I am big fan of movies about food. No surprise there, I know.
But I don’t think there’s ever been a Filipino film of the that genre. I’m not a movie historian so do not quote me on this. That is why I’m quite pleased to hear of a new film by Lore Reyes titled “Litsonero”. According to the news it is supposed to be the Filipino version of the 1987 Oscar Best Foreign Film winner Babette’s Feast (Denmark). I just hope Litsonero would be able to live up to the original and not just become a poor imitation.
Litsonero, by the way, literally means lechon cook. Lechon, for the uninitiated, is the Filipino version of the spit roasted pig. It has been named as the Best Pig in a recent Time Magazine article. Famous foodie, Anthony Bourdain, put lechon as number 1 in his Hierarchy of Pork. It is therefore just natural for lechon to be the main focus of what I believe to be the first ever Filipino food movie.
In the meantime I’ll just share with you a list of my favourite food movies of all time:
1. Babette’s Feast – 1987 Oscar Best Foreign Film winner. I don’t think I need to say more.
2. Eat Drink Man Woman – A film by Ang Lee focusing on man’s two main desires. A Latino-American version was made in 2001. I still think the original was far superior.
3. Like Water for Chocolate – Based on Laura Esquivel’s novel titled Como Agua Para Chocolate.
4. Ratatouille – 2007 Pixar animated film that both kids and adults can enjoy.
5. Vatel – starring Gerard Depardieu as the legendary 17th French chef.
6. Chocolat – Based on Joanne Harris’ 1999 novel of the same title.
7. Dinner Rush – food and the mafia.
8. Soul Food – love this movie but I’ve never had authentic “soul food”.
9. Waitress – Starring Kerri Russel. Competed in the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.
10. What’s Cooking? – focuses on diversity and yet how one and the same we are.
Honorable mention goes to:
Fast Food Nation
Supersize Me
Harold & Kumar Go to Whitecastle
Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
Showing posts with label Film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Film. Show all posts
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Australia – the Food Icons – Lamingtons
Unfortunately, AUSTRALIA the movie has not been faring well in the box office. Friends who have seen it absolutely loved it but the film has been bagged by critics contributing to its further demise.
But over a month ago I’ve started, supposedly, a series of Australian food icons to coincide with the release of the film. I was a little bit disheartened to continue because of the film’s fate but as promised here’s the second instalment. Please follow the link to read the first about Aussie Meat Pies.
Lamingtons came as the second most popular Aussie food icon in a 2007 poll (affectionately titled “Top Taste Lamington Aussie Poll”).
There are many reports as to the origin and the name of this cake but most of them are hearsay. The most plausible, in my opinion, was the story that says this concoction was brought about as a means to use up stale cake.
But over a month ago I’ve started, supposedly, a series of Australian food icons to coincide with the release of the film. I was a little bit disheartened to continue because of the film’s fate but as promised here’s the second instalment. Please follow the link to read the first about Aussie Meat Pies.
Lamingtons came as the second most popular Aussie food icon in a 2007 poll (affectionately titled “Top Taste Lamington Aussie Poll”).
There are many reports as to the origin and the name of this cake but most of them are hearsay. The most plausible, in my opinion, was the story that says this concoction was brought about as a means to use up stale cake.
Lamingtons, to describe simply, are sponge cake squares dipped in chocolate then rolled in desiccated coconut. Variations to this include cutting the cake in half and filling it with either strawberry conserve or fresh whipped cream.
They have been and still are popular as fund raisers (commonly called “Lamington drives”) for clubs and charities.
The recipe below comes from my book Lamingtons to Lemongrass by Maeve O’Meara and Joanna Savill.
For the sponge
They have been and still are popular as fund raisers (commonly called “Lamington drives”) for clubs and charities.
The recipe below comes from my book Lamingtons to Lemongrass by Maeve O’Meara and Joanna Savill.
Lamingtons
Sponge
3 eggs
4 tablespoons castor sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
125g Fielders cornflour (wheaten cornflour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
125g butter
Coating
200 g icing sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence
Boiling water
Desiccated coconut
For the sponge
1. Beat eggs until frothy - this recipe is much easier if you use an electric mixer. Add the sugar slowly, continuing to beat the mixture. Add vanilla essence.
2. Sift flour and baking powder three times. Add to egg mixture then add the butter which has been melted and just brought to the boil.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased, lined lamington tray (27 x 20 cm)
4. Bake in a moderate oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn out and cool on a wire rack.
For the icing
1. Combine icing sugar, cocoa and butter together in an enamel bowl, adding a little boiling water to make mixture runny. Stand over bowl of boiling water to keep icing mixture liquid.
2. Cut cake into 5 centimetre squares, skewer each with a fork and with a knife coat with icing mixture. Roll in coconut, coating evenly. Sit on waxed paper to dry.
3. Serve on large platters on paper doilies.
Note:Tip: a tea towel over the rack stops marking. Also put cooled cake into freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before cutting - it makes slicing so much easier).
Monday, November 24, 2008
Australia – the Food Icons – Meat Pie
To celebrate the release of Baz Luhrmann’s film “AUSTRALIA” I’ll be doing a series of blogs on Australian food icons.
Australia is not really well known for its cuisine but it is home to a range of food items that could not be denied as quintessentially Australian. Because of its close proximity and association with New Zealand there is an ongoing battle between the two as to which nation invented what and when.
We’ll start with Meat Pie.
A 2007 survey of Australians (affectionately titled as the ‘Top Taste Lamington Aussie Poll’) found that meat pies were the most popular Australian food (Lamingtons came second – to be discussed further in a future post).
So, what is an Australian meat pie?
It’s described by Wikipedia (always a good source of 100% accurate facts *wink* *wink*):
“…hand-sized pie containing largely minced meat and gravy sometimes with onion and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. The pie itself is congruent with the United Kingdom's steak pie.
It is considered iconic in Australia and New Zealand. It was described by former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr in 2003 as Australia's "national dish".”
Meat pies now come in all sorts of varieties but I like mine plain (steak) or with mushrooms. I smother it with tomato ketchup (more commonly called “tomato sauce” in Australia) before eating.
I’ve never actually cooked this but I found a recipe for a Basic Meat Pie from taste.com.au:
Basic Meat Pie
Preparation Time
30 - 60 minutes
Cooking Time
150 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
Plain flour, to dust
375g block frozen puff pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
Melted butter, to grease
2 (25 x 25cm) sheets ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
1 egg, lightly whisked
Beef filling
700g lean beef blade steak, cut into 3cm cubes
2 tbs plain flour
60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
1 large celery stick, thickly sliced
310ml (1 1/4 cups) good-quality beef stock
2 tbs finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
1. To make beef filling, place beef in a medium bowl, add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a medium heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to stir often, for 6 minutes or until light brown. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Return beef to pan with stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes or until sauce is a thick gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer beef filling to a medium heatproof bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to partially cool.
2. Meanwhile, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Lightly flour a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll out puff pastry, rotating occasionally, to a 30cm square 3-4mm thick. Invert a shallow 25cm (top measurement) pie plate on pastry and use a sharp knife to cut pastry 2mm from edge of plate. (Do not drag - the pastry layers may stick together and the edge won't puff into separate crisp layers in the oven.) Lift pastry onto lined tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until required.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a pie plate with melted butter to grease. Place shortcrust pastry sheets on a clean surface and cut 1 sheet in half. Brush 1 edge of whole sheet with water and lay a half sheet along this edge, overlapping by 1cm. Press to join and smooth out join. Repeat process on an adjacent edge of whole sheet, overlapping ends of half-sheets as well. Gently lift pastry onto greased plate and ease into plate to line. Smooth pastry and press around top rim of plate. Hold plate and rotate while using a small sharp knife at a 45° angle to cut away excess pastry.
4. Use a fork to prick pastry base evenly about 25 times. Place in fridge for 15 minutes to rest (to help reduce shrinkage during cooking). Blind-bake the pie base before adding filling to ensure it is well cooked and crisp. To do this, place a 30cm square of non-stick baking paper or foil over the pastry and top evenly with about 1 cup of dried beans or rice to stop the pastry from bubbling. Place pie plate on a baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove paper or foil and beans or rice (see note) and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until golden. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and, if necessary, use a clean tea towel to carefully pat down any pastry that has puffed during cooking. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Increase oven temperature to 220°C.
5. Spread cooled filling evenly into base. Remove puff pastry from fridge. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush pie edge with a little cold water. Place puff pastry on top of pie and gently press edges together to seal. (Do not press the outer edge, or it will not puff well during cooking.)
Use a small sharp knife to cut a 4cm cross in pastry centre to allow steam to escape during cooking. Lightly brush top with whisked egg. Place pie on baking tray and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 190°C and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until well puffed, golden and heated through. If necessary, shield areas of pastry top and edges browning faster than others with pieces of foil. Serve immediately.
Australia is not really well known for its cuisine but it is home to a range of food items that could not be denied as quintessentially Australian. Because of its close proximity and association with New Zealand there is an ongoing battle between the two as to which nation invented what and when.
We’ll start with Meat Pie.
A 2007 survey of Australians (affectionately titled as the ‘Top Taste Lamington Aussie Poll’) found that meat pies were the most popular Australian food (Lamingtons came second – to be discussed further in a future post).
So, what is an Australian meat pie?
It’s described by Wikipedia (always a good source of 100% accurate facts *wink* *wink*):
“…hand-sized pie containing largely minced meat and gravy sometimes with onion and often consumed as a takeaway food snack. The pie itself is congruent with the United Kingdom's steak pie.
It is considered iconic in Australia and New Zealand. It was described by former New South Wales Premier Bob Carr in 2003 as Australia's "national dish".”
Meat pies now come in all sorts of varieties but I like mine plain (steak) or with mushrooms. I smother it with tomato ketchup (more commonly called “tomato sauce” in Australia) before eating.
I’ve never actually cooked this but I found a recipe for a Basic Meat Pie from taste.com.au:
Basic Meat Pie
Preparation Time
30 - 60 minutes
Cooking Time
150 minutes
Ingredients (serves 4)
Plain flour, to dust
375g block frozen puff pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
Melted butter, to grease
2 (25 x 25cm) sheets ready-rolled frozen shortcrust pastry, thawed (Pampas brand)
1 egg, lightly whisked
Beef filling
700g lean beef blade steak, cut into 3cm cubes
2 tbs plain flour
60ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
1 brown onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, roughly chopped
1 large celery stick, thickly sliced
310ml (1 1/4 cups) good-quality beef stock
2 tbs finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Method
1. To make beef filling, place beef in a medium bowl, add flour and toss to coat. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a medium heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Add beef and cook, using a wooden spoon to stir often, for 6 minutes or until light brown. Transfer to a medium heatproof bowl. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onion, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Return beef to pan with stock, parsley, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until beef is tender. Increase heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for a further 10-15 minutes or until sauce is a thick gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Transfer beef filling to a medium heatproof bowl and set aside for 10 minutes. Cover and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to partially cool.
2. Meanwhile, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Lightly flour a clean surface and use a rolling pin to roll out puff pastry, rotating occasionally, to a 30cm square 3-4mm thick. Invert a shallow 25cm (top measurement) pie plate on pastry and use a sharp knife to cut pastry 2mm from edge of plate. (Do not drag - the pastry layers may stick together and the edge won't puff into separate crisp layers in the oven.) Lift pastry onto lined tray, cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge until required.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a pie plate with melted butter to grease. Place shortcrust pastry sheets on a clean surface and cut 1 sheet in half. Brush 1 edge of whole sheet with water and lay a half sheet along this edge, overlapping by 1cm. Press to join and smooth out join. Repeat process on an adjacent edge of whole sheet, overlapping ends of half-sheets as well. Gently lift pastry onto greased plate and ease into plate to line. Smooth pastry and press around top rim of plate. Hold plate and rotate while using a small sharp knife at a 45° angle to cut away excess pastry.
4. Use a fork to prick pastry base evenly about 25 times. Place in fridge for 15 minutes to rest (to help reduce shrinkage during cooking). Blind-bake the pie base before adding filling to ensure it is well cooked and crisp. To do this, place a 30cm square of non-stick baking paper or foil over the pastry and top evenly with about 1 cup of dried beans or rice to stop the pastry from bubbling. Place pie plate on a baking tray and cook in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove paper or foil and beans or rice (see note) and bake for a further 8-10 minutes or until golden. Transfer the pie plate to a wire rack and, if necessary, use a clean tea towel to carefully pat down any pastry that has puffed during cooking. Set aside for 15 minutes to cool. Increase oven temperature to 220°C.
5. Spread cooled filling evenly into base. Remove puff pastry from fridge. Use a pastry brush to lightly brush pie edge with a little cold water. Place puff pastry on top of pie and gently press edges together to seal. (Do not press the outer edge, or it will not puff well during cooking.)
Use a small sharp knife to cut a 4cm cross in pastry centre to allow steam to escape during cooking. Lightly brush top with whisked egg. Place pie on baking tray and bake in oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 190°C and cook for a further 20-25 minutes or until well puffed, golden and heated through. If necessary, shield areas of pastry top and edges browning faster than others with pieces of foil. Serve immediately.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Love in the Time of Cholera
SYNOPSIS (taken from Urban Cinefile) :When young Colombian poet and telegraph clerk Florentino Ariza (Unax Ugalde) first sets eyes on the lovely Fermina (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) he falls desperately in love with her, vowing to be faithful and in love till he dies. Fermina's widowed mule trader father (John Leguizamo) is furious; he wants a man of social standing and wealth for his daughter, so takes her far away from Cartagena. On their return to the city, Fermina meets Dr Juvenal Urbino (Benjamin Bratt) who has earned a great reputation as the doctor who brought good medicine to the city, fighting the curse of cholera. They soon marry and spend a few years in Paris on an extended honeymoon. The mature Florentino (Javier Bardem), who has inherited a small shipping company, continues to nurture his love for Fermina, although his vow of fidelity has been broken ... several hundred times. Even in his old age, Florentino retains his love for Fermina, in the hope that perhaps one day ....
I was so excited to watch the film! I made sure dinner was finished by 8pm and the kids are asleep by 8.30pm.
It still baffles me why filmmakers would choose to make a movie in English spoken with a thick non-English accent. Any film done in this manner is pretty hard to take seriously. And the actors just sounded ridiculous. Why can’t they just do it in straight English? Or better yet, why not just use Spanish which was the book’s original language?
Giovanna Mezzogiorno certainly looked beautiful all throughout the film but her portrayal of Fermina Daza somewhat fell short of what the author intended. I found it really challenging to find something in her that would make Florentino Ariza linger for over half a century. I think it was pertinent that the audience fall in love with her to make the film more plausible.
There was also a lot of “verbalisation” of emotions. I did not want the actors to “say” what their character is going through or what their character is feeling! I want to see it in their performance!
Mike Newell (director) and his scriptwriter Ronald Harwood opted for a literal interpretation of the book rather than a combination of fantasy and realism which is what characterises Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s works. As a consequence the film looks clumsy and incomplete.
In the end I couldn’t help but wonder how a director with a better understanding of the author’s language and culture – Pedro Almodóvar perhaps or even our very own Carlitos Siguion-Reyna – would have handled it.
After reading the last page of the book I immediately dropped my lunch plans and headed straight to the nearest shop that stocks the DVD of Mike Newell’s film adaptation of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera.
I was so excited to watch the film! I made sure dinner was finished by 8pm and the kids are asleep by 8.30pm.
It still baffles me why filmmakers would choose to make a movie in English spoken with a thick non-English accent. Any film done in this manner is pretty hard to take seriously. And the actors just sounded ridiculous. Why can’t they just do it in straight English? Or better yet, why not just use Spanish which was the book’s original language?
Giovanna Mezzogiorno certainly looked beautiful all throughout the film but her portrayal of Fermina Daza somewhat fell short of what the author intended. I found it really challenging to find something in her that would make Florentino Ariza linger for over half a century. I think it was pertinent that the audience fall in love with her to make the film more plausible.
There was also a lot of “verbalisation” of emotions. I did not want the actors to “say” what their character is going through or what their character is feeling! I want to see it in their performance!
Mike Newell (director) and his scriptwriter Ronald Harwood opted for a literal interpretation of the book rather than a combination of fantasy and realism which is what characterises Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s works. As a consequence the film looks clumsy and incomplete.
In the end I couldn’t help but wonder how a director with a better understanding of the author’s language and culture – Pedro Almodóvar perhaps or even our very own Carlitos Siguion-Reyna – would have handled it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
