In Praise of Great Films - 2009 Oscar Nominations

Seventh in a series.

This morning the 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. There were a few surprises, the occasional disappointments, and mostly anticipated selections.

Among the surprises:

The Reader was probably the least known of the Best Picture nominees, yet slipped in as one of the five. Vegas oddsmakers will most likely make this one the long shot, but congratulations to the filmmakers.

The film Doubt had a total of four best acting nominations (Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams) along with best screenplay, yet it isn't in the running for Best Picture or Best Director. We'll have to look into the history of the Oscars to see if any film has had that many acting nominees without being pegged for Best Picture.

Kate Winslet, a perennial nominee, got a nod for best actress for The Reader, but not for Revolutionary Road, which was by far the more high profile film. In fact, Revolutionary Road was largely shut out, with a single nomination for art direction.

Some disappointments:

The Dark Knight and Wall-E were among the best reviewed movies of the year, yet neither was recognized for Best Picture.

The Wrestler was highly praised by critics, but didn't get recognized in categories other than Best Actor (Mickey Rourke).

Slumdog Millionaire was the second-highest nominated movie with ten nods, yet not a single cast member was recognized with a nomination. This was probably expected, as the entire cast was unknown to American audiences, and after all, the Oscars are a distinctively American awards show.

Things to be happy about:

Anne Hathaway was nominated for her turn in Rachel Getting Married. This is one we managed to see in 2008, and we're glad she was recognized for her brave, raw performance. We didn't know she had it in her.

Heath Ledger was nominated posthumously for his amazing work in The Dark Knight. We're happy about the nomination, but we'd gladly trade it for bringing him back to life so he could spend another fifty years working in the film industry. Alas, it is not to be...

Richard Jenkins has had a long career as a fine actor, but has only recently been recognized and widely acclaimed. His nomination for The Visitor is a long overdue tribute to an artist who's been toiling in the business for more than three-and-a-half decades. He won't win, but as the cliche goes, it's a true honor just to be nominated.

Curiosities:

According to the great Rotten Tomatoes website, the Best Picture nominations certainly don't line up with critical opinion. Here are the nominations along with their percentage of good reviews from accredited critics:

Slumdog Millionaire - 95%
Milk - 92%
Frost/Nixon - 91%
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - 72%
The Reader - 60%

Clearly, the one that wouldn't seem to belong is The Reader. We haven't seen the film, but of 150 reviews tracked so far, 60 are bad. That makes a Best Picture nomination a curious choice indeed. This is particularly highlighted by the fact that these high profile movies were much more praised critically:

The Dark Knight - 94%
Wall-E - 96%
The Wrestler - 98%
Tropic Thunder - 83%
Rachel Getting Married - 88%
Frozen River - 86%
Vicky Christina Barcelona - 83%

Of the Best Picture nominees, the only one we've been able to see is Slumdog Millionaire. It's a breathtaking film and certainly a worthy pick, although it's not the "masterpiece" that the TV ads are proclaiming.

It was an especially good slate for some of our favorite filmmakers. Here are the Best Director nominees and some of their previous movies we really like:

• Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) - Shallow Grave, 28 Days Later
• Stephen Daldry (The Reader) - The Hours, Billy Elliot
• David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) - Seven, Fight Club, Zodiac
• Ron Howard (Frost/Nixon) - Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Parenthood
• Gus Van Sant (Milk) - Good Will Hunting, To Die For, Drugstore Cowboy

All these filmmakers have a fine body of work to be proud of. Congratulations to all of them, and may the best film prevail.

The Academy Awards will be televised on ABC on Sunday, February 22nd.

NOTE: The Academy Awards, Oscars and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are registered and copyrighted trademarks of AMPAS and are recognized as such here.

Recipe #40 - Mexican Rice

Mexican (or Spanish) rice comes in many different forms. Most of us have tried various commercially available boxed versions of it, with mixed results. It might taste OK, but it usually ends up being overly moist, or soupy, or gloppy, or (add your own adjective here).

So in an effort to come up with something more akin to what we've experienced at good Mexican restaurants, we latched onto something we found in Cook's Illustrated magazine and adapted it with some of our own flourishes.

The key is to use both the stovetop and the oven, and also to add the fresh-taste ingredients at the very end so they don't get overcooked and lose their bright flavors.

Serve this with fish tacos and Sheri's slow-cooked latino black beans (recipe to be published soon).

1 large ripe tomato, cored and coarsely chopped
1/2 yellow onion, peeled, trimmed and coarsely chopped

2 fresh jalapeno chiles

1 cup long grain white rice
2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced

1 cup rich vegetable broth
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Put tomato and onion in a food processor and puree until smooth.

Remove the seeds and pith from one of the jalapenos. Mince the seeded chile and set aside. Then mince the other chile, including the seeds and pith.

Put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse several times, then shake fully to remove all the water from the rice. Heat the oil in an oven-proof saute pan (which has an oven-proof cover). Add the rice and saute for about five minutes until the rice is translucent and starting to brown.

Add the garlic and seeded minced chile and stir-fry for a couple more minutes. Add the broth, the tomato-onion puree, tomato paste and salt. Bring to a boil, then stir one more time to mix everything well.

Cover the pan and put it in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed into the rice is tender.

Stir in the cilantro, the minced jalapeno and lime juice. Serve immediately with additional wedges of lime.

The "Leftover Risotto" Dilemma

So you've labored over a wonderful risotto dish, and undoubtedly have plenty left over. (There are some good risotto recipes here and here.) Now, what do you do with the leftovers?

We did some searching on the subject on the Internet, and quickly found that in Italy, where risotto was born, serving leftover risotto (in its original form) is a definite "no-no." However, there are a number of ways to re-purpose risotto instead of discarding it. Here are some recipes, mostly Italian in nature, that make use of leftover risotto in different ways:

RISOTTO AL SALTO

2 cups prepared risotto (brought to near room temperature)
1 egg
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Beat the egg, then combine thoroughly with the leftover risotto. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Press the risotto into flat pancakes and add to the hot pan. Saute until crispy on both sides and serve.

ARANCINI DI RISO

2 cups prepared risotto
1 egg, beaten
1 cup canola oil
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup bread crumbs

Mix the risotto with the egg until well combined. Heat the oil in a deep saute pan or wok. Work the risotto into small balls, then insert a cube of mozzarella into the middle of each ball and roll the risotto ball in bread crumbs.

Fry the risotto balls in the hot oil until browned and crispy. Serve with green salad and steamed vegetables.

RISOTTO SOUP

2 cups prepared risotto
2 cups rich vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and half
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Stir together risotto, broth and dairy in a saucepan. Heat over low simmer until heated through. Season with salt and pepper and serve with grated parmesan on the side.

RISOTTO CAKES WITH POACHED EGG

2 cups prepared risotto
5 eggs
1/2 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, freshly grated

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Beat one of the eggs and work it into the risotto. Form the risotto mixture into four flat cakes. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and put the risotto cakes on.

Bake the cakes for 8 minutes until heated through. Flip the cakes and scatter the grated cheese on top of each. Crank the oven up to broil mode. Put the cakes back in the oven and broil until the cheese is melty and bubbly.

Meanwhile, poach the other four eggs for about three to four minutes depending on your preference for doneness.

Remove the risotto cakes from the oven and place one on each of four warmed serving plates. Top each cake with a poached egg and serve.

Recipe #39 - Marinated Halibut-Veggie Fajitas

You don't have to go to a Mexican restaurant to enjoy some wonderful sizzling fajitas. The key to this dish is the marinade, which was concocted by Sheri'. It was pretty much done "on the fly" so ingredient amounts are approximated.

It helps to have a stove with some sort of device that can suck away the smoke. Otherwise you might be setting off your smoke alarms with this one.

Serves four.

For the halibut marinade:

1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ancho chile powder (recipe follows)
Pinch ground cinnamon
2 tsp. olive oil

For the veggie marinade:

1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. ancho chile powder (recipe follows)
Pinch ground cinnamon
1 tsp. southwest chipotle seasoning (we use Tone's)
1/4 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp. saffron oil
2 Tbsp. orange juice

4 small flour tortillas

3/4 lb. fresh halibut, skinned, rinsed and cut into 1" cubes

1 green bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
1 zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 red onion, trimmed, peeled and sliced into thin wedges

Condiments:

Medium red or green salsa
Prepared guacamole
Sour cream

Accompaniments:

Spicy slow-cooked black beans
Spanish rice

Put the tortillas inside a tightly wrapped piece of aluminum foil and place in a 275 degree oven to warm.

Place the fish marinade ingredients in a resealable plastic bag. Work it around in your hands to mix. Put the halibut chunks in the bag and shake around to coat with the marinade. Place in refrigerator to marinate for up to an hour.

Put the vegetable marinade ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag, seal the bag, and work everything around to thoroughly mix. Add all the cut veggies to the bag, seal it, and place in refrigerator to marinate for up to an hour.

When ready to serve, heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat with a little safflower or canola oil. When it's almost smoking, pour in the marinated veggies. Stir-fry for a couple minutes.

Put the marinated fish into the pan and continue to stir-fry for several more minutes, until the halibut is cooked through and opaque. Remove the pan from heat and scrape into a serving bowl. Take the warm tortillas out of the oven and put onto four separate serving plates.

Serve with black beans, spanish rice, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, and any other appropriate accompaniments.

ANCHO CHILE POWDER

2 large dried ancho chiles

Break the chiles into pieces, removing the stems and most of the seeds. (The more seeds you add to the finished product, of course, the spicier it's going to be.)

Put the chile pieces into a spice grinder or small food processor and buzz thoroughly until it becomes a gritty powder. Store in a jar at room temperature.

Recipe #38 - Curried Chickpea-Tomato Salad

Serves four as a starter or side dish.

2 16 oz. cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed

3/4 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. paprika
Pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

2 large ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded and diced

4 large leaves red leaf lettuce, cleaned and patted dry

Put the yogurt in a large mixing bowl and whisk in all the spices and lemon juice. Add the chickpeas and stir gently but thoroughly. Add the tomatoes and stir to combine.

Place a lettuce leaf on each of four chilled serving plates. Spoon the chickpea salad on top and serve.

Recipe #37 - Shrimp Fried Rice

Fried rice is something we've all enjoyed at Chinese restaurants, but not everyone has had success at preparing it at home. We've found that the key to getting a good batch of fried rice out of the wok is cooking and pre-chilling the rice well ahead of time.

Regarding the various ingredients you add to the rice, it's entirely up to your taste buds and what you have on hand. As with many of the recipes we post here, fried rice is something that can absorb a number of things you may have sitting around the kitchen.

This recipe is enough to serve about six. We had it recently along with Indonesian Salad Rolls with Coconut Peanut Sauce (click here for recipe), and some salad greens dressed with a light lime-ginger-soy-sesame dressing.

1.5 cups long grain white rice
3 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup frozen peas, cooked and drained

2 Tbsp. peanut oil
1 red onion, peeled and diced
12 green onions, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

2 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
1 cup broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 red bell pepper, cored and diced

3 eggs, scrambled

1 Tbsp. peanut oil
1/2 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 Tbsp. low sodium soy sauce

Pour the rice into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse with water. Repeat this several times until the water that drains off is relatively clear. Bring the water and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, add the rice and lower the heat. Cover the pan and allow to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes undisturbed. When it's cooked through and all water has been absorbed, remove from heat and allow to cool. After it's cooled down to near room temperature, transfer the pan to a refrigerator and chill for several hours.

Heat the peanut oil in a large wok and add the diced onion. Stir-fry for about a minute, then add the green onions, garlic and ginger. Stir-fry for a couple of minute until fragrant.

Add the celery, broccoli and bell peppers and stir-fry for a few minutes, until softened slightly.

Shove the veggies to one side of the wok and move the empty side directly over the heat. Pour in the scrambled eggs and cook until set, stirring often. Chop up the eggs, then stir them into the veggies. (If you're uncomfortable doing the eggs this way, you can always cook them in a separate non-stick skillet, cut into small pieces, then add to the rice.)

Meanwhile, take the chilled cooked rice and break it up by hand into a large bowl, so that you have generally individualized grains. Pour the rice into the wok and stir-fry until cooked through.

Heat the remaining oil in a separate saute pan and add the shrimp. Saute just until cooked through and opaque. Stir the cooked shrimp into the fried rice. If you have anyone in your group who can't eat shellfish or doesn't like shrimp, you can serve the shrimp on the side and everyone can add shrimp to their fried rice at serving time.

Sprinkle the fried rice with the soy sauce, stir and serve immediately.

A final note: Fried rice is a lot of work. If you want your fried rice "easy" then Google the nearest Chinese restaurant and go for the "take-out" option.

Recipe #36 - Baked Potato Bar

Here's another one ideally suited to feeding a crowd. We were recently at a family get-together in Las Vegas and faced with the task of feeding a large group of folks. Like the fish taco feast we published previously here, this works well when you need to prepare a nourishing hot meal for a whole bunch of people.


This recipe assumes a dozen people; you can alter the ingredients based on how many you're feeding.

6 extra large russet baking potatoes (or 12 small)

1 large bunch broccoli, cut into bite-size florets
1 Tbsp. olive oil

6 strips bacon

2 cups cheese sauce (recipe below)

2 cups prepared chili

2 cups grated monterey jack cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 stick unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the potatoes for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on size, until cooked well. If using large spuds, cut each in half and put on a serving platter.

While the potatoes are baking, heat the butter in a skillet, add the broccoli florets and saute until cooked through. Chop up the bacon into small dice and cook in a saute pan until crisp.

Put all the condiments and toppings into bowls and invite your hungry guests to grab a spud and work their way through the topping line.

Serve this with a big bowl of green salad.

NOTE: This recipe can also be found on the DuMond Brothers site here.

CHEESE SAUCE

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. unbleached white flour
1 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes to create a roux. Add the milk and continue to heat over low heat, whisking often. After the sauce begins to thicken, add the grated cheese. Continue heating and whisking until it's hot and bubbly. If it's too thick, add more milk, a bit at a time, until it's the consistency you want. Add cayenne pepper and salt, and serve hot.