If you're planning to tune into Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy tonight (ITV, 7.30pm!), you'll want to read on. We've tracked down the exact M&S ingredients Tom uses in the show, so you can add them straight to your basket before the first episode airs.
Tom's latest series sees him travelling around Italy to meet the people behind some of the country's best-loved produce, from Calabrian chillies and Tuscan olive oil to Puglian grapes and Sicilian lemons. So far, so yum. He then uses those ingredients to create dishes you'll definitely want to make yourself.
Read on for the full shopping list for episode one – plus a few spoilers for what's still to come later in the series.
Tom Kerridge Cooks Italy Episode 1: Calabria & Puglia
Tom kicks things off in Calabria, where a visit to Diamante's famous chilli festival inspires a warming Calabrian chilli, sausage and butterbean stew. The star ingredient? M&S Collection Hot Calabrian Chilli Paste (£2.50), which gives the dish its signature kick. We'll definitely be adding a jar to our next M&S shop.
Next, he heads to Puglia to meet the family growers behind M&S's seedless white grapes before using them in a pork fillet with pickled grapes and pine nut dressing. If you've never thought of cooking with grapes before, this episode might just change your mind.
Fancy giving the stew a go yourself? Read on for the full list of ingredients and recipe.
Tom's Calbarian Chilli, Sausage and Butterbean Stew
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pack (400g) 6 M&S Collection British outdoor bred Italian-style pork sausages
- 1 pack (400g) M&S Collection Master Grill Calabrian spicy sausages, halved lengthways and sliced
- 2 brown onions, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 2 red chillies, sliced
- 3 tbsp M&S Collection hot Calabrian chilli paste
- 200ml white wine
- 400ml chicken stock
- 2 cans (400g each) chopped Italian tomatoes
- 2 cans (400g each) butter beans, drained
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves picked
- 2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
- 15g flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
1. Heat the grill to medium. Place the Italian-style sausages on a foil-lined tray and grill for 20 minutes, turning occasionally, until cooked through.
2. Heat a large high-sided frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the Calabrian sausages and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Add the fennel seeds, tomato puree and sliced chillies and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and let it reduce by half. Stir in the Calabrian chilli paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half again. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat, add the butter beans, oregano and rosemary and cook for 15-20 minutes over a low heat, until thickened.
4. Let the grilled sausages rest for a few minutes, then thickly slice and stir into the stew. Season well and finish with lots of parsley.
5. While the stew cooks, mix the softened butter with the chilli paste and garlic. Halve the ciabatta lengthways and place cut side up on a foil-lined tray. Spread with the chilli butter and grill for 7-10 minutes, until golden and crunchy. Serve the stew in warm bowls with the chilli ciabatta alongside.
Coming up inTom Kerridge Cooks Italy...
If episode one's Calabrian chilli paste has whetted your appetite, there's plenty more to look forward to. Upcoming episodes see Tom:
- Episode 2: Visit Tuscan olive groves before baking a fig and olive oil cake, then turn peppery M&S wild rocket into a vibrant pesto chicken Parmigiana.
- Episode 3: Hunt for black truffles with expert truffle dogs in Umbria before making an indulgent truffle mac and cheese, followed by a stop in Campania for baked cod with parsley butter.
- Episode 4: Discover why tomatoes are at the heart of Italian cooking with homemade passata and meatball mozzarella ciabattas, before cooking lamb cutlets with pomegranate couscous.
- Episode 5: Head into Italy's mountains for creamy pancetta rigatoni before chestnuts take centre stage in a rich pork and mushroom dinner.
- Episode 6: Finish the journey in Sicily with a lemon Victoria sponge and a roast chicken dish topped with a vibrant blood orange vinaigrette.
Check back next week for more recipes from the show to try at home.
Stacey looks after all food and drink reviews — from coffee pods and veg boxes, to natural wine and tequila. Stacey is also founder of Crummbs, where she’s written nearly 2,000 restaurant and hotel reviews since 2013. Prior to this, Stacey wrote hundreds of in-depth buying guides for the Independent, i newspaper and BBC Good Food, as well as reviewing restaurants and interviewing celebrities in her column at Balance Magazine. Stacey has also appeared in BAFTA-nominated BBC documentary Blood, Sweat & Takeaways, where she investigated South East Asia's food production industry, appearing on both Newsnight and BBC World Service to share her findings. Regularly checking out the latest restaurants, bars and product launches, Stacey also loves experimenting with recipes at home, and is a WSET-certified wine and spirits expert, with over 10 years of experience in the business. You can follow Stacey on Instagram @crummbs_uk
