[Robbie] I'm here to honor Tuscan cuisine.
[Pat] I've forgotten more about Italian cuisine
than a lot of people probably have learned.
[Sabrina] I am the queen of Emilia-Romagna.
[Antonello] This competition is very personal to me.
[Tim] Which region will reign supreme?
We are putting the nation's best Italian chefs to the test.
Mamma mia, perfetto.
[Scott] The grand champion is going to walk away
with $25,000.
Bring it, baby. Bring it!
[Alex] It's not gonna be enough
to just cook the best in the room.
It's not just what we cook.
-[speaking Italian] -It's who we are.
Can these chefs bring the brilliance?
[Antonello] They're gonna think that I'm crazy.
My apology!
There are so many different ways you can really mess it up.
You realize that those flavors have
-nothing to do with each other? -Yeah.
Yeah, okay.
[speaking in Italian]
I know what that means.
Yes, baby, come to me.
I think this basket bullied you.
[Alex] You've got 30 seconds!
-You're making a vinaigrette? -Keep it together.
[man] I think this is really where
the magic of Italy meets
the harsh reality of Chopped.
[Ted] This is Chopped:
Battle Italiano!
[name] Every time I set foot in Italy,
it's like
something just takes over you.
[Gina] The Veneto region has everything
from sea to mountain
and everything in between.
[Amy] This exciting vibrancy
of what you can put on a plate.
[German] The amazing things the territory can give to you.
You can have a fish, you can have meat,
you can have a wine.
It's just like the best.
You're welcome.
[German speaking in Italian]
[in English] I was a kid making fresh pasta,
and I say, this is my dream.
How my grandma used to make.
I left Italy. I was 17.
I travel all over the world,
end up back home.
My style of cooking is very Mediterranean,
light ingredients,
and a lot of lot of love.
Italian do it better.
I'm sorry.
But it's the truth.
[Gina] This recipe comes from my father's restaurant.
It used to be on Queens Boulevard in New York.
So my dad was a Northern-Italian chef.
I grew up eating truly Italian food.
I can still taste his sauce.
It was delicious.
And you knew that he loved doing it.
Veneto region has such a rich culinary history.
They dropped big spices there,
like cinnamon and saffron and nutmeg.
Where else are you putting,
like, all this in your food in Italy? You're not.
Competing in a challenge
that's all about Italian food is,
like, so heartfelt, I can't explain it.
I want to honor,
like, what we are and our heritage.
It's pride.
Perfetto.
[Amy] For me, a little girl in Texas,
to be here,
it's huge.
I was born on the coast of South Texas,
and a lot of the food that I was eating was
straight out of the water.
Yeah, we know what we're doing.
Venice was food fusion
before food fusion was even a thing.
They were trading with the West,
they were trading with the East
and pulling all of those flavors
into their cuisines.
I'm not going
to stick to traditional.
I will bring in some twists and turns.
I'm ready to go in and rock it out.
[Pat] Many people say
that blood runs through their veins.
For me, it's olive oil.
My parents were born and raised in Italy.
I only spoke Italian until I was seven.
Being an Italian,
competition's instilled in your blood.
It's like tomato sauce.
Pasta.
It's what's for dinner.
What Veneto's known for is what I'm known for, right?
Big, large braises.
Big, bold flavors.
This entire tournament was built for me.
I'm a big ball of knowledge.
It's my time to shine,
which means it's Veneto's time to shine.
Hello, chefs. Thank you for joining us
for our Battle Italiano.
You are here to help us celebrate
the huge influence Italian cuisine has had
on the world.
Now, the preliminaries
of this Battle Italiano tournament
each focus on a specific Italian region.
And at the conclusion,
somebody will win $25,000
and the title of Chopped Grand Champion.
Ready for that.
Ooh. [hums tune]
For your competition, we'll stay focused on Veneto,
home to cities like Padua, Verona,
and, oh, yes, Venice.
All right, first basket.
Open it up.
Oh.
Holy cow.
[Ted] And what appetizers will you make--
Is that sorbet or gelato?
[Ted] ...with squid ink ice cream...
[Pat] So squid ink is massive in Veneto,
but I've never seen it like this.
[Ted] ...treviso...
-Loving this. -Amazing. Bellissimo.
[Ted] ...sopressa...
All right, okay, okay.
[Ted] ...and razor clams.
Woo, razor clams.
That's back to home.
I love that.
You'll have just 20 minutes for the appetizer round.
Clock starts now.
-[Amy whoops] -[Ted] Let's go.
-Let's go. Let's go. -Come on, guys.
Scott, two special guests joining you
for this deep dive into Venetian cuisine.
Restaurateur and brand consultant,
Chef Tiffany Derry,
an Italian cuisine authority,
and host of Ciao House on Food Network,
Gabe Bertaccini.
Behind.
[Ted] The Veneto region stretches
from the Alps to the ocean.
How would you describe Venetian food?
The beauty of the Veneto region is
that, you know, you have the fish
and the clams from the lagoon,
and then cheese, you know,
when you get to the mountains.
It's food with a lot of personality.
Tiffany, I know you're working on a new restaurant
that will be an Italian restaurant.
What draws you to this cuisine?
I've gone to Italy three times this year.
You know, for me, Veneto is a gold mine.
It has wine, it has cheese.
It also has, like, this magical feel.
[Scott] I've spent a lot of time in Veneto.
These flavors are just embedded in my soul.
What I love about razor clams is you can cook them.
-[Gabe] Yeah. -[Scott] You can serve them raw
if you clean them properly.
Chef German, what are you making?
[German] I'm making something I used to make
when I was working Venice.
It's a pasta with clams,
-radicchio. -[sizzling]
I grew up in a small town
uh, close to Turin, Piedmont in Italy.
And I work and live in Venice.
There is a coast. There is a mountains.
It's something you don't find
in all the region in Italy.
[sizzles]
[Gina] My father is from Trieste,
and I have been to Veneto multiple times.
To be the representation for Veneto is
a huge honor
to what my father did
to immigrate to this country.
I am going to make
a treviso soffritto over razor clams.
Sopressa is a very fatty salami.
I'm using the sopressa in my soffritto
because it needs a fat
that's going to bind it together.
Treviso is going to give a little bit of bitterness
and a little bit of texture.
So treviso is
-really native to Veneto-- -[Gabe] Mm-hmm.
[Tiffany] ...which is really a radicchio.
It is bitter.
-I think it shines when you grill it, you know? -[Tiffany] Mm-hmm.
-[Gabe] And with the fat of the sopressa-- -[Ted] Yeah.
...you know, that's a marriage that really works well.
[Amy] I'm so in love with the Veneto region.
I love that it's on the water.
The basket screams the Veneto region.
It ties the Adriatic Sea
with the razor clams.
Chef Amy, what are you building?
So right now, I'm doing
a classic take on razor clams.
I'm going to use this squid-ink ice cream
for my sauce.
I'm getting the razor clams in the pan
with a little bit of garlic, shallots,
some of the sopressa to draw out
some more of that flavor.
So this beautiful salume,
it is from the Veneto region.
Beautiful high-fat content, obviously made of pork.
Has a really nice saltiness to it.
Not a lot of spices, which I really like.
So it really kind of shines through.
[Pat] My parents are from Caserta, Italy.
My mom, growing up, would always do clams
with some sort of pork pancetta,
sausage, in pasta.
So I'm like, "Ooh, I could do this minus the pasta
and make it more of an appetizer."
I'm making a razor clam in brodo.
I'm going to use the razor clams in brodo
because I know that...
it'll enhance the flavor of the razor clam.
So I start by chopping up the sopressa.
I start rendering that down.
Deglaze with white wine,
and then I throw in the clams.
[sizzles]
-That squid-ink ice cream presents-- -[Gabe] Yeah.
[Ted] ...all sorts of challenges,
not the least of which is that it's sweet.
-A little bit's going to go a long way on the plate. -[Gabe] I agree.
[Tiffany] Imagine if you took
and you made, like, a broken vinaigrette.
Chefs, less than 13 minutes
-on the clock. -[Pat whoops]
The only thing I can do
with the squid-ink ice cream is to make a sauce.
The ice cream is already sweet,
but I need to cut off the fatness of the ice cream
by adding some brandy.
Very good. Very, very good.
I am going to use my squid ink ice cream
to sauté my razor clams
because I want to steam them in there
so it gets like a really good salty flavor.
[Amy] I'm using the squid-ink ice cream
to make a sauce.
It's sweet,
so I am definitely adding acidity to this.
Some lemon
and a little bit of the chilies.
Five minutes on the clock, chefs.
Get it done.
[Pat] I'm making a squid-ink ice cream aioli.
I actually throw everything into the blender.
And then I just start hitting with red wine vinegar,
'cause I want the acid to shine.
And then I taste it.
And quickly, I'm like,
"Ooh, man, how do I get rid of all of this sugar?"
'Cause there's a lot of sugar in there.
-I see what Chef Pat is doing. -[Gabe] Yeah.
He kind of made an aioli,
but that's going to be tough to eat
with all that squid ink.
-It is a lot of squid ink. -I agree. I agree.
[Scott] I think my biggest concern is
not only can the squid ink overpower an entire dish,
but the sweetness of that ice cream can
also overpower an entire dish.
So I'm starting to freak out.
You have all of that condensed,
concentrated sugar sweetness to it.
I'm freaking out for sure.
[dramatic music playing]
Behind you, behind you, behind you.
[Scott] Chef Pat kind of made an aioli,
but that's going to be tough to eat
because not only can the squid ink overpower an entire dish,
but the sweetness of that ice cream can
also overpower an entire dish.
That squid ink aioli is so sweet,
and you have to figure out a way
to balance that.
So I just started drizzling a ton of olive oil in there,
and then I hit it with a decent amount of salt,
and it's working.
One of the most famous things they do in Veneto is
treviso sott'olio.
So sott'olio means "under oil."
You blanch the treviso, you soak it in vinegar,
and then you let it soak under oil.
The treviso, I love it.
The cutting's very thin.
I put it in the fry pan.
Just add salt, pepper, olive oil,
and just give it a little toss.
Two-minute warning, chefs.
[Amy] I marinate the treviso
in the juices of the razor clams,
just to kind of get that flavor
a little bit wilted
with the heat of the razor clams.
Chefs, you're at just under one minute.
[Gina] Italian food is
slowly-cooked food.
To make it a race is insanity.
Guys, take those seconds and double-check your plate.
Make sure it's right.
[singing in Italian]
♪ Vamonos, vamonos ♪
-Let's go, guys. -Final seconds here, chefs.
Ten,
-nine, eight-- -[Scott] Let's go.
[Ted] ...seven, six,
five, four--
-[Tiffany] Ooh. -[Ted] ...three,
two, one.
-Times up. -[whooping]
[judges applauding]
-Good job. -That's it.
Good job.
You underestimate the clock.
You think you can do a lot more.
But I think my appetizer is pretty solid in flavors.
I was a little nervous in the beginning,
but I dug deep into Venice,
and I think I nailed it.
So let's see where we go from here.
Chefs, you have arrived at the chopping block.
Your Venetian appetizers had to include
squid-ink ice cream,
treviso, sopressa,
and razor clams.
We're starting with you, Chef German.
So I made a bigoli with treviso, sopressata,
razor clams, black squid ink sauce.
Chef, where did you grow up?
I grew up in Torino, Piedmont region.
I used to live in Venice,
working in one of the best hotel in Venice,
where I had a chance to work with the great chefs
and also respect the territory
and what the territory offer.
[Scott] Chef, let me tell you something.
This is delicious.
Great texture in the crispy sopressa.
Really nice, sweet bitterness from that treviso as well.
Obviously, there's a ton of tradition
inside this plate.
It shows here why Venetian cuisine is so respected.
You did a really good job.
Thank you so much.
The razor clams are cooked perfectly.
Love the chew. I love all of it going on.
And obviously, you know what you're doing here.
This is a delicious dish.
The only thing is I do wish
that there was a little more
of everything.
You know, I wanted more radicchio.
I wanted more razor clams.
I wanted more sauce.
Grazie. Thank you so much.
We move now to Chef Amy. What do we have?
Chefs, for you today, I made
razor clams with treviso,
a little squid-ink crema,
and crispy sopressa in there as well.
So is Veneto a region that really inspires you?
The region reminds me of my childhood.
I was brought up in South Padre Island
near the coast,
and it speaks to me through the seafood
and the freshness that they get there.
Amy, I really enjoyed my very first bite.
-Okay. -The razor clams are cooked properly.
And I like the use of the squid ink.
You didn't put too much.
It's there.
It's not too sweet as well,
which is really great.
One thing I wish I would have loved
for the radicchio to have kissed the grill.
And I think that char would have worked very well
in the dish. But overall,
we're in Veneto here. I like it.
Understood. Thank you.
Yeah, I agree with that.
If you were just to toss that radicchio in a little bit
with those clams,
just so it had that little bit of a wilt,
I think it would have changed
the composition of the texture,
as well as kind of doubled down on that bitterness.
I appreciate that. Thank you.
Next up, Chef Pat.
So we have razor clam in brodo
with a crostini of that squid-ink ice cream.
I turned it into an aioli.
And on top is a treviso sott'olio
So I took some radicchio,
I blanched it, soaked it in vinegar,
and then let it sit in oil until we were ready to plate.
You know, Pat,
the biggest critique I have about this dish is
your plating.
It's not easy
to move around this dish.
Now, that said, you developed some really nice flavors
on the broth.
The razors are very well cooked.
This is a modern take on Venetian cuisine.
Thank you.
Listen, I love the flavors you developed here.
I love the simple broth.
I think the genius on this plate, though,
in all honesty, is
100% that aioli that you created.
It's really delicious,
really good texture
with that toasted bread as well.
I will say the radicchio itself has
a little bit too much vinegar for me.
The Treviso is delicious to me.
Forget what he's talking about with that vinegar.
I am loving the vinegar
-on there. -Thank you.
But when it comes to the sopressa, though,
I'm not really getting a lot of it.
And there's a few bites in between
where I almost forget it's in here.
Finally, Chef Gina.
My dish is a treviso soffritto over razor clams.
Chef Gina, it is delicious.
You hit the notes with having enough acid.
Plus, I really like the treviso coming through
and the sopressa in there.
And I think that you used the squid ink very well.
It's not too much,
but it is a little clunky.
When we think about Veneto,
we think of harmony,
and the razor clams were cooked well.
But we could have cut the razor clams a little,
because you have a bowl,
and it's meant for it all to be ate together.
I think a great dish is just like a movie.
You know, you have the main character,
and then you have supporting roles, right?
And it's difficult for me to figure out
what is the main character here.
You know, I see a lot of it in a bowl.
And to be fully honest, everything is delicious,
'cause you hit some great flavors.
I agree there is a lot of really good depth of flavor here.
But I think that you had a seed of an idea here
that worked really well,
but it's your form
that didn't come together.
[Gina] I feel like I should definitely move forward
because I don't just, like,
you know, pretend to be Italian
or pretend to know that region.
I, like, understand it,
and, like, hopefully, all of my nerves will calm down
if I make it to the second round.
I think, honestly, I was very confident with my dish
because I respect the Veneto region.
But everything can happen.
At the end of the day, what the judges decide is
what the judges decide.
[dramatic music playing]
So whose dish is on the chopping block?
Chef Gina, you've been chopped.
Judges?
Chef Gina, we felt like you needed
to chop the razor clams
so that we could enjoy it all together
with your dish.
And so we had to chop you.
It was an honor. Thank you.
[Gina] I do agree with the judges' decision,
but I still feel like I had a chance to represent
Venetian cooking, my heritage.
I loved every minute of it.
[Ted] Chef German, Chef Amy, Chef Pat,
second basket.
Let's do it.
[speaking Italian]
My God.
[Ted] Wow, a whole goose.
It's heavier than I am. Goose!
[Ted] You also have garlic bread.
[Pat] Fantastic.
[Ted] White asparagus.
White asparagus comes from the Veneto region.
[Ted] And polenta.
Impressive.
This is going to be fun.
You'll get a whole 30 minutes this time.
-Clock starts now. -[whooping]
[Scott] Let's go, chefs!
-[Tiffany whooping] -Let's go!
-[Amy] This is gonna be good. -[Scott laughs]
Judges, goose is very popular
in northern Italy.
How is it typically served?
It's often served on polenta.
I mean, this is the classic way.
You know, it's something very special,
very unique of the Veneto region.
Right behind. Behind, behind, behind.
[Ted] So how do you think, in only 30 minutes,
how should they be using the goose?
It's similar to a duck.
So whether you're grinding it and making a meatball,
or you are roasting the breast,
I think the cook of the goose needs
to be on point.
-Amy, chef. -Yes.
What's going on there?
I'm going to get this into some polenta and flour,
kind of crisp the skin up with it,
kind of like a fried bit.
And I'm making a ragu sauce.
-Interesting. -Interesting.
[Amy] I've never cooked goose before,
but I'm treating it like duck.
My first thought is dredging this
in some of the polenta,
treating it like cornmeal, like we do in the South.
What makes the region unique is
that they incorporate
a lot more worldly flavors and spices
than other regions of Italy do.
So I add some ground cinnamon, nutmeg,
along with some chili flakes.
Okay, German. [speaking in Italian]
-[in English] How are you doing? -[speaking in Italian]
-Yoo-hoo! -[Gabe] Listen, are you going
to celebrate the Veneto region?
I'm making seared goose,
I'm making some polenta,
and recreating with the garlic bread,
like toasted breadcrumbs.
Okay.
[German] For me, goose is something new,
and I never cooked before,
so I have to treat the goose
in the way I can treat a duck.
So I start to sear right away with garlic, thyme,
rosemary, and then the shallots.
[Scott] So polenta, one of those typical ingredients
all the way from Lombardia, all the way across to Veneto.
I make my polenta with half milk, half cream.
-[Tiffany] Mmm. -And I cook it for about three hours.
This is a fast-cooked polenta.
It should cook all the way through
in about three minutes.
[Pat] So first thing I do is I take my polenta,
I add milk to it.
That milk is going to draw
a lot of that starchiness out of the polenta
for it to make a really nice creaminess to it.
And then I immediately think meatball
because I need to get this goose tender.
-Pat? -Yes.
How are you going to celebrate Veneto?
I'm going to do a goose and pancetta polpette.
And then I'm going to do a little asparagus vellutata
over the top. And then the mollica breadcrumbs
-over the top of that. -Oh, my God.
-Okay. -[Scott] Okay. He's got a lot going on.
I mean, that's a lot going on.
[Pat] I'm gonna make a garlic bread gremolata.
So I start by cutting
the garlic bread into little croutons,
getting them toasted.
And I grab horseradish,
lemon zest, parsley.
Chefs, 18 minutes on the clock.
[Amy] I've been happily married for nine years.
We have a nine-year-old son named Ryuko.
I challenged him to do his spelling bee,
and he was like, "Well, why don't you go on Chopped?"
So, love to win for my son Ryuko.
Another thing that I think is really important
about this basket is garlic bread.
Of course, not typically associated with Italy,
garlic bread,
but the garlic itself from Veneto,
which is very specific and prized.
[Amy] I get the ragu into the blender,
take the garlic bread,
add that to make the sauce thicker,
and a little bit of the pickling juice
from the asparagus as well.
I'm a polentone, you know.
I come from polenta territory.
We eat polenta in every single thing.
If you add in some heavy cream,
milk, butter, grated cheese on it,
and that's where it's getting more creamy.
And then I'll braise the white asparagus
and fold in polenta.
[Tiffany] I think when it comes to,
like, white asparagus, it's the same.
It's green asparagus that's deprived of light, right?
And so oftentimes you do need to peel it
because they're larger
-and it's very sturdy-- -[Scott] Mm-hmm.
-and all of that. -[Gabe] Tougher.
But now the work has been done for them.
You know, it's modeled for them.
10 minutes on the clock, chefs.
[Scott] 10 minutes, chefs.
Here we go. Here we go.
Man, I still haven't even butchered this goose yet.
But driving me at this moment right now is the fact
that I really want to showcase what Veneto can offer.
Veneto's known for these really cool spices
of pine nuts and dried fruits.
And I'm like, "Ooh, I want to get that in the meatball."
Pat is still making his meatballs.
What you don't want is
a raw meatball in the center, right?
[Pat] And right away, as soon as they're rolled, I get them right in the fryer.
Five minutes on the clock, chefs.
-Get it done. -[Gabe] Come on, guys.
So what I'm going to do is a Venetian gremolata.
I use the breast steaks toasted in the oven
with some olive oil and spring onions,
parsley, mint,
rosemary, thyme.
Yes, baby.
-[Scott] Let's go, chefs. Let's get it done. -Come on, guys.
-One minute. -[Scott] Let's get it done.
[Pat] So I'm gonna use the white asparagus
to make a vellutata.
I go shallots in a pan, I cover it with milk,
some butter, and some salt in there,
and I'll puree it very fine.
[Gabe] Make sure all your ingredients are
in the plate.
Looks good, tastes good.
[Scott] Double-check all those ingredients.
[Ted] Final seconds ticking away, chefs.
Ten, nine, eight,
seven, six,
five, four,
three,
two, one.
-Time's up. Please step back. -[whooping]
-[Pat] Nice job. -[Gabe] Good job, guys.
-Chef. -[blows]
-[Amy] Nice job. -[Pat] Nice job.
I never sweat that much in the kitchen before this.
When I started, I was very worried for the goose,
but I feel great now.
I can't wait to see the judges,
what are they gonna think about my dish.
[Pat] I'm definitely feeling the pressure, yeah.
It's not an easy competition by any means,
but I think my layers of flavor is
where this needs to be.
Chefs, we challenged you to make Venetian dishes
with a whole goose,
garlic bread,
white asparagus, and polenta.
Chef Pat, what do we have?
So polpette d'oca with polenta,
a shallot and asparagus vellutata,
and then on top is a gremolata
of toasted garlic bread,
a little bit of horseradish,
lemon zest, and some parsley.
And where are you cooking now, Chef?
So I own five restaurants.
Number six is under construction.
And it's all Italian, so I have a little empire.
[Ted] So I guess, since you have an empire,
you probably don't have any need
-for that prize money. -[Pat chuckles]
No, actually, I want to buy
something in Umbria
so I can take my kids.
I have an eight-year-old and a five-year-old.
I want to be able to show them
what I saw when I went there.
How wonderful.
The goose, the meatball,
the pine nuts, the sweetness of the raisins,
it's so comforting,
which is exactly what a polenta dish should be.
The asparagus, I think you were just like,
"Hey, I need to do something with it."
And you just throw them in the blender.
-But this was a great dish. -Thank you.
[Tiffany] I love
the idea of the gremolata on top.
I like the flavor that you have going on here.
But I think that the breadsticks got
-a little soggy, though. -Yep.
[Scott] One of the challenges, I think,
of this goose meatball overall is that you need to have more fat,
you know, cream in particular,
to make that palatability.
But flavors are great.
Really beautiful presentation.
Thank you, Chef Pat.
Next, we go to Chef Amy.
So, chefs, today, I made for you
a Venetian-style pasta
with a salsa de oca
and a little bit of rosa radicchio.
In there, you'll find some pickled chilies.
So what I love about Veneto is through the Adriatic Sea,
they kind of corner the spice market.
And you'll find a little bit
of ground cinnamon, nutmeg,
along with some chili flakes as well.
Yeah. Chef Amy, you know,
I do love the spices.
I think they're great.
The use of the polenta,
it's very smart and innovative.
As far as the white asparagus goes,
I think it was smart to use
the liquid as your pickling agent.
I like the idea of the bread.
I mean, taking it, using it as a thickener,
it's something that traditionally has
been done for a long time.
But the goose,
you want to serve it medium rare.
Deep-fried the way you have it,
really severely overcooked.
I think the ragu that you have here,
I really wish you had took a step back
and just said, "I'm going to make a little bit
of a goose ragu,
incorporate everything inside there."
But I do like the direction of those brown spices.
-I appreciate that. -[Scott] Yeah.
Thank you.
-Chef Amy, thank you. -Thank you.
Finally, Chef German.
So my entrées is
seared goose in a port wine,
creamy polenta, asparagus,
artichokes, and Venetian gremolata.
One of the tricks, I would say,
of almost every Chopped basket is
to give the chefs protein
that is never going to cook in time.
And the key is to break it down.
I think what Chef Pat did was,
by grinding it, suddenly puts himself in a situation
where then it's going to be able to cook
in that short amount of time, right?
This goose...
is very tough.
But just the polenta and the artichokes
and that gremolata and the white asparagus,
they're delicious bites. They're really beautiful.
The goose itself is overcooked.
But I like the flavor of the polenta.
It tastes like I'm eating asparagus.
And I think that you did a very good job
of getting the flavor in it.
What did you do with the garlic bread?
I blended and toasted
and just sprinkled a little bit on top.
It's fantastic.
It's really, really yummy.
In Veneto, we have a lot
of white braised ragu.
And I can see myself eating this dish
in a trattoria
in the plains of Veneto.
[German] My soul, I'm still thinking,
I couldn't do better with the goose.
It's like a football final, you know?
It's one by one,
and the stress is so intense.
[Amy] In hindsight, there was
a different direction that I should have gone
with the goose.
But Chef German's goose was also overcooked.
So whose dish is on the chopping block?
[Ted] Chef Amy,
you've been chopped.
Judges?
Amy, we can't overlook
-overcooked goose. -Yeah, chef.
[Gabe] And also, we all wish
that you really developed the flavors in the ragu.
And so we had to chop you.
-Thank you very much. I appreciate it. -Thank you.
[Amy] It's a learning experience,
and I know that my son, Ryuko, is
extremely proud of me for even stepping into this competition.
Chef Pat, Chef German,
open your dessert baskets.
Oh, boy.
[Ted] And you've got tiramisu brownies...
Asiago cheese...
I was expecting Asiago.
Asiago is from Veneto.
This is very humble cheese.
It's not too strong, but it's not too mild.
-[Ted] ...pears... -That's kind of cool.
I mean, do I even want to know what this is?
[Ted] ...and a cotton candy Bellini.
[German] You want to drink first?
I mean, I think we should, right?
I don't even know where to start.
30 minutes to finish strong.
-Clock starts now. -[Scott] Here we go, chefs.
[Tiffany and Gabe whoop]
-Finish strong, chefs. -Let's run, chefs.
-Come on. -[Scott] Finish strong.
[Ted] Judges, this basket's a gift
from the Venetian gods.
Booze and brownies,
-cheese and pears. -[Gabe] Mmm.
[Ted] What would you make?
[Gabe] I'm thinking about some sort of crostata.
I think the sweetness of the pear cooked down,
a little caramel.
[Scott] I would cook those pears with the Bellini
and then top it with that grated Asiago.
Maybe create a little bit of a streusel
-with that tiramisu brownie as well. -Yeah. Brownie.
-[Ted] Sounds great to me. -I'm going to make that. I'll be back.
-You're gonna-- -[Tiffany] Okay, sounds good. Get in there.
So it feels great
being in the dessert round,
but Chef German has definitely wowed
with his authenticity
when it comes to Italian cuisine.
So I'm a little nervous.
But I'm going to showcase what I can do.
Chef Pat, how are you looking?
I'm going to do a play
-on this Venetian dessert called fritole. -Okay.
[Pat] So fritole is basically an Italian donut
that's got nuts and dried fruit in it.
I am making chocolate and dried fruit fritole
with a rum pear Bellini dipping sauce.
Oh.
I nicked myself on my ring finger.
Chef Pat has a cut.
-[Ted] Oh, no. -[Tiffany] Oh.
He's wasting time.
[Tiffany] Yeah, I think he was peeling the pears.
Those pears are so tiny,
peeling them is really difficult.
-German. -Yeah.
-How you doing? -Pastry is my big passion.
-[Tiffany] Oh. -And I couldn't wait
to just show
-what I'm capable to do it. -Wow.
[German] For my dessert, I make a Bellini mousse
with Asiago foam,
poached pears, and vanilla gelato.
Chef Pat, he knows what he's doing.
He's a great chef.
But I'm born and-raised Italian,
and I live in Venice.
So who's better than me should represent Veneto
in the finale?
-Did you cut bad, Pat? -[Pat] No.
I think I'll make it.
Right away, I get the pears in the pan.
I deglaze with rum.
Then I add the Bellini in it right away
and start cooking it.
So I need to get this batter going.
I'm going to use the crust from the tiramisu brownies
mixed with the asiago in my fritole.
Asiago cheese is probably
one of the most well-known cheeses in Veneto.
I feel like this entire tournament was built for me.
And I've been focused on just building
a little restaurant empire in Atlanta.
Now is my time to shine,
and I'm here to win the whole thing, not just this one.
So I'm pumped.
Less than 15 minutes on the clock, chefs.
[German] If I don't make this gelato right,
in Italy, they're going to delete my name
from every place.
Chef German, can I ask you what you're making, Chef?
I'm making a Bellini mousse
with the brownie.
I'm making a foam
of asiago and a gelato.
So for making the gelato, I just boil in milk,
vanilla, and heavy cream,
egg yolk, sugar,
condensed milk.
And I'm using the tiramisu brownie two ways.
I'm taking the brownie
and mash with the graham crackers
for the base of the mousse.
And I use the filling,
mixing with the heavy cream and the ricotta
for make my filling for the mousse.
I just pour the Bellini inside
and take it in the blast chiller.
So, Bellini is traditionally done with peach puree,
white peaches from the north of Italy--
-[Ted] Mm-hmm. -[Gabe] ...and then prosecco.
I mean, Veneto is the land of prosecco.
And so you have this marriage of two
that made really Venice famous
in terms of being the drink of the Veneto region.
[Pat] I am making a rum pear Bellini dipping sauce.
So I start kind of poking at the pear,
and I quickly realize they're done.
So I go right into a blender with it.
The batter's looking good,
so I just start dropping them in the fryer.
-Seven minutes remaining, chefs. -[Tiffany whoops]
[Scott] So German has really big plans here, right?
A little bit concerned
because the ice cream isn't
-in the ice-cream maker yet. -Yeah.
-I didn't see the foam being made yet. -Yeah.
[Scott] All this stuff needs to work,
and I don't see it coming together yet.
[German] I run to the blast chiller.
My gelato base is not ready yet.
The time is never enough.
The stress is so intense.
The tension is so high. It's crazy.
[German] Finally, my gelato base is cool.
I can put it in the ice cream machine.
Then, for my asiago foam,
I put it in a, melt it down with milk,
and that needs to be strained,
because otherwise, it will be so grainy.
All right, chefs, you're down to five minutes here.
Five minutes heard.
The pear sauce tastes fantastic,
but obviously, you don't want to dip
a hot donut into a hot sauce,
so I quickly go
right into the blast chiller with it.
[Ted] Three minutes, chefs.
[German] I'm sweating.
My heart's palpitating.
But I know I'm going to finish. I'm going to make it.
I have to say, y'all,
-German's ice cream looks good and creamy-- -[Scott] Yes, it does.
-[Gabe] Oh, it does. Yeah. -[Tiffany] ...coming out of that ice cream machine.
One minute, chefs.
Chef German, you got all your ingredients, Chef?
Yes, sir.
I still have to put the foam in the siphon canister
and top it on my dish.
[Ted] All right, chefs, final seconds
of the final round here.
-Ten, nine-- -[Gabe] Let's go, guys.
-[Ted] ...eight, seven-- -[judges cheering]
-[Ted] ...six, five-- -[Gabe] All right.
-[Ted] ...four-- -[Scott] Quite intense.
-[Ted] ...three, two-- -[Scott] With intensity, chefs.
[Ted] ...one. Time's up.
-[Scott] Good job, chefs. -[cheering]
Great job.
-[Pat whoops] -[Gabe speaking in Italian]
[German] I was able to make four components
in 30 minutes.
My thinking, that's my ticket for the grand finale,
and I can't wait to see what the judges think.
[Pat] He showcased a lot of technique,
but over the years, I've learned less is more.
I mean, not to sound cocky, I think I'm ahead.
I kept mine very simple and delicious,
and just like me.
Chefs, we asked you to make Venetian desserts
using tiramisu brownies,
pears, Asiago cheese,
and a cotton candy Bellini.
Chef German, please tell us all about it.
For you today, I made
a Bellini mousse,
Asiago foam, poached pears,
and I made a vanilla gelato.
Poached pears is something from Veneto.
German, I really like
how you cook the pear.
I mean, it is delicious.
It's not too sweet.
The texture on the bottom
with the tiramisu brownie is very nice.
I think the flavors come together well.
Thank you so much, Chef.
[Scott] Yeah, Chef, flavors are awesome.
The Asiago foam that you have here,
perfect identity of saltiness.
Did you have any basket ingredients
in the gelato that you made?
No.
[Scott] I think maybe identifying
one of those basket ingredients inside there
with the gelato would have
made a little bit more sense.
[Gabe] I agree with you, Scott.
I wish you would have incorporated the Asiago,
and you would have gave me an Asiago gelato.
But...
all these flavors are great.
And the vision of this dish,
it's very Venice oriented. Great job.
Thank you so much, Chef. It was a pleasure.
Finally, Chef Pat.
I made a chocolate and dried fruit fritole
with a Bellini and pear dipping sauce.
In the filling, there's ricotta,
there's asiago.
Chef Pat, it's a great use of all the ingredients.
It goes very well.
I'm dipping the donut in the sauce,
the sauce-- the pear sauce,
it's nice. I just think
the asiago could have
came through in a better way.
But very inventive,
beautiful way to go into the traditional Veneto.
-Well done. -I really like
the crunch on the outside.
But I would want to see
that asiago come out a little more.
I think this is really smart gameplay.
I think the only misstep is that, I think,
a grating
-of Asiago over the top-- -Asiago.
of that thing-- Like, double down on it, right?
Like, make it rain, with Asiago.
Got it.
Okay. We'll call you back
when the judges have selected a champion.
Thank you.
Judges, we wanted the competitors to honor
the Veneto region of Italy.
Where did these two chefs excel,
and where did they falter?
In Chef Pat's first dish,
it really did feel like a dish
that you would get in Venice.
There was that little aioli that he created
from the squid-ink ice cream.
[Tiffany] The razor clams were cooked perfect.
The only fault here was
really the plating, the dish itself, you know?
And then you have Chef German
that came out with the bigoli, with the pasta dish.
I mean, that was great, too.
What a way of going into, you know,
a dish made of razor and sopressa.
You know, the squid ink,
he didn't shy away from the squid ink,
right? With the sauce.
[Scott] Yeah, but I wanted more.
I wanted more of those razor clams,
more of that radicchio inside.
Well, then we move into the entree, right?
And Chef Pat breaking down a goose.
And those meatballs were really great,
but the meatball needed a little wetness. It needed
something to just bring everything together.
Let's talk about Chef German's goose, right?
I mean, it was so tough.
[Tiffany] I think that Chef German did
a better job of showcasing the asparagus,
the white asparagus, than Chef Pat did.
So, you have it figured out?
Yes. Yep.
[German] Mamma mia. I don't want to be
on the position of the judges.
I think both of us, we should win
because we did pretty much an amazing tournament.
[Pat] I think it's really, really tight,
but I've been waiting my entire life
to get to this moment.
And I'm here to win the whole thing,
not just this one.
[Ted] So...
whose dish is on the chopping block?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Ted] Chef German, you've been chopped.
Judges?
[Scott] Chef,
that appetizer round,
that bigoli was cooked beautifully.
Just needed more of the treviso and sopressa.
In your main course round,
the goose was overcooked. And so...
we had to chop you.
-Thank you so much. -[Scott] But it was wonderful having you here.
-[German] Congratulations. -[Pat] Thank you so much.
Win this competition, it was everything, basically.
But I'm happy for Chef Pat,
and I hope he's going to win the grand finale.
That means, Chef Pat Pascarella,
you are the Chopped Champion.
You've scored a spot
representing Veneto in our Battle Italiano finale.
You'll be one of four culinary virtuosos
fighting for the grand prize
and the title of Chopped Grand Champion.
-Congratulations, Chef. -[judges cheering]
-Let's go. Let's go. -[Tiffany] Yeah, baby!
Man, it feels so good to win Chopped.
It feels so, so good.
The other three chefs better watch out at the finale,
'cause I'm going to come out swinging,
and I'm going to bring it home for Veneto.
[Gabe] There are so many different ways
you can really mess it up.
Oh, wow.
These chefs have a lot to prove.
[Robbie] My stress level is at a 10 right now.
[Antonello] Mamma mia, perfetto.
[Scott] You realize that those flavors have
nothing to do with each other.
-Yeah. -Yeah, okay.
This basket bullied you.
Looks cooked.
That was a huge mistake.
I'm going to be platin' tootin' in about 35 seconds.
[Scott] What we're seeing here is the Tuscan dream meets
the Chopped kitchen.