The menu is described in the novelization of the movie, which may be out of print. When in doubt, I went by what was shown in the movie, which differed slightly from the novel. But here is what I made:
Zuppa (pasta in chicken broth)
Risotto (seafood, pesto and "regular", or cheese, presented as the colors of the Italian flag)
Timpano
Roasted chickens with garlic and herbs
Whole roasted salmon
Artichokes alla Romana
Roasted (or poached) asparagus
Beet salad (from the cookbook "Cucina & Famiglia" by Stanley Tucci's mother and aunt)
Sauteed baby onions and grapes
As I mentioned, I did not cook the whole roast pig. It would not fit in any home oven, and would have to be cooked in an outdoor pit. I would like to do this in the future, however. If you want to substitute a good pork roast, that would be nice. Pork is fantastic, and people enjoy eating it.
There was a dish shown in the movie that I could not figure out. It looked like a plate of dumplings of some kind, but I could not determine what it was. Neither could my wife, who is New York Italian. So I didn't worry about it. It was hardly a significant part of the meal, as no one was shown eating it.
Earlier on in the movie, Primo mentions that he is cooking rabbit. But in the dinner sequence, no rabbit dish is brought out, so again, I decided not to worry about it. But the novel describes this as a simple rabbit stew that sounds damn good.
In the novelization, the character of Primo mentions that he is also preparing a veal dish. But since this was not depicted in the dinner sequence of the film, I dismissed any concern about it. After all, how much can people really eat? In addition, the novel depicts a couple of simple vegetable dishes that are not shown in the movie, specifically carrots and potatoes. But I decided not to make these, as they sound rather plain and my stove can only handle so much.
For dessert, or dolci, we presented simple Italian cookies. This is what they did in the film, and after such a large meal, anything more would be in poor taste. Italian American dinners often conclude with this, with perhaps nuts or fruit.
The genuine Italian cookies that were served in the movie were Amaretti Di Saronno made by D. Lazzoroni. These are light yet incredibly delicious. Also, they are wrapped in the unique paper that can be rolled into a tube and lit with a match, producing beautiful results.
Let me know if you need to know anything else. If you want to cook this damn meal, good luck.
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chicharr-1
18 years ago
I would love to know how to make a timpano. My husband was drooling over that. It looks like it needs a very specialized baking pan....
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number6village
18 years ago
Look at Amazon for Stanley Tucci's mother Joan and Stanley's cousin (and co-writer of Big Night) Joe Tropiano... a great cookbook with the recipe for Timpano, plus a forward from Stanley Tucci, not to mention other family recipies and some stories and pictures.
The pan is hard to find, but until my wife found an accaptable pan I used two glass mixing bowls... the largest I could find and a small-medium sized bowl. VERY different than cooking with the pan, but I've never managed to screw it up.
Rolling out the dough as thin as required is very annoying... and you need to clear off your dining room table.
Timpano is all in the preparation... if you don't prep, you spend too much time rushing around. (If you cook it by yourself.) When you finally get it in the oven it cooks for a long time, then it cools down for a long time. I've easily spent over five hours (with cooking and cooling time) making a timpano.
That said, it has always stunned and amazed my friends and family when I make it. It is a beautiful creation.
Make it while you listen to the soundtrack... or the Mob Hits 2-disk album... or while you re-watch the film.
One time I didn't have regular old olive oil (embarassing), but I had a rosemary olive oil for dipping bread. I lined my pan with that cringing... wondering what unforseen problems I might have. DAMN! It really worked well in the crust... nice flavor, slightly different color, lovely auroma.
The main problem is making it look like you see on film. At least, that's MY problem. ;)
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roark-12
18 years ago
The main problem is making it look like you see on film. At least, that's MY problem. ;)
Yes. The crust looks different, and no matter how thin you roll the dough, it will not show the shapes of the pasta inside as it does in the film. The crust in the film also looks a bit glossy, as if it had been brushed with egg white.
But the timpano in the film was made by the art department, and could have been constructed out of who knows what. It may not have even been edible. As I recall, the film never actually shows anyone eating it, just nods and smiles and such.
Despite a lot of internet research and many evenings spent in large cookbook libraries, the best recipe for timpano I know of really is the one from Mrs. Tucci's book. There are other good recipes in it as well. There are some crappy recipes online, including one by a cook who made the crust out of
rice.
I have only used one thing to cook it in; a cast-iron dutch oven. Nice, even heat. I bought it at Cracker Barrel, of all places.
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skipster
16 years ago
Those pans used for the timpani (plural of timpano, hehe) are stainless steel and coated with porcelain. They're pretty hard to find. I suppose Pyrex might work although it has different heat-conduction properties.
There's a restaurant here in Portland that,when this film was released, did 'Big Night' parties where they recreated the entire meal including the suckling pig. They charged sixty bucks a head and you needed at least ten people, but they did the whole thing including the conga line for "Mambo Italiano".
The one thing I would have trouble with is the crust of the timpano. If you have any tips on how I could get it to come out so thin, so even, and as flaky as they did in the film, I'd be grateful beyond words.
If my memory serves me correctly, all the food in this film was real and edible, and they prepared either 7 or 9 timpani for those scenes.
I'm looking for that book...thanks! I watch this film 3x annually--after I eat a big meal, of course :)
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roark-12
16 years ago
No, the crust I made looked like the picture in his mamma's book. It's possible the one in the movie was designed for looks, not for eating. The thing is, the crust needs to be sturdy or the whole thing will collapse in on itself, it's got so much heavy stuff inside. So the crust I made was rather plain looking. If you want to experiment with it, I'd ask a pastry chef for advice. Perhaps add butter to the recipe or use pastry flour.
I also could not find the tub for the timpano, so I used a cast iron dutch oven that is drumlike in shape. It was perfect. Cast iron heats very evenly. I use it every time I make it now. These are easy to find, I think I got mine at Cracker Barrel on a road trip down south.
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Ah_JeVeuxVivre
16 years ago
I would love to try the Zuppa, though I can't find a recipe that looks like the one used in the movie. Would you be willing to share the one you used? I would really appreciate it! :)
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roark-12
16 years ago
I got the recipe (or the gist of it) from the novelization of the movie, which has some of the recipes in it. All I did was make a really rich chicken broth, and on the day of the feast cook in it a few sliced carrots, parsley and some ditalini. Ditalini is a kind of pasta that is used in soups. It's like little rings of penne that have been sliced off.
I added a little white wine, too. Be careful not to add too much wine, or the soup will begin to taste sour. A cup per gallon, or to taste. I put no chicken meat in the soup, just broth, carrots, parsley and pasta. That's it! Here is a great recipe for chicken broth. For this, I used the brown chicken broth.
http://www.gumbopages.com/food/stocks/chix-stock.html
The broth is the key, the rest of the ingredients don't make much difference. It has to be home made stock. Nothing from a can or a cube. Home made stock will get that "Ooooh! Mmmmm!" from the diners. Make sure to use meat and not just bones. If you know a butcher, ask him for a mess of backs and wing tips and whatever else he's got after butchering the chickens. If you can't get 'em, use a mess of chicken wings. A lot of 'em. The best herb to use, in my opinion, is rosemary. Throw a bunch in the pot during the last half hour of cooking and then strain it out. Freeze it or keep in the fridge for a couple of days.
Good luck!
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the sphynx
12 years ago
If you saw unidentified whitish dumplings in the film, my guess would be that they were gnocchi. But you surely did enough work for one night anyway. I have only two questions: 1) How many people did you serve all that food to, and 2) How long were you in the psychiatric hospital afterwards, for attempting this stunt? :)
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