More great moments in food and film
In Wednesday’s Oklahoman we talked about seven great moments in food and film, in honor of Oscar’s big night.
Let’s recap, with links to the scenes. Fair warning, some of the are Rated R.
In “9-1/2 Weeks,” a pioneer in the straight-to-video softcore genre, Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger seem to have little else to do but get each other nekked. But the do find time to eat, and when they do it’s a memorable.
Without “The Public Enemy,” James Cagney was just some tap-dancing Yankee Doodle Dandy and the mob genre might never have gotten off the ground. When Cagney breaks up with his girlfriend via grapefruit, the women’s rights movement was born.
Before Pulp Fiction made the Royale with Cheese and Fatburgers household names, Quentin Tarantino was waxing poetic and profane over breakfast while Steve Buscemi gets on his soapbox over the unjust practice of tipping in “Reservoir Dogs.”
Jack Nicholson’s on-screen persona was born over breakfast in ”Five Easy Pieces.”
My ringtone for the last year came from “There Will Be Blood,” and drinking a milkshake will never be the same.
My son is named after Cool Hand Luke. Part of the reason Paul Newman’s portrayal, another part was the characters way with eggs.
The Godfather series is a cavalcade of food scenes and references, but a scene at an Italian Restaurant, and not the one Billy Joel sang about, is the best. Don’t order the linguni
But there are countless other scenes to remember. “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” gave us Jeff Spicoli who saw nothing wrong with ”a little snack on our time” in Mr. Hand’s class. And who can forget about All-American burger’s policy and shirt and shoes. Finally Phoebe Cates made this movie a box office smash with her exit from the swimming pool, but don’t forget about her bout with a carrot.
Rocky Balboa’s first big win came against a side of beef, despite being knocked down twice.
In American Pie, Jim gets his just desserts.
In Animal House, the cafeteria experience was changed forever when John Belushi slurped jello, ate a burger in a single bite and did a zit imitation before inciting a food fight. And here he does it in Italian.
I won’t even link you to “Monty Python’s The Meaning of Life,” in which a man has one bit too many.
“When Harry Met Sally: put Katz’s Deli even more prominently on the map.
In “A Christmas Story,” duck is beheaded for smiling and Bumpass dogs kill Christmas dinner and Ralphie’s little brother shows why he’s momma’s little piggy.
In “American Beauty,” Kevin Spacey just wants someone to pass him the asparagus, but even that great scene was derived from dinner in “Ordinary People.”:
Ron Burgundy uses a burrito as a weapon and pays a price in “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy”
“Caddyshack” helped get Baby Ruth bars banned from swimming pools worldwide.
In “Swingers,” Vince Vaughn gives away a breakfast, proclaiming “I would never eat here.”
Thanks to Blazing Saddles beans will never work in Hollywood again.
Dinner with gramps in “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” isn’t what you might think.
Who can forget the popcorn scene in “Real Genius”? You did? Here it is.
While “Twister” might’ve been one of the 15 dumbest movies ever made, it did make me yearn for steak and eggs.
More about Pittsburgh, Carne Adovada and Chimayo chiles
A lot of folks ask where I get chimayo chiles. Well, I get mine from Pendery’s in Dallas. They’ve got a great shop in Ft. Worth. If you never been and love the chile, you’ll spend a good half a day there. They claim to be the inventor of chile powder, or blend, as they call it.
Chimayo comes from a little town just outside of Santa Fe that grows this specific chile and also happens to have this fantastic restaurant, Rancho de Chimayo, that seems to have come right out of one of my favorite TV shows, Northern Exposure.
If you want to know more about Pittsburgh-style sandwiches and their chief purveyor, check out the Web site for Primanti Brothers Deli
And for the record, I double the spice amounts for my personal stock. They make a pretty mean carne adovada themselves.
Tamales around town
Tamales can be procured from a lot of places around town. Heck, even Braum’s sells a pretty salty version in the freezer sections of their markets. But here are three I particulary like:
Pepe Delgados
While owner Emilio Salinas doesn’t serve them everyday, what he offers each Friday are at the top of the tamale chain. In business since the 1992, Pepe Delgado’s has grown from tiny taqueria to full blown restaurant and live music emporium on Campus Corner. But it’s best days are Fridays when they offer tamales cooked in grape leaves, then served under a sea of spicy red chile sauce.
Zarate’s Latin Mexican Grill
This new entry in the competitive Tex-Mex landscape offers Peruvian tamales. The rest of the menu offers selections from all regions of Central and
706 S Broadway, Edmond
Cafe Antigua
The tiny cafe in the space previously occupied by Cafe Do Brasil picks up where its predecessor left off, offering unique food from south of the Border. This Guatamalan restaurant is known for its breakfast, but during the holidays they’re offering tamales — which are the national Christmas dish of Guatamala.
2409 N Hudson,
Two gone on “Top Chef”
Here’s our podcast of the past two episodes of “Top Chef.” Be sure to check out our old friend ReRe’s recap.
“Top Chef” contestant coming to town; Season 5 update
Tre Wilcox
First things first. A local mother of 5 recently won an essay contest through momtourage.com, the parenting page powered by ivillage.com, and part of her prize is a meal prepared by Tre Wilcox of Season 3 fame. Look for more information about the winner in next Wednesday’s Life section in The Oklahoman.
I recently talked to Tre about his upcoming trip, what he’s doing now and why the heck he cooked salmon in a barbecue competition.
All that and a wrapup of episode two of the ongoing season of Top Chef are in today’s podcast.
And here’s last night’s recipe:
Double Cheese enchiladas
1 cup shredded Tillamook cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped onion
1-2 serranos chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 cups Red River chili (we used the mushroom and toasted pecan variation)
6 corn tortillas
6 slices provolone cheese
half cup or so of canola oil
We were using left over chili, so start out by pouring the cream into a sauce pan over high heat. Once the boil turns furious, turn it to low. Simmer until the cream is reduced by half, then add the chili. Let it simmer until you’re ready to add it to the enchiladas.
Mix the shredded cheese, onions and peppers in a bowl and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Using a small skillet, pour in enough oil to cover the bottom. Set burner to medium high. When the oil is hot, put in a tortilla. After 2 or 3 second flip the tortilla and place a slice of provolone on the tortilla. After about 5 seconds, move the tortilla into a small casserole dish. Put a spoonful of the cheese mixture on one side of the tortilla and roll it up. Continue until you’ve got 6 enchiladas. Put them in the over for 10 minutes, then add the sauce for the last five. Keep an eye on the sauce, if it looks like it’s drying out, pull it.
We actually lined the bottom of the casserole with leftover Spanish rice before adding the enchiladas. So, if you’ve got some cooked rice in the fridge, by all means use it.
Variations on a pot of chili
One of the beauties of chili is its flexibility. It’s great by itself, but you know you love to smother a coney, burger or plate of fries with it. Here’s 8 uses for leftover chili
1. With a healthy dose of water or broth, chili can be converted into a hearty enchilada sauce.
2. Mixed with a couple tablespoons of sour cream and a little dry mustard, you can turn it into a spicy version of Beef Stroganoff.
3. Stir fry it with rice and an egg as either an omelet or terrific breakfast taco.
4. Mix it with refried beans and wrap it in a burrito with cheese and onions for burrito.
5. Add more water, some sliced tomatoes and sliced and boiled potatoes. Give this new mix at least another 20 minutes cooking time and you’ve got carne guisada.
6. Add leftover Thanksgiving turkey and, if you’re feeling adventurous, stuffing for a holiday leftovers you don’t dread.
7. Ever hear of Frito Pie?
8. Using the thinned version mentioned above, spread it over flat bread and add your favorite cheese(s), red onions, and sliced Spanish chorizo to make a pizza that will make you never want to call Little Caesar’s again.
Hafta try kafta
My chief food co-hort, Jesse Olivarez and I happened upon the annual Mediterranean Food Festival at St. Elijah’s Church on Saturday.
The event was a fundraiser for the church and included a car raffle, food market, dinner, lunch and dessert. Got myself involved with a chicken kafta sandwich. Typically, kafta is a ground meat dish. It’s derived from the Persian word Kufta, which means to beat or grind. But this was a nice Okie-friendly interpretation that included a full, grilled chicken breast with dressing, onions, black olives and feta. The tabouli was less reliant on bulgur than others I’ve had, instead using it as a complement to the parsley, mint, green onions and tomato. Finally, we had a baklava sundae. Yes, baklava ala mode and striped in chocolate and caramel. Yes, it was soooo good.
Dinner included cabbage rolls, kibbe, salata, pita bread, and hummus.
They also had a bake sale featuring an assortment of Lebanese entrees, breads, cookies, cakes, pies, cinnamon rolls and baklava.
As was everything. Look forward to dropping in again next year. But next time, I’m not leaving without recipes.
