Try these classic '80s recipes with truly timeless tastes

You may have been eating in the '80s if you remember the prevalence of prepared convenience foods — casseroles made with tins of soup, taco and pizza kits that came in a box, Manwiches, Velveeta, Jell-O Pudding Pops, Cool Ranch Doritos, Fruit Roll-ups, microwave cooking (not just reheating — actually "baking" cakes) and the grapefruit diet.

Caesar salads were the height of nouveau cuisine, particularly topped with chicken, and more ingredients were becoming more widely available — there was curry powder in everything, and sun-dried tomatoes, and pesto.

Spinach salads with toasted almonds and canned mandarin orange segments were fancy and pork chops simmered in cream of mushroom soup were in heavy rotation in a lot of households.

On the Calgary dining scene: Fourth Street Rose, Sam's Deli and My Marvins were always packed. 

The Owl's Nest, Hy's and La Chaumiere were the upscale go-to dinner spots.

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Business was done over drinks in the Oak Room at the Palliser. And Chi Chi's and Smuggler's Inn were anchors on Macleod Trail by Chinook mall, where Yogen Früz was all the rage.

Alberta's first wood-burning pizza oven arrived at Cilantro in 1988, Earls had just opened and was full of brightly coloured parrots.

Bagels were big at Bagels and Buns on 17th Avenue, Heartland Cafe opened in Sunnyside in 1986, and of course ginger beef was invented in the early '80s at Silver Inn.

But some of those recipes are timeless — here are a few throwbacks from the eighties that will never go out of style.

Hamburger soup from the Best of Bridge

Many Albertans of a certain age were raised on the Best of Bridge's Hamburger Soup, which remains their most popular recipe. It was published in their first book, the red one, back in 1975, but was a staple for decades.

It calls for condensed tomato soup — replace it with tomato sauce or puree if you like, but it's completely delicious as-is, and will thicken after sitting for a bit on the stove or in the refrigerator from the starchiness of the barley.

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 28 oz (796 mL) can tomatoes
• 2 cans consommé (or chicken stock)
• 1 can tomato soup
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 celery stalks, finely chopped
• chopped parsley
• ½ tsp thyme
• salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup barley

Brown the beef with the onion. Drain well. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Simmer covered for at least two hours, or all day.

Chocolate zucchini cake

If you went to Fourth Street Rose in the '80s, you knew how famous they were for their fat-free chocolate zucchini cake, spiked with a little cinnamon. This version is not fat-free, but is much moister with some butter and oil.

• ½ cup butter, at room temperature
• ¼ cup canola or other mild vegetable oil
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• ½-¾ cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, or both (optional)

Preheat oven to 325°F and spray a Bundt pan with nonstick spray. In a large bowl, beat the butter, oil and sugar on high speed with an electric mixer for two-to-three minutes, until thick and pale yellow. Beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add a third to the butter mixture and beat just until blended; add half the sour cream and do the same. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, the rest of the sour cream, and the rest of the flour. Stir in the zucchini and the nuts and/or chocolate chips, if you are using them, and pour the thick batter into the pan, smoothing the top.

Bake for an hour, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch. Invert onto a plate while still warm.

Pesto, sun-dried tomato & goat cheese torta

This is my favourite use of sun-dried tomatoes and pesto — it reminds me of the '80s, and yet isn't overly processed, and the combination is completely delicious. Serve it with crusty baguette, or with Triscuits or Stoned Wheat Thins if you're going for a full '80s delivery mode.

Measurements don't need to be precise — you can make this as large or small as you like. It's all about the layers.

• 1 log soft goat cheese
• cream (optional)
• basil pesto
• chopped sun-dried tomatoes
• toasted pine nuts or sliced almonds (optional)

If you like, mash the goat cheese with a spoonful or two of cream just to soften it up.

Line a small ramekin, small bowl or plastic container (in whatever shape you want the finished torta to be) with plastic wrap. Press about a third (or a little less, if the bottom is tapered) of the goat cheese into the bottom of the ramekin. Spread on a thin layer of pesto, add another layer of goat cheese, then a layer of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and the rest of the goat cheese.

Fold over the edges of the plastic wrap to cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To serve, unmould onto a plate, top with toasted pine nuts or almonds and surround with crackers or sliced baguette.

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With files from the Calgary Eyeopener