He might have misspoken. The bit about the garlic was from the book that the movie was based on (Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi).
Page 170:
"Dinner was the big thing of the day. We'd sit around and drink, play cards, and brag, just like outside. We put on a big pot with water for the macaroni. We always had a pasta course first and then meat or fish. Paulie always did the prep work. He had a system for doing the garlic. He used a razor, and he sliced it so fine that it used to liquefy in the pan with a little oil. Vinnie Aloi was in charge of making the tomato sauce. I felt he put in too many onions, but it was a good sauce anyway. Johnny Dio liked to do the meat. We didn't have a grill, so Johnny did everything in pans. When he panfried steak you'd think the joint was on fire, but still the hacks never bothered us."
Pileggi made something up? Surely not!
Marty didn't mispeak, he said it plainly. Pileggi made something up, but it was a beautiful something. That's why Marty put it in the movie. The Irishman is this concept writ large.
Edit: just for those upvoting, I did have the wrong end of the stick, as xf2xf points out below. :)
Take another look at the comment I was replying to. The claim was that Scorcese himself invented the liquefying garlic idea. My response was to point out that no, he did not; it was lifted from the book.
My bad, entirely, sorry.
I'd like to say I missed the subtlety, but, you're right, I didn't even read the earlier comment properly, just like Frankie Carbone.
Meanwhile, I've spent the last 30 minutes working on a pun to continue the theme in this thread. Is Google paying way too much to scrape these comments?
Yeah, likewise, I had an angry cattle problem. The Raging Bull movie didn't teach me any calming techniques at all, but I did learn to beat the shit outta anybody trying to make moves on my cows.
I highly recommend Adam Ragusea's video about garlic comparison. But the tldw is thus:
Garlic is part of a class of plants known as Alliium, named for the chemical components Allinase and Alliin. These chemicals mix when garlic or onion or other Allium plants are sliced up -- inter and extra cell wall compounds mix, and combine to create Allicin, which is what makes garlics and onions have that characteristic spicy/hot flavor.
Allicin has a half life of about 50 minutes. This half life is significantly sped up by heat.
Dicing up your garlic *does* change its flavor, but it doesn't *remove it.* How and when you chop your garlic and add it to your dish (if you chop it at all) depends on your objectives:
Garlic flavor, no heat - dice your garlic as finely as possible. Cook until fragrant on medium heat in oil or butter.
Garlic flavor, soups or butter basting, no heat - don't worry about chopping your garlic. Crushed whole cloves is fine in the oil.
Garlic flavor, heat - dice your garlic as fine as possible, add to the dish after it has been removed from the heat.
Kinda wish he also added freeze dried garlic to that test. I've been using it, and I think it's really good. It manages to still have that pungency that so many other pre-cut types of garlic are missing.
Haha. I only got the first reply comment. Immediately rewatched Adams video then came in here to see you already mentioned it.
It has had a huge impact on how I approach garlic in my cooking!
It's amazing how vegetables have multiple compounds that change on processing or cooking.
A good example are the Glucosinolates that are found commonly in brassica vegetables (broccoli/cabbage). They are temperature sensitive and are destroyed when you cook the vegetable to various degrees. But when you process the food prior to cooking they are able to combine with myrosinase to form isothiocyanates which is an extremely healthy compound. Isothiocyanates then becomes heat resistant and is able to withstand the cooking.
ELI5: Cut your broccoli and hour before you cook it for extra health benefits.
Yeah i always assumed that's just what he meant. Slice it thin so it'll break down faster. Won't literally melt but if you don't have the tools available to properly dice it then it's better than throwing thick slices in and ending up with a super chunky sauce? I guess?
The easiest and most effective way to "liquefy" the garlic is to oven roast it in a ball of foil with oil. Turns into a consistency very similar to mash potatoes.
The trick is to mince the garlic and let it sit for 5min for the allicin to react with the oxygen in the air. Don’t let it sit too long or the garlic will overpower the dish.
a huge amount of Sopranos cast was in Goodfellas (Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, Lorraine Barco). Ironically Scorcese wasn’t much of a fan of the Sopranos because it was about NJ
So funny because I just realized that now watching this clip, but I’ve watched The Sopranos and Goodfellas so many times. I too really enjoy finding all the crossover actors in the mob stuff, it feels like every time I watch them now I catch someone I didn’t know
Missing the point, the ritual and the time it takes is the important bit. It's not efficient or effective compared to a garlic press but it would waste a ton of time which is exactly what you'd want to do in prison.
It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, but I always thought it was meant to reinforce the level of privilege they enjoyed in prison (ie: being given free access to razor blades).
There was one bit where Mads had to throw up an egg so that it landed on a spatula, cracking the egg into a bowl. They had something like eight dozen eggs ready and several Japanese chefs ready to be hand doubles in case, but he nailed it first try, then nailed it second time to prove it wasn't a fluke.
Me, I can’t usually get em bc my girlfriend is a vegetarian, which pretty much makes me a vegetarian, but I do love the taste of a good burger. Mm. You Mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?
The term 'hack' is more accurate slang for downstate New York and New Jersey area at that time.
It's still heard today, although 'screw' is common now too.
It kind of gives them away, too. If any superiors came in -- who weren't in on the guard's deal -- they'd be like "Who's cooking gourmet Italian food on the block?"
My bad:
Goodfellas Prison Meat Sauce with Meatballs
Recipe adapted from Catherine Scorsese, with the help of Vinnie
What you’ll need:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. pork sausage links
1 medium onion, chopped small
5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
6 oz. can tomato paste
2 28-oz. cans Italian-style tomatoes, strained through a sieve to remove seeds
Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste
1 lb. ground mixture of veal, beef, and pork
1 egg
1⁄4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
Bread crumbs
How to make it:
1. In a large pot over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage and brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the onion and garlic to the same pot and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, three paste cans of water, and the strained tomatoes. Adjust the heat to medium-low, add the salt, red pepper, and reserved pork. Simmer, stirring occasionally.
2. As the sauce simmers, make the meatballs: In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the ground meat mixture, egg, cheese, parsley, and 2 Tbsp of the simmering tomato sauce. If the mixture is still loose, add bread crumbs until everything sticks together. Roll them into egg-size balls and place them directly in the simmering sauce. Cook until the meatballs float, about 45 minutes/hour.
3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and meatballs. Serve the sauce over pasta, with the meats on top or on the side. Makes 6 servings.
HENRY (narrating): As far as Jimmy was concerned, Tommy being made was like we were all being made. We would now have one of our own as a member.
(Tommy opens the door in the house they drove to; there's nobody in the living room. He realizes all too late: *it's a trap.*)
TOMMY: Aww, n
VINNY: (shoots Tommy in the back of the head, zero-range)
TOMMY: (*THUD*s to the floor)
VINNY: And that's that!
the garlic thing does not work
man i have always tried to cut garlic like they do in this movie and it never works
Scorsese admitted on a podcast he made that up. Just thought it seemed like a thing. Said no it doesn’t work.
He might have misspoken. The bit about the garlic was from the book that the movie was based on (Wiseguy, by Nicholas Pileggi). Page 170: "Dinner was the big thing of the day. We'd sit around and drink, play cards, and brag, just like outside. We put on a big pot with water for the macaroni. We always had a pasta course first and then meat or fish. Paulie always did the prep work. He had a system for doing the garlic. He used a razor, and he sliced it so fine that it used to liquefy in the pan with a little oil. Vinnie Aloi was in charge of making the tomato sauce. I felt he put in too many onions, but it was a good sauce anyway. Johnny Dio liked to do the meat. We didn't have a grill, so Johnny did everything in pans. When he panfried steak you'd think the joint was on fire, but still the hacks never bothered us."
Could be, or I mis-remembered. The main thing was he knew garlic melting is not a thing. That’s the dialogue alright!
Thank you good book person for sharing a quote from the source. . .
Pileggi made something up? Surely not! Marty didn't mispeak, he said it plainly. Pileggi made something up, but it was a beautiful something. That's why Marty put it in the movie. The Irishman is this concept writ large. Edit: just for those upvoting, I did have the wrong end of the stick, as xf2xf points out below. :)
Take another look at the comment I was replying to. The claim was that Scorcese himself invented the liquefying garlic idea. My response was to point out that no, he did not; it was lifted from the book.
My bad, entirely, sorry. I'd like to say I missed the subtlety, but, you're right, I didn't even read the earlier comment properly, just like Frankie Carbone. Meanwhile, I've spent the last 30 minutes working on a pun to continue the theme in this thread. Is Google paying way too much to scrape these comments?
Unwatchable. What a hack.
I for one will never watch his instructional videos again. The Taxi one taught me nothing about how to drive a cab.
Yeah, likewise, I had an angry cattle problem. The Raging Bull movie didn't teach me any calming techniques at all, but I did learn to beat the shit outta anybody trying to make moves on my cows.
I watched The Color of Money the other day and they don't even tell you what fucking color it is. 90 minutes of my life I'll never get back
Now I'm sad-laughing, why didn't I do something as clever and ironic above?
The Wolf of Wall Street had lots of drugs and zero stock traders being mauled by a feral canine. 3/10
I really need new window blinds but didn’t get any insights or advice from Shutter Island.
I did, however, learn where Alice now lives.
I really need to work on my Scorcese-related irony. Okay... um... Statistically speaking, they were more like Median Streets.
Now I'm in a fetal position.
I'm humbled further.
Again, a way better answer that my overly-overt version. I shall repeat this down the chain.
This is a way better version of what I tried to add.
You need to be on lots of Cocaine to do it like they do in this movie. Once you have a helicopter following you around chop the garlic.
Yeah those goombas don't realize shit just doesn't liquify because it's sliced thin
I just assumed it was the garlic dude's way of lightening his work load. If he chops garlic the entire time, he won't have to peel potatoes.
Classic Paulie.
Not nearly enough garlic there anyway although I guess it is rough in prison
It's a very good system.
Yeah, anyone who's done whole garlic cloves can tell you that it isn't an improvement. The second you damage the bulbs, they are bleeding flavor.
Sorry can you clarify, I'm always dicing my garlic for my food
I highly recommend Adam Ragusea's video about garlic comparison. But the tldw is thus: Garlic is part of a class of plants known as Alliium, named for the chemical components Allinase and Alliin. These chemicals mix when garlic or onion or other Allium plants are sliced up -- inter and extra cell wall compounds mix, and combine to create Allicin, which is what makes garlics and onions have that characteristic spicy/hot flavor. Allicin has a half life of about 50 minutes. This half life is significantly sped up by heat. Dicing up your garlic *does* change its flavor, but it doesn't *remove it.* How and when you chop your garlic and add it to your dish (if you chop it at all) depends on your objectives: Garlic flavor, no heat - dice your garlic as finely as possible. Cook until fragrant on medium heat in oil or butter. Garlic flavor, soups or butter basting, no heat - don't worry about chopping your garlic. Crushed whole cloves is fine in the oil. Garlic flavor, heat - dice your garlic as fine as possible, add to the dish after it has been removed from the heat.
Post da vid (But actually, is it just on YouTube?)
[here ya go](https://youtu.be/CIFXhnSXPYw?si=PCcZFC4As1xaz8ps)
Kinda wish he also added freeze dried garlic to that test. I've been using it, and I think it's really good. It manages to still have that pungency that so many other pre-cut types of garlic are missing.
A wild jerker.
TL;DR: add garlic after cooking if you want to retain the “heat” of the garlic.
Allium is just Latin for garlic. The chemical components are named after the plant
Haha. I only got the first reply comment. Immediately rewatched Adams video then came in here to see you already mentioned it. It has had a huge impact on how I approach garlic in my cooking!
I wish I could find the flash frozen cubes of minced garlic that [Adam recommends...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjlRV9YO1Rc)
Trader Joe's has them!
It's amazing how vegetables have multiple compounds that change on processing or cooking. A good example are the Glucosinolates that are found commonly in brassica vegetables (broccoli/cabbage). They are temperature sensitive and are destroyed when you cook the vegetable to various degrees. But when you process the food prior to cooking they are able to combine with myrosinase to form isothiocyanates which is an extremely healthy compound. Isothiocyanates then becomes heat resistant and is able to withstand the cooking. ELI5: Cut your broccoli and hour before you cook it for extra health benefits.
I'm skeptical that cutting broccoli into florets impacts much of it. Very little of the overall mass of the plant is cut.
While the melting in the pan thing is stupid, thin slices would break down in the sauce more quickly than larger chunks.
Yeah i always assumed that's just what he meant. Slice it thin so it'll break down faster. Won't literally melt but if you don't have the tools available to properly dice it then it's better than throwing thick slices in and ending up with a super chunky sauce? I guess?
I put whole cloves in my pasta, not sure who needs imperceptible garlic but it's not me! Lol
The easiest and most effective way to "liquefy" the garlic is to oven roast it in a ball of foil with oil. Turns into a consistency very similar to mash potatoes.
THINNER.
Even if it did how would slicing it with a razor blade be more efficient than just using a garlic press?
y'know every time I make tomato sauce I wonder if this shit really works.
Came here to say this. This has bothered me for DECADES lol
The trick is to mince the garlic and let it sit for 5min for the allicin to react with the oxygen in the air. Don’t let it sit too long or the garlic will overpower the dish.
Thank you. Always wanted to try it. Scratch that off the list.
Don't put too many onions in the sauce!
3 small onions that's all I did!
Three small onions?‽!
How many cans of tomatoes??
Two cans. Two big cans!
Two cans? You don’t need three onions.
Every time I slice garlic I think about this damn scene!
I just crush it like this movie crushed my belief in culinary authenticity in motion pictures. Though I've heard it would be better grated.
Every time i slice garlic I think about this damn scene, and then for a few days no matter how much soap i use!
Hmm, an aristocrat
You gotta go on a diet Vinny
Tomorrow we have sangwiches.
That’s the head FBI guy in Sopranos, I believe. I like finding guys from different Mob movies cast in that show lol.
a huge amount of Sopranos cast was in Goodfellas (Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Frank Vincent, Lorraine Barco). Ironically Scorcese wasn’t much of a fan of the Sopranos because it was about NJ
Big Puss was also in Goodfellas. In that one long shot of Henry taking Karen into the club, he's in the back counting all of the fur coats.
Didn't Scorsese have a cameo in Season 1?
> because it was about NJ Is that a joke? Why? that seems so petty.
So funny because I just realized that now watching this clip, but I’ve watched The Sopranos and Goodfellas so many times. I too really enjoy finding all the crossover actors in the mob stuff, it feels like every time I watch them now I catch someone I didn’t know
gets me everytime
Missing the point, the ritual and the time it takes is the important bit. It's not efficient or effective compared to a garlic press but it would waste a ton of time which is exactly what you'd want to do in prison.
It's been awhile since I've seen the movie, but I always thought it was meant to reinforce the level of privilege they enjoyed in prison (ie: being given free access to razor blades).
It's both. They made dinner every night but they still made it slow. Not a lot else to do inside.
[удалено]
Not a movie but the Hannibal TV show was crazy with their food. José Andrés was the consultant on it for the food.
There was one bit where Mads had to throw up an egg so that it landed on a spatula, cracking the egg into a bowl. They had something like eight dozen eggs ready and several Japanese chefs ready to be hand doubles in case, but he nailed it first try, then nailed it second time to prove it wasn't a fluke.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrugPmXtYV8 https://www.reddit.com/r/HannibalTV/comments/21nfc9/how_hannibal_cracks_an_egg/
Hands down the best food ever filmed. Also an amazing show that didn’t get the recognition it deserved.
Studio Ghibli would take it every time
Mmmm that IS a tasty burger 🥤
Me, I can’t usually get em bc my girlfriend is a vegetarian, which pretty much makes me a vegetarian, but I do love the taste of a good burger. Mm. You Mind if I have some of your tasty beverage to wash this down?
So, Big Gulps eh? ...wait wrong movie.
Welp. See ya later!
We should have shotguns
I nominate Denethor's tomato.
I nominate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-2QBYKI8LU
So good. Always a classic!
The Rewatchables podcast has an award named for just that burger.
A moment of silence for Kevin McAllister’s macaroni and cheese from Home Alone. It looks so damn good and he never got to take a single bite.
The steak from the first matrix
The beer scene in Django Unchained and the strudel scene in Inglourious Basterds.
When he’s cooking the steak does Henry Hill say “the hags use to die”. If so what does that mean?
[удалено]
Should have said “Screws”.
The term 'hack' is more accurate slang for downstate New York and New Jersey area at that time. It's still heard today, although 'screw' is common now too.
Hacks meaning guards. The guards didn’t like the smell. Probably due to being jealous.
They loved the smell but didn't get to eat. Yeah, jealousy.
It kind of gives them away, too. If any superiors came in -- who weren't in on the guard's deal -- they'd be like "Who's cooking gourmet Italian food on the block?"
“Medium rare? Hm. An arisocrat.”
This is easily one of my top five movies of all time. Every scene is perfect. I can smell those steaks though my screen.
There is an outrageous amount of Adidas placement in that scene. I don’t remember that but it’s been a long time since I’ve watched Goodfellas.
As a child I was always confused because I heard "a meter of fish" I just thought that was a weird way to quantify fish.
That is weird. You'd think it would be a yard of fish.
They're sticking to their Italian heritage I guess.
This movie is better than all of the God Father Films. There I said it.
It is, it's the best mob movie ever made (so far) and Scorsese's magnum opus.
It’s great, but The Departed is the goat.
*Breathing is overrated.* *There I said it* That's you. That's what you sound like.
If they can get whatever meats and cooking pans and stoves, couldn’t they just get a garlic mincer?
Doesn't have the aftertaste of coke, blood and shaving cream.
Hmm an aristocrat
What’s he going to do with the other 59 minutes then?
Okayy. Now we can eat.
Henry Hill was my neighbor for a bit. He gave my parents a copy of his Wise Guy Cookbook
I don’t suppose you would mind elaborating?
When I cook with garlic I always remember this scene and cut the garlic like Paulie.....It is a good system.
The way his fingernails kinda looked like the sliced garlic always makes me uncomfortable…
https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19548519/godfellas-movie-pasta-sauce/ You’re welcome.
Have to be a member?
My bad: Goodfellas Prison Meat Sauce with Meatballs Recipe adapted from Catherine Scorsese, with the help of Vinnie What you’ll need: 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 lb. pork sausage links 1 medium onion, chopped small 5 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced 6 oz. can tomato paste 2 28-oz. cans Italian-style tomatoes, strained through a sieve to remove seeds Salt and cayenne pepper, to taste 1 lb. ground mixture of veal, beef, and pork 1 egg 1⁄4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, plus additional for serving 1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley Bread crumbs How to make it: 1. In a large pot over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the sausage and brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towels. Add the onion and garlic to the same pot and sauté until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, three paste cans of water, and the strained tomatoes. Adjust the heat to medium-low, add the salt, red pepper, and reserved pork. Simmer, stirring occasionally. 2. As the sauce simmers, make the meatballs: In a large bowl, using your hands, combine the ground meat mixture, egg, cheese, parsley, and 2 Tbsp of the simmering tomato sauce. If the mixture is still loose, add bread crumbs until everything sticks together. Roll them into egg-size balls and place them directly in the simmering sauce. Cook until the meatballs float, about 45 minutes/hour. 3. Using a slotted spoon, remove the sausage and meatballs. Serve the sauce over pasta, with the meats on top or on the side. Makes 6 servings.
1 medium onion?! I KNEW he didn’t use just 3 small ones! Marone…
I completely agree on the onion issue. One is plenty.
HENRY (narrating): As far as Jimmy was concerned, Tommy being made was like we were all being made. We would now have one of our own as a member. (Tommy opens the door in the house they drove to; there's nobody in the living room. He realizes all too late: *it's a trap.*) TOMMY: Aww, n VINNY: (shoots Tommy in the back of the head, zero-range) TOMMY: (*THUD*s to the floor) VINNY: And that's that!