Tag: dinner and a movie

Meatloaf Brasciole, Country Corn, Mashed Potatoes & The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

This week had two of my very favorite things, this meatloaf which is TO DIE FOR and one of the most beautiful movies I’ve ever seen… well, make it three things: and Brad Pitt. The Assassination of Jesse James is truly like seeing a perfect photograph come to life. Its as if you get to see what the photographer saw before and after the shutter was released. I honestly believe everything about this movie was done right. There are more stars than just the names and faces we recognize. The music is magical, the styling is incredible and the cinematography is outstanding. It’s not by any means a movie to keep you entertained, it’s more for the people who can find enjoyment in a view, hear a word in a look, and like for time to move when it’s ready. I wish every movie could be this beautiful, this balanced, this height of talent collaborating and this well narrated.

Now the meatloaf brasciole is the equivalent in the food world. I’m serious. It’s so good my eyes water thinking about it. I had it at a dinner party and left with the recipe along with as many left overs as I could get my grubby little hands on. We paired this meal and movie as a sort of mid-west country journey and one I’ll take again someday.

Meatloaf Brasciole

by: Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix from the butcher’s counter (meatloaf mix)
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 small white onion, grated
2 tablespoons golden or dark raisins, chopped (I omit this)
3 tablespoons pine nuts, chopped 3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano cheese
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
1 cup arugula leaves or baby spinach (so much better to use frozen spinach)
6 slices prosciutto di Parma
6 slices deli sliced provolone
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the Corn:
2 ears of fresh corn
Seafood boil seasoning

For the Mashed Potatoes:
3 russet potateos, peeled and cut into chunks
milk
cream cheese
butter

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mix meat and next 10 ingredients as if you were making meatloaf. Flatten meat out on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet into a thin layer: 1/2-inch thick, 12 inches long by 6-8 inches wide. Cover meat with arugula or spinach, prosciutto and cheese as illustrated in the 4 steps above.

Then roll the meat, using the waxed paper to help roll up into a large log, working across the 6 to 8-inch side, resulting in a 12-inch long log. Drizzle the log with EVOO to coat lightly. Roast meat-roll 20 minutes. Cut into 1-inch slices, 3 pieces per portion, and serve.

For the corn, I just shucked it
and cut it into pieces dropping them
into boiling water I seasoned with a
Seafood boil seasoning until tender.

The mashed potatoes come from how I
remember my mom making them.
Put the peeled and cut potatoes into
a large pan of water, bring to a
simmer until tender.
Drain and mash.
Add 1/2 cup whole milk or cream,
1/4 cup cream cheese and a
‘healthly’ amount of butter.
Season with salt & pepper.

This has been one of my favorite Dinner & A Movie combinations. The down home goodness of a meat ‘n’ taters meal and a great story of men in their journeys and faults. This movie not only inspired a great home cooked meal but we also made our first mini-film from our love for the stunning imagery called, “The Coming of Fall”.

Pesto and Artichoke Chicken Pizza & State of Play

Alright, so this pizza is what I make when I’m in a pinch either for time or brain power. It’s simple, wonderfully delicious, fun to make and come on, pizza is a classic on movie nights. This week we chose State of Play mostly because the cast was so good the chances of it being enjoyable were high. It did keep me entertained throughout and I liked watching Russell Crowes’s old-school newspaper writing character seek the truth as if he were a modern day John Wayne of DC takin’ the ‘little lady’ (Rachel McAdams) under his wing.

It made me miss the days when I was Photo Editor of my college newspaper and would hang out with the writers all day playing a little online war game in the office. I strategically chose the screen name “Princess” because nothing could hurt a male ego more than being blown to smithereens by not only a girl but PRINCESS. My mail slot (where actual papers were placed as opposed to emails, novel idea right?) filled up with just as many “Die Princess” death threats as work papers. I say, if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen boys!

A Piece of the Pie

The whole idea with this pizza is that it’s easy and trustworthy and always a hit. I use pre-made store bought ingredients such as the dough and pesto. Of course you can easily make these from scratch but some work days are too exhausting to think about such things. Forming the pizza dough has to be one of the most enjoyable experiences in the kitchen. Flour plumes, dough flies in the air, I start using Italian slang and a dough ball fight even ensued one night.

Ingredients

1 ball of store bought dough- thawed and ready to use (or make your own)

flour for rolling out the dough

1 lb of chicken breasts

1 package of store bought pesto (or make your own)

about 4 pieces of marinated artichoke hearts or 1 small can

1 ball of FRESH mozzarella

Small piece of Parmigiano-Reggiano

olive oil

red pepper flakes

salt & pepper

Instructions

Let your frozen dough ball thaw as per package instructions.
Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.
Bring about 4 cups of water to a boil and add the chicken breasts cooking until meat is white throughout (about 5-7mins. Remove from water and dice the chicken up into small pieces. Place in a bowl and add about 1/4 of the pesto to coat the chicken pieces.
Toss / roll / press dough out into the pizza shape you want, I have to make it oblong because my NYC oven is so small. Pour the remaining Pesto onto the pizza and spread out in a thin layer. Take the marinated artichoke hearts and break apart and spread over the pesto. Continue the same with the chicken.

Slice the mozzarella into thin pieces and evenly spread on the pizza. Grate on the top some fresh parmigiano, salt & pepper to taste, 1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a small quick drizzle of olive oil. Place in the oven for about 7 minutes, watching carefully to get it just browned and crispy but not burned.