The GAIA Health Blog

Some Healthy Food Fun:    Dinner and a Movie
She's Gotta Have It

On the menu She's Gotta Have ... Deep Fried Turkey and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Video How to make marinade inject turkey, How to safely deep fry turkey

"I don't believe in labels, but what are you gonna do?
--Nola Darling.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

1986. I was 2 years out of college and full of optimism. I was working at Amoco Oil, now part of British Petroleum. When I saw She's Gotta Have It at the Fine Arts Theater in the South Loop in Chicago, I thought it was the most creative movie I ever saw. Spike Lee's first creation was a foreshadowing on his filmmaking genius. As heavy as Spike often hits his audience with his "In your face" social commentary and race relations movies like "Jungle Fever" and "Do the Right Thing", I found that I watched those movies only once, and in spite of the brilliant cinematography, I never watched them again. Too intense for me. However, his other "slice of life" stuff, like "Mo Better Blues" and " She's Gotta Have It", can be appreciated over time for their style and artistry. And I love his recent mainstream creation, with Jodi Foster and Denzel, "Inside Man".

Before there was Samantha from Sex In the City, and before it was the "in vogue" thing for women to express their new found free and easy sexuality, there was Nola Darling, the star of this movie. She uses the word "Freak" in a time where the word was basically Taboo. Now, the word is used in every hip hop song, by males and females, almost like some badge of honor, the license to express your freedom and sexuality. Although when you think about it, it's really a crowd mentality and there is nothing innovative about the word "Freak" in 2012.

Wow, where did the time go? This movie is now over 25 years old. And to me, it is one of those modern day classics that is still just as creative and funny as when it first came out. I have always been a big fan of the old black and white movies, but to do it in an age of color filmmaking only foreshadows Spikes filmmaking genius. The movie still works.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie, I am recreating Nola Darling's Thanksgiving meal by doing Deep Fried Turkey with garlic mashed potatoes. And to honor the style Spikes first movie in true "She's Gotta Have It" spirit, I am present my "Dinner and a Movie" food potography in this post in black and white :)

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

She Gotta Have....

...Deep Fried Turkey and Garlic Mashed Potatoes

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

--1/2 cup grass fed milk, 2tsp grass fed butter
--6 or 7 organic potatoes
--1/4 cup grass fed Parmesan, or other cheese, grated
--1/2 teaspoon Pink Himakayan salt
--1/8 teaspoon organic coarse ground pepper
--7 cups peeled and cubed organic onions
Preparation:

Place potatoes and garlic in a saucepan. Cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Simmer 20 minutes; drain. Place drained potatoes and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add remaining ingredients; beat with mixer until smooth. Garnish with cloves, basil, or green spice of choice. Serves 6 to 8.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

Turkey marinade

--16oz organic virgin olive oil
--16oz apple cider or coconut oil vinegar
--1/2 cup organic cayenne pepper
--1/2 cup organic black pepper
--1 cup Creole seasoning
--2 tablespoons organic garlic powder

Directions

Create Salad dressing by mixing Olive Oil and Apple Cider vinegar, equal portions of each, add spices if desired. In a medium bowl, mix dressing, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Creole seasoning, and garlic powder. Rub over turkey, using remaining Italian dressing to fill cavity. Allow turkey to marinate 8 hours, or overnight, before deep-frying as desired.

Deep Fried Turkey Ingredients

--3 gallons organic coconut oil (AVOID ALL OTHER COOKING OILS INCLUDING ALL FROM VIDEO ON RIGHT. NONE ARE HEALTHY!!!)
--1 (12 pound) pasture fed whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
--1/4 cup Creole seasoning
--1 organic white onion

see video at right to safely and properly fry a deep fried turley

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________________________

She's Gotta Have It Facts and Trivia:

Budget: $175,000 (estimated) , Gross: $7,137,502 (USA)

--One of the all time top grossing movies, in porportion to the production budget. (Although no movie comes close to the Blair Witch Project: Budget: $740,000, Gross: $248,000,000)

 

--Director Spike Lee wanted to cast Eriq La Salle in the role of Greer Childs, but La Salle thought the role was too shallow, and had joined the Screen Actors Guild, making him ineligible for the part.

 

--Because the film's budget was so tight, there were no retakes of any scenes.

 

--The film originally was going to get an "X" rating due to its sexual content. However, after Lee edited some of the sex scenes it received an "R" rating.

 

--Whenever the cast broke for a meal, Spike Lee would tell them not to throw away the aluminum soda cans because would turn them in for recycling money.

 

--The film was shot in 12 days.

 

--Spike said he decided to play the role of Mars halfway through writing the script.

 

--Spike's father, brother, and sister all participated in the film, through the music score, photography, and acting.

 

--Spike never have acting lessons.

 

--The actors in the movie had to wait a year to get paid. ~dw~

list of all entries in "Dinner and a Movie"
to comment about this page go here