Hey, fellow movie fans! Are you ready for another installment of Dinner and a Movie? Hope so, because this month I get to choose! And, I’ve picked one of my all time favorite films: Moonstruck!
Moonstruck is a delightful and endearing romantic comedy about love and life set in New York City’s Italian-American community. Although the film dates back to 1987, it’s charm is timeless. In it, Loretta Castorini, an unlucky in love Italian widow (her first husband was hit by a bus) finds romance through the intervention of a big, beautiful and very full moon. With her second wedding just weeks away, she meets and reluctantly falls hopelessly in love with her fiance’s estranged younger brother! Her dilemma and her hilariously eccentric family make for an unforgettably enchanting and irresistible movie experience.
I selected Moonstruck as this month’s movie for several reasons. First of all, I love, love, love it! Secondly, I felt that the decidedly ethnic flavor and various subplots of the film would give you all lots to work with when deciding what your dishes would be. Thirdly, did I mention that I love this movie?
Anyway, if you want to play along this month with my co-host, Marc (No Recipes) and me, check out Marc’s Dinner and a Movie page. You’ll find all of the event guidelines there, including how and where to send your entries.
The post deadline for this month’s installment of Dinner and a Movie, featuring Moonstruck, will be on Saturday, March 28. I will be posting the roundup here at SGCC shortly thereafter. Our live Twitter movie event will be the week before, on Saturday March 21, at 9PM EST. Just log on to Twitter, pop the movie in your DVR, grab some popcorn and watch the movie along with us, tweeting along the way!
I’m really looking forward to this one. I can’t wait to see what you all come up with this month!
Now, because I’m so incredibly efficient (NOT!), and because I just wouldn’t feel right about sending you off empty-handed, I’m leaving you with some delicious Spaghetti and Meatballs to tide you over.
This Spaghetti and Meatballs is going over to Maryann from Finding La Dolce Vita and Marie from Proud Italian Cook for their second annual Festa Italiana event. Come and join them at their festive tables under the shade of twisting grapevines, as they eat, drink, laugh, dance and sing the time away. They have already started posting the roundups here and here, so what are you waiting for!?!?
SCGG’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
Ingredients
1 lb cooked spaghetti
For the meatballs:
1 lb. ground chuck
1/2 lb ground veal
1/2 lb ground pork
2 cloves finely minced garlic
1 medium sweet onion, coarsely grated
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 cup panko crumbs soaked in 1/4 cup milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
For the sauce:
3-4 tbs olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup shredded carrot
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
1 tbs fresh thyme leaves
4 28 oz cans peeled, whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) or the same amount of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup white wine
3 tbs tomato paste
1 batch baked meatballs
1/2-1 tsp red pepper flakes to taste
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil for garnish
Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated for topping
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Mix all of the meatball ingredients in a large bowl until combined. Do not overhandle or the meatballs will be tough. The mixture should be moist, but hold together. If the mixture appears too wet, add more panko crumbs, a little at a time. If it is too dry, add a little more milk.
- Form into balls, about 1-1 1/2 inches in diameter. You should get about 20 meatballs out of this recipe.
- Place meatballs on a shallow baking sheet and bake until they start to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- In the meantime, begin making your sauce. Put whole tomatoes into a large bowl. With your (clean) hands, squish and mush them until they are all broken up. If you’re using crushed tomatoes, skip this step. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. When the oil is hot, reduce heat to medium and add the onion, carrots and thyme. Saute about 8-10 minutes or until onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute a few minutes more, until it becomes fragrant. Be careful not to burn it.
- Add the wine and whisk in the tomato paste. Let it bubble up and cook down for a minute or two.
- Add the tomatoes to the pot and stir, mixing everything together.
- Add the red pepper flakes and 1/4 cup of the basil. I usually like to add a little salt and pepper at this point as well.
- Stir again, cover the pot and wait for the sauce to begin to bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and keep sauce at a simmer.
- Carefully, lower the meatballs into the sauce. Don’t stir at this point because you don’t want to break up the meatballs. Cover and gently simmer for about 30 minutes. Then, uncover, gently stir and let the sauce simmer for about 30 minutes more. If, for some reason, your sauce starts to burn or stick a little on the bottom of the pot, do not scrape it with your spoon or else the whole sauce will taste burned!
- Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove meatballs to a large bowl or platter and keep warm. Place the pasta on a large serving platter and ladle the sauce on top. Toss well. Serve the meatballs separately or on top of the spaghetti. Top it off with the rest of the fresh basil and grated cheese.
Serve and enjoy!
Here are some other great pasta dishes from the SGCC archives:
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• 41 Comments
Filed Under: Beef and Veal, Blogging Events, Dinner and a Movie, Ethnic, Italian, Meat, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces, Salsas and Salad Dressings
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On March 05, 2009 at 1:27pm, Maria said...
I haven’t seen that movie in years! I need to watch it again, great pick! And what a plate of pasta!!
On March 05, 2009 at 1:57pm, JennDZ - The Leftover Queen said...
Look at those lovely meatballs! They look great and your sauce sounds good too!
On March 05, 2009 at 1:57pm, Emily said...
How delicious does that look?!
I’ve never seen Moonstruck before. Now I want to…
On March 05, 2009 at 2:51pm, Cookie baker Lynn said...
Delicious meatballs and a great dinner and movie pairing!
On March 05, 2009 at 3:32pm, Maryann said...
Where’s my fork? I want to dig into that bowl of spaghetti and meatballs!
Thanks for joining the festa
Maryann xox
On March 05, 2009 at 3:43pm, Lucy said...
I have never seen that movie but it sounds really good! I shall see if it is available over here.
I love meatballs - they look great!
On March 05, 2009 at 4:15pm, Helene said...
I’ve never seen that movie. My kids would fight over your meatballs. Looks so yummy.
On March 05, 2009 at 4:21pm, Elyse said...
I have never seen Moonstruck, but from your description, it sounds like a goodie!
Man, those meatballs look divine. One of my all-time favorite comfort foods!!
On March 05, 2009 at 4:39pm, Peter M said...
Susan, Moonstruck is rivaled only by the spag & meatballs! It's a fun, fun, fun ethnic movie. My favourite character was Danny Aiello's.
On March 05, 2009 at 4:48pm, Manggy said...
I love it when you cook Italian pasta
I can just imagine the big family gatherings you’ve probably brought this to! I’m sure it’s a family favorite!
As I’m not much of a movie person, I haven’t seen Moonstruck. Sacrilege, I know. I hope I’ll remedy that soon (and Chocolat too! Gasp!).
On March 05, 2009 at 5:31pm, Bellini Valli said...
Moonstruck is one of those classic moveis. What a great choice Susan!! I had better “snap out of it!!!!!” and get working on a recipe. Your dish for the fiesta looks great as well!!
On March 05, 2009 at 6:32pm, Debbie said...
There is not much in my book that can top spaghetti and meatballs.. This was a Sunday dish EVERY Sunday at my grandmas when I was growing up….
On March 05, 2009 at 7:44pm, The Duo Dishes said...
Nice homestyle recipe.
On March 05, 2009 at 8:26pm, Proud Italian Cook said...
Susan, I could watch Moonstruck over and over, I just love that movie, no popcorn for me, I’ll have a big bowl of your scrumptious looking spaghetti and meatballs!Thanks so much for joining the festa with us!
xox, Marie
On March 05, 2009 at 8:33pm, Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...
Moonstruck! One of my all-time favorite movies, too. I can’t even count how many times I’ve seen it.
On March 05, 2009 at 8:38pm, Meg said...
I love that the meatballs use panko crumbs soaked in milk.
On March 05, 2009 at 9:30pm, 5 Star Foodie said...
A wonderful recipe for spaghetti and meatballs! I’ll have to see if I can watch Moonstruck. I might have seen it once but I can’t recall the details.
On March 05, 2009 at 9:32pm, MaryBeth said...
Great looking dinner to go with a great movie…Bravo
On March 06, 2009 at 2:23pm, The Short (dis)Order Cook said...
I do love that movie. It’s my mother’s all-time favorite. I can remember her seeing it and loving it so much she insisted on taking me to see it in the movies. I was happy to see it with her, but after all these years, she still hasn’t seen The Princess Bride. She owes me one.
I loves me a great plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Yum.
On March 06, 2009 at 5:19pm, Susan from Food Blogga said...
Mmmm…. I’m so craving meatballs right now.
On March 06, 2009 at 6:19pm, Dori said...
OMG, my most favorite movie ever. i havent participated in a blog event in quite a while, but i’ll do anything for moonstruck.
On March 06, 2009 at 7:04pm, Anna at Mediocre Chocolate said...
Love that movie!! I just made turkey meatball subs a few nights ago-yours look divine.
On March 06, 2009 at 7:38pm, Cynthia said...
i feel like I have not visited you in ages!
On March 06, 2009 at 8:33pm, Kevin said...
Great looking spaghetti and meatballs!
On March 06, 2009 at 11:30pm, Brilynn said...
Love that shot of the meatball!
I’ve never seen this movie… but that should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me… I’m woefully behind on movie watching. I’ll have to check it out.
On March 07, 2009 at 10:15am, Lisa said...
This should be a fun movie! I haven’t watched it in a long time but I’m eager to see it again and am already feeling inspired.
On March 07, 2009 at 10:26am, DeelishDish said...
Snap out of it!! Love that movie. What a fun idea.
On March 07, 2009 at 11:45am, Simple Simon said...
I just came upon your blog for the first time and it’s GORGEOUS!! I look forward to reading your previous entries and following it in the future.
On March 07, 2009 at 12:33pm, Tangled Noodle said...
Two great classics paired together for a wonderful evening!
On March 07, 2009 at 3:49pm, My Carolina Kitchen said...
I just saw your spaghetti and meatballs at the Italian fiesta. A classic comfort food if there ever was one. How clever to include Moonstruck. My father-in-law is 96, lived in the city for years and misses it. So he watches Moonstruck……says it takes him right back. He’s almost worn out his copy. I know he would love this dish to eat while watching Cher.
Hope you don’t mind if I help myself to some meatballs while I’m at the fiesta.
Sam
On March 08, 2009 at 6:21am, pigpigscorner said...
Sounds like a perfect match! Looks soo delicious!
On March 08, 2009 at 12:15pm, Elra said...
I love this classic spaghetti meatball sauce. Delicious.
Cheers,
elra
On March 08, 2009 at 12:49pm, Natashya said...
I love that movie too!
I can talk right along with it, so quotable. Sometimes when I am out with the pups, I play the old man. Why? Why do you make me wait? It’s la bella luna! Auooooooo!
Great choice, and who does not love spaghetti and meatballs? Yum.
On March 08, 2009 at 3:42pm, Faery said...
I love that movie and the dish too, both are a classic at my home
On March 12, 2009 at 7:07pm, Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...
Moonstruck = Brooklyn, NY = Me!!
I love that movie! I know all the Brooklyn locations they used.
I’ll join in!
On March 13, 2009 at 6:05am, Lola said...
Can I participate? I love Moonstruck and Maryann’s (Finding La Dolce Vita) invitation to snoop around at the Dinner and a Movie event made me want to run to the kitchen and whisk something up pronto. Ciao and… a presto!
On March 15, 2009 at 4:41am, emiglia said...
I’ve never heard of this event, but it’s such a great idea! I’ll definitely start thinking about what to contribute…
On March 18, 2009 at 4:24am, Cakelaw said...
Your spag and meatballs look delicious - so rich and tomato-ey.
On March 28, 2009 at 3:43am, Lola said...
My Dinner and a Movie post is up. Moonstruck is such a great film. Ciao and Buon Appetito!
On July 16, 2009 at 4:31pm, Veron said...
OMG! Absolutely love this movie. We always like the line “Snap out of it” and when the grandfather says ” I’m so confused” or something like that. And the meatballs look scrumptious.
On October 12, 2009 at 12:32pm, TheRoosterChick said...
Luv Cher and luv me some meatballs!