Those retro dishes from your childhood

Jordan and Christian’s friend, Gary, has been waiting all pandemic to come from Dallas for the tuna casserole I’ve promised to make him—a delicacy my resident family won’t touch. We’ve quipped and commented about it on Facebook for a year now, but the date is approaching. Everybody’s vaccinated, and we feel safe to gather. A couple of days ago I mentioned I’d made chicken Divan for son Jamie, and Gary said we’d have to add that to the rotation. At which point, Christian jumped in, said the recipe sounded good to him if we could substitute something for the broccoli; he suggested potatoes, which misses the whole point of the dish. So then I got carried away and said I also have a great recipe for tuna Florentine. Gary is threatening to move west for food. (Do you get those terms mixed up—Divan, Florentine? If it’s Florentine, it’s over spinach; if it’s Divan, it’s over broccoli.)

All this is by way of saying I think I’m finding my cooking niche—at my advanced age. I’ve been advocating American food for some time, although I’m quick to appreciate the food customs of many other countries. Still, these days I find Thai and Indian dishes often too spicy for me and African and Middle Eastern recipes so trendy they’re about to crowd out some old favorites from my childhood—like tuna casserole and chicken Divan. It’s easy to argue that there is no such thing as American food, because our dishes, like our population, are a melting pot. I’ve thought of that this week cooking for Jamie—we had the chicken, then a St. Patrick’s Day corned-beef meal, and, tonight, eggplant Parmigiana. Yes, they are imports, but they are also dinners I remember form the 1960s and before.

One problem cooking older recipes is that packaging has changed. I have recipes that call for a roll of garlic cheese—you can’t buy that in the store anymore. Now I’m wondering if you can buy frozen broccoli spears. I couldn’t find them online at Central Market and settled for fresh flowerets, which worked well. When Patricia McDonald did an updated Helen Corbitt (she of Neiman Marcus fame) cookbook, she worked hard adapting recipes from the Fifties and Sixties to today’s quantities and available ingredients.

On Facebook occasionally you see memes asking, “Does anyone still eat this?” I’ve seen that question about meatloaf and salmon patties; chicken Divan, however, is something I haven’t heard a peep about in years. But one bite, and I remembered how good it is, with a rich wine sauce. So here’s what I did.

Chicken Divan

2 10 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli spears (or use fresh)

½ c. butter

6 Tbsp. flour

½ tsp. salt

Dash of pepper

2 c. chicken broth

½ c. heavy cream

1 Tbsp. white wine

1.5 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced

½ c. Parmesan or Pecorino

           Cook chicken, cool, and chop; in skillet, melt butter and blend in flour, salt, and pepper. Add chicken broth slowly and cook until mixture thickens and bubbles. Stir in cream and wine. Place broccoli flowerets in 12 x 7 x 2 oven dish. Pour half sauce over. Top with chicken and pour remaining sauce over all. Top with Parmesan.

Bake 350 for 20-30 minutes, until sauce bubbles and Parmesan is lightly browned.