Stefano’s restaurant is in Mildura, a provincial city on the banks of the ‘Mighty Murray’ river, the longest in Australia that, in this part of the country, winds its way through desert and irrigates the region known as Sunraysia. Travelling with Stefano on an old bicycle, we meet wonderful local characters like Mrs Mazello whose eggs are so big she calls them rooster eggs. Stefano uses them to make his homemade pasta - pasta fatta in casa. The Murray River is home a delicious fresh-water fish, the Murray cod. By the banks of the Murray River, on a gnarled fallen gum tree, Stefano steams to perfection a fresh cod caught for him that day by a local fisherman. But a cook’s life is not always so free and simple - that night, with guest chef Tony Tan, Stefano prepares a sumptuous banquet for the Mildura Arts Festival.
Many families in Mildura migrated to Australia with nothing more than an old cardboard suitcase containing all their worldly possessions and have never looked back. In this episode we visit the cantina of a farming family where bread is still made in the traditional wood-burning oven. Stefano shares with them a wonderful meal of bruscetta with freshly roasted capsicums and vegetable pickles preserved in vinegar and zepolli with sardines, all washed down with home made wine. Later, Stefano prepares a minestre di riso, an exquisitely refined dish made with asparagus he got from the grower that morning. After a nostalgic visit to an old sherry winery, there is work to be done - all the de Pieri clan meet at the family’s orchard to pick apples. In the kitchen, the dishes for a picnic have been prepared by Stefano and his mother-in-law, Anna, who cooks a marvellous eggplant parmiagiana.
There are some places that Stefano just can’t get to on his bicycle and, in this episode, he sets out to drive hundreds of kilometres north from his beloved Murray River. He is visiting his friends, Trish and Philip Palmer, who own a huge cattle property.
Spring in Mildura is the season when the gardens are at their colourful best. It's also the time when the grapes are budding on the vines. This causes Stefano to wonder about new varieties of wines which might replace the chardonnay and shiraz we love so much. He visits his friend Yolander who cooks him ravioli filled with cheese and enjoys a drink and a singalong with Frank, her husband. At a vine grafting vineyard two gorgeous Cambodian sisters prepare him a traditional chicken dish. He prepares an Italian long lunch where new varieties of Italian wines are tasted by local wine makers and grape growers. With the wines he serves a sumptuous banquet of several dishes including braised duck with pappardelli and s’formato of mushrooms.
Early summer is a special time for Stefano in Mildura. It is the season when the trees are heavy with the first stone fruit. With some new season peaches he picks straight from the tree, Stefano cooks a delicious upside down peach cake. Apart from its large Italian population, people from many countries have chosen to live in Mildura and Stefano visits his friend Ali who makes wonderful Turkish bread by hand in the traditional method.
An annual bike race is held between Mildura and Echuca, a town on the Murray River some four hundred kilometres upstream. The exertion of leading them out of town makes Stefano wonder what they would need for energy on the 'Tour de Murray'. He decides on pasta fagioli - a rich traditional rich bean soup. Stefano is to meet the riders at the finish, but in the meantime he visits his friends Anna and Antonio who collect garden snails which, when properly cleaned and cooked with herbs and a tomato sauce, make a delicious dish to eat with pasta.
Not far from the Murray River, vast areas of the countryside around Mildura grow wheat and barley. Stefano cooks a magnificent wheat cake known as a pastiera Napoletana.
