Delicious UK - (01)January 2020

WORDS:

LES

DUNN

MOONSTRUCK (1987)

WHAT’SIT ABOUT?

Whilea

fullmoon

shinesover

Brooklyn,LorettaCastorini,

playedinanOscar-winning

turnbyCher,agreestomarry

Johnny,a manshedoesn’tlove,

beforefallinginlovewithhis

estrangedbrotherRonny,

playedbyNicolasCage.Will

LorettastaywithstaidJohnny

orchoosethewildRonny?

Meanwhileshediscoversher

fatheris similarlymoonstruck,

whileherlong-sufferingmother

quietlywinsa youngeradmirer.

That’sprettymuchit,butthewhole

thingis donewithcharm.Plusthere’sa

slewofquotableone-liners,andyouget

operatoo– thescenewheretheloversare

caughtupinthedramaofLaBohèmeat

the Met is a lump-in-the-throater.

WHYTHISMOVIE?

A quirkyromanticcomedyis idealFriday

nightfare,andthisEightiesclassicis

larded with good food – and wine. Set in

Brooklyn’sItalian-Americancommunity

(butrefreshinglyfreeofgangsters),the

filmstagesseveralkeyscenesinanItalian

restaurant,theGrandTicino.There’s

plentyofactionaroundthefamily’s

diningandkitchentablestoo,including

a memorablebreakfast-timefinale

involvingporridgeandchampagnewith

a sugarcubeinit (anItalianoldwives’

talesaysthesugarkeepsthedevilaway,

apparently). The dish of the movie,

though,is breakfast‘egginthehole’.

A sliceoftoastwithanegginthecut-out

centre,toppedwithredpeppers,

it becamepopularas

‘Moonstruckeggs’.

Otherturn-onsforfood-

lovingviewersincludethe

steamybrick-ovenbakery

whereRonnyworks,andan

Italiandelisopackedwith

goodstuffthatyoucanalmost

smell the formaggio.

TRIVIANIBBLES

OlympiaDukakis,whoalso

wonanOscarforplaying

Cher’sma,Rose,is only

15 yearsolderthanher.Cheris

18 yearsolderthanNicolasCage,

whois 31yearsyoungerthanDanny Aiello,

who plays his brother Johnny.

THEQUOTETOQUOTE

ROSE:Doyoulovehim, Loretta?

LORETTA:No.

ROSE:Good.Whenyoulove’emthey

drive you crazy cuz they know they can.

WatchitonAppleTV,Netflix&Amazon

Prime. Turn the page for the recipes→

THE MOVIE

88 deliciousmagazine.co.uk

F R I DAY N IGH T

Kickbackwitha classicEightiesromcom,goodwineand no,not

a takeaway; we won’t hear of it! Make a film-friendly meal instead

mov ie + meal + wine