potlucknocook, Kuchnia Cooking and Food
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//-->Period Potluck Contributions That Require No Cookingby Lady Eulalia de RavenfeldNot everyone likes to cook, and even those of us who do do not always have time. Here are just afew suggestions of easy contributions to SCA potluck feasts that require no cooking and minimalpreparation but are more authentic than brownies and fried chicken.A quick reminder: provide an appropriate serving utensil with whatever you bring, transfer yourcontribution to a period container, and remember to label what you bring with ingredients. (Aneasy way to do this when you aren't cooking from scratch is to cut off the ingredient label ofwhatever you brought and put it next to your dish.)DessertsCandied ginger can be found at Trader Joes and at New Seasons / Wild Oats / Whole Foods(henceforth collectively noted as NFMM: Natural Food Mega Marts).Nuts: choose medieval (hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts) over modern (cashews, pecans,macadamia). Roasted and salted nuts are fine, but avoid flavored ones.Try dried fruits, like apricots, figs, or dates.If you absolutelymustbring cookies, at least get shortbread instead of chocolate chip.CheeseCheese is a great potluck contribution, but there are some pitfalls. First, processed cheese-likeproduct isright out,as is anything with modern additives, that is, no pepper jack please. Try toavoid Giant Orange Block. Tillamook makes some nice white cheddar if you want somethingeasy to find and not cripplingly expensive. Trader Joe's has a broad selection of cheeses,including Armenian string cheese and fresh mozzarella. If you want cheese in quantity, go toCostco – they have brie, chevre, gouda, and more and the prices are predictably reasonable. Ifyou are really ambitious, try the cheese department at your favorite NFMM. I can guarantee thatthey will have extremely helpful employees who may even be able to tell you about the historyof various cheeses (the only pitfall is that their cheeses can be quite expensive).BreadPlease, no Wonder Bread. In fact, stay away from pre-sliced bread in general (okay, with oneexception: Trader Joe's has this wonderful sliced cracked wheat sourdough which is really tastyand reasonably period), but do remember to slice whatever you bring before plonking it on thetable. Safeway French and sourdough breads are all right, but if you want something a littlefancier try a bakery our your favorite NFMM – I've found some really great fancy artisan loavesat New Seasons, including a whole-grain loaf leavened with starter instead of commercial yeast.So authentic! Again, avoid modern additives like peppers and tomatoes.Fruits and VegetablesFor fruit, modern potluck guidelines apply: wash whatever you bring, and pick something that iseasy to eat. Cut oranges or melons (cantaloupe is the closest to period melons, or try some of thefancier musk melon varieties at the farmers market), whole apples, pears, plums, or apricots, andgrapes are all good choices depending on the season (one hint for serving grapes: take somekitchen scissors and cut the stems strategically to end up with small bunches of grapes ratherthan one massive heap).Salad is easy to make, and made even easier and fancier when you buy pre-bagged (or boxed:Costco has a large box by Earthbound Organics that is a good size for a group) greens mixes.Toss with some olive oil and vinegar (red wine or balsamic), a little pepper, and some parmesanor romano cheese. If you want to get fancy, add some pine nuts.OtherHard boiled eggs are easy and inexpensive. Technically they require cooking, but at least it iseasy cooking. If you want to fancy them up a little, bring some dijon mustard to go with them.Olives are tasty and can be found in a wide array besides "giant". Try kalamata or garlic-stuffedgreen ones (both can be found at Trader Joes for reasonable prices). If you feel like spending alot of money, look at the olive bar at your local NFMM; they often have some really niftyvarieties.
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