Wednesday, March 06, 2013

A Paella Party


I so enjoy food and entertaining articles from the late 1960s and early 1970s because hosts and hostesses were then just starting to forgo elaborate dinner parties and numerous courses in favor of a simple style of entertaining. These bygone articles about one-pot dinners, make-ahead recipes, and stylish, comfortable table settings still inspire today, especially considering that most of us continue to prefer simplicity over fussiness when preparing our meals.

The photos featured in this post came from a 1971 House & Garden article. The fetching couple was Adriana and Dan Rowan, whose name some of you might recognize from the television show "Laugh-In". I admit that it was Mrs. Rowan's pink and black paisley hostess gown that initially caught my eye, but I also found the Rowans' dining room so attractive with its tile floor, the potted flowers placed everywhere, and that chic yet casually set table.  Terracotta potted tulips, Mexican tin chargers, brown earthenware plates, and plain crystal stemware were the proper accompaniments to a dinner in which paella was the main course.  (As Mrs. Rowan noted, "I like to cook in five languages- French, Italian, Spanish, German, and Mexican.")  And Mr. Rowan assisted in the preparations, too, by choosing wine from his well-stocked cellar.

Little about this dining room or the table looks dated, and I think the same can be said for that hostess gown too.  (The kitchen's linoleum floor and double ovens, on the other hand, scream 1970.) In fact, considering that paella, still a popular entertaining dish today, was on the menu, you might not know that this dinner party took place over forty years ago- until you see photos of the kitchen, of course.


Menu

Salted Soybean Nuts and Crudites

Paella

Green Salad with Raw Vegetables

Cheese Garlic Toast

Fruit Salad with Cointreau

Cheeses: Gourmandise, Blue, Swiss, Brie

Wine: Pouilly Fumé la Doucette 1964






14 comments:

  1. We have a terracotta paella dish we bought thirty years ago in Avila on the market ... if ever you need a paella dish, that is! Just sayin'

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    1. Blue, I may just take you up on your offer. Of course, I need to find a good paella recipe first!

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  2. I love these old H & G (US edition?) features. Somehow everything just looks so much more inviting than the current equivalents. Think it's probably all to do with the saturated colour they used at that time in the printing process. And how I want to be a guest at the Rowan's table, circa 1971!

    Have you noticed how H & G loved photographing huge spreads of food? Never sure about paella, though. Some of the paellas you get in London are truly dreadful- if cooked properly, though, I expect it's a different ball game.

    I'm finding that I'm being drawn back, increasingly, to the early 70's, just before the oil crisis- some great cinema of that period, too.

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    1. Luke, I love these old articles because they always featured gracious plenties. Whoever styled these tables and sideboards did an excellent job!

      I know people who make paella using a Big Green Egg (a ceramic cooker); don't know if you have those in the UK or not. They help to give great flavor to the dish.

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    2. Don't know about Big Green Eggs, don't think we have them here. The problem with Paella is that if it's not cooked properly, can end up very stodgy. Had the most revolting paella in a restaurant in the King's Road- and they should have known better. Engilsh or Scottish equiv is kedgeree, which I love- but I use Uncle Ben's rice for this- ie the starch has been removed.

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  3. I absolutely love your retro entertaining features! Everything was so much more stylish, glamorous and gracious back in the “good old days” don’t you agree? This paella party is so incredibly chic! Thank you so much for sharing these lovely snapshots in time. They are truly delightful!

    XOXO,
    The Glam Pad

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  4. Having assisted in photo shoots in the 'old days' that required long set-ups and lots of extra lighting (as evidenced here), I am amazed all those potted tulips stood up! (We put cut tulips in ice water and set them in the shot at the last minute). You might be right about the kitchen floor being Shinyl Vinyl, but my first guess would be ceramic tile.

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    1. Classicist, Good point because I can only imagine it must have been quite warm in that dining room during the shoot. I like your tip about putting tulips in ice water until the shot. I need to remember that!

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  5. I would be more than happy to pull up a chair and join that particular party! Those wall ovens in the kitchen were pretty swell for the day, and expensive. We have a similar vintage one in our kitchen in the country, and it works perfectly. However, I've never bothered to figure out how to use the numerous attachments that came with it, such as the rotissery device, which the previous owner was kind enough to leave behind for us, but without the (necessary) instruction booklet. We're planning on renovating soon and I must admit part of me will regret replacing our vintage wall oven with a modern day one. Reggie

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    1. Reggie, Both my wall oven and cooktop are from 1968. They work far better than the Bosch double ovens and fancy cooktop of my old house. Many of those old appliances worked (and still work!) like champs.

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    2. Forgive me for intruding, I overheard and I have to tell, my MIL has O'Keefe & Merritt double wall gas ovens circa 1965 in a lovely taupe color that STILL WORK ! and has never needed repair, amazing. they sure don't make em'...

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    3. Jude, Further proof that the old appliances were often better made than those today!

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  6. That kitchen floor is definitely vinyl; we have the exact pattern and colourway in the kitchen at our family cottage. I'm embarrassed to admit it was installed in 1972 and is still there!

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