From Goodfellas (1990)
Ziti with Meat Gravy
Reconstructed
In the movie
Theatrical
- Henry's last day as a wiseguy — between drug runs and glancing up at the helicopter he's convinced is tailing him, he's home braising the meats for the gravy and warning his brother not to let the sauce stick
Ingredients
Steps
- Pat the beef, pork butt, and veal shanks dry and brown them hard in the olive oil, in batches, until deeply colored on all sides. This is the "start braising the meats" step Henry keeps narrating.
- Soften the sliced garlic in the same pot, then crush in the tomatoes and pour in the wine.
- Return all the meat to the pot, season, and bring to a low simmer.
- Braise gently for three to four hours — and, like Henry warns his brother, don't let it stick, keep stirring it — until the meats are tender enough to pull apart.
- Lift out the meat, shred or slice it, and return as much as you like to the gravy.
- Boil the ziti until just al dente, drain, and toss with plenty of the meat gravy.
- Plate the ziti, spoon extra gravy and meat over the top, and finish with grated pecorino. In the film the family finally sits down to it at 10:45 at night.
In the movie
The ziti with meat gravy is the anchor of Goodfellas' frantic "last day" sequence — May 11, 1980. Between cocaine deliveries, a gun deal, and a helicopter he's sure is following him, Henry is also home cooking his brother's favorite dinner: beef, pork butt, and veal shanks braising down into the gravy for the ziti, with cutlets, roasted peppers, and string beans rounding out the meal. He's narrating the menu even as his world collapses. It's a reconstruction built from Henry's own voiceover — the film lists the components without publishing quantities — but every element is named on screen.