The Netflix movies I’ve been watching lately have been cute. Not great but a good way to spend an afternoon when it’s either raining torrentially or it’s too hot to go outside (already). We’ve been back and forth with those as our only weather patterns. Sigh. It’s going to be a long, humid, hot summer I’m afraid.

Nonnas is the June Movies & Munchies feature. Camilla is hosting. You can read her announcement post here.

The star power in this film is amazing:

• Vince Vaughn (I just think he’s hilarious and sweet.)
• Susan Sarandon
• Lorraine Bracco
• Talia Shire
• Brenda Vaccaro
• Drea de Matteo

The Hubs watched this with me and his first comment was “Is this a reunion of the cast of The Sopranos?” followed closely with “And, wasn’t she in The Godfather?”

As I referenced above, this is a cute movie. Perfect Saturday afternoon viewing. Joe (Vaughn) is a good Italian son, still living with his mother. The opening, sadly, features her funeral. As Joe tries to adapt to life without his mother and to try to keep his sanity at a job with a younger, anal, and annoying boss, he starts cooking. His goal is to recreate his mother’s “gravy.” He just can’t get it right.

One thing leads to another and he ends up buying a rundown restaurant on Staten Island. His idea? To hire Nonnas (Italian grandmothers) to run the kitchen. Some drama ensues as these Nonnas have issues trying to work together in harmony. Ultimately, they connect with each other.

In one of the final restaurant scenes, I spotted a skinny gentleman with a curly grey-haired mullet. When I spotted him I thought, “That has to be an extra that means something.” I was correct. The real Joe Scaravella makes a cameo appearance. Nonnas is also based on a real spot, Enoteca Maria, which does employ grandmothers from around the world. I tried my best to get my hands on Nonna’s House: Cooking and Reminiscing with the Italian Grandmothers of Enoteca Maria by Jody Caravella with Elisa Petrini, but our library didn’t have it.

What was the elusive ingredient Joe kept trying to find to perfect his mother’s sauce? It’s an apple. (And a lot of love.) I was able to find family recipes from the actors in the film. You can find recipes from the stars of Nonnas here. They all sounded great but I decided to try “Susan’s Sun-dried Sauce.” I tweaked the instructions and added some marinated artichokes and we served the pasta alongside some authentic Italian sausage. I loved this dish.

Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Pasta

By Debra (based on Susan Sarandon’s Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ large onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 jar (8 oz.) slivered sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• 1 jar (6.5 oz.) marinated artichokes
• 1 log (4 oz.) goat cheese
• 8 oz. penne pasta
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Start preparing the water for pasta.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions  and sauté until they are translucent and soft (about 10 minutes reducing the heat to med-low). Then, add the garlic and cook for about 2-3 minutes more.  Increase the heat a bit and add the dried tomatoes and artichokes, stirring occasionally for about 3 more minutes. Lower the heat and add the goat cheese, breaking it up with the spoon. Stir until the goat cheese melts and becomes uniform with the rest of the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper and turn the burner off.
3. At this point, the water should be boiling in the pot, so add the pasta. 
4. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, about 10 minutes, until the pasta is al dente (soft but with a firm bite). Before you drain the pasta, reserve a cup of pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta.
5. Turn the flame back on medium-low under the sauce and add half of the cup of pasta water, stirring as it heats in the pan and loosens the sauce. If needed, add more liquid until you get the desired consistency.  Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and toss to coat. Turn off the heat, and enjoy!
6. Serve with a salad or grilled sausages or as a stand alone meal.

Yield: 4 hearty servings.

This dish comes together pretty quickly and is a great weekday dinner meal.

If you need something fun to watch, choose Nonnas! (If I trust social media, it was the #1 movie on Mother’s Day weekend.)

Thanks for hosting, Camilla. Next month’s feature is Toscana and Wendy is hosting. Please join us at Movies & Munchies.