Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark
This past weekend was the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Indiana Jones trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark! (We do not acknowledge any subsequent Indy productions on this blog– they are blasphemous and shameful.)
I have too many thoughts on this, one of the best adventure movies of all time. I’m not even going to try to offer up a brief summary of Raiders of the Lost Ark, because if you haven’t seen this movie, I don’t know where you’re from or what you’ve been doing with your time.
What I WILL do is rattle off some of the trivia tidbits I’ve picked up over the years: for example, DID YOU KNOW that the moment where Indiana responds to the flourishes of an enemy in the streets of Cairo with a single gun shot– that was improvised because Harrison Ford had the flu that day and actually didn’t give AF? Or, DID YOU KNOW that Tom Selleck was a lead choice for the role of Indiana Jones, can you imagine?? And, DID YOU KNOW that, in the Well of Souls scene, the snake handler had to shave his legs and wear a skirt to stand in for Karen Allen’s stunt double, because the stunt double refused to do the scene??? It goes on, and on, and on.
I will also share that, though Raiders of the Lost Ark is wildly inaccurate when it comes to its portrayal of the archaeological profession, the film should be praised for making things like history and learning about other cultures cool– and it definitely made my 8 years of Catholic school slightly more tolerable. John Rhys-Davies said that he had met over 150 lecturers, professors, and archaeologists who told him their interest in the field began with the film. But this is the magic of most Steven Spielberg films, am I right? The practical and special effects, the nail-biting action/stunts, and the droll humor make what would otherwise be homework a fascinating (and commercial, in a good way) watch! Plus, this is the Indiana Jones movie that has my favorite heroine– yah, Marion Ravenwood screams, but she isn’t a Nazi and can throw hell of a punch.
Now for the foodstuffs! This one took a while to formulate, because there’s SO much going on in Raiders of the Lost Ark– but since the movie is the first of a trilogy that takes place largely in the Middle East, I went for a version of a mezze platter that references the people, places and things we’ve come to know and love.
So go cook, watch, and dig in. GET IT?
The Movie
The Menu
Why'd it have to be snakes??? Because apparently Indiana is a big light weight that can't hold his whiskey. Thus, the snakebite-- a delicious and refreshing apple-y drink perfect for Professor Jones. And then of course the real booze is for Marion-- the badass barkeep who can drink any man under the table. I couldn't find any Nepalese Raksi, but a chilled vodka, lychee juice and sake shot goes down real easy. Slowly pour beer into a pint glass tilted at a 45o angle. Stand the glass upright and wait for the beer to settle. Pour the cider slowly over the back of a spoon and into the glass of beer. For the shot, mix equal parts very cold vodka, sake, and juice in a cocktail shaker with ice-- shake until chilled. Pour into as many shot glasses as you want and get the score card ready. Raiders of the Lost Ark begins with Indie (and a youthful Alfred Molina, what?) in the jungles of Peru with an epically famous boulder chases-man-scene. So, thought I, why not start the meal off with a cultural and visual tribute to that sequence. I promise that, though heavily flavored, these delighful meatballs won't crush you. And the green sauce-- MWAH, chef's kiss. To make the green sauce, get your verdant ingredients together: To clarify, this means the first 11 ingredients. Add them to a food processor or blender. Roughly chop scallion greens and add those to the mix as well. Puree until smooth, and refrigerate until 30 mins before you're ready to eat. For the meatballs-- thinly slice white parts of the scallions, and add them to a medium mixing bowl with the remaining ingredients. Mix lightly with your hands until just incorporated (but don't overmix or your meatballs will be solid as a literal bolder). Refrigerate for 1 hr. About 20 mins before eating, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Roll chilled meat mixture into balls about 1½ in diameter. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake your meatballs for 20 mins until firm. Serve warm with sauce drizzled and/or on the side. Then RUN. So simple, yet so delicious-- with the tangy cheese, baharat spiced honey, and crunchy almond, these are WAY better than bad dates... I think the monkey would agree. Slice your dates lengthwise down the seam. Stuff each with about a tsp of goat cheese, followed by an almond. Drizzle with honey, and dust lightly with baharat spice mix. Enjoy-- but maybe still keep an eye out for assassins. Baharat is a Middle Eastern spice blend that usually contains a mix of black pepper, coriander, paprika, cardamom, nutmeg, cumin, cloves, and cinnamon (and maybe a few more, depending on where exactly you are). There's a long long history behind "manna" bread and the Bible, but suffice it to say the real manna wouldn't have been very appetizing (despite the fact it was a gift from God). So I went with a fresh baked pita, which I've always wanted to learn to make-- accompanied by a traditional Egyptian dukkah. While dukkah might look like the Ten Commandment tablets crumbled to dust after a thousand years, the flavor combo is so beautiful it belongs in a museum. For the dukkah-- pulse the first 9 ingredients in a mini-food processor until roughly ground into a chunky dust. Alternatively, chop the nuts and crush together with a morter and pestle. Set aside until ready to eat, or alternatively store in an air tight container for up to a week. But first, make sure you sift it through your hands and pretend like you're handling something very very very old... Now, time for your bread. In a large mixing bowl, add yeast and sugar to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water. Stir very lightly and allow a minute or so for the yeast to "bloom" (that is, to get FOAMY). Add the flours, salt, and olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms. Dust a cutting board with a little reserved flour, and knead the dough for about a minute until smooth. Cover and let rest 15 minutes, then knead again for 2 minutes. Try not to add too much reserved flour; the dough should be soft and a bit moist. Clean the mixing bowl, lightly oil it, and put dough back in. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then cover with a towel. Put bowl in a warm (not hot) place. Leave until dough has doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On bottom shelf of oven, place a heavy-duty baking sheet, large cast-iron pan or ceramic baking tile. Punch down dough and divide into 4 pieces. Roll the piecees into balls, cover with a damp towel, and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove 1 ball (keeping others covered) and roll to an 8-inch diameter, about 1/8 inch thick, dusting with flour if necessary. Carefully lift the dough circle and place quickly on hot baking sheet. After 2 minutes the dough should be nicely puffed. See below for a very fuzzy visual demonstration. Turn over with tongs or spatula and bake 1 minute more. The pita should be pale, with only a few brown speckles. Transfer warm pita to a cloth-lined plate and cover-- this will prevent the bread from drying out. Repeat with the rest of the dough balls. To serve, sprinkle dukkah dust into a shallow bowl of olive oil and use as a dipping side for the warm pita! Every mezze platter needs at least two cheeses, especially if it's in celebration of a movie that has a few wonderfully cheesy moments. And it's even better when one of those cheeses is ON FIRE. And yet it still doesn't melt under high heat...unlike the faces of the Nazis who incur THE WRATH OF GOD. Hehe. Note, you can use feta or halloumi for this Saganaki-esque dish. I've sampled both, and both are delicious. First, whisk 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, oregano, parsley, red pepper flakes, garlic, and lemon juice. This will be your finishing vinaigrette! To prep the cheese, remove from brine and cut (if you haven't already) into 1/4 inch thick slices. Dredge in flour until lightly coated. In a small cast iron skillet, heat remaining olive oil over high heat. Add cheese and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then flip, using a slotted offset spatula, to fry the other side. Remove from heat, leaving cheese in the pan, and add tomatoes to one side of the pan. Now it's time to recreate lightning. Fire. Power of God or something. Pour brandy into the pan and, USING A LONG LIGHTER, ignite the alcohol. Be careful, as there is still some residual fat in the pan and you don't want to light your kitchen on fire. Pour vinaigrette over the cheese and tomatoes, and serve immediately! Normally I don't like to make foods that look like props, but this recipe has some historical relevance-- technically, it's for Hamantaschen, a Jewish shortbread cookie that commemorates the defeat of a very bad dude in First Testament history. Traditionally the cookies are triangular in shape (to resemble the cut off ears of Haman, DAMN) but I've sacriligiously shaped them into rounds to mimic the topper on the staff of Ra. Don't judge the janky pattern on the edges, I'm not a friggin' pastry chef. Begin with the red jammy filling-- see below for your sunny Ra-esque ingredients. Roughly chop the fruit, combine with the next five ingredients in a saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil for one minute. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir every so often to prevent the fruit from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat. Using an immersion blender or mini food processor, roughly puree your filling into a more jammy consistency. Refrigerate until ready to fill your cookies! The cookie dough is next-- in a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Add the salt, vanilla, and half of your beaten egg and mix to fully incorporate. Lastly, add flour and zest and mix until a cohesive dough forms. Form into a disc, wrap it well, and refrigerate it for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Flour a cutting board lightly, and roll dough into a rectangle approximately 1/8 inch thick. Cut the dough into circles with a 2 1/2 inch round cutter or glass. Then, using a shot glass or knife, cut a smaller circle into half of the cookie rounds, creating a donut shape. Using your finger, lightly brush the exterior of your full circles, and place your donut shaped cookie dough rounds directly on top of the full cirlces (the egg will help seal the two layers together). Drop about a tsp of the jam into the center hole you've created. Then, using your fork, it's time to get creative-- press to create birdlike indents that almost ("almost") look like the birdwings on the actual medallion. Just go with it, ok? Bake the not-quite hamantaschen cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottom and edges. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool; just don't be an idiot and pick them up with your bare hands like that unnamed Nazi dude. You can store these covered at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to a month. A Snake Bite & Shots for Marion
Ingredients
Instructions
Peruvian Boulders with Green Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
Good Dates
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Modern Day Manna with Dukkah Dust
Ingredients
Instructions
Wrath of God Cheese
Ingredients
Instructions
Medallions
Ingredients
Instructions
Notes
Epilogue
I learned a lot about Middle Eastern cooking for Raiders of the Lost Ark! In particular, it was lovely drooling over all of Chef Ottolenghi’s cookbooks. Highly recommend.
…but now, I’m realizing what comes next…
For more menus, check out my movie directory here!