Movie Classics and Food
This Sunday we resurrected our movie night parties, which curiously use to proceed in two ways.
The first one goes like this: Marek and me decide that our life is way too solitary and if we don't entertain some guests soon, we'll vanish, old and boring, beneath dust motes. We invite first two people who happen to pick up the phone; we invite them here and now and what does that mean you're tired; we don't have anything prepared and then we end watching a movie completely different from anything we might have planned. It's absolutely brilliant.
The second one has a solid base of careful planning. We send the invitations three weeks in advance out of respect for others' tight schedules, we try to fit their expectations and limits, we create Excel spreadsheet with available movies to satisfy our guests' needs, we promise them a lavish dinner... As a result nobody can make it, they beg off at the last moment and we end up watching the movie alone or just with the one person whom we hadn't expected. And it's brilliant as well, because the lavish dinner prepared for seven is now genereously shared between three.
This time we followed the first way, watching Scorsese's New York, New York, which - apart from breathtaking jazz - constitutes for a clinical description of an abusive relationship. Seriously, I'd make young people watch it as a warning and would insist on preparing a list of abusive behaviour of the main character. Jeez, not often I encounter a character who's so absolutely, disgustingly abhorrent. No redeeming values, no conscience, no empathy. I wanted to applaud the final scene, where the tables are finally turned and another main character (go Liza!) eventually regains her senses and independence.
Funny that we wanted some fluffy musical movie and ended with a Scorsese. :) If you'd like to experience a surprising mix of a wonderful music and a bleak, upleasant reality - go for it. It's a very well done thing - please notice the purposeful artificialness of the set and a clever symmetry of the first and last scene.
As for food, here's a sauce I tend to do when there's not much time and I crave a "real dish", for a given value of "real". All the preparation should take no more than 15-20 minutes.
For two people you'll need:
a handful or two of pasta, half an onion, half a bell pepper, a handful of ground meat, tomato concentrate, two or three tomatoes, 1-2 garlic cloves, milk or cream, any spices you like (I go for basil, oregano, thyme), olive oil.
Heat the water for pasta, add several drops of olive oil, put the pasta in. Chop up the onion, bell pepper and tomatoes. The finer you chop them, the faster the dish is ready. Brown them a bit on the pan along with a crushed garlic. Add the meat, salt it if you feel the need. Let it brown a bit, too. Add chopped tomatoes, 2-3 teaspoons of tomato concentrate, pour some water, add milk or cream. Stir well and cook it until the tomatoes go all squishy. Add the spices and you're feeling indulgent mix some grated cheese. The pasta should be ready now, so strain it. Mix, enjoy.
Chilliheads are encouraged to add as much chilli as they want. :-) Some of you might also want to salt the pasta water (I never do it) and additionally salt the sauce along with the meat (I don't).
The first one goes like this: Marek and me decide that our life is way too solitary and if we don't entertain some guests soon, we'll vanish, old and boring, beneath dust motes. We invite first two people who happen to pick up the phone; we invite them here and now and what does that mean you're tired; we don't have anything prepared and then we end watching a movie completely different from anything we might have planned. It's absolutely brilliant.
The second one has a solid base of careful planning. We send the invitations three weeks in advance out of respect for others' tight schedules, we try to fit their expectations and limits, we create Excel spreadsheet with available movies to satisfy our guests' needs, we promise them a lavish dinner... As a result nobody can make it, they beg off at the last moment and we end up watching the movie alone or just with the one person whom we hadn't expected. And it's brilliant as well, because the lavish dinner prepared for seven is now genereously shared between three.
This time we followed the first way, watching Scorsese's New York, New York, which - apart from breathtaking jazz - constitutes for a clinical description of an abusive relationship. Seriously, I'd make young people watch it as a warning and would insist on preparing a list of abusive behaviour of the main character. Jeez, not often I encounter a character who's so absolutely, disgustingly abhorrent. No redeeming values, no conscience, no empathy. I wanted to applaud the final scene, where the tables are finally turned and another main character (go Liza!) eventually regains her senses and independence.
Funny that we wanted some fluffy musical movie and ended with a Scorsese. :) If you'd like to experience a surprising mix of a wonderful music and a bleak, upleasant reality - go for it. It's a very well done thing - please notice the purposeful artificialness of the set and a clever symmetry of the first and last scene.
As for food, here's a sauce I tend to do when there's not much time and I crave a "real dish", for a given value of "real". All the preparation should take no more than 15-20 minutes.
For two people you'll need:
a handful or two of pasta, half an onion, half a bell pepper, a handful of ground meat, tomato concentrate, two or three tomatoes, 1-2 garlic cloves, milk or cream, any spices you like (I go for basil, oregano, thyme), olive oil.
Heat the water for pasta, add several drops of olive oil, put the pasta in. Chop up the onion, bell pepper and tomatoes. The finer you chop them, the faster the dish is ready. Brown them a bit on the pan along with a crushed garlic. Add the meat, salt it if you feel the need. Let it brown a bit, too. Add chopped tomatoes, 2-3 teaspoons of tomato concentrate, pour some water, add milk or cream. Stir well and cook it until the tomatoes go all squishy. Add the spices and you're feeling indulgent mix some grated cheese. The pasta should be ready now, so strain it. Mix, enjoy.
Chilliheads are encouraged to add as much chilli as they want. :-) Some of you might also want to salt the pasta water (I never do it) and additionally salt the sauce along with the meat (I don't).