Oscar! Oscar!

I mentioned in my last post how I love movies; and how I have top lists…. I am going to share with you my top five movies; the movies are:
#5.  Godfather 2
#4.  Joy Luck Club
#3.  Shawshank Redemption 
#2.  The Natural
#1.  Joe vs. the Volcano

The movies above meet my three characteristics of what makes a great movie! I love these movies and even though I have them all on DVDs, every time they are on T.V. I am drawn in to watch them again. Another movie that I am thinking of is: 

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/big-night-1996

Big Night 
The movie was made in 1996 and directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci; it is about two brothers from Italy, who reside and own an Italian restaurant in a small town on the Jersey Shore, in the 1950’s. Tony Shaloub plays the older brother; his name is Primo and Stanley Tucci plays the younger brother his name is Secondo. (I love their names. How they refer to one another, as Primo and Secondo, well, why wouldn’t they; Primo and Secondo are their names!)  They are struggling to keep their restaurant. Their patrons do not understand the menu….Primo is the chef and questions everyone’s choices….and to hear Secondo explain to a customer how sometimes spaghetti likes to be alone; is priceless.  It all leads up to the Big Night when they put everything on the line to cook a special menu/dinner for their customers and a surprise guest, Louie Prima!

Watch the scene below:  No matter what happens family is always family!

Ingredients
Eight – ten eggs
Four or five Italian frying peppers (also known as cubanelle peppers- I get the green ones that are mixed with reds and orange)  
One large Vidalia onion or sweet onion
Salt and black pepper
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 375 (I set it to convection, which circulates the hot air and allows the frittata to brown evenly.)

Slice the peppers into strips, discarding the seeds and tops, then slice the onion. In a large non-stick (Teflon) pan, coat the bottom with 1 Tablespoon of oil, heat the oil to a medium –low heat, add the peppers and onions, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.  

Fry until thoroughly softened and cooked through, about 10 -15 minutes – The peppers need to be softened and the onions caramelized. You may want to adjust the heat, and, cover the peppers and onions; try not to burn them, once done remove from the pan.  

In a bowl, crack your eggs, as I said before, this is our main meal, I use many eggs, and on occasion used all twelve. For this recipe ten eggs is fine, once all the eggs are in the bowl, add about 1/3 cup of milk, 1-2 teaspoons of salt and 1-2 teaspoons of black pepper, whisk the eggs until smooth. Using the same pan that the peppers were fried in, add 2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil, with a paper towel sop up the oil and distribute the oil evenly, coating the pan everywhere including the sides. 

Heat the oil on medium-low heat for a minute or two; add the eggs and let it settle for ½ a minute.  Add the peppers and onions, spread the mixture evenly, once more let it settle for about a minute or two. 

This is what happens to me; at this point, it always looks like everything is going to stick to the pan. When I see that happening, I stick the frittata in the oven, on the middle rack and leave it alone for about 10 minutes, after 10 minutes I watch it closely. Once golden brown and slightly firm to the touch it is ready.  Be very careful taking it out of the oven  I wear oven mitts and use pot holders, when I place the pan back on the stove, I slide an oven mitt on the handle to warn everyone about the hot handle.  With a spatula, I run it along the sides, lifting it and checking if the bottom needs to be loosened.  Slide it on a dish and serve.