Sofia: βLetβs get a bite to eat.β Β
Oz: βRight now?β
Sofia: βRight now. I know a place.β
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
When youβre scrambling to the top, only the finest food will do β¦ and hold the cilantro. Or coriander, as we tend to call it. Yes, despite the socioeconomic turmoil tearing Gotham apart, the deadly and the dangerous are downing cocktails and literally stuffing their faces. But Gotham is nothing if not diverse, and its cuisine a veritable melting pot (if youβll forgive the clichΓ© and the pun). Letβs tuck in.
Dirty martiniΒ πΈ
Call us crazy, but we love Sofia; and Sofia loves a dirty martini, as we learn during her meal with Oz in episode 1. At this point, we know little about Sofia, except that sheβs recently been released from Arkham. But the frayed edges of this poor little rich girl and the upbringing she had soon start showing as she delights in gobbling down her food and putting her arms on the table in defiance of her dead daddyβs hypocritical call for decorum. Also: is it our imagination or are they eating cobb salads?
Make a dirty martini
50ml gin or vodka
2.5ml vermouth
2.5 ml olive brine
3 olives
- Pour the liquids into a cocktail shaker or mixing glass filled with ice.
- Stir, or shake if youβre James Bond, for 30 seconds. Β
- Strain into a martini glass.
- Spear three olives onto a cocktail stick and add to the glass.
Slush PuppiesΒ π₯€Β
βItβs better, right? When you mix the flavors?β Oz has a fondness for Slush Puppies, and apparently, theyβre better mixed. Oz and Victor finally get to enjoy mixed Slushies at the end of their βwork dayβ, Β having successfully pinned Albertoβs murder on the Maronis.
Latino dishesΒ π²π½Β π΅π·π©π΄π΅π¦
Episode 3 is a Victor-centred episode, as we delve into his backstory and find out what happened to his family. Victor opens up to Oz about how much his father loved cooking. βIn his heart, the man was a chef,β Victor says, mentioning how he made Latino dishes like carnitas and sancocho.
If you love pulled pork, you may want to try making carnitas. Literally meaning βsmall meatsβ, this Mexican dish is made using pork shoulder that is braised with lime and spices. Itβs quite time-consuming, so best left for weekend feasting.
Making sancocho can also be time-consuming, but you can freeze it in batches (or freeze leftovers), making it the ideal weeknight meal since all youβll need to do is heat and eat. Perfect for winter, this stew is popular in many Latin American countries including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Panama. It consists of various kinds of meat and hearty vegetables and can be served with or without rice β just make sure you donβt add coriander, if youβre eating with Oz.
Earlier in the episode, we get a chance to meet Victorβs family. His father is busy whipping up arroz borracho, which means "drunken rice". This is a Puerto Rican dish and gets its name thanks to the beer used to steam the rice. Yum! Whatβs also noteworthy about this scene is that the Spanish is not sub-titled. Given that itβs the second most common language in the United States, it makes sense that itβs not. After all, if Batman and Jim Gordon (in The Batman) had bothered to brush up on their Spanish, they may have caught the Riddler sooner and without Ozβs help!
French classicsΒ π«π·
Back in the present, Oz and Victor are enjoying a meal in a fancy shmancy restaurant β they have tablecloths and everything β serving the kind of food youβd expect from a place like that. Not that itβs bad food or even complicated. Oz and Victor order French classics coq au vin and steak frites, both of which are simple to prepare, but utterly delicious. Ozβs dish, coq au vin (literally translating to βcock with wineβ), involves braising chicken in red wine. Vic orders the steak frites (βsteak and friesβ) and nothing could be quicker and simpler to whip together on a weeknight, especially if you cheat and use an air fryer.
Pasta and meatballsΒ π
Itβs not the first time this Italian-American staple has found its way into film and television. In The Godfather, Clemenza teaches Michael how to make the perfect sauce for meatballs and sausage β¦
β¦ and this looks very similar to what the Falcones are eating during their final dinner, in episode 4.
Red wineΒ π·
Thereβs nothing like a good red with your pasta and meatballs β¦ just make sure when you toast, that you mean it. When Sofia sits down to eat with her family in episode 4, she fills her glass right to the brim in further defiance of daddy dearest, who earlier in the episode filled it βthe proper wayβ. Back in the present, Sofia loudly clinks her glass for attention before toasting her family, using the words βcentβanni". This is Italian for β100 yearsβ and when used as a toast, itβs meant βMay you live 100 yearsβ. Given what transpires afterwards, this toast was clearly facetious on Sofiaβs part.
Will you be trying any of these drinks and dishes? Share pics of your Penguin-inspired cuisine onΒ Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok using #ThePenguin and #MNet101. The Penguin airs Express from the US on Mondays at 03:00, and in prime time at 21:00, on M-Net channel 101. If youβve missed any episodes, catch up on DStv Stream here.
The Penguin images: HBO
Food images: Getty