Movies I Love

It's been almost one year since I wrote about movies on DVD that I have seen. The movies I watched the past eight months were mostly foreign language and indies. I am not boycotting Hollywood-produced movies but there are only a handful that are worth watching and The Hurt Locker is the only one that I love and think is Oscar worthy. You can bet I am not rooting tonight for the recent blockbuster that has been retitled SMURFAHONTAS by smart alecky types. Not that I will be watching the Oscars anyway; I do not enjoy any award shows because they look like episodes of the Lifestyles of the Vain and Vapid.^__^

The foreign-language movies that I have watched over and over on DVD and streaming from Netflix are Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese. Korean and Thai movies are my latest addiction.

A partial list of Oggi's Movie Awards winners :

Ink USA, independent filmmakers. This is a wonderful good versus evil Sci-fi/fantasy movie about a man and his estranged little daughter who was abducted in her sleep by an incubus-in-training, Ink. In the real world the girl is on a hospital bed in a coma but in another dimension she is traveling with Ink. The incubi who give nightmares are the evil and the good are the storytellers who give nice pleasant dreams to people while they are asleep at night. The storytellers try to save the girl from dying helped by a blind pathfinder who can change a series of events. Of course, the good wins in the end that will lead to Ink's ultimate redemption. This impressive indie movie was made with a tiny budget of $250,000.00. It was downloaded for free 400,000 times and I just wish those people give at least a dollar to the producers so they can make another excellent movie outside the influence of Hollywood. Here is a video of my favorite scene in the movie:

Death Trance Japan. Sci-fi/fantasy set in a post apocalyptic world with warriors, ninjas, zombie ninjas and vampires, a cute but creepy little girl, ginormous weapons, plenty of weird characters, and lots of fight scenes. The warrior, played by my fave Tak Sakaguchi, stole a coffin from a monastery in order to release the goddess of destruction trapped inside it. His main reason is to fight the mother of all fights. Other people want the coffin for different reasons. Some think it has treasures and one lone guy hopes it will grant his wishes. This guy is played by the half Japanese son of Steven Seagal. I love his character, he carries a large bazooka and a raggedy doll attached to his belt and he has thick, think Angelina, pink-glossed lips. There is a not-so-subtle, in fact it's in your face sexual tones in the form of the katana that belonged to the monastery. It has a phallus-shaped handle that throbs when it 'feels' the deserving one is ready for the ultimate fight.The fight between the warrior and the goddess is so weird it's really awesome.

Tak Sakaguchi and his katana Kentaro Seagal and his bazooka

Thirst Korea. A Catholic priest turned into a vampire through blood transfusion.

Chocolate Thailand. Martial arts, drama, action, little bit of comedy
.

Tom Yum Goong Thailand. Martial arts, drama, action, a little bit of comedy

These Thai movies have food as their titles but they are not anywhere in the movies except for the brief appearance of M&Ms in Chocolate. They have several things in common, most notably the Thai crime bosses, the yakuza, and the transgenders called the third sex in Thailand and in the Philippines. They are very much a part of society and embraced by both countries. Check out Sidney's photo essay on Gay Boxing in the Philippines.

The Hurt Locker USA. Deserves to win the Oscars in all the categories it is nominated in

Creamy White Bread

pain de mie, soft fine-crumbed thin-crust sandwich loaf

I was very disappointed with the 100% whole wheat sandwich loaf in the recently finished The Bread Baker's Apprentice Challenge. Earlier this week I baked one loaf of 100% WW bread which is a lot more moist, soft, and most important, edible. However, I am a white bread lover and I can't eat WW bread every day, I just can't. 100% whole wheat bread is not for me. There, I said it. *I hope the food police doesn't come and arrest me* ^_^

And so I'm back to baking my favorite creamy white bread; it is very soft and yummy. I used my new 9 x 4-inch Pullman bread pan with lid which is made here in the USA of recycled steel and has non-stick ridged surface for easy release of bread. I have two similar pans that were made in China. They were very cheap but also cheaply made. The non-stick is fake and I had to line the pans with parchment paper EACH AND EVERY TIME I use them. The surface has now developed some rust, I can't use them anymore, not even as planters. When the USA-made pans in the smaller size became available, I immediately got one and am very happy with it. If you are interested in the pan, check out my amazon store by clicking on the myStore tab. I highly recommend it specially for fine-crumbed pain de mie. The following white bread recipe can also be baked in a regular 9 x 4-inch loaf pan and it will still be delicious.

Creamy White Bread
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons heavy cream, room temperature
2 tablespoons light olive oil
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
3¼ cups bread flour
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ cup nonfat dry milk powder

• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, put the ingredients in the order listed. Mix on low speed for 1 minute, continue mixing on medium-low for 1 more minute. Knead by hand for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth.
• Transfer dough into an oiled bowl, cover tightly with plastic film and leave to rise for 1 hour.
• Lightly grease the pan and lid. Remove the risen dough from bowl and knead lightly to remove air bubbles. Flatten into an oval, roll tightly, and ease into the pan. Cover tightly with plastic film and let rise for 45 minutes or until the dough has risen to half inch below the lip of the pan. Slide the lid on and bake in a preheated 350° F oven for 20 minutes. With gloved hands, remove the lid and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.
• Remove immediately from the pan and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before slicing.

the whitest creamiest yummiest white bread

Callos

I have seen and eaten several versions of Callos, a Filipino-Spanish tripe and chickpea stew. Some have beef or pork trotters and others have cubed potatoes. The first time I cooked callos I was put off by the smell of the boiling tripe. My mom told me to boil the tripe for 2 minutes, rinse, then boil in fresh water until tender. It really made a difference and eliminated the strong odor of the tripe.

This recipe is my favorite because it doesn't have pig's feet but has ham as an added ingredient. It is seasoned with sweet smoked Spanish pimenton and bay leaves. The stew is very yummy with either rice or crusty country bread and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Callos
2 pounds honeycomb tripe
water
¼ cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped onion
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1 cup sliced Spanish Chorizo
1 pound ham, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Spanish smoked pimenton (paprika)
2 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 cup white wine
2 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme, optional
a pinch of crushed dried red pepper
salt and ground black pepper, to taste
3 cups cooked chickpeas

• Clean and boil the tripe for 2 minutes, drain and rinse tripe very well. Put back the tripe in the pot, add water to cover, and boil until fork tender, adding more water when needed. Remove the tripe and reserve broth. When cool enough to handle, cut tripe into 1 x 2 inch pieces. Set aside. 
• In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the oil and saute garlic, onion, and red pepper until onion is soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except chickpeas and 2 cups of reserved broth and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and thyme, add the chickpeas and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer into a large serving dish.

Double Espresso Roll Cake

Coffee flavored cake called Mocha cake is a favorite in the Philippines. It is sold at bakeshops as a round layer, sheet, or Swiss roll cakes and often served at birthday parties. These are chiffon, very soft, and spongy cakes unlike American-style jelly roll cakes. I love this not too sweet Filipino version that I adapted from this recipe, and for intense coffee flavor I used freshly brewed coffee plus espresso powder.

Double Espresso Roll Cake
1 cup sifted flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup sugar
½ tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon espresso powder
¼ cup light olive or grapeseed oil
6 tablespoons hot brewed espresso coffee
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
¼ cup sugar

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.
• In a bowl of standing mixer, combine flour, salt, ½ cup sugar, baking powder, and espresso powder. Make a well in the center and pour in oil and hot coffee. With the paddle attachment, beat mixture on medium low for 3 minutes. Continue mixing, adding egg yolks one at a time, blending well after each addition, until thoroughly mixed. Transfer into another bowl and set aside.
• Wash the bowl very well and wipe dry, or use another bowl. Put in the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat with wire whisk attachment at medium speed until frothy. Gradually add the ¼ cup sugar, beating until mixture is stiff and glossy. 
• With rubber spatula, gently fold one fourth of beaten egg whites into batter, scraping bottom of bowl, until lightly blended. Gently fold the batter into the rest of the beaten egg white. Pour evenly into the prepared pan and smooth top with an offset spatula. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 
• Turn the cake out on a towel lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar. Peel off the parchment paper. Starting from the narrow side, roll the still warm cake with the towel and leave on a wire rack to cool completely. Unroll the cake and transfer onto a parchment paper. Spread with a thin layer of Espresso Buttercream Frosting and reroll the cake, frost the outside of the roll. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before slicing. Keep leftover slices in the refrigerator or freezer.

Espresso Buttercream Frosting
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup brewed espresso coffee
11 tablespoons plus 1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces and softened
1 tablespoon espresso powder

• Put egg whites and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer with the wire whisk attachment.
• Stir together brewed coffee and 11 tablespoons sugar in a  heavy saucepan until sugar is dissolved, then bring to a boil over moderate heat, without stirring, brushing any sugar crystals down side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.
• When syrup reaches a boil, start beating egg whites at medium-high speed until frothy, then gradually add remaining tablespoon sugar and espresso powder and beat at medium speed until whites just hold soft peaks. Do not beat again until sugar syrup is ready.
• Meanwhile, attach candy thermometer on the saucepan and continue boiling until syrup registers 238°F. Immediately remove from heat and with mixer at high speed, slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream down side of bowl into whites, beating constantly. Beat, scraping down side of bowl with a rubber spatula, until meringue is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. It is important that meringue is properly cooled before proceeding. With mixer at medium speed, gradually add butter 1 piece at a time, beating well after each addition until incorporated. Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. Mixture may look curdled before all of the butter is added but will come back together by the time beating is finished.