Cold Pasta New Orleans Style
 The New York Times Magazine, December 10, 1978
Craig Claiborne with Pierre Franey
Yield: 6 - 8 servings

1/2 pound pasta, preferably vermicelli or spaghettini
Salt
1 cup salad dressing with garlic
1 3-lb. chicken, cooked in broth
1 cup fresh mayonnaise
Mushrooms à la grecque for garnish
12 small whole cooked beets, for garnish
1 9-oz. package frozen artichoke hearts, cooked according to package directions
1 avocado, seeded, peeled and cut into 16 wedges
12 cherry tomatoes or an equal number of tomato wedges
Chopped scallions for garnish, optional
Chopped parsley for garnish, optional

Drop the pasta into boiling salted water and cook to the desired degree of doneness. Do not overcook or the pasta will become mushy. Drain well. Put the drained pasta into a mixing bowl while still warm and pour 1/3 of the salad dressing over it. Toss well. Let it cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove the chicken meat from the bones. Discard bones and skin. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces. Add the chicken to the pasta. Add the mayonnaise and gently toss to blend the ingredients. Serve the pasta in a mound on a round plate. Garnish as follow: Arrange the mushrooms around the chicken or serve separately. Put the beets, artichoke hearts and avocado wedges in separate bowls. Add equal parts of the remaining salad dressing to each bowl. Stir each to coat. Arrange these, and the tomatoes, around the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped scallions and parsley if desired.

NOTE: The title of this page is "American with a Foreign Flavor". Craig Claiborne identifies the recipe as an unusual dish remembered from a Southern childhood and as a specialty of a Memphis golf club. I served it to a friend and fellow George Eastman House staff member and his wife, and my impression was that they thought it was a little too odd. Craig Claiborne often printed recipes before they were discovered by the trend-setters, this recipe for cold pasta being one good example. Another, which I've included because it is better than all the ones that came after, is a spinach salad with bacon.
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