Friday, May 6, 2016

A side dish that became a national sensation

A cousin of the deposed, and murdered, Imperial Royal Russian family, Michael Romanoff opened a wildly successful restaurant on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills in 1941 that lasted into the 60's.

Called, Romanoff's of course




Prince Michael Romanoff



Does he have the right attitude?


Nobility and Hollywood go hand in hand. The prince defined the role so well, he was often cast in movies just playing himself.  His restaurant was often used for elegant restaurant locations as well.


Thing is, his real name was Harry Gurgerson born in Lithuania. New York magazine called him a "professional impostor." Not only wasn't he a prince, he wasn't even Russian!  Fooled them all for a long time.

BUT:

His restaurant became a major gathering place for Hollywood royalty.

















The biggest hit was his specialty dish called "Noodles Romanoff."

You had to have them when you went there.

The buzz was so strong (the dish was mentioned regularly in the gossip columns) that major national food companies took notice, bought the recipe and distributed it nationally. 






The dish from a royal restaurant was now available on tables across America. Imagine, an opportunity to taste a "royal" dish right in you own home.

It lasted for over a decade.  

Of course over time it lost its niche.  And is now gone.

I googled it and there are a shit load of "authentic" recipes.

One caught my eye because it used pedantic ingredients, including a bag from Kraft Mac and Cheese.

I made it last night. It's great, and tastes like those dishes of long ago, note the important "golden noodle" look.





So if you'd like to take a step back to taste the late 50's mid 60's this is it.

It's easy.

Betty Crocker's "Noodles Romanoff" Recipe
All recipes I've seen are missing the orange glow that the Kraft Blue Box has.

Why didn't I think of stealing the packet out of a box and add it to the mix of the parmesan, sour cream, garlic & onion ingredients.

Noodles Romanoff

The key to success here is the Kraft Macaroni and Cheese day-glo yellow powder. Without it, you will never approach the original.

One package egg noodles (about 1 lb.)
1 cup sour cream (use full fat—don't make me come over there)
2 T butter, melted
1 medium onion, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped finely
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano (okay, so I'm a cheese snob, except for):
1 package day-glo cheddar cheese powder from a box of Kraft Macaroni 'n' Cheese
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Cracked pepper to taste

Directions: Cook the noodles to al dente. While cooking noodles, sauté the onion and garlic in butter in large saucepan. Add parsley at the last minute; remove from heat. When noodles are a hair away from being done, drain but retain residual pasta water (don't wring them dry).

Put the hot noodles into the saucepan, then add the sour cream, and the Kraft day-glo orange powder and half the Reggiano. Mix very well with the cooked onions, garlic and parsley. The result should be a pleasingly creamy deep yellow mess. Add the pepper. Serve in individual bowls with the rest of the parmesan. 

2 comments:

  1. You're an excellent chef, Michael. I enjoyed this immensely. You're a foodie in the holistic sense that it's more than food — it's the romance and history and everything else that goes with it. Yep, makes me want some Romanoff!

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  2. Me too I can’t believe that pasta roni would discontinue something that is so damn good… seems to me the sour cream and cheddar ruffles sell like hot cakes and anything else that is that Romanoff flavor. Rice a roni. Please start making it again!

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