"When my mother had to get dinner for eight, she'd make enough for sixteen and only serve half." --Gracie Allen
Back in the day, food co-ops were commonplace. We were all juggling babies, budgets, careers, and households. A night of entertaining meant getting together for potluck dinner parties. Wives would get together to shop for fresh bargains at the large, local market and fruit stands, buy in bulk, and divvy up both food and costs. We’d team up to provide meals for someone ill or with a new baby by cooking double of a recipe and sharing it. If someone had an overabundance of fruit from trees, it was shared. I still remember four of us in one kitchen baking apple pies from free apples.
Co-ops and potlucks are ideas worthy of a comeback. I'd like to encourage Slo Coast Cooking readers to consider a smaller scale, informal version of a food co-op with your neighbors, friends, or co-workers.
Something as simple as a once a month potluck exchange can be fun for everyone! With that in mind, if you're hosting or attending a potluck Easter dinner, an edible table arrangement is much easier than it looks using cornbread stuffing and a bundt pan. Think of it as a twist on traditional molded carrot-raisin salad.
Easter Potluck Stuffing Wreath
- 2 tablespoons canola oil + 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
- ¾ cup diced celery
- ¾ cup diced onion
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- ½ cup chopped raisins
- 1 cup apple or orange juice
- 1 (12 ounce) box seasoned cornbread stuffing mix or 5-6 cups homemade cornbread stuffing mix
- 3 large (or two extra large) eggs, lightly beaten
- 1-2 cups shredded cabbage and colored Easter eggs for decoration
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Preheat oven to 375 degrees and liberally grease a bundt cake pan with shortening or cooking oil spray. In a skillet over medium temperature, sauté celery and onion in oil and butter for 2-3 minutes. Add shredded carrot and continue to sauté until the carrots soften. Add chopped raisins and juice, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat.
Pour dry stuffing mix into a large bowl, add all contents from your skillet and the lightly beaten eggs. Stir and fold to combine well. The dry stuffing should be evenly moistened. Spoon and press the stuffing mixture evenly into your prepared Bundt pan and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a serving dish. Fill with shredded cabbage and add colored Easter eggs.
If a molded stuffing sounds more ambitious than you're inclined to try, just about everyone loves pasta salad! The following recipe was a big hit at my husband's office. It's an easy, tasty treat that can be made a day ahead for any group gathering. I bought a case of dry tortellini from Amazon for $2.43 per box since it's difficult to find dry tortellini in local grocery stores and refrigerated tortellini costs more than I'd like to spend. (If you prefer using one of the refrigerated or frozen packages, reduce boiling time to no more than 7 minutes.)
Mediterranean Cold Tortellini Salad with Bacon
- 1 (8 ounce) package dry tortellini
- 1/2 cup each seeded, chopped green and red bell pepper (about 1/2 small pepper each)
- 2 cups frozen grape or cherry tomatoes (or fresh tomatoes)
- 1 (4 ounce) can sliced, black olives, drained
- 1 (8-10 ounce) jar or 1 (15 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped green spring onion stalks
- 1/3 cup real bacon bits (about three pieces of cooked, drained bacon, crumbled)
- 1 cup sliced, canned or sautéed fresh mushrooms, if desired
- 1/4 cup zesty Italian salad dressing (bottled or homemade)
Bring a large, half-filled pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add dry tortellini and chopped bell peppers and boil for no more than 12 minutes. While the pasta and peppers are boiling, chop up artichoke hearts and onion. Add frozen or fresh tomatoes to the boiling water when pasta is tender. Turn off burner and drain pasta and vegetables immediately, rinsing under cold running water to quick-cool the tortellini.
Transfer to a salad bowl, add all ingredients, and toss to combine well. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving. Sprinkle each serving with grated parmesan cheese and/or croutons if desired. Vegetarians can skip the bacon, substituting a can of drained, rinsed red beans.
This is a terrific "office potluck" dish that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare and will make up to six servings!
Speaking of bacon, my guys love it, so I buy a package or two every time Cookie Crock Warehouse offers a front page coupon. Did you know you can bring it home and freeze it until you're ready to cook it up? Simply thaw it for a day or two in the fridge before using. Bacon, once an inexpensive meat, developed a bad reputation because of its saturated fat and salt. Used in small amounts, it adds flavor to a wide variety of dishes; save pan fried, well-drained and crumbled bacon in a zip top bag in the fridge to toss into a dish as an occasional treat. The following recipes are almost meals in themselves.
Hint: Watch Cookie Crock weekly fliers for cyclical coupons on eggs, bacon and orange juice. An additional $20 purchase is required to use them, and it's a great time to buy your coffee, laundry detergent and pet food--all will get you to that $20 minimum quickly.
Oven-Roasted Veggies with Bacon, Citrus, and Wine
- 1 (16 ounce) package sliced bacon [only four slices will be used for recipe]
- 1 large, sweet onion, peeled and cut into thin wedges
- 1 to 1 ½ pounds unpeeled small red potatoes or baby red potatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 pound carrots, unpeeled and cut into diagonal chunks or slices
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved [you can substitute chopped broccoli or sliced green beans]
- ¾ cup orange juice + ¼ cup sweet wine, such as Muscat
- Sea salt, if desired
In a large, nonstick skillet over low heat, fry bacon slices and drain on layers of paper towels. Pour off bacon grease and reserve in a heat-proof container to give to a birding friend who makes his/her own suet.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a Dutch oven or large baking dish with cooking oil spray.
Sauté onion wedges in the skillet with the tiny amount of bacon drippings left until translucent and golden. Place potatoes, carrots, and Brussels sprouts (or other vegetables) in prepared Dutch oven or baking dish. Add sautéed onion and stir to combine. Pour juice and wine into the hot skillet, add sea salt (if desired). Chop up four pieces of the bacon, add to the juice/wine, stir, bring to a low boil, then pour over vegetables. Cover the pot or baking dish. Oven-roast in your oven at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
If you need a vegetable dish and the oven-roasted veggies seem like too much work consider…
Last Minute BLT Salad with Onion-Citrus Dressing
- 1 (16 ounce) bag fresh salad greens
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4-6 slices cooked, drained bacon, chopped
Place rinsed, dried salad greens in a large salad bowl. Top with chopped tomatoes and bacon. Serve with Onion-Citrus Dressing (which can be made ahead).
Onion-Citrus Dressing
- 2 teaspoons canola or olive oil
- 1 medium sweet onion, quartered and sliced
- 1 seedless orange, peeled, segmented and chopped
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a small to medium skillet, heat oil and sauté onion until golden brown; add chopped seedless orange and sauté for an additional minute or two. Pour orange juice into skillet, along with salt and vinegar, and bring to a low boil stirring frequently. Turn off the burner and cool for 10 minutes or longer at room temperature. Transfer onion-orange mixture to a blender, add mayonnaise and ground black pepper, puree or liquefy and pour into a clean jar. Refrigerate the dressing until ready to use.
The recipe makes about two cups of dressing that's great on the BLT Salad, any other salad, or as a marinade for chicken or fish.
From Where I Cook… sharing food is one of the most basic, human experiences. For generations in every culture across the globe, whether in feasts for celebration or as comfort during trying times, providing food connects us to others in a way nothing else does. It feels good to cook and share, or even just to pass on a bit of your garden or market bounty. In-season produce prices are low right now—each of the above recipes cost less than $10 to make.
Often I get free produce from our neighbors. When Boomer sent over bags of apples, carrots, onions and orange bell peppers, I made a big batch of Curried Cream of Carrot Soup. We ate half for dinner that night, and I jarred up leftovers to give to a few friends and coworkers. Imagine if one night per week, or twice a month, you had a free dinner! Then imagine you could provide a few others with a free work-week lunch. It's what an informal food co-op is all about.
