DONNIE BRASCO : - Coq au Vin

How about trying Lefty Ruggiero's , (seen here on the right as portrayed by Al Pacino) homemade Coq au Vin, delicious and if it is good enough for a made man like Lefty it is good enough for me.  Based upon a real life FBI undercover operation lead by the title lead Donnie Brasco real name Joe Pistone played by Jonny Depp this is one of my all time favourite films, but then I do like gangstar movies.  Something else I enjoy is good food and Coq au Vin is certainly that.  So why not try the recipe below from Dave Watts who is head chef at the Cotswold House Hotel.


Ingredients

10 x free range chicken legs
750ml red wine (you do not need a wine that is really expensive but just one that you like and would drink, my choice is a good Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon)
50ml rapeseed oil or olive oil
1 x onion
1 x medium sized carrot
2 x sticks celery
2 x sprigs of thyme
2 x bay leaves
2 x cloves of garlic
1 x Tbsp of Tomato puree
750ml brown chicken stock
100g seasoned plain flour
200g button or chestnut mushrooms (cut into quarters)
200g smoked bacon lardons
2 x pinch of salt
1 x bunch of curly parsley
Grind of fresh black pepper

How to cook it

1.  Place your frying pan on a medium heat and add the oil.

2.  Peel and dice the onion, carrot and celery to a similar size, place them into the pan and sweat until they're soft and have no colour. This will take around 10 minutes.

3.  Once soft, add the garlic, thyme and bay leaves, stir and then add the wine. Leave this mix to cool to room temperature and then add your raw chicken legs. Cover and place into a fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight if possible.

4.  Pre heat an oven to 140°C. After the chicken has marinated, remove from the wine and pat dry with a paper towel. Dip them into your seasoned flour and pat off any excess flour.

5.  Place a large frying pan on a high heat, put a little oil into the pan and add the floured chicken legs.

6.  Colour well on both sides then remove onto a draining tray, empty out any excess fat from the pan and repeat with more legs until all have been coloured. Once all of the chicken has been coloured, add the tomato paste to the empty pan, and stir for a minute (be careful not to burn the puree). While Al Pacino uses a can of tomatoes, it’s really not necessary and tomato paste gives a much more authentic flavour...

7.  After a minute add the wine, veg and herbs from the marinade to the pan and bring to the boil.

8.  Put the chicken legs into an oven proof dish adding the boiled wine and chicken stock, stir well. Cover with a tight fitting lid, place into the oven for 2 hours.

9.  After 2 hours fry your bacon lardons until they are golden brown, remove them from the pan with a slotted spoon and reserve on a plate. Add your quartered mushrooms to the same pan and fry on a high heat until they are slightly coloured on the edges, remove from the pan again with a slotted spoon and keep aside with your lardons.

10. Remove the dish from the oven and place the mushrooms and lardons onto the surface, return to the oven and cook for a further 20-30 minutes.

11. Roughly chop the parsley, remove the dish from the oven and season to taste with a little salt and fresh black pepper, sprinkle with the parsley and serve with boiled potatoes, (but I personally prefer roast potatoes) and chunks of crusty bread.

Now watch Lefty show Donie how to cook the perfect Coq au Vin.

RAGING BULL : - The Perfect Steak

Raging Bull is another of those films which you would not normally associate with food.  But look again.  Steak, how do you like your's cooked, well according to Jake it has to be rare.  But what kind of steak do you like and what do you have with it.  There is a multitude of cuts and sauces but the ultimate has to be a sirloin or T-Rib.  Whilst fillet is the top cut it can be a little to lean and therefore lack taste.

The Ingredients

1 rib-eye steak, at least 4cm thick
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g butter
1 garlic clove, skin-on and crushed
1 sprig of thyme

How to cook it

1. Take the steaks out of the fridge 2 hours before you're planning to cook, and allow them to come to room temperature.

2. Heat a heavy-based griddle pan or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Pat the steak dry with kitchen towel and then use tongs to press the fatty edge on to the hot pan until nicely browned. Meanwhile spread a thin layer of salt and a sprinkle of coarse pepper on a plate. Put the steak on the plate, and turn to coat the steak lightly, then put it flat-side down into the pan. Cook for 90 seconds on each side, pressing down with a spatula, until both sides are well browned.

3. Add the butter, garlic and thyme to the pan and, when melted, use them to baste the steak, turning it every minute until it's done to your liking: a 4cm steak should take about 6 minutes for medium-rare, but always do it by eye.

4. Take out of the pan and leave somewhere warm to rest for 5–10 minutes, then serve.
Would steak be part of your final meal, or is it overrated? What are your must-have accompaniments (painfully hot crispy frites, steamed spinach and English mustard for me, please), and given our proudly beefy heritage, why are American steakhouses so much better than most British ones?

For more on everything steak why not take alook at the following link where the above info was taken: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/oct/25/how-to-cook-the-perfect-steak

And look below to see what happens when a steak is not cooked properly.

FIGHT CLUB : - Lobster Bisque

Fight Club, a master piece on celluloid and admittedly not a film you would immediately associate with food. But look a little deeper and you will discover a rant against the self gratifying society in which we live and in which food can play a part. But food to me makes life more interesting and along with a good film makes life a little better. One of my favourite foods featured in the film is Lobster Bisque and whilst working in a restaurant kitchen the infamous Tyler Durden (BradPitt) adds his own very special ingredient to the one he is preparing.  However I don't think anyone would want to eat that so why not try the reciepe shown below it is well worth the effort and you won’t be disappointed.

The Recipe

2 lobster, weighing about 500g, cooked

4 tbsp clarified butter, (ghee)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

1 stick of celery, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tbsp flour

4 tbsp drysherry

250 ml lobster stock

1 tbsp tomato purée

2 fresh bay leaves

1 sprig of thyme

1/2 tsp paprika

500 ml double cream

salt, and freshly ground black pepper

How to cook it

1. Remove all the meat and any liver from the lobsters. Discard the head sac and intestinal vein. Place the meat and liver in a bowl and chill.

2. Cut up the lobster shells as small as possible.

3. Heat a medium frying pan and add the butter. When it is really hot and sizzling, add the shells. Reduce the heat and fry for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add the minced vegetables and garlic, sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes.

4. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large saucepan.

5. Deglaze the frying pan with the sherry, scraping up any sediment. Add the sherry and pan scrapings to the saucepan.

6. Heat the mixture, slowly adding the lobster stock and stirring until the bisque thickens.

7. Add the tomato purée, bay leaves, thyme, paprika and cream. Season to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes.

8. Pass the soup through a conical sieve (chinois) or muslin-lined fine sieve.

9. Discard the debris and pour the liquid back into the pan. Reheat over low heat for a moment. Check the seasoning.

10. Float the lobster pieces in the soup, but be careful not to cook them. Serve with a piece of lobster floating in each bowl.     

Thank you to http://uktv.co.uk for the above recipe


See below for a glimpse of the wonder that is Fight Club.

However if you wish for a slightly different recipe but still authentically Sicilian then why not try the following from probally the best Italian chef around at the moment Giorgio Locatelli.

Polpette al sugo (Meatballs with wild fennel in tomato sauce)

Ingredients

Plain Flour
300g pork mince
1 Onion, finely chopped
100g pecorino cheese, grated
50g breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon parsley and garlic
1 teaspoon chopped wild fennel, or fennel seeds, soaked in a little water
Sea salt and frehley ground pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons olive l
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
a pinch of dried oregano

How to cook it

Firstly mix the pork mince with half the onion, the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley and garlicand fennel.  Season, then mix in the beaten eggs.  With your hands divide the mixture and form into balls (about the size of a golfball).  Flatten them out slightly, then dust with flour and shake off the excess.

Heat half the o;ive oil in a pan.  Add the chopped garlic and the rest of the chopped onion and cook gently until soft, but not coloured.  Add the tomatoes. season and add the oregano.  Cover and cook over a high heat until the tomatoes have reduced down to crfeate a sauce (roughly 10 mins)

Heat the rest of the olive oil in another pan, put in the meatballs and fry until they are golden brown all over.  Add to the pan of sauce, cover, turn down the heat to low and simmer very gently for a further 10-15 minutes.

For other genuine Sicilian receipes take a look at Giorgio Locatelli Made in Sicily a great book if you are genuinly interested in proper Sicilian food.

GOODFELLAS : - Goodfellas Meatball Recipe

Here it is, the recipe you have all been waiting for the Goodfellas Meatball feast.  So get your mates around and indulge yourselves.

The below recipe serves 6 people

Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef + 1/2 pound ground pork or 1 pound ground beef + 3/4 pound ground veal + 1/4 pound ground pork (see Notes, below)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped white or brown onions or shallots
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Romano or Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 cup dried, seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 tablespoons chopped canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, or Basic Tomato Sauce (optional)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (or more if needed)
Combine ground meats in a large bowl and mix together well with your hands. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add in all other ingredients except tomatoes or sauce and olive oil, and combine to form a mixture that is soft but still sticks together. If meatballs are too hard or dry, add chopped tomatoes or sauce.
Heat olive oil in frying pan. Place a small bowl of water and a plate near meatball mixture. While oil is heating, roll approximately 3 tablespoons of meatball mixture at a time into walnut-size balls in palm of your hand, adding a small amount of water if they don't roll well. Place each completed ball on the plate. Continue forming until all meatballs are done (you can place them on top of each other like a tower). Test the oil temperature — a drop of water should sizzle when it hits the oil. Fry meatballs in batches, turning until browned on all sides and cooked through. Drain on paper towels. Can be served plain, as main dish in any tomato sauce, or on an Italian roll with Parmesan, provolone, or mozzarella as a sandwich, or sliced and put on pizza.


And here is a taster of the film for all of you who have not yet seen the film.





Read more: Henry Hill Meatballs - Goodfellas Meatball Video and Recipe - Esquire http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/henry-hill-meatballs-061312#ixzz2M7ze2OWK - See more at: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/henry-hill-meatballs-061312#sthash.AApcheQg.dpuf

Coming soon probably the ultimate recipe for Meatballs and Pasta from the ultimate gangster movie.  Yes thats right its Goodfellas.  Ever wanted to feel like a mobster, well eat this whilst watching this masterpiece and immerse yourself in everything Cosa Nostra.

Welcome to FoodFromFilm a new blog focused primarily on trying out good food featured in good films.  The blog will give reviews on food featured in the films and give information on recipes and suggest alternative ideas based around the primary ingredient. A new film/dish will be reviewed each week and clips of the film will be uploaded.