The Godfather
Widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time, this 1972 Francis Ford Copolla film focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. When the Don's youngest son, Michael, reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal.
The significance of food in The Godfather is often overlooked and understated. David Sutton and Peter Wogan in Hollywood Blockbusters (2009) make the point that in The Godfather, food symbolizes identity, honor, family and accomplishment. For the Corleone family, these are important values that shape who they are and thus need to be adhered to. But as we will see, food in The Godfather also signifies dark omens and even death. Source
“You see, you start out with a little bit of oil. Then you fry some garlic. Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it; ya make sure it doesn’t stick. You get it to a boil; you shove in all your sausage and your meatballs; heh? And a little bit o’ wine. An’ a little bit o’ sugar, and that’s my trick.”
The Scene: After Sonny is killed (spoiler alert!), his leads to the five families re-igniting a mob war, the family goes “ to the mattresses”, which means they all sleep in one place to be ready for battle at any time. Clemenza teaches Michael his famous meatball recipe in Sunday sauce.
Fun Fact: Francis Ford Coppola originally wrote in the script, “Clemenza browns some sausage”. Upon seeing this, the book’s Author Mario Puzo crossed out “browns” and replaced it with “fries”, writing in the margin, “Gangsters don’t brown.”
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Clemenza’ Meatballs
This is a good basic and easy homemade meatball recipe that could be used in several different meals. That way you can keep a batch of these tasty meatballs in your freezer and use them in different quick weeknight meals later. I’m all about making things easy and uncomplicated!
Ingredients
4 good-quality pork sausages
1 cup ground beef
3 tablespoons soft breadcrumbs
4 stalks of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 tbsp of olive oil
3 tablespoons plain flour
Salt and pepper (for seasoning the meatballs and sauce)
1 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato purée
2 cups dry red wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 package spaghetti
Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on top)
Fresh basil, chopped (to sprinkle on top)
Directions
Squeeze the sausage meat out of their skins, and add to a large bowl. Add the mince and combine the meat together into one solid lump with your hands.
Chop the parsley and garlic
Add the chopped parsley, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and wine to the bowl, and combine. The mixture should be sticky, but not wet. Add more breadcrumbs if it’s too wet, and a splash of wine if it’s too dry. Cover and refrigerate for an hour
Once the meat mixture has been chilled, prepare a plate or roasting tray and sprinkle on the flour. Shape the meatballs with a dessert spoon or 1/4 measuring cup, and coat in the flour
Heat the oil in a pan, and fry the meatballs for 1 minute on each side. Set the meatballs aside
To make the sauce, add a splash of oil to a clean pan and throw in the tin of chopped tomatoes. Stir until bubbling, then add the tomato purée and a pinch of salt
Turn down the heat and simmer until the sauce is thick. Add the meatballs, stir to coat them in the sauce and leave on a low heat while you cook the pasta
Fill a large saucepan with water and a dash of salt, and bring to the boil. Cook the pasta until al dente (check the cooking instructions on the packet). Reserve a mug of pasta water and drain.
Add the spaghetti to the tomato sauce and stir through; use some of the pasta water to lubricate the pasta if needed
Serve immediately, and sprinkle the fresh basil and Parmesan on the top
Why This Recipe Works
It’s by no means a complicated recipe — tomato, sausage, garlic, oil and a splash of red wine — but I think this is what makes it so fundamentally faultless; it offers that sense of comforting fullness that only a dish like spaghetti and meatballs has
This recipe makes 4 servings but you can easily batch them for bigger crowds, especially if you have a sudden need to cook for 20 mobsters
Pro Tips
You can use whatever ground meat you like—though to keep in tradition of the movie I suggest ground beef
Most meatballs served in marinara sauce are made with a mixture of beef and another ground protein, like pork sausage or veal—or all three. Pork gives the meatballs extra flavor, and veal helps keep them moist and tender. But all-beef meatballs are great for this recipe, as long as you choose an 80/20 blend, which has enough fat to keep the meatballs from drying out. If there are other types of meat in the mix, choose 90/10
Keep a batch of these tasty meatballs in your freezer and use them in different quick weeknight meals later
While this recipe serves over pasta, you can also make a meatball sub, serve over polenta, or toothpick these for an easy party pass around dish
“Leave the gun, take the cannoli.”
The Scene: In a short scene involving the unfortunate dispatch of one of the family‘s heavies, the godfather’s right-hand man Clemenza instructs his accomplice to “leave the gun, take the cannoli”. In a pitch-perfect moment of black humor, we understand how these men are just carrying out their day jobs, which just happen to involve carrying out hits. Source
Fun Fact: The line was improvised by Richard S. Castellano, who played Clemenza, and was not in the original script. Castellano's wife, actress Ardell Sheridan, suggested he add "take the cannoli" after the line "leave the gun". The line refers to an earlier scene in which Clemenza was asked to get dessert.
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
Homemade Canolli
I would be remiss to not add a canolli recipe to a post about The Godfather. This iconic scene is embedded in so many pop culture references, even if you haven’t seen the film you’ve likely seen it parodied elsewhere.
This traditional homemade cannoli recipe has crispy fried shell and is filled with a creamy whipped ricotta filling.
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
⅓ cup marsala wine
1 large egg
1 egg yolk, set aside egg white for brushing
Directions
Since ricotta contains a lot of water, it needs to be strained before whipping
Place a strainer over a medium sized bowl and then lay a cheesecloth inside the strainer. Gently spread the ricotta into an even layer. Loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator. Let the ricotta cheese strain overnight (at least 8-12 hours)
Add the flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor and pulse until just combined. Then add in the cold butter and pulse until you have small crumbles
Add the whole egg, egg yolk, and marsala and pulse until the dough comes together into a shaggy ball
Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead for 2-4 minutes until you have a smooth ball. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and rest for 1 hour
While the dough is resting, add about 2 inches of vegetable oil to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat until it reaches 350°F (use the medium stove setting, it should not be not boiling)
Roll out the dough as thin as possible (⅛th to 1/16th inch thick) and use a 4 inch cookie cutter to cut into rounds
If you don't have cannoli forms (as I sure don’t), you can use kitchen foil or plastic wrap to make your own cannoli molds:
Kitchen foil: Take a sheet of foil that's about 50 cm x 30 cm, fold in the long edge to make it about 13 cm wide, and roll it into a tube
Plastic wrap: Take a sheet of plastic wrap that's about 16–18 in long and 5–8 in wide, fold it into thirds, and wrap it around a cylinder-shaped object to create a smooth cylinder shape
Lightly brush the cannoli forms with vegetable oil and then wrap the cannoli dough around each form. Brush the edge where the ends meet with egg white and press gently to seal
Fry the shells at 350°F for about 1 minute on each side until golden brown and crispy. Only fry 4-5 at a time so as not to crowd the pan
Use tongs to transfer the cannoli to a paper towel to drain. Immediately remove the form from the cannoli and transfer to a plate with a paper towel on it
Let the forms cool fully and repeat the process with the remaining dough circles. Let the cannoli shells cool fully before filling
While the cannoli are cooling, make the filling
Add the strained ricotta, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer, whip the ricotta until it's fully combined and smooth. If desired, fold in chopped nuts or chocolate chips
When ready to use transfer to a piping bag, snip the tip off and fill the shells. Then press on desired toppings. If you don’t have a piping bag, use a large Ziploc bag with a 1/2 hole cut in one corner
Why This Recipe Works
Most of the ingredients you need to make cannoli are pantry staples you likely already have at home
They aren't overly sweet
The best thing about homemade cannoli is that they're super versatile, so you can have whatever flavor combo you want
Pro Tips
If making the cannoli shells feels too daunting, you can buy premade cannoli shells at some specialty stores
As soon as the cannoli are filled they will start to soften, so they're best eaten within 1-2 hours of filling
You can store fried cannoli shells in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. Store in the filling in the fridge.
"Life is so beautiful.”
The Scene: In possibly the saddest and most poignant scene in the movie, Vito is playing with his grandson, Michael’s son Anthony, in the garden right before he dies of a heart attack. Their play involved Don Corleone putting orange peels in in mouth to make this grandson laugh.
Fun Fact: Oranges are a significant symbol in The Godfather series, foreshadowing death and tragedy. In the movie, Sonny drives past an advertisement for Florida oranges before he is assassinated, and bowls of oranges are placed in front of the Dons who will be killed at the Mafioso summit. Michael also eats an orange while discussing his plans with Hagen.
Image and Recipe Source
Today we will be making:
The Godfather Cocktail
Take your time savoring this simple yet sophisticated whisky and amaretto cocktail after a rich meal of meatballs and canolli. Serve with plenty of ice and, of course, a spiral of orange peel.
Ingredients
1.5 oz scotch whiskey
1 oz amaretto
Ice
Strip of orange peel to garnish
Directions
Pour the whisky and amaretto into a mixing glass or jug. Add a large handful of ice, then stir with a long-handled spoon until the outside of the glass feels very cold. Taste to check the dilution, then fill a tumbler or rocks glass with ice
Strain the cocktail into the ice-filled glass
Either drop in the strip of orange peel or, to make a twist, trim the ragged edges from the peel and twist into a spiral around a skewer
Hold for a moment, then release gently and drop into the glass
Why This Recipe Works
The citrus in the orange is acidic. That acidity can tame the burn of ethanol, while simultaneously adding a bright flavor to your drink
Pro Tips
Manhattan cocktails are a versatile classic. You can alter their flavor by using different types of whiskey, vermouth, or bitters
Traditionally, bartenders serve Manhattans in martini glasses garnished with maraschino cherries. Mixologists who want to serve Manhattans on the rocks opt for lowball or coupe glasses
