Groovy start of a classic

I HAVE a theory about the 1970s, one that could help explain so many of its cultural eccentricities.

After millennia of existence through which humans had largely struggled to find enough resources to survive and thrive, a significant change emerged for those fortunate enough to live in a modern Western democracy. With most basic needs met, collective sentiment turned towards convenience.

And this was increasingly possible as, regional conflicts aside, it was the longest period in modern history that no large-scale war had been fought.

The rush towards convenience and small luxuries may have seemed spontaneous and unanticipated, but this was nothing more than a logical progression. Microwave ovens, freeze-dried foods, personal computers, mobile phones and even Post-it notes were all born of a culture that embraced an easier way to live.

So it shouldn’t be overly surprising that this was the social backdrop against which some luminary decided that it would a fine idea to combine chicken pieces, dried French onion soup mix and sweetened canned apricot juice, to produce a family meal of note. You could even cook it in the new microwave oven.

Yet unlike flared pants, giant moustaches and vinyl underwear (yes, really), the innovation of apricot chicken is able to be reworked with a more modern sensibility and a timelessness born of actual deliciousness.

Less convenient? Absolutely, but if you want to relive those glory days, you can always watch them back on Beta, right?

APRICOT CHICKEN CASSEROLE serves / 4

fillet, diced 1 cup chicken stock 1 cup apricot nectar Sea salt flakes and freshly-milled black pepper 8 tinned apricot halves 2 sprigs parsley, chopped (optional) Long grain rice, to serve

1.