What to Eat While Watching the Best Movies on Netflix
These days, "Netflix & Chill" is more of an obligation than a suggestion. There's no shortage of movies to watch on Netflix, but did you know that you could use those movies to inspire your food choices?
Our friends at Petite Gourmets have done just that, and they've given us a list of both new and classic movies on Netflix, and their suggested food pairings.
Extraction & Cauliflower Dahl
Extraction tells the story of a mercenary named Tyler Rake (played by Chris Hemsworth) who is tasked with rescuing the son of an Indian drug lord from a rival drug lord based in Bangladesh. Directed by Sam Hargrave (stunt coordinator on Avengers: Endgame and Captain America: Civil War), the film mostly takes place in and around the busy streets of India and Bangladesh. Those locations inspire this Indian-style cauliflower dahl soup; it's aroma will make you feel like you're in the streets with Hemsworth, and it's healthy enough to keep you as toned as he is, too!
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy & Vegan Brownies
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is based on John le Carré's labyrinthine 1974 spy novel, first adapted for television as an award-winning miniseries in 1979. This 2011 feature won plenty of awards, too (including three BAFTAs). The film is a virtual "who's who" of respected British actors, including Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, and Tom Hardy (just to name a few). This film takes its time as Oldman's George Smiley hunts down a Russian double agent in the British Intelligence Service, so the recommended pairing here is a 4-ingredient vegan fit brownie. This 127-minute mystery is a slow burn, so the coffee and natural sugars in these brownies will help keep you focused.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Spenser Confidential & Raw Energy Bars with Nuts
Spenser Confidential marks the fifth collaboration between star Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg. This Netflix Original is very loosely based on Robert B. Parker's classic private eye, and in this iteration, Spenser (Wahlberg) is both an ex-cop and an ex-con. Wahlberg co-stars in this action comedy with Winston Duke (Black Panther, Us), and since both of these actors put the work in to stay fit, we think this homemade raw energy bar with nuts is the perfect match. As you munch on these bars, you might inspired to hit the weights just like the stars do!
The Shawshank Redemption & Mini Pancakes
The Shawshank Redemption is a modern-day classic, and is one of the best adaptations of a Stephen King work ever to hit the big screen. Although the idea of being locked up might hit a little too close to home these days, the movie is almost a sort of cinematic comfort food; no matter how many times you've seen it, it's still worth watching again. So keeping in the comfort food vein, we're recommending these mini-pancakes, and make sure to have your maple syrup ready.
The Shawshank Redemption
Uncorked & A Pink Smoothie Bowl
Uncorked is a family drama about a young man named Elijah (Mamoudou Athie) at odds with his father (Courtney B. Vance) about his future. Will Elijah take over the family barbecue business, or will he pursue his dream of being a sommelier? You might think barbecue would be the obvious food pairing, but we're going to focus instead on Elijah's dreams with this pink smoothie bowl. Light and refreshing, you'll feel above the clouds with your first spoonful.
The Irishman & Irish Whiskey Punch
The Irishman can be seen as a sort of capstone to Martin Scorsese's career. The film has Things to Say about nostalgia, regret, and legacies, and naturally features familiar longtime Scorsese collaborators Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci. And though Al Pacino is no stranger to gangster movies, it's somewhat amazing that this 2019 film marked the first time that he's worked with Scorsese.
DeNiro plays the titular Irishman, longtime Irish-America hitman Frank Sheeran, and our pairing for this film is an Irish whiskey punch. The recipe makes enough servings for eight people; its unlikely you'll have that many folks over to serve this party style, but if you make this punch ahead of time, you'll be able to enjoy a couple of glasses during the film's three and a half hour runtime.
For more delicious recipes, visit Petite Gourmets.
