.

587. - 21 out of 25, great start.

588. Really well done, yes?

589. Okay,

590. Retsina, the number of customers that are

591. happy to pay for your sardine, out of 25, is

592. 23 out of 25.

593. Well done.

594. That's incredible.

595. - Thank you, thank you very much,

596. thank you. - It is a great start.

597. - Thank you everybody.

598. - So JB, what do they like?

599. - They thought that the fish had

600. a great smoky flavour, and that the sauce

601. compliment very well the fish as well.

602. - Thank you everybody, thank you.

603. - Two very very good starts, 21 out of 25,

604. 23 out of 25, there's only two points in it.

605. And it's 50 main courses each.

606. Great start, clear down, yeah,

607. let's concentrate on the main course, well done.

608. Now both restaurants have to cook their main course.

609. First up, Doukan.

610. Doukan's signature dish tonight is

611. King Prawn and Mussel Tagine.

612. - That's a couple peppers from there.

613. - Khalil starts by making

614. chermoula paste with chopped coriander, sliced

615. garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, and lemon juice.

616. He adds finely chopped reserved lemons,

617. and mixes with olive oil to make a paste.

618. He puts the chermoula into a sizzling pan.

619. - A generous teaspoons there.

620. - And adds king prawns and harissa.

621. - It's beautiful smell, really really beautiful smell.

622. - He adds chopped roasted red peppers,

623. mussels, and covers.

624. - Really mostly what I'm trying to get there

625. is the flavour and the colour for the dish.

626. - Then adds sliced potatoes and simmers.

627. He serves in a tagine pot and garnishes

628. with grilled lemon and coriander.

629. King prawn and mussel tagine, served.

630. What's so special about this tagine?

631. - It's made with chermoula,

632. a very well-known Moroccan marinade.

633. - And how successful is this tagine, with the

634. prawns and mussels, been in the restaurant?

635. - This is very successful, actually.

636. We've got people come in

637. particularly just for this dish.

638. - So, Zeta, where did you learn to cook?

639. - I learned from a very young age.

640. I just liked to be in the kitchen with my mother.

641. - At Greek restaurant Retsina,

642. head chef Zeta's menu is inspired

643. by recipes she learned from her mother.

644. Retsina's signature dish tonight is a Greek Mixed Grill.

645. For the chicken kebabs, Zeta cubes a chicken breast.

646. She then coats the chicken with a marinade

647. of oregano, Greek yoghourt, pepper puree,

648. crushed garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil.

649. - I make it taste moist, not to get dry,

650. because always the breast of chicken,

651. if you're not very careful, is very dry.

652. - For the lamb kebabs,

653. Zeta marinades cubes of lamb in

654. pepper puree, lemon juice, and oregano.

655. Next, she chops onion and tomato

656. for the kebabs, then grills.

657. And bastes with olive oil, and lemon juice,

658. oregano, salt, and pepper.

659. Then, she grills the lamb cutlets, and finally,

660. Zeta grills the calves' liver, then plates

661. everything up with fresh tzatziki, tabouleh,

662. some rocket leaves, and a wedge of lemon.

663. Retsina's Greek Mixed Grill, served.

664. What have you done that'll be excited about this?

665. - It's very juicy, very tasty, very nice.

666. - Now, your son said that if you

667. win tonight, he's gonna shave.

668. - Yes?

669. - That stupid beard off.

670. - I've got sharp knife.

671. - Oh my god.

672. If you win tonight, it's coming off,

673. that's the good news. - That's it.

674. Before he's leave the studio, he will have to do it.

675. - Definitely, and guys, remember, yeah,

676. every table has to go out like the first table, yeah.

677. With that level of exact perfection, yeah?

678. - Absolutely.

679. - Good.

680. Now for some festive pie filling, Moroccan style.

681. Traditional British mince pies

682. have been around for centuries.

683. They used to be filled with fruit,

684. real mince meat, and spices brought back

685. from the Middle East during the Crusades.

686. Over time, the meat has given way to the fruit and spices.

687. They still do something similar

688. in Morocco, but it's called Pastilla.

689. But Moroccans use a meat seldom

690. seen on British menus, pigeon.

691. Who better to send on a taste test than my

692. favourite old London bird, Janet Street-Porter?

693. - Most people think of pigeons as nasty vermin,

694. and wouldn't dream of eating them.

695. It's not surprising, is it?

696. The scruffy feral pigeons we see

697. in our cities hardly look appetising.

698. - Yeah, I wouldn't even think about eating them.

699. - Pigeons are scroungers.

700. - Okay, so flying rats don't exactly get you going.

701. But wood pigeon, the feral pigeon's

702. clean living country cousin, might.

703. In Morocco, they absolutely love it.

704. Now, I love Moroccan food, and I think

705. they've got exactly the right idea

706. when it comes to making pigeons tasty.

707. Wood pigeon is on the menu of one of the finest

708. Moroccan restaurants in the UK, Momo in central London.

709. I'm here to meet executive chef, Mohamed Ourrad.

710. Hi, Mohamed, I'm Janet. - Alright.

711. Wood pigeon is prized for its rich

712. red meat, but you'll probably need

713. to order it from your local butcher.

714. Okay, so there's not scummy-

715. - They're not flying rats.

716. - They're not flying rats, that's very good.

717. They're not flying rats, that is a free-range

718. wood pigeon, it looks absolutely delicious.

719. Mohamed's going to be showing me a classic

720. Moroccan dish that you can do at home.

721. Pastillas with a pigeon filling.

722. Tell me what it is.

723. - It's a pie.

724. - With this very complicated phyllo pastry.

725. - Exactly.

726. - First, the filling.

727. Mohamed fries finely diced onions in butter.

728. How many of these do you make in a week?

729. - We make about thirty a day.

730. - Thirty a day?

731. Next we take the breast meat off the bone

732. and add the carcasses to the onions.

733. Moroccan cuisine is all about spices,

734. scents, and colours, so we also add

735. chopped coriander and sliced ginger.

736. And five sticks of cinnamon in, bosh, bosh, bosh.

737. And a pinch of saffron.

738. - Now leave it for-

739. - Two hours.

740. - At least.

741. - Okay, great.

742. The pigeon breasts are coated in olive oil,

743. seasoned, and seared in a separate pan.

744. We remove the carcasses and cinnamon sticks, and add sugar.

745. It smells delicious.

746. Sugar helps to create that mouth-watering

747. Moroccan mix of sweet and savoury

748. flavours that reminds me of Christmas.

749. As the filling mixture reduces,

750. we dice the pigeon breast.

751. Two beaten eggs are added to thicken

752. and bind the filling mix.

753. We add an extra sprinkle of cinnamon,

754. and the pigeon meat goes in.

755. It's an unusual combination of smells.

756. It's very very unusual.

757. The pastilla filling is now ready.

758. - Now finish this.

759. - Brush the edge of a sheet

760. of phyllo pastry with egg whites,

761. place the pigeon meat filling in

762. the centre, and top with roast almonds.

763. Fold the pastry.

764. So it's like a very sophisticated piece of origami.

765. Wrap a second sheet around the pastilla,

766. and stick down with egg whites.

767. Oh, I'll have a go, I go in-

768. - Yeah, should I do-

769. - No, no, no, no, no.

770. No, don't worry, I'm on it, I'm on it.

771. I think what I really like about Moroccan food

772. is combining meat with sweet things.

773. It tastes just fantastic.

774. Look at that.

775. We glaze the pastillas with butter,

776. and stick them in a hot oven for five minutes.

777. Oh, they look fantastic.

778. That's my one, and that's your one.

779. Finally, we dust them with icing sugar,

780. and finish with cinnamon.

781. Truly Moorish.

782. It's delicious.

783. - It is, eh.

784. - It's the combination of sugar and meat together.

785. Right, I'm gonna take mine for Gordon.

786. - It was nice having you.

787. - Let's hope Gordon likes it. - Thank you, thank you.

788. - Gordon, hi.

789. - You look great.

790. - Thank you.

791. - Now, Moroccan restaurant in the house tonight.

792. You've also been cooking a spot of Moroccan cuisine.

793. - Today I learned how to cook a pastilla.

794. - Amazing, now-

795. - So this is pigeon pastilla.

796. This is something that I've eaten

797. in Morocco, it's meat, sugar, and eggs together.

798. - That's delicious. - In phyllo pastry.

799. It's delicious.

800. - Really good indeed.

801. Now, they're not the sort of average pigeon that

802. fly over Nelson's Column, these are wood pigeons.

803. - No, they're wood pigeons, and they're very plump.

804. - When you cook pigeon, it overcooks in seconds.

805. That is moist, delicious, slightly gamy but sweet.

806. - What you are supposed to say, Gordon,

807. if you don't mind me fucking saying so,

808. was, "Janet, what a beautiful pie you made

809. with that phyllo pastry, folding it 'round

810. your meat, look you just mashed it up,

811. before hand it was, it's like origami."

812. - Really well done, good to see you.

813. Last table, four stein grill, yes?

814. Make it perfect, guys, yeah?

815. Well done, very good. - Thank you chef.

816. Thank you. - Thank you.

817. Really well done.

818. Well done, everybody, yeah?

819. Job well done.

820. - Thank you.

821. - The meat was all cooked to perfection,

822. I thought it went really well with the tzatziki

823. and the tabouleh, it was really nice, actually.

824. - Only thing that let it down

825. was the prawns, they were slightly overdone,

826. but the presentation was fantastic,

827. lifting off the lid was really good.

828. - Right, I've been dying to taste these.

829. Restina's grill.

830. Lamb, nicely marked, beautifully cooked, and

831. that's delicious, again, simply done.

832. Beautifully char-grilled chicken,

833. marinaded with a pepper and the onions.

834. Yeah, I mean the whole thing looks simple,

835. but the most important thing about this is getting

836. every little component right, and they have.

837. Doukan.

838. Awkward, mussels in their shell, prawns with

839. the heads on, and then potato in the bottom, so.

840. Prawn slightly rubbery, it's a great shame.

841. And when they're bright white like that inside,

842. it's a sign of the prawn actually being so overcooked.

843. Potato at the bottom, that's really weird.

844. The potato's rock hard.

845. Overcooked prawn, and a slightly

846. undercooked potato, what a shame.

847. I hope the diners didn't get what I got.

848. So, if it was up to me, definitely the mixed grill.

849. The votes have been counted, and the results are in.

850. Right, results of the main course.

851. JB, please,

852. and good luck to all four of you.

853. Right, Zeta.

854. So, the number of customers that are happy to pay

855. for your mixed grill, out of 50, is

856. well done, 37 out of 50.

857. - Thank you, thank you.

858. - What did they like?

859. - They thought that the meats was delicious,

860. and the tzatziki was full of flavour.

861. - And the 13 that didn't pay, what did they say?

862. For what reason? - The liver overcooked,

863. and the veg undercooked.

864. - And the veg, on the skewer, undercooked?

865. - Yeah.

866. - Okay,

867. right, Khalil.

868. The number of customers that are happy to pay,

869. out of 50, for your tagine is

870. 19 out of 50.

871. What went wrong, please?

872. - The cooked prawns, overcooked, the potato, undercooked.

873. - That's a kick in the balls.

874. You can pull this back, do not give up, okay?

875. - Thanks chef.

876. - Next on the menu, can Doukan

877. snatch victory from Retsina?

878. So I want all these desserts to be absolutely perfect, yes?

879. It's D-Day for the meat that Janet's

880. been preparing for next week's grand final.

881. - I'm sorry, 'cause you've been good fun,

882. but you're gonna make the most fantastic meat.

883. - Welcome back.

884. The diners are sitting in judgement

885. on two brigades, who are determined

886. to make it through to next week's semi-finals.

887. And if they make it all the way to the

888. grand final, they'll be cooking with meat

889. provided by Janet from her farm in Yorkshire.

890. This series, I've asked Janet to provide the meat

891. for The F Word's "Best Local Restaurant" competition final.

892. - Come out, you bloody lazy birds, get off your arses.

893. - Along the way, she picked

894. up a few prizes of her own.

895. Both her Dexter Cattle and her Mangalitsa pigs

896. won rosettes at the prestigious Nidderdale show.

897. - Oh my word.

898. - Janet, well done.

899. - Oh, fantastic.

900. - A sure sign of the quality

901. we can expect in The F Word kitchen.

902. Janet's Dexter steers, and ixworth poultry,

903. have already gone for slaughter.

904. But the three porkers have clearly

905. got under her skin, and Janet's faced

906. with the hardest farewell of all.

907. - Bye guys, I've come to say goodbye.

908. I'm afraid it's off to the slaughterhouse for you.

909. I'm sorry, 'cause you've been good fun, and you've

910. got great personalities, but you're gonna make

911. the most fantastic meat, I know that.

912. Do you want one last go of a football?

913. Shall we just have one last go?

914. I'll be in goal, go on, pass.

915. Pass it, go on.

916. Pass.

917. They will make the most brilliant meat,

918. I know that, and they've really fattened up well.

919. They're really happy animals, so I don't

920. feel that bad about them going to the slaughter.

921. - Yeah.

922. - Right.

923. - There we go.

924. - Janet takes the pigs on their final journey.

925. - Well, I'm sad the pigs are going

926. to be slaughtered, because they, of all the

927. animals, they've got the biggest personalities,

928. and they've been a real pleasure to be around.

929. On the other hand, they're never gonna be pets,

930. they were always being bred for food,

931. and I think they've had a terrific life.

932. - Hello, Janet.

933. - Hi, Martin, oh, terrible weather.

934. - Beautiful weather.

935. - Slaughter man Martin Mclntyre

936. leads the pigs to a temporary pen.

937. This brief respite allows the pigs

938. to relax, and is called lairage.

939. - Nice pigs.

940. - I don't want the last time they see me

941. to be wearing, looking like this.

942. - The pigs will be slaughtered

943. as humanely as possible, so before

944. they're killed, they will be stunned.

945. Electrical tongs pass 240 volts

946. through the pig, knocking it out.

947. They'll know and feel nothing.

948. The pig's throat must be cut within fifteen seconds

949. of stunning, to ensure an absolutely painless end.

950. - Well, it is hard to watch.

951. You're sure they don't feel anything?

952. - Not a thing.

953. - The pig now dead, its carcass goes

954. into a hot water tank to get rid

955. of its extraordinary wiry hair.

956. - Feel that, Janet, like a baby's bum, feel that.

957. - Smooth.

958. - An inspector from The Meat Hygiene Service

959. monitors the slaughter process, to make sure

960. all the meat on offer is fit for human consumption.

961. The pig is then gutted, and its organs inspected.

962. - So does the meat inspector inspect all of this?

963. - Yes.

964. - They have to be certified

965. before they can pass into the food supply chain.

966. Next, she inspects the carcass.

967. - That's nice, it's very good, yeah.

968. - It's a good pig.

969. - Good pig.

970. - Right, so we can serve that in Gordon's restaurant?

971. - Yeah, you can.

972. - Okay, well get your stamp on it, then.

973. - Yes.

974. - Finally, the carcass is split

975. and hung in a chiller, ready for shipping.

976. Pork should hang for two to three days for its best flavour.

977. Back at her small holding, Janet has time

978. to reflect on her once-in-a-lifetime farming experience.

979. - Mothering, well, it's not something I took to.

980. I miss the pigs.

981. - Ixworth chickens, Dexter cattle,

982. Mangalitsa pigs, the two restaurants lucky enough

983. to go through to next week's final are sure

984. to have some fantastic meat to cook with.

985. For the dessert, the brigades are cooking

986. my recipe for apple cake, which is inspired

987. by the sweet and spicy flavours of Morocco and Greece.

988. Spiced apple cake, aromatic, sweet, and really easy to make.

989. First off, start preparing the apples.

990. Hot pan, butter, apples,

991. chop.

992. Cinnamon powder.

993. Honey.

994. That starts to get apples really nice and caramelised.

995. Then add dates, orange zest, and spoon into baking dishes.

996. For the sponge topping, sift 125 grammes of plain flour,

997. add a pinch of salt, cast of sugar,

998. baking powder,

999. butter,

1000. and blitz.

1001. What you're looking for is this

1002. really nice, soft, breadcrumb texture.

1003. Then add orange zest and mix in

1004. beaten egg, milk, and vanilla extract.

1005. Spoon onto the spiced apples, sprinkle

1006. with flaked almonds, and bake for around 18 minutes.

1007. Dust with icing sugar, and finish with vanilla ice cream.

1008. Spiced apple cake, done.

1009. So I want all these desserts to be absolutely perfect, yes?

1010. This is my recipe, and there's no excuse

1011. on this one, yeah? - I know we have to make

1012. it with a glife.

1013. - And the caramelization of the apples,

1014. add the dates, season with cinnamon,

1015. glaze with the honey.

1016. Do you wish you were grilling the apples

1017. on the grill, or are you happy

1018. to be doing this in the pan?

1019. Yeah?

1020. Let's go guys, ice cream's melting,

1021. let's go, it should be melting

1022. in front of the customer.

1023. Yeah, not in front of us.

1024. Tonight, I'm going up against Cold Feet star, Fay Ripley.

1025. If she loses the challenge tonight, she promises

1026. to eat this little baby here, a plate of cold feet.

1027. - I'm gonna have to win, aren't I?

1028. - You're definitely gonna have to win, yes.

1029. - Good. - Now, what are you cooking?

1030. - Brownies, we're gonna do my "break your diet" brownies.

1031. - You're cooking brownies, yeah, so I'm gonna

1032. make my favourite recipe, chocolate brownies.

1033. Confident?

1034. - I'm aware of the fact that I

1035. don't have any Michelin stars.

1036. If I beat you, it would be the greatest

1037. achievement of life, I'm going to include

1038. the birth of my two children, is that wrong?

1039. Is it wrong? - I feel very honoured

1040. to hear that, now is that something you're

1041. whisking there, what is that?

1042. - My sugar and my eggs.

1043. This is enough, Gordon, I don't need

1044. to show off my equipment.

1045. I'm just, this is going back to basics

1046. over here, in a minute, when that's

1047. cooled down, I'm gonna just combine

1048. that, just fold that in there.

1049. What are you doing?

1050. - Okay, in here, my bamrear I've got my butter

1051. and my chocolate melting nice and slowly.

1052. Okay, and then, eggs, vanilla,

1053. sugar in, and we'll go for electricity.

1054. So excuse me while I have a quick whisk.

1055. - Go on.

1056. - Now, you were thirty when you got your

1057. big break on Cold Feet, it gripped the nation.

1058. - Yes, I think it did. - And quite moving as well.

1059. Quite emotional.

1060. - It had a massive effect on my career

1061. and my life, that show.

1062. It had a good old combo, didn't it, and people

1063. still sort of are very nostalgic about it,

1064. and they're sweet, and people still talk

1065. about it to me in the streets and stuff.

1066. - Now, your husband's Australian, yeah?

1067. - He is.

1068. - And he's a lot younger than you, does that make

1069. you a cougar?

1070. - He's not that much younger than me.

1071. - Four years in men's terms is,

1072. you know, my wife thinks he's quite hot.

1073. - He is quite hot, yes.

1074. - Your husband did an amazing naked scene

1075. in Muriel's Wedding, yes?

1076. - My husband gets to often be naked

1077. on screen, do you know he had his lips

1078. around Emmanuelle Béart's nipple once?

1079. - He what?

1080. - It's just what you do, you know, you go to work,

1081. you suck someone's nipple, it's what you have to do.

1082. He gets to have sex on screen with loads

1083. of really beautiful women, I get John Thomspon.

1084. - Jesus Christ.

1085. Would you ever do a naked scene?

1086. - I don't think anyone would want to see it, to be honest.

1087. If I was gonna pay money, perhaps

1088. in a light comedy, they might.

1089. - Now, you're copying me, 'cause everything

1090. I do, okay, formality.

1091. - You're copying me, what do you mean, I'm copying you?

1092. Stop copying my recipe.

1093. - Stop copying my recipe.

1094. - It's embarrassing.

1095. - Now, melted the chocolates with the butter

1096. over bamrear, and then fold it in, the cocoa powder,

1097. and the flour, and then broke through

1098. these really nice little lumps

1099. of milk chocolate, dark chocolate,

1100. and white chocolate throughout the mix.

1101. Quite dense, so it's gonna melt and cook at the same time.

1102. Please use paper at the bottom,

1103. yeah, to stop it from sticking?

1104. And then straight in, yeah.

1105. Time to find out what the blind tasters

1106. make of the brownies.

1107. Let's plate up.

1108. Look at that baby, mm.

1109. - Whatever, okay.

1110. - Let's go, side by side.

1111. - Yours looks really good.

1112. - Where is he, my little French fighter pilot?

1113. Off you go. - Yes, sir.

1114. - Stick with me, kid, don't forget, I pay your salary.

1115. - But I might do one day.

1116. - Hello. - Hello.

1117. - It's very crumbly, isn't it, it's very very light.

1118. - Very dry, but quite nice.

1119. - It's quite dry.

1120. - It's too sticky.

1121. - Sweet and bitter, which is nice.

1122. - Okay.

1123. - So it's not as dry in the middle.

1124. It's caramelised, almost.

1125. - This one's actually a little bit

1126. sweeter as well, which I quite like.

1127. - The texture holds up better.

1128. - Crispy on the outside, then soft in the middle.

1129. - Right, quiet and confident?

1130. - No!

1131. - You are.

1132. Right, JB, results.

1133. Oh no, he's got that smirk on his face.

1134. I don't like it, right, how did they go down?

1135. - It went very well.

1136. - What was the score, first?

1137. - Four to one.

1138. - Four to one?

1139. Four, one, to who?

1140. - To...

1141. Well done.

1142. - Oh no, come on.

1143. - I'm gonna punch the air.

1144. - Oh, come on, you're joking, aren't you?

1145. Four, one?

1146. - So, the Michelin stars-

1147. - Why didn't they like mine?

1148. - It wasn't cooked enough.

1149. - Wasn't cooked enough?

1150. - Yeah, it was undercooked.

1151. - Mine was perfect, soft and gooey

1152. in the centre, crisp on the outside.

1153. - Too gooey, actually.

1154. - Too goey?

1155. - Four, one. Four, one.

1156. Four, one. Four, one. - I can't believe you beat me.

1157. I'll send you the recipe, bye babes.

1158. - Thank you.

1159. - Thanks.

1160. - Damn!

1161. With a place in the semi-finals at stake,

1162. everything rests on this last course.

1163. Khalil, you can pull this back, yes?

1164. - Yes, sir.

1165. - Now it's about reputation, restaurant,

1166. what you stand for, what you believe in, and why

1167. you decided to open that restaurant, yeah?

1168. - Absolutely.

1169. - Don't let one dish put you off.

1170. Yes, it's a kick in the balls, clearly,

1171. however, you can pull it back, yeah?

1172. - Thank you, Chef.

1173. - And Zeta, it's not over 'till the fat lady sings.

1174. - No, no, we have to keep the fight,

1175. the hard work is now, the hard work is now, yes.

1176. - It's not over, yet.

1177. - No, no, it's not over yet.

1178. - For Doukan, victory could be the

1179. beginning of something really special for Khalil.

1180. - Well, winning the competition

1181. would definitely change my life.

1182. - And if Retsina win tonight, it'll be

1183. an outstanding achievement for 63 year old Zeta.

1184. - To win the competition, for us,

1185. it will be,

1186. we're going to be over the moon to win it.

1187. - What did the diners make

1188. of the brigades' dessert?

1189. - It was beautiful, lots of cinnamon,

1190. perfect, massive, enough to fill me for two.

1191. - I thought it was a good seasonal dessert,

1192. nicely spiced, lots of cinnamon.

1193. Really good, nicely flavoured dessert.

1194. - Right, dessert, Retsina's.

1195. The secret behind this dessert

1196. is the cooking the apples to begin with.

1197. Mm, that's delicious.

1198. Not overcooked, not undercooked,

1199. and just really nice and moist.

1200. It doesn't stick to the roof of your mouth.

1201. Beautifully done.

1202. Doukan.

1203. Mm, nice, lovely colour on the apples.

1204. Nice and fragrant, with the orange rings through,

1205. and a really nice, generous, caramelization

1206. on the apples with the honey, delicious.

1207. Between the two of them, it's a tough call,

1208. because they both taste delicious.

1209. It is my recipe, however, I think the slight

1210. edge goes to Doukan, because they've got

1211. that real nice flavour in the apples.

1212. With the last semi-final place

1213. up for grabs, the fate of the brigades

1214. is in the hands of the diners.

1215. Right, JB, results please.

1216. Doukan, gonna start with you.

1217. Now, the number of customers that are happy

1218. to pay for your dessert, out of 25

1219. is

1220. that is amazing, 23 out of 25, well done.

1221. Really well done.

1222. Great job, that is fantastic, well done.

1223. That is a very high score, really good.

1224. Well done.

1225. Right, Retsina.

1226. That means you need four or more out of

1227. twenty-five for your dessert to win tonight.

1228. But that's not the only target, because only the

1229. top six, the top highest scoring restaurants

1230. on the leaderboard, go through to the semi-final.

1231. So, to get into the top six, you need to get

1232. 15 out of 25 or more,

1233. that's how tight it is.

1234. - Very tight.

1235. - Okay, the number of customers

1236. that are happy to pay for dessert,

1237. out of 25, bearing in mind what's at stake,

1238. is

1239. 17 out of 25, well done!

1240. That is amazing, that is amazing.

1241. Congratulations, come here.

1242. Absolutely brilliant.

1243. Every point you earned, well done.

1244. What an amazing night, really,

1245. seriously, well done.

1246. - I'm gonna put her right in the front

1247. of the restaurant, so everybody's come in,

1248. and they will see how proud I am.

1249. - So Retsina claims

1250. the final spot in the semi-finals.

1251. They'll be joining my best Indian, Chinese,

1252. Thai, Argentinian, and British restaurants.