United States of America Archives - Retro Food For Modern Times

Category: United States of America

04
Oct
2024

Mainland Teriyaki

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, Pineapple, Steak, United States of America

Today, we’re continuing our virtual journey to the South Sea Islands which started with Fish in Lolo Sauce. Our culinary adventure takes us through the pages of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery (1972), where today we are rediscovering a classic recipe: Mainland Teriyaki.

Setting the Scene

Imagine yourself on a secluded beach. The warm sun gently warms your skin while ocean waves crash softly against the shore. Meanwhile, the air is filled with the sweet scent of tropical flowers. Then, someone fires up a grill. Soon, you smell roasting pineapple and grilling meat. That’s the essence of Mainland Teriyaki. It captures the spirit of the South Sea Islands, even though the recipe has Japanese origins.

Although Mainland Teriyaki may not be for everyone, those who love a blend of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors will be delighted. The combination of sweet pineapple, salty olives, and umami-rich, garlicky, ginger-infused marinated steak is delicious!

For me, Mainland Teriyaki brought back a wave of nostalgia. It reminded me of a time I’ve only ever experienced through the lens of film and television. Specifically, it evoked memories of Gidget, the iconic surfer girl. Additionally, it took me back to when a young, handsome Elvis Presley was playing his ukulele on the beach in Blue Hawaii.

Mainland Teriyaki is a perfect dish to enjoy on a warm summer day. Or, if you’re feeling a bit blue, it can serve as a reminder that summer is coming, even if it feels like “it’s been a long cold and lonely winter.” The combination of sweet, savory, and tangy flavors will transport you to a tropical paradise, making you forget about the cold weather.

Whatever your mood, why not fire up the grill and get ready to savor a taste of the South Sea Islands, courtesy of Mainland Teriyaki?

Mainland Teriyaki – The Recipe

At first I thought the inclusion of olives in this recipe was a bit weird. They really didnt seem to fit in with the Asian inspired flavours of the rest of the dish. But they really work together well here, just like they do on pizza!

Have a great week!

07
Jan
2024

Huli Huli Chicken Wings

categories: 1950's recipes, Chicken, United States of America

Aloha friends and welcome to 2024! Whilst most of us are looking ahead, I am reflecting on the last “20 Years Ago Today” post I wrote. In that post, I said, “couscous is the only food I can think of where the same letters are repeated”. The very next day, I was searching through my file of blog-worthy recipes. And, found a recipe for Huli Huli Chicken Wings. So, we are taking a little trip back to 1950’s Hawaii for a taste test! Never let it be said that I am not happy to prove myself wrong in the search for delicious food.

If someone else hadn’t already come up with the catchphrase of “finger licking good” I’d be using it right now to describe these wings. The Huli Huli sauce is so good! It’s sweet and sour and full of umami and sticky and just plain delicious. I made these a little while ago and as I am writing this now my mouth is watering thinking about them! Guess what’s going back on the menu for next week!

Huli Huli Huh?

Ernest Morgado, the founder of the Pacific Poultry Co served his mum’s teriyaki-style chicken to a group of farmers back in 1955. They loved it and he decided to market it as Huli Huli Chicken. Huli means “turn” in Hawaiian. The original way of cooking this was to place the chicken between two racks and to grill it, preferably over charcoal. It was turned during cooking hence, huli huli!

Schools and other charities often sold Huli Huli chicken as a fundraising item. In Australia, outside every Bunnings (large hardware store) we also have fundraising food stalls. We get the cheapest sausages imaginable, slapped into usually dry and equally cheap white bread, some BBQ’ed onions if you want them, and some sauce. It is usually revolting but there is something about that BBQ aroma that draws you in, even though you know it you will regret it as soon as you take that first bite.

I think Australian fundraisers could learn a lot from the Hawaiian way of doing things. I mean, why have this?

When you could have this?

Huli Huli Chicken Recipe

My recipe comes directly from the Australian Women’s Weekly website. I have also copied it out below:

I can also heartily recommend the pineapple salad that accompanies the Huli Huli chicken wings in the above recipe. To me, it was the perfect fresh and zesty offset to the sweetness of the chicken. And that hit of chilli in the salad somehow brought everything together!

Well, if this is the standard of cooking I get when I prove myself wrong, I am willing to be proved wrong again and again! Please let me know if you can think of any others! Otherwise, have a great week!

24
Jul
2022

Taste Testing Reuben Sandwiches

categories: Sandwiches, United States of America, World Cooking

A little while ago, we were talking about sandwiches and one of my readers said that her favourite sandwich was a Reuben. I had to confess that I had never eaten one. I was not even 100% sure what the ingredients for a Reuben were! However, for it to be someone’s favourite, and a discerning person (after all, they are a reader of this fine blog) at that, I was sure that it would be a pretty good sandwich. So, I decided to make one!

The History of The Reuben

First things first though. Why is a Reuben called a Reuben? There are a few versions of this story but the one we are going with is that the Reuben was invented in the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha Nebraska when a gentleman called Reuben Kulakofsky asked for a sandwich with corned beef and sauerkraut during one of his weekly poker games. The cook added some Swiss cheese and Thousand Island dressing and encased the lot in between some slices of rye bread. The sandwich became popular locally when it was added to the lunch menu at the Blackstone. It became popular nationally after winning the National Sandwich Idea Contest in 1956.

The Rick Reuben – 8/10

My first attempt at this classic American sandwich was a recipe from the classic but not at all American Rick Stein. Why? I was reading his wonderful book Rick Stein at Home when I got the idea for this challenge. Rick suggests using salt beef in his recipe. I used pastrami in mine. I’m not sure I have ever seen salt beef in my local deli.

This was delicious. I LOVED this sandwich! BUT it was lacking something. Every picture I had seen of a Reuben had a bright orange dressing and the Rick version of the dressing consisted mostly of white ingredients It did have some tabasco but I would have had to put in a whole bottle of tabasco to achieve the vivid orange I have seen in pictures. And that is a step too far even for a chilli lover like me! As a result, I felt I was missing the true Reuben experience on this one.

The Toasted Reuben – 8.5/10

My second attempt at a Reuben was a toasted version which came from the May 2022 issue of the Australian Women’s Weekly Cooking Magazine which I bought around the same time as I was reading the Rick Stein book. Coincidence that both contained a recipe for a Reuben? I think not.

This one used pastrami and the addition of Sriracha into the sauce gave me the orange colour I was craving. I also liked the splash of Worcestershire sauce in the dressing on this one. And it was toasted. so the cheese got all melty and delicious.

Now, the recipe below was intended to be made in a pie-maker. I do not have one of these so I made it as an ordinary sandwich.

The Bought Reuben – 9.5/10

So far, I was pretty happy with both Rebens that I had made. However, never having eaten one I had no point of comparison. How would my homemade version stack up against a Reuben made by a professional? So, one lunchtime I popped into a cafe in the CBD that specialises in American-style sandwiches and bought one of their Reubens. The Bowery to Williamsburg Reuben won on the slow-cooked brisket pastrami. That was sensational. Also even though I bought posh sauerkraut instead of the reg supermarket stuff, the B2W sauerkraut had a funk that was both delicious and disturbing. The cafe is a good 20 minutes walk from my office and as I was short on time I ordered my Reuben to go. As I was walking back I began to smell something not entirely pleasant wafting about me. I soon realised the odour was from the very funky sauerkraut and, thankfully not from me! This was delicious!!!! Bright orange dressing, swiss cheese and a pickle on top completed the deal but that brisket pastrami? Heavenly! BTW, The first photo in this post is the B2W Reuben.

My Reubens tasted pretty similar to the one from Bowery to Williamsburg. The difference really was in the quality of their meat. It was warm, it was smoky and tender in the middle and a little bit crunchy on the ends. It was sooo good.

You may be wondering why I only rated it a 9.5 when it was so good? Well, it cost a very hefty $17 dollars which is a LOT, even if t was huge! I had half of it for lunch that day and took the rest home for dinner! I’m both glad and somewhat relieved that Bowery to Willamsburg is quite the trek for me. I could easily become addicted to their Reuben which would not be great for my bank balance. Having said that, I might pop in there this week because writing about their Reuben is making me really want one!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

17
May
2022

Chicken Chanteclair

categories: 1970's food, Chicken, Good Housekeeping World Cookery, United States of America, World Cooking

I am not doing a Best of April post as the very sad and sudden passing of our beloved boy Oscar at the end of the month has muted pretty much everything that was good. We are still working through our grief which for me personally has meant a great lethargy. I have barely been motivated to cook and not at all motivated to write until today. Baby steps are enough at the moment. But one of the things I made just before Oscar passed away was the recipe for Chicken Chanteclair from the Creole section of Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery which was so tasty and comforting that I had to share it.

What on Earth is Chicken Chanteclair?

The name Chanteclair comes from the French words chanter meaning to sing and clair meaning clearly. So, to my mind this is a dish that will inspire you to sing its praises loud and strong.

Chicken Chanteclair is a Coq Au Vin by another name. I can’t see any particular Creole influences in this dish – to me this is purely French. Indeed one of my notes from when I made this was that it made the house “smell like France”. And, just to be clear, I didn’t mean that in the way I mean it when I talk about our trip to Toulouse. There, it smelt like every male in the town was using the streets as his own personal urinal. Chicken Chanteclair made the house smell of herbs and wine and meat cooking low and slow. It smelled like family and comfort. One of my other notes on this recipe was “this is the kind of dish you cook for people you love”

Here’s The Recipe: Chicken Chanteclair

The actual recipe wasn’t much so here are my notes:

1 kilo of chicken thighs on the bone.
I added 3 sprigs of thyme and 2 bay leaves to the marinade
For the marinade I used 3/4 bottle of wine (Just enough left over for a glass with the meal)
I threw in 12 fresh mushrooms as well as the dried mushrooms
I wasn’t sure about the tarragon at the end but it really worked
I served mine with mashed potatoes to soak up that luxurious sauce. Crusty bread would also be a great option!

Apart from those changes, the rest was easy. Marinade the ingredients overnight, pop them in the oven and voila – Chicken Chanteclair!

The leftovers were also delicious in some cheddar and jalapeno biscuits I made!

This is so easy to make but it feels like a much more complex dish. It is delicious, reheats well and is comfort food at its best. This will go on high rotation at my house!

I really hope you cook this for someone or someones you love very soon!

I am away a training course all of next week so will not be posting anything. The following week I will be back with a Dining with the Dame. It is a Poirot and our very first Ariadne Oliver novel!

Have a wonderful week!

09
Apr
2022

Upside Down Cake

categories: 1970's food, 1970's recipes, Books, Classic Recipes, United States of America, World Cooking

Welcome to the best of March! I have been dying to share this recipe ever since I made it over a month ago. I held off because after tasting it I thought it would take something absolutely amazing to top it. Whilst my tastebuds would have rejoiced had this been the case, the pineapple upside-down cake from Good Housekeeping’s World Cookery was last month’s winner. It also made me realise that this is my favourite cake. You can take your chocolate cake, your red velvet and even your Victoria Sponge, I will choose Pineapple Upside Down Cake over pretty much any other type of cake ( the one exception would be Sri Lankan Love Cake).

Why do I like it so much?

It’s delicious!!!!
It has a delightful retro charm both in look and taste
It’s happy – the bright yellow pineapple and glossy red cherries can brighten a gloomy grey day
The half circles of pineapple look like they are smiling at you and the whole pineapple rings look like bright flowers

Upside Down Cake – The Recipe

Other Favourites of The Month

Reading

The best book I read in March was Turns Out, I’m Fine by Australian comedian Judith Lucy. I am a big fan of her work in general and this one did not disappoint. Lucy tackles relationship breakup, money issues, death of loved ones, aging and menopause, women in comedy, activism and many other things in her typically frank, funny and vulnerable way. This was a joy to read and really, who doesn’t want to know how not to fall apart? (Added bonus is that she reads the audio book).

Cookbook

My favourite cookbook for the month is not actually a cookbook The Alcorithm is about how to let your favourite flavours expand your palate. It reminds me very much of one of my other faves, Niki Segnit’s Flavour Thesaurus. I have only just started reading the Alcorithm but I am already fascinated.

The Alcorithm

Watching

I watched Pieces of Her on Netflix and I am mid-way through Bad Vegan and The Girl from Plainville. All of which I either enjoyed or am enjoying We are watching Se7en for film club this week. Is it weird to say that such a gory movie is probably in my top ten films ever? I am fairly sure that there will be people in the club who do not share my passion but that is what makes these discussions so interesting.

I didn’t do a lot else this month apparently – I have been trying to get to the gym more so my viewing time has been significantly cut back. I am on the lookout for some good streaming series to get stuck into and some new pods to listen to – please let me know if you have any recommendations!

Have a wonderful week! And please, let me know, what is your favourite cake?