My Galley
on the Malo 39
What is it about potlucks in Seattle? Before I came to this wet and sometimes dreary city in 1990, I think I had been to a couple of potlucks, usually put on as organizational events by members of clubs. Here, in Seattle, I have often been invited to potlucks put on by people in their homes. This always seemed odd to me. Now – we must differentiate between the potluck, and just being asked to bring an appetizer or desert when somebody else is cooking dinner. I have followed that policy quite a bit for my friends who I know are really good cooks, and asked them to bring a little something. But…putting on a potluck – no way. Now – this is not to say that potluck are bad – it just seems like a Seattle tradition to substitute in a potluck for actually having to cook and entertain….
Cruisers love potlucks. We have one or two of them each year on E Dock where I live, and they are grand events. Some folks make really good food, and others go and buy something – and both of these are just fine by me.
I always try and do my best for a potluck. Sometimes people notice and other times they don’t, but I rarely bring anything home.
This post, in case you are wondering what I am rambling about – is about pork and potlucks – because I made pork souvalki, hummus, and fresh pita bread for the last potluck on E-dock. I love pork (the other white meat) because it is easy to work with, absorbs flavors from simple marinades quite well – and just tastes so yummy. It uses stuff I almost always have on the boat.
Pork souvlaki and risen bread dough
This is Greek food that you see everywhere. Get yourself a nice piece of pork loin, trim and cut into 3/4" pieces – here is the marinade:
3tbl red wine vinegar, 3 tbl honey, bit of garlic, 1 tsp of oregano, 1tbl of olive oil, maybe some lemon juice – mush all of this stuff up with the pork and put in a gallon zip lock bag in the cooler for 3-5 hours, or overnight, and then thread on skewers. You can get fancy and layer it with onion, or pepper, if you feel like.
Pork frying in the pan
This dish is best on the bar B Q – but if you don’t feel like that, and don’t mind some fumes in the boat, by all means fry it up. The honey caramelizes nicely on the pan to give it a nice browned texture.
Hummus is one of the more simpler cruiser dishes to make. Take one can of chickpeas – add in 6 tbl of tahina (that’s roasted sesame seeds, much like peanut butter) the juice of two small lemons, a small bit of garlic, 1 tbl of olive oil, and whip it up in the blender to the right consistency. You may have to add some water – season to taste.
Pita waiting for the oven
The pita is a simple bread dough, divided into balls. I have one of these silicon rolling mats from France – these are great on the boat, though a bit pricey. They go into the oven at the highest setting on the round stone I have in there.
The finished dish – I like to keep a 14′ stainless steel serving platter on board for potlucks – the hummus is finished with a bit of olive oil and paprika. People can pick up the skewers to eat, and just dip into the hummus with the pita. Unfortunately, I had no retsina or ouzo to bring to the party.
I did not like the way the pita turned out. The oven does not get hot enough to give them a nice browned look, even on a breadstone. So I am not sure I would make them again. They did taste great though – nothing like fresh bread on the boat.
The potluck turned out great – there was about 20 of us watching the sun go down at the end of the dock – and I enjoyed a lot of great cooking.
Leave a Reply