Slow Food Charlotte Potluck Dinner

Back on March 5th, I was invited to attend the local Slow Food Charlotte Monthly Pot Luck Dinner. There were about 20 of us and we were to each bring a dish that was either our specialty or a dish that reflected our heritage. For instance, if you're from New England, you might bring a dish called "Gorton", which is a pork spread made with ground pork and spices (you might remember a past blog of mine that mentioned my childhood love of pies filled with the stuff!, yum!).

Anyway, there were all sorts of great dishes. From spinach soup made with organic spinach and potatoes, to manicotti filled with cheese to some of the best breads I've ever had! The hostess made this Lamb Shank dish that blew me out of the water. It's really great when someone cooks a lamb shank so perfectly. It's a treat, for sure.

I met some great people who share my love for all things food. It's such a relief to know that we are out there, the food lovers, and that people actually do appreciate good food as a passion and not just filling a hole.

In case you're wondering, I brought a huge 9x12x4 beef and cheese lasagna made with home-made pasta that I infused with thyme and cracked black pepper. It was layered with a goat cheese and cream cheese filling with lemon zest, garlic and Parmesan as well as a house-made marinara sauce. It was topped with gobs of mozzarella.

Unfortunately, the pasta was a little thirstier than I had expected and it sucked up most of the sauce, thus resulting in a slightly dried out version of something that could have been mind-blowing. Everyone said they loved it but, they were being overly nice. I blame all the wine they were drinking, lol. Ah, chef's are their own worse critics, right!?

Check out these pictures: