H ngRy eye PhotoS By meAghAn mAurICe; toP left: kAte ChrIStenSen AnD DeSI VAn tIl, toP rIght: monICA wooD, Bottom: ArI gerSen, rIChArD ruSSo, AnD BIll lunDgren 34 P o R t L a n d monthly mAgA Ine ing potlucks—namely, that you should provide a protein and a green—I go to the South Portland Hannaford to stock up on ingredients. I’ve decided to make a big pot of Hoppin’ John, that traditional good luck Southern New Year’s dish, with black-eyed peas, golden Carolina rice, and Andou- ille sausage. It feels appropriate—the year is still fairly new, after all—and it confers a literal meaning on the “luck” in the party’s name. Also, it’s a hearty, nourishing, savory one-pot meal that feeds a crowd and is deli- cious for days afterward. For the greens, I make Braised Savoy Cabbage, which tastes like sophisticated- but-homey haute cuisine. It’s an addictive alchemy of sauce-coated, velvety leaves but has only five ingredients besides cabbage, salt, and pepper: Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, chicken broth, olive oil, and onion. O nce the kitchen is warm and steamy from the pots bubbling on the stovetop, my husband, Bren- dan, and I set up two long, cloth-draped ta- bles in the dining room and plenty of chairs in a circle in the living room. We clear counter space in the kitchen for prep as- sembly and a bar. On the tables, we arrange stacked paper plates and bowls, plastic cut- lery and cups, napkins, tea candles, and snacks for the centerpieces—potato chips, pistachios, clementines, and chocolates. On the side countertop, we assemble an array of beer, wine, sparkling water, cider, kom- bucha, ice, along with bottles of rum and whiskey for anyone who can’t even with winter anymore. By seven, the couch is heaped with coats, and the whole downstairs is full of warmth and conversation. The tables look like a gourmet buffet, an intentional balanced meal of starters, soups, and salads and plenty of hearty main dishes. Olivia Gunn and Meaghan Maurice bring cheese, bread, and flowers, the clas- sic “there was a Rosemont on the way” of- fering. Mary Pols plunks a heap of fresh wild Snow Island Oysters on the counter, some as big as a fist, grown by Quahog Bay Conservancy in Harpswell, purchased at Gurnet Trading in Brunswick. She starts shucking them into a plate of ice, with a mi- gnonette alongside, as Dan Abbott flour- ishes his wife Monica Wood’s signature Deviled Eggs with an air of marital pride. Two beautiful soups arrive, a Creole Cal- laloo Soup that Rick and Barb Russo have made (“The recipe calls for crab, but I al- ways substitute shrimp,” Rick says, “and warning, it’s got a kick,” so I dive right in), and an equally piquant Orzo and Andou- ille Soup courtesy of Ari and Breana Gers- en. There are two complementary salads, a Shrimp and Artichoke Vinaigrette from Allison and Lincoln Paine, and a Citrus Salad with Cardamom Honey from De- si van Til and Sean Mewshaw. As Desi puts it, “It’s vaguely Moroccan, full of the vita- min C we need in winter, and oh so pretty.” Yes indeed. “Why is it always the same damn people at these writer parties?” my friend Bill Lun- dgren mock-grouses as he arrives. “They’re called our friends, Bill,” I tell him, and we both laugh. I’m sensing a theme here (besides local literati), and it’s Southern/Mediterranean, full of spice, citrus, sausage, and seafood. For the mains, besides my Braised Cabbage and Hoppin’ John (which I set out with a few bottles of Frank’s hot sauce), there’s Bill’s pot of rich, fragrant lentils, decided- ly not the 1970s hippie mush of my youth. I’m happy to see Ron Currie and Lisa Pros- ienski’s classic Tamale Pie, which warms my Arizona-bred heart. Ron confesses that he researched the perfect potluck dish, and this is what he came up with. One bite and There’s an element of competitive derring-do. No one wants to look bad. You want your dish to be popular. onion chopped ri s ce er diced each green and red pepper diced c o es gar ic chopped t sp.o i e oi tsp.each cumin papri a th me sa t and pepper ndoui e sausages chopped a eaf cups chic en roth arge can diced tomatoes cups of coo ed ac e ed peas cups coo ed go den aro ina rice aut the onion in o i e oi for 7 minutes then add ce er peppers and gar ic and coo ti soft adding the spices after a out minutes and stirring e . the sausages and stir saut for a fe more minutes then add the ac e ed peas tomatoes and roth. ing up to a boi then turn heat do n to simmer partia co ered for minutes adding more roth as necessar it shou d e ust are soup not dr . ti in the coo ed rice taste ad ust seasonings and ring ac up to a near oi . e e ith ran s hot sauce and chopped sca ions. ate s oppin ohn