Pizza Movie Night #4 - Foodie Films

We know it’s not been long since our last Pizza Movie Night suggestions, but we can’t help it, we do love a good night-in. This week we are giving you our top five for true foodies with films that will make you hungry – and then a pizza to remedy that!

The pizza we have gone for is our favourite – and we’re a pretty foodie bunch here at Pizzeria Oregano! – and we are fairly certain it will be a hit with you all too. We call it, the Oregano. Fresh tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, shaved parmesan, and basil. Simple and classic, it lets the high quality ingredients do the talking. Food doesn’t need to be all fancy-pants to be delicious. We’d suggest also customising this beauty and adding a handful of crunchy pine-nuts.

Now – on  with the films!

·         Babette’s Feast – 1987

o   “In a remote 19th Danish century village two sisters take in French refugee, Babette Hersant, who agrees to work as their servant. After winning the lottery, Babette wants to repay the sisters for their kindness and offers to cook a French meal for them” Likely to be up there in every food-lover’s top 5. This beautiful, touching film shows what the true power and purpose of food is: bringing people together. Such a classic that it has inspired countless restaurants to host their own feast and offer the menu from the film.

·         Big Night – 1996

o   “A failing Italian restaurant run by two brothers gambles on one special night to try to save the business”. A supreme heart-warmer, this lovely film is about family, food, and offers a non-mafia-central glimpse into the Italian American community. And it has Stanley Tucci in it, who is JUST GREAT. And, incidentally, a real food-lover, he has just released his second cookbook! 

·         Today’s Special – 2009

o   “In this super-feel-good foodie comedy, young Manhattan chef Samir rediscovers his heritage and his passion for life through the enchanting art of cooking Indian food.” This is our indie offering. And our Indian offering, actually. Adding a little edge to our listing, “Today’s Special” offers up some glimpses of everything which is good about Indian cooking. And the double-meaning of the title is pretty sweet too.

·         Julie & Julia – 2009

o   “Julia Child's story of her start in the cooking profession is intertwined with blogger Julie Powell's 2002 challenge to cook all the recipes in Child's first book.” A romp. A film filled with more wonderful food and human emotions than you could shake a stick at. Whatever that means. This film also has Stanley Tucci in it, and he is still amazing. Also – so much butter. It’s glorious.

·         Chef – 2014

o   “A chef who loses his restaurant job starts up a food truck in an effort to reclaim his creative promise, while piecing back together his estranged family”. This has everything in it that you might want from a decent family-friendly(ish) film. No particular unbelievable drama. The bit where it all goes wrong is near the start and the rest of the film plays like a wonderous homage to America’s highways and culinary offerings. Which, believe it or not, are considerable. Well worth a watch.

Some good news also – both “Chef” and “Big Night” are on Netflix, and you can rent Julie & Julia on iTunes. So you’ve no excuse! Get on it, order your pizza, crack open some wine, and enjoy food in all its forms. 

Egg Pizza Recipe

If you're lucky enough to be on our Oregano newsletter you'll know that we're doing a fabulous deal this April. We've got 5 delicious egg pizzas on offer and you can get any one and a glass of wine for just £12.95. I know right?!

So this week we are giving you your very own, wonderful egg pizza recipe to try at home. Crispy pancetta, fragrant mushrooms and tomatoes, with a golden egg on top - this is the breakfast pizza of champions.

Ingredients

125g of Pancetta (or smoked bacon if you prefer) cut into thin slices
40g of grated Pecorino [Romana]
3 chestnut mushrooms (cut into thin slices)
2 large tomatoes (cut into thin slices)
1 egg (or more, if you fancy it!)


Method

1) Pre-heat your oven to 220 degrees c
2) See our post for how to make pizza dough!
3) There's no sauce on  this breakfast beauty so start by scatter pancetta, tomatoes, and mushrooms evenly across pizza - making sure the pancetta has space to crisp up, try not to layer ingredients too much.
4) Cover the whole pizza with the grated pecorino cheese.
5) Pop your pizza in the oven for 4 minutes.
6) Crack your egg (or eggs) carefully into a small bowl.
7) After 4 minutes, slide your pizza out of the oven and, very gently, pour the egg onto the top.
8) Pop pizza back in the oven for 2-3 minutes or until the whites of the eggs are cooked through.
9) Take it out and enjoy while it's still hot.

And there you have it - impress your friends and family with this looks-amazing-but-is-actually-really-easy pizza or just make it for yourself when you feel like dining like a champ. And let us know how you get on! Pinterest-worthy or foodie fail, we want to see!

An Italian Twist on your Sunday Roast

Nothing beats a good Sunday Roast. Fact. And we in the UK are masters. My favorite is chicken - not too rich, not too heavy (so you can eat twice as much!)  and super-easy to cook. The lemon and garlic in this will also work wonders for your health, keeping your arteries clear as can be.  This week's recipe is an Italian twist on an English classic and I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients

2 Kg        whole chicken, with the excess fat removed

1              large lemon, juiced [keep the juice to add to the spinach, if wanted]

2              large lemons, not juiced 

1 tbsp       olive oil

6               garlic cloves, minced

     fresh herbes de Provence, finely chopped

     salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For a little extra iron...:

500 g       fresh baby spinach, rinsed

3             garlic cloves, thinly sliced or minced

    salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

    lemon juice, optional

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C  and prepare a large baking dish for the chicken, then set aside.
2. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt and black pepper. Mix it well and taste, adding a little of whatever you think is missing.
3. Rub the mixture onto the chicken, making sure to get it into every nook and cranny. The more thoroughly you do this, the better it will taste, so don't be squeamish!
4. Don't forget the cavity while you're rubbing in that herb mix! A great way of adding extra flavour to your roasted chicken is by gently separating the skin away from the meat, then using your hand or a spoon rub the spices and/or herbs directly under the skin.
5. Slice your two lemons in half and stuff them inside the chicken for added zing.
6. Next, place the chicken onto the baking dish, and roast in centre of oven for 2 hours or until the juices run clear and the meat is tender and falls easily off the bone.
7. During the roasting time, baste the chicken regularly (spoon the juices over the top of the chicken a few times) and never allow it to dry out. If it begins drying out, cover with aluminium foil and continue to cook.

For your iron-rich vegetable addition:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pan and, once warm, add the garlic and sauté until soft.
2. Add the rinsed baby spinach to the pan and cook until wilted.
3. Sprinkle in some salt and black pepper to taste. If you like,  you can also add a little bit of lemon juice to the spinach for an extra kick.

Once the chicken is cooked through allow it to sit for 10 minutes before carving. Serve with spinach and all the trimmings. Yum.

And the best thing about chicken is that you can do so many excellent things with the leftovers - bung the carcass in a slow cooker with some veg and turn it into stock, have it in sandwiches for the next week, make it into a delicious stew or spice it up and have it with guacamole and salsa in a fajita. Ole!

Pizza Movie Night #3 - Easter

Easter-time is family time in the Oregano household, and we know it’s traditional to have a big ol’ roast, but this year we’re suggesting you give the chef of the household the day off and hunker down for some fuss-free family bonding.

The Pizza we have chosen this week is the simply egg-cellent Fiorentina. Trick your kids into eating healthily. Yes it’s a pizza – but it’s got a protein-rich egg, antioxidant-stuffed olives, and iron-filled spinach. Just tell them the Easter Bunny left an egg especially for them on top of their pizza then sit back to watch them enjoy spinach. Mu ha ha.

As for the films, we’ve gone for some festive favourites which the whole family can enjoy...

• Easter Parade – 1948
• “A nightclub performer hires a naive chorus girl to become his new dance partner to make his former partner jealous and to prove he can make any partner a star.” A film which ought genuinely to appeal to adults as much as it does to children. (As long as those adults like good old-timey musicals, Fred Astaire and Judy Garland. Which you should.)

• It’s the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown – 1974
• “With Easter coming up, the gang is hard at work for get ready for the holiday. While Snoopy is shopping for a new home for Woodstock, Peppermint Patty is having a difficult time making Easter eggs with Marcie who hasn't the slightest idea of how to do that.” The Peanuts Crew at their finest. Fun for the kids, nostalgia for the adults – what’s not to love?

• Bugs Bunny’s Easter Funnies – 2010
• “Bugs Bunny refuses to deliver Easter Eggs, forcing his cartoon friends to go and hunt them out themselves.” Revamp of the 1977 hit “Bugs Bunny’s Easter Special”. Loony Toons for the win. 

• Hop! – 2011
•  “E.B., the Easter Bunny's teenage son, heads to Hollywood, determined to become a drummer in a rock 'n' roll band. In LA, he's taken in by Fred after the out-of-work slacker hits E.B. with his car.” How’s this for a rollicking romp? Russell Brand in Rabbit form wants to throw off the shackles of an inherited role (Easter Bunny) to be a drummer in a band, but changes his mind when some Easter Chicks stage a coup d'état. No. Really.

• Rise of the Guardians – 2012
• “When the evil spirit Pitch launches an assault on Earth, the Immortal Guardians team up to protect the innocence of children all around the world.” The Easter Bunny teams up with Jack Frost, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and Santa in this action-packed animation which celebrates the innocent wonders of childhood. Aww.

•  The Passion of the Christ – 2004
• “Animated compilation for Easter. Bugs Bunny refuses to deliver Easter Eggs, forcing his cartoon friends to go and hunt them out themselves.” If you fancied teaching the kids what Easter is really about. NOTE: THIS IS NOT A RECCOMMENDATION. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY DISTRESS YOUR CHILDREN. Maybe one to watch once they’ve gone to bed.

Note = this is NOT the poster for The Passion of the Christ, but we felt the real poster would be too upsetting for this family-friendly blog. So you got some pretty Easter eggs instead.

So get on the blower, order yourself some Family-sized Fiorentini and cuddle up with kids in your life for an evening of embarrassment-free watching of all the films you’ve been wanting to see, but have definitely out-grown... Happy Easter!