Despite what familial social conventions and Norman Rockwell would have you believe, eating while watching television is good for you. In a world praised for efficiency, you're killing two birds with one stone, or, to put it in more practical terms: you're feeding two areas of your anatomy simultaneously. But while your brain and stomach are being fed, your spirit is being unified by two art forms working in unison: great film and great gastronomy. I'm writing a new segment that combines my love of film with my need to cook. I will critique a movie, and then pair the film with food in the hopes that I can inspire some of you to eat in front of the television. And while I'm aware that such an act might not demand inspiration, cooking for one's self does; that being said, there's isn't anything wrong with ordering pizza as long as it pairs well with the movie. If I can't get you to cook, I hope at least that my movie reviews will inspire curiosity, as well as propel the art forms to a place where the next time someone sanctimoniously tells you that you shouldn't be eating in front of the television, you'll be inspired to tell them to fuck off.
Food: Steak And Kidney Pie.
Control is a movie based on the story of Ian Curtis. Curtis
was the singer for the post-punk-rock-English band, Joy Division; an energetic
performer best remembered for his spastic stage presence and his death. The question of why Curtis took his own life
at 23 years of age is a main component of the film. Mental illness, guilt and a
creative drive rooted in an endless pit of human insecurity made Curtis prone
to severe depression; a tone skilfully depicted within the film’s gloomy
realism. Control is a black and white film. Director Anton Corbijn first shot
the film in color but later printed it in black and white. In an interview Corbijn
conducted with Rotten Tomatoes, he stated, “the real reason I chose it is that
all my memories of that period and Joy Division in particular are black and
white memories. If you go back to try to find official references, old
photographs, of Joy Division, I would say without exception you're going to
find them to be in black and white. So combine that with their album sleeves
being in black and white, the clothing being not very bright in the sense of
colors, it just felt appropriate.”
Anton Corbijn knew the members of Joy Division well, he
spent time with the band as their photographer. At 24 years of age, Corbijn, (a professional
photographer at the time) moved from his native Holland to England to take
pictures of Joy Division. He toured with the band taking pictures of Singer Ian
Curtis, Bassist Peter Hook, Guitarist Stephen Morris, and Drummer Bernard
Sumner in his unique, melancholy style, a style apparent in the film. It’s no wonder Corbijn manages to capture the
image of the band with such completeness having been a part of their entourage
at its inception. Each frame of the film is a composition of content and style
reminiscent of stylized persona's that once graced the surfaces of gelatin-coated
photographic paper, the monochromatic backdrops of misty, foggy Manchester air
in compatible contrast to the subjects within each frame. The audience is exposed to a visual melody of
greyscale somber sounds that parallels the deep baritone sound of Curtis’
voice. If it’s at all possible to take a
picture of sound, Corbijn did it in Control.
The music in the film spans from 1976 to
1980, the life of the band. Within that
time, Joy Division released two studio albums: Unknown Pleasures and Closer. Apart from the visuals, this musical biopic
auditorily establishes Joy Division as an important part of music history. The band pioneered hums and tones that can be
heard in bands like Sonic Youth, RadioHead, to present day band, The National.
Yes there are many stage performances in
this film that brilliantly capture Joy Division’s resonant, dark romantic image
and sound, but make no mistake: Control is a movie about Curtis. The singer’s personal life either interfered
or added to his creativity and there’s plenty about his private life in this
film. From his impetuous teen wedding to Deborah Woodruff, to his affair with
Annik Honore; from his epileptic seizures to his nihilistic bouts with
depression; Curtis’ life is more than he can handle. He has no control over
himself or his emotions, until that very loss of control drives Curtis to hang
himself in his kitchen on the very eve of the band’s first American tour.
Actor Sam Riley captures Ian Curtis’
angst and mannerisms well. No doubt any
actor having to depict Curtis on stage would face a bodily challenge, but Riley
choreographs himself into gesticulations of spastic jilts, stationary running
dances, and swaying meditative motions that capture the stage presence of
Curtis perfectly. Samantha Morton, plays
Curtis’ high school sweetheart and wife with poise, intelligence, and finally,
with tragedy as she finds the body of her husband in their Macclesfield home.
(Curtis’ relationship with his wife is a large part of the film since it’s
based on her memories, Touching From a
Distance; she also co-produced the film.)
What’s truly remarkable about Control is
it provides the perfect balance between the music biopic of a band and a biography
of a life. She’s lost Control is one
of Joy Division’s most popular songs. After watching Curtis progress into a darkness
of his own design, I can’t help but wonder if the song is about him, not because he was his own inspiration, but because nothing sings as
sweet as creative sadness.
What to Eat While Watching Control.
It’s a no brainer for me: Steak and
kidney pie. I’ve been to Macclesfield, the birthplace of Ian Curtis. It’s
located about 50 kilometers from Manchester. While there, I experienced what a
proper steak and kidney pie tastes like. This recipe replicates that taste.
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| Fig.1. Ingredients at the ready. I sometimes buy my pie dough. The one above comes from Metro, it's a lard based pie dough made locally. |
Steak and Kidney Pie
Serves 6
Ingredients:
5 tbsp sunflower oil or grape seed oil
2 onions, chopped
700 g cubed steak (use the shoulder or
blade)
500 g of veal kidneys
½ cup flour
2 packages of mushrooms, halved
3 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce
3 tbsp English Mustard
1 1/2cups of beef stock
440 g English beer (I used a can of
Boddington’s)
2 bay leaves
2 springs of thyme
Salt and Pepper
Suet Pie Dough
500 g of self-raising flour. (If you
don’t have self-raising flour just add 1 ½ tsp of baking powder and 1 tsp of
salt per 1 cup of all-purpose flour.)
250g Shredded suet (Suet is beef fat and
tallow found around the kidney and heart region of a cow. To shred it, pass it
along a cheese grater or run your knife along the side of the suet at a 45
degree angle. Sometimes you can find shredded or minced suet at the grocery
store)
Directions:
Pour the oil in a large Dutch oven set over
medium heat. Add the onions and sweat
for 5 minutes. (You don’t want any color to the onions, just cook until soft
and translucent.) Add the steak and cook
for about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the veal kidney and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
Lower the heat and sprinkle the flour over the meat. Stir in the flour until
it’s well incorporated, cook for 2 minutes. (At this point if some flour sticks
to the bottom of the pot don’t worry. The flour will begin to turn brown, which
is good; the brown flour is what gives the gravy its color.) Add the
Worcestershire sauce and the mustard and turn the heat back to medium, cook and
stir for 2 minutes. Add the beef stock, beer, bay leaves and thyme. Scrape the
bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. (By doing this, the flour that stuck to
the bottom of the pot will eventually dissolve into the liquid. If you don’t
have any flour stuck to the bottom of your pot that’s ok, it just means that the
flour has coated the meat. Stir until the liquid comes to a simmer.)
Once simmering, turn the heat to low and
cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, stirring often. Add salt and pepper if needed
and let it cool.
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| Fig.2. All the ingredients in the pot. |
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| Fig.3. What it looks like after 1 hour and a half of simmering. |
Pie Crust:
Pass the self-raising flour through a
sieve. Add the shredded suet to the flour. Gradually add the water and mix
gently with your fingers until combined; don’t overwork the dough. The dough is
ready when all of the mixture comes away from the sides of the bowl. Roll the
dough into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
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| Fig.4. Pie filling has cooled and dough rolled out. |
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| Fig.5. Ready for oven |
Assembling the Pie:
Pour the meat mixture into a 9” pie
dish.
Add some flour to a work surface and
roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 cm. Place the dough over the pie plate,
making sure it hangs over the plate by at least 3 cm. Cut off any excess dough
and press the dough onto the side of the dish.
When you’re ready to cook the pie,
preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Brush the top of the pie with an egg wash and
bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Serve with boiled or mashed buttered potatoes and pees.
Note: Regarding the pie crust. Feel free
to use any crust you want, as long as it’s not sweet. I like the locally made,
lard based pie crusts available at Metro, you can find them in the meat
section. See the pie crust in Fig.1.
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| Fig.6. 45 minutes at 375 degrees. |
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| Fig.7. Serve the pie with Boiled buttered potatoes and a pint. |
