A real blind potluck = awesome

Last night we had a potluck for Mother's Day with my immediate family and my cousins' family (a total of ten people.) For a change, my aunt suggested we have a potluck, but instead of "cheating" the way people tend to these days, we did a real, old-school blind potluck where nobody knew what anyone else was bringing.

It was fantastic.

As my aunt anticipated, it worked out perfectly and we got a really nice variety of food! I brought curried carrot and ginger soup, my mom brought the beloved Silver Palate Chicken Marbella. Both my cousins brought pasta, but one was hot butternut squash pasta with pine nuts and the other was Italian fresh pasta salad with tomatoes and arugala. My uncle barbecued shrimp and steak.

Lovely. Recommended to all.

It's been an eternity since I posted a recipe so here is a wonderful one: Chicken Marbella. It's a rustic and wonderfully elegant dish. Serve it to guests and they always say "wow."

Chicken Marbella

From the Silver Palate Cookbook

4 chickens, 2 1/2 lb. each, quartered
1 head of garlic, pureed
1/4 c dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1/2 c olive oil
1 c pitted prunes
1/2 c Spanish green olives
1/2 c capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 c brown sugar
1 c white wine
1/4 c chopped parsley

Combine all ingredients except brown sugar and white wine, and marinate overnight.

Arrange chicken in pan, spoon marinade over, and sprinkle with brown sugar and wine.

Bake 50-60 min at 350 degrees, basting often.

Eat! (Serves 10+, or the leftovers make great chicken salad and sandwiches.)