- Without our young, life is flat.

Without their energy and vitality, it's all for nothing.

But it's up to us to bring them back into the life as we know it by honoring tradition and honoring our past and we do that in the kitchen.

Today, we'll make a chocolatey, yummy torta caprese and then in Velletri, we'll make a wonderful, rustic Roman soup that's fit for a king.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by Finamill, the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable, swappable pods.

Finamill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by.

- Hi, I am Christina Pirello, and this is "Christina Cooks," where each week, we take fresh, seasonal ingredients and whip them into amazing dishes.

Will they all be plant-based?

Yeah.

Will they all be delicious?

Absolutely.

We will make you fall in love with cooking all over again.

So I spend a lot of my time with younger people in my life, like these two beauties.

This is Rosanna and Maria, and they are very, very special people in my world.

I spend as much time with them as I possibly can.

So, Rosanna and Maria, today we're gonna make una torta cioccolata, a chocolate cake, okay?

- Okay.

- (laughs) Okay?

- Okay.

- Okay.

Now, you guys live, they were both born here in this country, and then?

- We went to Italy.

- For how long?

- For six years.

- Six.

- Yes.

- Mamma Mia.

That's right.

You left when you were three and you were.

(Christina and Maria speak in Italian) Very small.

And then you came back when?

- When I was nine.

- When you were nine?

- Yeah.

- And how are you liking being back?

Do you miss Italy?

Do you miss anything about Italy?

- Oh, I miss something from Italy.

- What?

- I miss my grandma.

- Oh, la nonna.

And you, madam?

- I don't really know.

- No.

You like it here?

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

You do.

You like your school?

- Yes.

- Your new school?

Okay.

- My teachers are so nice.

- They should be.

I'm glad.

All right, shall we make a cake?

- Yeah.

- Yes.

- All right, now in this bowl, I have two kinds of cocoa powder.

Something called black cocoa and regular cocoa powder.

I use both, you can just use cocoa powder, but the black cocoa is a higher cocoa content and gives you a richer chocolate flavor.

So I use it just so you know.

To it I'm gonna add some, oh, smell that.

Vaniglia.

Vanilla extract, delicious.

It helps the chocolate taste more chocolatey.

- Good?

- Yes.

May I use that spoon, miss?

- This?

- This one.

This one.

Thank you.

I'm gonna put in about seven or eight tablespoons of coconut sugar.

Now coconut sugar does not taste like coconut.

Thank goodness.

It tastes like brown sugar.

I don't like coconut.

But what it does, it's a low glycemic index sweetener.

So it actually lets you have your cake and eat it.

We may as well put it all in.

Why not?

Okay, now, the fat for the cake.

Go ahead.

You can laugh.

(group laughs) (Christina speaks in Italian) Okay, so we're using eight tablespoons of olive oil.

(Christina laughs) Six, seven, eight.

One for good measure.

Okay, great, can I borrow that whisk whisker?

- Yeah.

- Thank you.

Now can you do this?

Just keep it moving for me and make, no, no, no, no, no.

Let Rosanna do this part.

- Okay.

- You hand me our cinnamon because cinnamon helps to keep your blood sugar normal.

Little bit of salt.

Now you might be thinking, "Why is she putting salt in a cake?"

Salt in the cake actually makes the cake taste sweeter.

Brava, beautiful.

All right, now we have to add to this some egg replacer, because you guys know, you two know, I don't eat eggs.

- Yes.

- So this is a little thing.

It's like a flour, but it's got some tapioca and potato.

- Oh.

- I know.

It's interesting.

- Yeah.

- But what it does, it helps the cakes to rise without using eggs.

- Oh.

- But you have to dissolve it 'cause it gets goopy.

Goopy.

That's a technical word in my kitchen.

So we're gonna mix this up.

And if you don't mix it all up, it doesn't really matter, 'cause we're gonna whisk it in.

Goes in.

Now Rosanna, if you could whisk that again.

- Okay.

- Whoa.

- Go ahead.

Put that there.

Whisk it some more.

- When are you gonna clean that?

- Later.

We can make a mess, it's the kitchen.

Now, this pan is what we're gonna bake it in.

Okay, that's good.

We're gonna bake it in this pan.

This pan, girls, is more than 100 years old.

- Oh my God.

- My mother-in-law- - Whoa.

- Zio, Zio Roberto's- - Zio Roberto.

- Mother had this pan, and she lived to be 102 years old.

And when I was visiting her- - Whoa!

- I know, she was 95, and she said, "You always use this pan."

And I said, "Would you leave it to me in your will?"

And she said, "Take it now."

It's my lucky pan.

I use it all the time.

I love this pan.

Okay, now into this goes.

Okay, Maria, I need you to do something for me.

I need you to take this flour.

Four, four of these into there.

Uno, one.

- One.

- Another one.

Fill it, fill it, fill it.

No, fill it.

There you go.

Brava.

Two.

- Two.

- Two.

- Three.

- Three.

- Excellent.

Beautiful!

One more.

When you use whole grain flours.

- Four.

- Perfect.

Perfect.

- Oh my God.

- Excellent.

When you use whole grain flours, the one thing you don't wanna do, is you know you see all the bakers go like this and flatten the top.

Don't do that, you take all the air out of whole grain flour, just measure and put it in.

Okay, now.

- Mix it?

- Eh, but we're gonna have to use a spoon.

- You almost break the thing.

- Did I?

- Yeah.

- Nah, come on.

Add a little bit of water.

- [Maria] Whoa.

I like that.

- And I'm gonna mix this now to make a batter.

- Where do you want me to put this?

- [Christina] Just right here, on my cutting board.

- Okay.

- Because we're gonna knead it again.

- Yeah.

- And now you add liquid.

Now you can bake with oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk.

I usually bake with water because I don't have the extra calories and I have noticed I don't have any difference in flavor.

It still comes out really, really yummy.

So now we're gonna mix this.

- It already smells so good.

- Doesn't it smell good?

- Yeah.

- Chocolatey.

- Oh yeah, smells really good.

- Now madam, can you dump that in there, please?

That's all you gotta do.

All of it, brava.

Because when you make a chocolate cake, if you don't have chocolate chunks in it.

- You need more chocolate.

- Exactly.

What's the point?

- I need to put that there, back?

- You can put it over there by you.

Thank you.

Now, see how beautiful this batter is?

- Yeah.

- This is what's called a spoonable batter.

So now, I'm gonna need a little help on this part.

- Okay.

- You ready?

- Yes.

- As I start to pour the batter, I need you to turn the pan- - Turn it around.

- Okay.

You ready?

- Me too?

- No, you're gonna do the glaze.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Turn it.

And we do it this way, two man job, or a two woman job, because this allows the batter to be even in the baking pan.

Okay.

Stop.

- It smells really good.

Good.

- Okay, now, let's get it all in there.

Turn it a little more for me, baby.

Grazie.

Okay, now I really need both of your help.

- Okay.

- This is a big one.

Somebody has to stick their finger in that bowl, taste the batter and make sure it's okay.

- Me.

- All right, both.

No, not there.

In there.

- Oh.

- In the bowl.

Not the pan.

- Mm.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- Good?

- Yeah.

- Let me see.

I'll be the judge.

Oh yeah, that's good.

All right.

- That's good.

- This is gonna go into the oven at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

It'll rise, and when you can touch the top, so you guys know this, when you can touch the top and it springs right back, the cake is done.

It's gonna go in the oven.

- Oh.

- So now we're gonna glaze, well, we're gonna glaze it, but we need a cake to glaze.

- Yeah.

- Do you happen to know?

Do we have a cake?

- Yes, we do.

- We do?

- Yes, we do.

- Of course we do.

- Here it is.

- So, look how pretty it is.

So once the cake has completely cooled, don't try to glaze it before it's cooled.

You have to cool it.

Okay?

In here, I have oat milk, right?

We're gonna add to it a little syrup, brown rice syrup, to make it sweet.

And we're gonna bring it to a really, really, really high boil.

So Rosanna keep your eye on it while it boils.

- Okay.

- Okay.

Hold onto that, you're gonna need it.

And as soon as that boils.

- It's all dirty.

- It's okay.

It's a kitchen.

Everything gets dirty in the kitchen.

You ready to work?

- Yeah.

- Madam.

- Yeah.

- Your weapon.

Okay.

Hold on.

We're waiting.

We're waiting.

And we're waiting.

- Oh!

- Ah.

(Maria laughs) Okay.

Now I'm gonna pour this slowly over the chocolate.

- Okay.

- You're gonna mix with the whisk.

- Okay.

- Hold the bowl.

- Hold.

- It's not gonna, I'm not gonna, it's nothing hot near you.

(Christina speaks in Italian) - Don't burn my hands.

- No.

All right, now mix.

Slowly, slowly at first.

Mix, mix, mix some more.

Mix.

Mix like you mean it (speaks in Italian).

A little faster.

Beautiful.

Very nice.

Okay, so you pour the oat milk- - Ah!

- And the rice syrup over the chocolate.

- It smells really good.

- Smells really good.

- Yeah.

Like syrup.

- And it starts to turn smooth and shiny when you mix it.

- It smells like syrup.

- Yeah?

Let me see.

Rosanna, can you give, tell me if this is right.

Give it a mix.

So when you see, see how you see that pattern in your chocolate?

That's how you know it's thick enough.

And that's how you know it's ready.

- Oh.

- Oh.

Okay, you guys ready to be artists?

- Yes.

- Yes.

- Grab your spoons.

- I'm already an artist.

- I know you are.

Use that one.

You grab yours.

Take this ganache and cover the cake.

Just pour it over the cake.

Don't be stingy.

Pour it, pour it.

You can just spoon it over.

We can pour some.

How do you wanna do it?

Beautiful!

Do that, do that, do that.

Gorgeous.

This way you have a cake that was so simple to make and looks really fancy.

Especially when you have- - What about, can I go this way?

- Don't go in the middle.

Go on a cake.

Especially when you have two artists making it for you and glazing it and decorating it for you.

It becomes an amazing thing.

Can you reach it?

You good?

Okay.

Put some more, put some more, put some more.

We have all this ganache, girls.

Come on, let's do it.

You don't need a ton.

You just need enough to make this look beautiful.

And it's shiny and gorgeous.

And now, I am off, girls, to a little town outside of Rome to go to a cooking school where high school students learn to be chefs.

Here we go.

Thanks girls.

You guys were great.

Did such a good job.

- Thank you.

- Keep going.

Yeah, go ahead.

No, no.

You don't dip in again!

(laughs) Go ahead.

(laughs) (upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) I'm here in the historic village of Nemi.

It's one of several towns in the area just outside Rome, near Castel Gandolfo, which is home of the summer house of the Pope.

But all these little villages are surrounding these volcanic lakes and the streets and the towns are known as (speaks in Italian) streets of the lake.

Now, Nemi is beautiful and historic of course, but it's famous for one thing and one thing really only.

And that's little, tiny wild strawberries that are sweet, delicious, loaded with nutrition, and one of the greatest treats you'll ever taste in your life.

I love being here, but I am off to Velletri to cook with one of my favorite Italian chefs who has become an instructor to help young chefs shape their future and the future of food in Italy.

(upbeat music) Gioacchino!

Ciao, Chef.

- Ciao Christina.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - It's beautiful here.

Are we cooking?

Is class in session?

- Yes.

We are waiting.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) (indistinct chatter) (Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - They have 800 students in this lovely school.

All professionista.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) They're either gonna be chefs, management, pastry.

All the places of culinary education you would want in one school, 800 students.

Okay.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) Okay.

(speaks in Italian) Before we make the soup (speaks in Italian).

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) (Gioacchino continues speaking in Italian) So he said that the school here is important because the culture of food in Italy is very important.

And so when the students study here, they understand food, technique, and everything that they need to go out into the world professionally or even in their lives, so.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) Mm, zuppa de dark cabbage.

Okay.

- Okay.

We start.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - Okay.

- We start to cut the leeks.

- Okay.

- And.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) Okay.

- Okay.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) Okay, so I'm putting olive oil in the pan.

- Yeah.

- Gioacchino is slicing leek and students are preparing potato.

- Okay.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - So into the pan go leeks and then I will be adding some salt and some chili pepper.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) A little salt to start the leek sweating.

And a little chili spice.

But not too much.

Very, not too much.

- Just a little bit.

- Okay.

Now Gioacchino's preparing potato.

So Gioacchino, this soup.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) It's a poor soup.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) So these are ingredients that everyone had in this area.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) These are, in fact, these are poor ingredients, but in my opinion, these are sane ingredients.

This is how we should be eating.

A little bit.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) Okay.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Okay.

Okay.

- Okay.

- A little more salt.

(Christina speaks in Italian) Now?

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) So this cavolo nero.

In the States, in Stati Uniti, this is, we know it as dinosaur kale or lacinato kale, but it's cavolo nero in Italy.

And this is the.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) So in the spring, you can no longer get this kale.

In the US, we get it all the time.

So it's sweeter and smaller because it's in season.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) And it's very good for your health.

It's very high in minerals, including calcium, fiber, of course, vitamin C. I'll put the sale.

- Sale.

- Okay.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Okay, so now we put a little vegetable stock in to just cover to help to create the broth.

Un altro, another.

- Si, another.

And the dry tomato, sun dried tomato.

- Okay.

- They give a little bit of salt inside.

- Okay.

Basta?

- Si, it's enough.

- So now we're putting in some sun dried tomatoes that are oil cured.

And this is gonna bring a little bit of salt and sweetness to the soup and richness.

So that goes in.

- Si, si.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - So it's a quick soup, it's gonna cook in 20 minutes.

And while it cooks, we will prepare the other part of the soup.

(Gioacchino and Christina speak in Italian) Okay, so now we're gonna put more oil in a pan and we're making sort of a croutons to go on top of the soup.

- Okay.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - Just one?

- Just one.

- So the garlic's going in, my grandmother used to say, (speaks in Italian), in its dress.

So this goes right in and it's just to flavor the oil just a little bit.

Okay, Gioacchino.

- It's perfect.

Now we have to cook, roast the bread and the zuppa- - While this cooks, Gioacchino- - Si.

- Is going to show me another version of the same soup, same ingredients, but as we say in America, we're going to chef it up to show you a very special way with these ingredients.

- Si.

- Okay, Gioacchino.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Okay, this is another version (Gioacchino speaks in Italian) of the soup, same ingredients.

- Okay.

Thank you.

- And this is?

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) So we pureed potatoes.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Pureed kale.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) So more puree of potato.

Ooh.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) And the kale was just (Christina speaks in Italian) - Okay.

Just boil it.

Just boil it - And then pressed by hand.

- A little bit.

- A little bit.

- [Gioacchino] And after we stuff it with the potato.

- It's almost as though he's making a roll.

Yeah?

- Okay, and after we put inside the sun dried tomato.

- We put some sun dried tomatoes inside.

- Yes.

Help me.

- Okay.

- Okay.

- Got it.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Italiano sushi.

(Christina and Gioacchino laugh) So we're making like a jelly roll with creamed potatoes inside, pureed potatoes inside, sun dried tomatoes into boiled kale.

- [Gioacchino] Okay.

- Wow.

And he's applying a little bit of pressure to make sure it stays closed, but the moisture of the kale will help it to stay closed.

- Okay.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - What a lovely idea.

Okay.

- From this side.

From the other side.

- So what Gioacchino's doing is sealing the plastic wrap.

So it sort of seals around itself.

- Yes, because we need the, want to slice it, yes.

- 'Cause we need to slice it.

- [Gioacchino] It's okay.

- Okay (speaks in Italian).

And that way all the air comes out, and now it's sort of, the plastic wrap will squeeze this shut.

- Perfecto.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) - Like sausage.

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Ah, he's going to cut it in the plastic.

Wow.

Look at that.

Look at the brightness of the kale.

The potatoes.

You can see the sun dried tomato.

It's like a little sushi roll.

It's just gorgeous.

Okay, Gioacchino.

- Okay.

- How do we plate?

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Ah!

Beautiful.

So we're putting the pureed kale down on the plate and then also the pureed potatoes.

Wow.

- Okay.

(Christina speaks in Italian) And after, we put our vegetables, okay.

- Wow, this is so beautiful.

- See?

- So this is the fancy version.

Now, Gioacchino.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) So this is the classic version that everyone eats.

- Okay.

Okay.

(Christina speaks in Italian) And now.

- We clean.

(laughs) - Si.

- We clean.

- We finish with the- - Ah!

We forgot the little croutons.

Beautiful.

- Right.

- Okay, so we put this one here.

Look how beautiful that is.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) May I?

(Gioacchino speaks in Italian) Gioacchino.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) If this is poor kitchen food, I am in.

Gioacchino.

(Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) I'm just gonna stay and eat soup.

Unbelievable.

(upbeat music) (Christina and Gioacchino speak in Italian) (upbeat music) The world has become unstable and scary.

Our young people are plagued by insecurity about their future and fear of their place in a world that changes more quickly than we do.

We can't keep up.

At the same time, our food choices, our political policies, are leaving them a planet that's changing in the worst possible ways.

Soil stripped of nutrients, ultra processed foods incessantly marketed to them are creating a planet that's reaching a tipping point of pollution and damage.

How can we stem the tide?

We can begin by thinking as Native Americans did, seven generations out.

Their beliefs were that they would not be on the planet forever, but what would they leave to their children and theirs and so on?

We talk so much about the legacy we leave behind.

It's time to think about what we leave future generations and make our choices based on the impact they'll have on the planet now and in the future, from how we eat, to how we shop, to how we conserve, to how we minimize waste and excess.

So think about that and I'll see you next time on "Christina Cooks."

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Funding for "Christina Cooks" is provided by Finamill, the flavor of freshly ground spices and dried herbs with refillable, swappable pods.

Finamill.

And by Suzanne's Specialties, offering a full line of alternative vegan and organic sweeteners and toppings.

Suzanne's Specialties, sweetness the way Mother Nature intended.

And by Jonathan's Spoons, individually handcrafted from cherry wood, each designed with your hand and purpose in mind.

Additional funding provided by.

You can find today's recipes and learn more by visiting our website at christinacooks.com and by following Christina on social media.

(soft music)