Sam’s ‘Oscar Night Bites’

Every year for the Academy Awards we share fun themed recipes called ‘Oscar Night Bites’. This year Jodi decided to pass this job off to Sam who was more than eager to put his take on it. Below are all the movie themed foods and recipes he’s decided to share. Easy to make, fun to eat.

CLICK HERE for more ‘Oscar Night Bites’ from previous years. 

Moonlight Mix 

(made for the oscar nominated film, Moonlight)

• 1 (12 ounce) package crispy corn and rice cereal
• 5 ounces slivered almonds
• 6 ounces toasted, chopped pecans
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup dark corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Lightly grease a large roasting pan.
2. In a large bowl, mix crispy corn and rice cereal, slivered almonds and toasted, chopped pecans.
3. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and mix with dark corn syrup and light brown sugar. Pour the mixture over the crispy corn and rice cereal mixture. Stir and shake to coat all the nuts and cereal.
4. Pour the coated mixture into the prepared roasting pan. Stirring approximately every 15 minutes, cook 1 hour in the preheated oven. Cool on wax paper, and store in airtight containers.

Manchester by the Sea Scallops

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Manchester by the Sea)

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons seasoning salt1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
• 16 sea scallops, rinsed and drained
• 2 tablespoons olive oi
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 4 teaspoons lemon juice, divided

1. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, oregano, thyme and lemon pepper. Roll scallops in flour mixture until lightly coated on all sides.
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet or frying pan over high heat. Add 4 scallops to the pan and sear on all sides (about 2 minutes for each side). After turning scallops, add 1 tablespoon parsley and 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Remove scallops from pan and place on a plate in the oven to keep warm until ready to serve.
3. Repeat until remaining scallops are cooked, tossing each batch with parsley and lemon juice.

Hell or High Watercress Salad

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Hell or High Water)

• 1 English (European) seedless cucumber, diced
• 1 1/2 cups watercress leaves, the yield of a healthy bundle from the market
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 3 tablespoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• Coarse salt

1. Combine cucumbers and watercress in a large bowl.
2. Whisk the honey, vinegar, and water together.
3. Pour over salad and toss well to combine.
4. Season with dill and salt and toss salad again.

Hacksaw Ribs

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Hacksaw Ridge)

• 3 pounds baby back ribs, trimmed
• salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

1. Season ribs with salt and pepper.
2. Pour water into slow cooker. Layer the ribs into the slow cooker. Top the ribs with onion and garlic.
3. Cook on High for 4 hours (or Low for 8 hours).
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Transfer ribs to a baking sheet. Discard onion and garlic. Coat ribs with barbeque sauce.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the sauce caramelizes and sticks to the meat, 10 to 15 minutes.

Lionaise Potatoes

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Lion)

• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 onions, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup butter
• salt to taste
• ground white pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Place sliced potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil 2 minutes, then drain and set aside.
3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in olive oil, then add onions. Saute until lightly caramelized, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and saute until onions are deep brown and garlic is soft. Transfer mixture to a bowl.
4. Place skillet back on stove over low heat. Melt butter, then cover bottom of pan with 1/3 of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cover potatoes with 1/2 of onion mixture. Cover with 1/2 of remaining potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Spread with the rest of onion mixture. Cover with remaining potatoes, and season with more salt and pepper.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until potatoes are tender and browned on top. Remove from oven and use a spatula to carefully transfer potatoes to a serving platter. Sprinkle with chopped parsley just before serving.

La La Lasagna

(made for the Oscar nominated film, La La Land)

• 1 bag of frozen cheese ravioli (25 oz)
• 1 lb of ground beef, browned
• 3 cans of crushed tomatoes (14 or 15 oz each)
• 1 tablespoon of Italian Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon of Garlic Salt
• 4 cups of mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional)

1. In a large skillet brown the beef completely and drain off any remaining fat.
2. Stir in all the cans of tomatoes, and seasonings.
3. In a 6 quart crock pot, cover the bottom with some of the sauce.
4. Then place a layer of ravioli across the bottom.
5. Then place a layer of the mozzarella cheese.
6. Continue this until all the meat sauce and the ravioli is used.
7. You want to end with the meat sauce on top.
8. Then top with the leftover mozzarella cheese and add the parmesan cheese on top (completely optional).
9. Cook on low for 4 hours.
10. Turn off and let it sit for about 15 minutes before you serve. Cut and serve. Serve with your favorite side salad and crusty garlic bread.

Perfect Fence Fries

(made for the Oscar nominated film Fences)

• 5 pounds russet potatoes
• Vegetable or peanut oil, for frying
• Sea salt

1. Peel and rinse the potatoes. Then cut them into sticks by cutting the potato in 4 or 5 vertical pieces, and then cutting each piece into sticks.
2. Place them in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow them to soak, 2 to 3 hours. (You can also stick them in the fridge and let them soak overnight.)
3. When you’re ready to make the fries, drain off the water and lay the potatoes on 2 baking sheets lined with paper towels. Blot with paper towels to dry them.
4. Heat a few inches of oil in a heavy pot to 300 degrees F. In 3 or 4 batches, cook the potatoes until soft, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should not be brown at this point! You just want to start the cooking process. Remove each batch and drain on new/dry paper towels.
5. Once all the potatoes have been fried at 300 degrees F, turn up the heat until the oil reaches 400 degrees F. When the oil’s hot, start frying the potatoes in batches again, cooking until the fries are golden and crisp. Remove the potatoes from the oil and drain on paper towels.
6. Sprinkle with sea salt and dive in!

Bacon Wrapped Hidden Fig-ures

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Hidden Figures)

• 1 (4-oz.) goat cheese log, softened
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 6 large fresh figs
• 12 toasted pecan halves
• 12 ready-to-serve bacon slices

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Stir together goat cheese and basil. Cut figs in half lengthwise.
3. Place 1 heaping teaspoonful goat cheese mixture and 1 toasted pecan half on cut side of each fig half.
4. Wrap 1 ready-to-serve bacon slice around each fig half, and secure with a wooden pick.
5. Place figs on a wire rack in a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan, and bake 6 to 8 minutes or until bacon is crisp and browned.

Ar-rival Crockpot Rulled Pork Nachos

(made for the Oscar nominated film, Arrival)

Servings: 10-12

Pulled Pork

• 2-3 pound pork shoulder
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup mustard

Toppings

• Tortilla chips
• Red onion
• BBQ sauce
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• Diced tomatoes
• Sour cream
• Salsa
• Cilantro

1. Place pork, onion, and seasonings into a 6-quart slow cooker. Mix to coat meat in seasonings. Add ketchup and mustard, spreading evenly over the outside of the meat.2. Set slow cooker to High and cook for 4 hours, until the meat pulls apart easily. Alternatively, the meat can be cooked on the Low setting for 8 hours.3. Remove meat from slow cooker and transfer it to a bowl or cutting board. Using two forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces.4. Preheat oven to 400˚F/200˚C.5. Using a cast-iron pan or other oven-safe dish, assemble the nachos layer by layer. Chips, then pork, onion, BBQ sauce, and cheese. Repeat as desired for additional layers.6. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling.7. Top with sour cream, salsa, and cilantro.8. Enjoy!

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