Posted on 02/27/2010 3:16:03 PM PST by lowbridge
-snip
By recreating the pasta sauce that Clemenza taught Michael to make in the Godfather, and pitting it against the sauce that Paulie and Vinnie made while in the slammer in Goodfellas, I could once and for all determine which pasta sauce was better and, by extension, which was the superior film.
The first step was to capture the recipes. A ton of information is given out onscreen and in the dialogue, but it takes some digging to get at it. We see two cans each of tomatoes and tomato paste on the counter in Godfather;we hear Vinnie talk about putting two cans of tomatoes and three onions in the sauce. Vinnie says he puts veal, beef, and pork in the meatballs, and we also see him putting some bone-in meat into the sauce; Clemenza shoves in a plate of sausages and meatballs that would be easy to recreate. I went over the video like it was the Zapruder film; no detail escaped my eye.
The sauces are actually very similar in many respects: canned tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, meatballs, and sausage are all involved prominently. There are six main differences:
1.Paulie slices the garlic paper-thin with a razor “so that it would liquefy in the pan with very little oil”; we don’t see Clemenza’s garlic, but are left to assumed that he chops it like the rest of us.
2.Vinnie puts browned meat (some of it bone-in) into the sauce, then separately talks of meatballs (meatballs AND meat? Hmm. I’m intrigued; for my take I’m using a pig’s foot and some beef stew meat, and will remove the pig’s foot when all’s said and done). Clemenza just puts in sausage and meatballs.
(Excerpt) Read more at portablechefnyc.com ...
NO cheese directly into the sauce, EVAH!!!
lol
My friends use venison for their meatballs and they roll in some shredded parmesan cheese. It is wonderful.
They were some of the 1st cooking shows......outside of "The French Chef"....
lots of garlic - at least one head sliced or chopped - the recipes in the article only use a measly two cloves - slowly cook in oil on low heat until it starts two turn golden.
also add crushed red peppers to taste towards the end of cooking the garlic
add three 28 ounce cans of whole tomatoes - cut up or crushed with hands
add oregano
cook and then use an immersion blender to puree to desired constancy.
add salt to taste
add sugar to taste
add meat products (browned sausages, meatballs, calamari)
cook some more
add fresh basil at end
that is true! Where I learned to cut garlic with the razor!
But I still think sugar does not belong in pasta sauce.
Classic SNL! Goes right alongside Danny’s Bass-a-Matic, crazed drool cup aristocrat, and leering afternoon movie guy (I still think Lorraine Newman was the hottest skinny girl ever to appear on TV).
grated carrots......tame the acid in the sauce...
Just add grated carrots..............
BTW: It’s GRAVY not sauce !!!
Let me rephrase, I think Godfather II is better than The Godfather and far superior to Goodfellas.
Great recipe, but you should add about a half cup of red wine and a couple spoonfuls of sugar.
And use real plum tomatoes in season, not canned.
Mama Mia, that’s a spicy meatball!
Yep and add plenty of oregano and basil and then let the whole thing simmer as long as possible.
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