Upcoming On Demand
Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain
series • reality
PG
series • reality
PG
From "Spain's best-kept secret" (spoiler - it's Galicia, home to pilgrimage destination Santiago de Compostela, along with outstanding produce and food) to the heritage and culinary innovations of the capital, Madrid, Eva Longoria is travelling the land where some of her ancestors once lived - and where she herself spends part of the year, dividing her time between Mexico and Spain.
"I'm a proud Mexican American. Eleven generations ago my ancestor left Spain for the New World and a new life. Four hundred years later, I'm back," she says in Eva Longoria: Searching for Spain, a follow-up to her earlier series, Searching for Mexico (steaming now at SBS On Demand).
In the eight-part series, Longoria explore her Spanish heritage and how the land, its people and their culture have shaped one of the world’s greatest cuisines, meeting locals and leading chefs along the way, and eating delicious dishes.
Episode 1 : Galicia
Galicia is one of Spain’s best kept secrets, positioned in the farthest corner of north-west Spain. Its landscape is so isolated and remote that the Roman’s believed Galicia’s rugged coastline at Finisterre was the edge of the known universe. The Gallegos are originally a Celtic people who speak their own language. More like Ireland than Andalusia, Galicia’s traditional dishes are rustic at heart. Eva is curious to try their world class barnacles or percebes, which are amongst the juiciest and most tender in Spain due to their necessity to cling to the rocks against the fierce currents. Octopus or pulpo is another rustic dish perfected throughout the centuries and served on shared plates in a welcoming and communal style. This rugged coastline creates further delights inland by a series of magnificent rías, or estuaries. This is where people used to forage for halophiles, the hardy salt-resistant plant life growing on the edges of the rías. At Casa Solla,
Michelin-starred chef Pepe Solla takes these unassuming small plants and creates complex and delicate dishes that fascinate Eva. She also ventures inland to discover Galicia’s mountain ranges.
Episode 2 : Madrid
Located high on Spain’s central plateau, magnificent Madrid has been an epicentre of trade, agriculture and migration for 500 years, ever since the Spanish Royal Court moved there in the 16th century. Its gastronomy, formerly dominated by French cuisine, has come into its own. Eva starts her culinary odyssey at one of Madrid’s oldest restaurants, Lhardy. There she meets Dabiz Muñoz, who was voted the world’s best chef three times in a row, to sample one of his favourite dishes – the cocido madrileño. This classic stew is served in three stages: first a silky broth, then perfectly cooked vegetables, and finally, a medley of jamón and chorizo. Next, Eva dives into ‘New Miami’ – the nickname for Madrid’s new Latin district where South American migrants are making their mark on the food culture. At a Peruvian bakery, she tries the beautifully light bread roll, the francesilla, and a calamari sandwich, or a bocadillo de calamares (make your own with Frank Camorra's recipe).
Despite its royal traditions, for centuries, the only meat poor Madrileños could afford was offal. Now, the recent influx of Latin peoples has made offal sexy again. Eva heads to Tasquería where Michelin starred chef Javi Estévez conjures mouth-watering dishes out of the unloved parts of bulls and pigs. And Eva couldn’t visit Madrid without trying a classic tortilla – with onions of course! – at the city’s joyous gay pride parade.
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Episode 3: Basque Country
The Basque Country is one of the oldest cultures in Europe, with a language so ancient that its origins remain a mystery. Its mountainous geography allowed the Basques centuries of autonomy to evolve their unique culture, preventing Roman and Arab invaders from fully conquering the region. During Franco’s fascist regime, the Basque culture and language was violently suppressed. It wasn’t until his death in 1975 that Basque culture emerged out of the shadows, sparking an explosion of creativity as people began to celebrate everything that is uniquely Basque – particularly their love of good food.
In the beautiful port city of San Sebastian, Eva is introduced to pintxos - artistic small bites best sampled on a tour from bar to bar. Stuffed piquillo peppers and super fresh anchovies showcase the local obsession with quality ingredients. On a trip to the coast, Eva digs into succulent,perfectly grilled fish in the seaside town of Getaria where the Basque tradition of grilling was invented by hungry fishermen. Up in a remote village, Chef Vittor Arguinzonez has turned traditional grilling into a Michelin-starred art form, even grilling items like caviar and milk for an unparalleled culinary experience! In Tolosa, Eva is invited to cook and eat at a Txoko, a type of dining society unique to the Basque region. Over a meal of their prized local Tolosa beans, the club members explain how these societies helped the Basque language and culture survive during Franco’s dictatorship. Back in San Sebastian, Eva visits Arzak, the legendary restaurant where the founder Juan Mari Arzak first put Basque cuisine on the world stage. Finally, Eva heads to restaurant Azurmendi.
Episode 4: Catalonia
Sitting next door to her northern European neighbours, Catalonia has long embraced outside ideas and influences. Catalonia’s crown jewel is beautiful Barcelona, her capital city, located on the azure Mediterranean Sea. Catalonia’s prized cuisine is rooted in its rural past, inspired by flavours from the sea and the mountains, such as its melt-in-the-mouth cheeses, sparkling cavas and succulent gambas (prawns). Catalonia has also produced some of the world’s greatest art and architecture, from Miró and Gaudí to Dalí. The Catalan people are said to embody a unique blend of both seny and rauxa - wisdom with a dose of madness. This interplay of seny i rauxa in the kitchen creates an explosion of delights for Eva’s taste buds. In Barcelona, she enjoys some of Spain’s greatest vermouths. At Gresca, she discovers the bold pairing of sea and mountain in Mandonguilles amb sèpia, a cuttlefish and meatballs dish, made even more complex by the addition of the Catalan picada, a pesto-like sauce, at the end of the cooking.
The highlight of Eva’s trip to Catalonia is meeting Ferran Adrià, the legendary chef behind El Bulli who started a gastronomic revolution in the 1990s that spread across the world. In Port de Roses, Ferran Adrià treats Eva to his unique take on a traditional fishermen stew.
Credit: Frank Camorra and Richard Cornish
Episode 5 : Asturias
On the Northern coast of Spain, Asturias is a spectacular natural paradise. Protected by the stunning Picos de Europa mountains, its rugged, green landscapes are bathed in a cool, rainy climate. "It's hard to believe this is Spain," she says. "This is stunning... Forget sun, sea and sangria. It's wet, wild and mountainous." This is the land of Eva’s ancestor, Lorenzo, who left over 400 years ago. Some of his descendants still live here to this day in the town of Longoria. Now, Eva gets the chance to explore her Asturian roots one unpretentious and hearty plate at a time!
At Eva’s first stop, she learns the special technique for pouring Asturian cider at a sidrería, a traditional cider bar, and later helps a local family make their sizable annual cider quota before joining a community celebration called an espicha. In the foothills of the Picos de Europa, cheese-maker Rocío hands Eva a headlamp and takes her down into her inherited cave. A unique mold infuses her organic cheeses to create cabrales - one of the most expensive and sought after blue cheeses in the world. Later, Rocío’s husband adds it to a rich creamy sauce served over grilled steak. Finally, near the town of Longoria, Eva visits her long-lost relatives who still live in a stunning historic house built by her ancestors. She discovers more family lore and learns the Longoria family recipe for her favourite dish of all time, fabada, made with the fabes beans that made her family wealthy centuries ago. A delicious and satisfying homecoming!
Cider-glazed chorizo. Credit: Brett Stevens
Episode 6: Andalusia
Andalusia is sometimes said to be the soul of Spain, with its brilliant light, white-washed villages, and sun-soaked beaches that have lured travellers for millennia. This southern powerhouse is home to everything that Spain is most famous for: flamenco, bullfighting, jamón ibérico and tapas. And the people here have duende – a passionate spirit that transforms life’s suffering into joyful celebration.
Originally one of the country’s poorest regions, Andalusian food culture reflects a deep history of resilience. Whether it’s the best jamón in all of Spain, or cold soups like salmorejo created to hydrate thirsty labourers working the scorching olive groves and sherry vineyards (make your own with this recipe), the Andalusian people know how to make the best of what they have.
Eva Longoria enjoys a long-table meal in Andalucia. Credit: Felix Valiente / CNN
Much of the food heritage of this iconic region originated in the waves of conquerors, from the Phoenicians to the Arabs. These influences are now so richly interwoven within the local culture that it’s impossible to pull them apart.
For Eva, this intriguing melting pot of cultures is a culinary goldmine. In Seville, Michelin starred chef Paco Morales sees history as his key ingredient. His restaurant Noor is a portal to the past – specialising in re-interpreting Arab recipes from the Golden Age of Al-Andalus, such as the deliciously crispy roast lambskin with sweet liver pate from the tenth century and a divinely tangy orange blossom syrup and almond dessert.
From the Moorish past, Eva travels back to the future in Cádiz, tasting a selection of meaty charcuterie and creamy risottos, all made exclusively from marine sealife by the culinary wizard, chef Ángel León.
Credit: The Latin Kitchen
Episode 7 : Spain’s Big Bang
In recent years, Spanish food has blossomed into one of the most exciting cuisines in the world. It’s a global leader in innovation, boasting almost 300 Michelin starred restaurants. How did Spain make the quantum leap from culinary backwater to gastronomic superstar in the space of a single generation? In this episode special, instead of diving into one region, Eva zooms out and try to understand the modern development of Spanish cuisine across the peninsula.
Featuring exclusive interviews with some of Spain’s greatest chefs including Dabiz Muñoz, Ángel León, Paco Morales, Nacho Manzano, Pablo Albuerne, Juanlu Fernández and the legendary Ferran Adrià, they help narrate the story of Spain’s culinary Big Bang. This episode also features Eva cooking and eating delicious new dishes, from rabbit kidneys in sherry to buckwheat risotto to a foam, fried, cream corn dessert, to help her understand the evolution of Spanish food across the decades.
Burnt Basque cheesecake Credit: Adam Liaw
Episode 8: Marbella
After falling in love with Marbella 20 years ago, Eva has taken the plunge and moved there. Now she is throwing a party to thank all her Marbella friends old and new who have made this city so special for her over the years. And how best to thank the people you love by laying on a feast that honours all the food and delights that Marbella has to offer. Nestled between the foothills of the Sierra Blanca mountains and the Alboran Sea in the Spanish province of Málaga, Marbella couldn’t be better provisioned for incredible seafood and great meat and fresh veggies.
In the week leading up to the party Eva plans and preps her menu with the help of her close friends including three Michelin starred chef Dani García. Dani is Marbellí born and bred, and he explains to Eva how Marbella is a tale of two cities – a humble past of rustic dishes on the one hand, but these days better known for its yachts and the global jet-set.
On the beach Dani shows Eva his plan for her star dish, the deliciously flavored espetos de sardinas – fire-grilled sardines on skewers in the sand. These traditional fisherman’s snacks are the soul of Marbella. Joining the sumptuous menu is a local tomato carpaccio, cherry gazpacho, meatballs, guacamole with fried glass shrimp, cod and potato salad, tuna carpaccio on brick pastry with garnishes and a beautifully tender goat and rice dish.
Chicken Marbella Credit: Adam Liaw
