Dishes reconsidered (pasta primavera)

There's probably no dish I'm LESS likely to order in a restaurant than pasta primavera. Not because I'm a carnivore, because it's generally a mess. Either soggy/mushy overcooked, or with some vegetables frankly undercooked. But there was an article recently in NYTimes mag where they looked at the original Le Cirque recipe that started the fad 30+ years ago, as well as an updated recipe by the chef at Ubuntu in Napa (haven't tried yet). I have to say this was a bit of a revelation, that DONE RIGHT this could be a great dish:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/magaz ... f=magazine
(free reg. required I think)

I think the only modification was Betsy used these cute little finger sized zucchini. This was really a nice dish, with each vegetable cooked properly. Maybe some of you have been doing great "primavera" pastas all along, but it was an eyeopener for me.

So my question of the day was - what other "retro" dishes that maybe have earned a not so great rep due to poor renditions are worth revisiting, if one is willing to do it right? I've never given up on Beef Wellington, but should we revisit Chicken Cordon Bleu?

We did a retro of Fettuccine Alfredo (the ole heart attack in a dish) last night, with the mod being we threw in some smoked mussels. Yum! Will only do that once in a very great while.

We do pasta primavera 2-3 times a year and also pasta putanesca and a very good idea for a thread, what 'retro' dishes do you make regularly at home.

Had to pause to think about what 'retro' dishes are on regular rotation, and LOL, what's considered retro and what's newly 'trendy'.
so the following will be in either or both categories.
Mac & cheese
Coq au Vin (only occasionly)
Tuna melt
Cassoulet
King Ranch casserole
Egg foo yung
Pasta carbonara
Blanquette de veau
Chinese chicken salad
Shrimp or crab Louis
Huevos rancheros
Chicken pot pie
Oxtail stew
Chicken Vesuvio
Probably lots more, but it's time to stop!

Shel, interesting list. These kind of fall into a couple rough categories:
Classics. I would put dishes with long histories in a separate category. Coq au vin, cassoulet, puttanesca, carbonara, oxtail stews, and even chicken pot pie and mac/cheese. We certainly do the first 4 fairly regularly (though we cheat a bit at cassoulet)

Retro/once trendy. Crab Louis is an excellent example. Like primavera, an American invention (though pasta primavera is similar to some authentic Italian dishes) that became ubiquitous for a time. Crab rangoon, chicken cordon bleu (and Kiev?), and Vesuvio are other good ones. Some of the Chinese-American dishes like chop suey I guess, certainly once ubiquitous if not trendy. General Tso?

I don't know King Ranch casserole, what is that one?

Dale, the King Ranch casserole was allegedly created at the famous huge ranch in South texas, but it's doubtful that really happened. It's a chicken casserole with tortillas, condensed soups, cheese etc., and terrif for outdoor summer parties.
Here's a link to a fairly typical recipe
http://www.cookingcache.com/poultry/kin ... role.shtml

The crab Rangoon, chicken cordon bleu and Kiev are good examples of retro dishes, and add to those, Steak Diane and lobster thermador.

Most people, including most chefs, don't know how to make pasta primavera distinctive and elevate above the mundane. For starters, it is almost always just a mess of vegetables cooked into a marinara. Imagine, brocoli and carrots cooked in marinara and you define the genre as interpretted by the American restaurant.

A correct primavera is much like a correct ratatouille, the vegetables get their individual treatments, the pasta is flavored by the vegetable jus, and there's EVOO, maybe some garlic, maybe butter, and fresh herbs added near the end. If there is tomato, it is fresh chopped and barely cooked.

[Jenise]

Dale, the King Ranch casserole was allegedly created at the famous huge ranch in South texas, but it's doubtful that really happened. It's a chicken casserole with tortillas, condensed soups, cheese etc., and terrif for outdoor summer parties.
Here's a link to a fairly typical recipe
http://www.cookingcache.com/poultry/kin ... role.shtml

The crab Rangoon, chicken cordon bleu and Kiev are good examples of retro dishes, and add to those, Steak Diane and lobster thermador.

I love how when you go to view the recipe, the banner over it plugs an acne cure. There goes the appetite!
But hey, my father's wife used to make a version of this she called Viva La Chicken! (oh those 50's titles) though she'd add more Mexican seasoning and green chiles. Say what one will about ingredients like canned soup, the result is very very good.

[Jenise]

Most people, including most chefs, don't know how to make pasta primavera distinctive and elevate above the mundane. For starters, it is almost always just a mess of vegetables cooked into a marinara. Imagine, brocoli and carrots cooked in marinara and you define the genre as interpretted by the American restaurant.

A correct primavera is much like a correct ratatouille, the vegetables get their individual treatments, the pasta is flavored by the vegetable jus, and there's EVOO, maybe some garlic, maybe butter, and fresh herbs added near the end. If there is tomato, it is fresh chopped and barely cooked.

This is news to me! Every pasta primavera I've ever had or seen someone else order (this would all have been in Southern California) involved a cream sauce base.

Shel, thanks for recipe. I'm actually a sucker for those canned soup recipes from the 60s and 70s, but Betsy refuses. But I don't know what Ro-Tel is?
Jenise, when I viewed it had Tyson pre-cooked chicken strips, very apropos!

[Jenise]

Shel, thanks for recipe. I'm actually a sucker for those canned soup recipes from the 60s and 70s, but Betsy refuses. But I don't know what Ro-Tel is?
Jenise, when I viewed it had Tyson pre-cooked chicken strips, very apropos!

Not Shel but Ro-Tel is a canned tomato revered in Texas and other parts south. I think it has onions and other vegetables in it as seasoning, maybe green chiles. You can still have these old casseroles by making a flavored white sauce as substitution, like half chicken broth/half whole milk for the cream of chicken soup.

Dale, will add that rotelle is a terrif product that's been around for ages, tomatoes with green chilis, a good addition to any rec that needs 'kicking up'.

Some of the Chinese-American dishes like chop suey I guess, certainly once ubiquitous if not trendy. General Tso?

Mentioning these two dishes; has anyone seen this youtube video from about a year ago? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6MhV5Rn63M I just found it a week ago. I stopped ordering General Tso's Chicken years ago as it was reduced like so many Chinese dishes to just a variation on fried food in some sweet gloppy sauce. I was not surprised to find that General Tso's Chicken was created in the U.S. but I was surprised to find that it was created in my lifetime; in the early 70's.

Now that I live in Japan, I find the Chinese food to be different. I will not say more authentic, just different. The one improvement is that I do not find the fluorescent colored sickeningly sweet dishes so prevalent in the U.S.

Say what one will about ingredients like canned soup, the result is very very good.

I guess I should be grateful for Lipton Onion Soup mix and cream of mushroom soup. My Mom hardly ever cooked without them when she was feeding our family of five children. (Actually she STILL uses the LOSM to season almost everything she makes... ) I will say, it does a pretty good job of seasoning a pot roast, and there was a particular dish she would make with the cream of mushroom that I still get cravings for now and then... I may have mentioned it in this forum (or maybe the old one) but it's uncooked rice, cream of mushroom and cream of celery soup, with a little water put into a 13x9 inch pan. Place a cut-up chicken on top, season (with Lipton Onion Soup mix! ). Cook until well-browned, then she would slather them with peach preserves and broil until carmelized. The chicken juices would cook right into the rice, and the rice would get kind of crusty around the edges. So those of you who like the sweet/salty combination can imagine how the sweet-ish chicken with the salty, creamy rice base was really a hit.

Adding my two cents about Pasta Primavera. I had quit ordering it out after having it a few times (probably back in the 80s) for many of the reasons Dale mentions. The worst version was a watery base with no flavor and overcooked (mushy) pasta. I have made quite a few vegetarian pasta dishes since then that I wouldn't technically call Pasta Primavera, but that were excellent. One of my favorites is a paparadelle with asparagus, shitakes, lemon zest and parm regg.

Dale, will add that rotelle is a terrif product that's been around for ages, tomatoes with green chilis, a good addition to any rec that needs 'kicking up'.

I always keep a few cans of Ro-Tel in the pantry, as it is quite useful.

[Jenise]

So those of you who like the sweet/salty combination can imagine how the sweet-ish chicken with the salty, creamy rice base was really a hit.

Sounds a little strange to me now, but I can imagine what a satisfying dish this would be to a kid. Has that yin-yang like a McDonald's hamburger.