so on monday, natalia suggested an excellent idea for a potluck. the concept was this: each person would bring an ingredient and we would cook things with what we ended up with, for better or for worse. josh and carrie gave v + me a ride to natalia’s apartment on western ave, stopping by whole foods, where as usual we wanted to buy everything in the store but didn’t have the funds necessary. the things we amassed: sage, savory, heirloom tomatoes, corn, shallots, bell peppers, coconut milk, white peaches, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, and cod.

i think the key to this kind of party is to have people go shopping on their own – so what people bring is really a surprise. for us, it was more that we cooked dinner together, which was certainly lots of fun anyway. we ended up with caramelised corn and shallots, peach-tomato relish/salsa, cod with cajun seasoning, chicken with savory, mushrooms, and onions, and lots of natalia’s excellent bread. when mary arrived, she asked the same question we asked: “where did you get the bread?” (more…)