The Well Fed Crew

Random Creativity Produces Great Meal

2010-06-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

It was the last night of a 2 week stay on our boat. Dinner was approaching and I wanted to use what I had in the galley which was 3 frozen flounder fillets, one yellow pepper and several onions. I also had a box of couscous, available for just this type of situation.

Flounder, a flaky fish, is not good for grilling and it was definitely too hot for me to light the oven. I really didn't want to use the stove for that matter. So what did I do? I acquiesced, lit the stove, and sauteed the pepper and onion (with garlic) in some olive oil with salt and pepper. I defrosted the flounder in some lite Caesar salad dressing. It was so hot outside that the flounder defrosted and marinated quite quickly. Preparing the couscous was a snap.

I made 3 aluminum foil pockets each with one fish fillet and some pepper/onion mixture on top. There was enough oil in the vegetables and the dressing that I did not have to add any more to the foil pocket. After sealing the pockets, my husband put them on a preheated grill for 7-10
minutes.

I plated the couscous and brought the plates to the cockpit where we planned to open the pockets. But as soon as we sat down we noticed that our dock mate was having difficulty getting his 40+ foot Carver into his slip so we jumped off our boat to help him tie up. After the boat was successfully docked, we returned to our meals and noticed that our dog had helped himself to one plate of couscous! Fortunately we had extra, so we washed off the plate and started again.
The fish was outstanding! It was hot, flaky, well seasoned and was one of the best meals we had prepared on the boat.

There are a zillion ways to prepare food in foil pockets. We all have had situations where we had leftover food that just didn't seem to go together or be enough for a meal. But some of our best meals come from random creativity and trusting our instincts.

No Knead Multigrain Bread

2010-04-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

Need a Good Boat-Bread Recipe?
Try . . . “No Knead Bread”

Nothing equals the aroma of homemade baking bread, a delicious addition to any otherwise plain meal. “No Knead Bread” makes perfect loaves, even in your cramped galley space with little mess, just a large bowl. I use two small bread pans for my “No Knead Bread” to save a little baking time and then have an extra loaf to share at potluck or gift to friends, wrapped in foil with a bow. You cannot fail making this bread! I even left the oats out once and it was still a success!

No Knead Multigrain Bread

Yield: 1 loaf or two small loaves
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking and resting time: 2 hours & 15 minutes

1 package active dry yeast
1 _ cups of warm water (100-110 degrees)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
_ cup uncooked old-fashion rolled oats
Non stick pan spray

• In a large bowl, whisk the yeast into the warm water until it dissolves. Cover with and set aside for about 15 minutes (mixture should become slightly foamy on top and cloudy throughout).

• Stir in the all-purpose flour, honey, melted butter and salt until well incorporated. Mix in the whole-wheat flour and the cereal, place a clean kitchen towel over the top of the bowl and place the bowl in a warm place away from any drafts to double in size, about 1 hour.

• Fold the dough with a spatula to deflate it. Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan or two small loaf pans with the pan spray and transfer the dough to the pan. Cover with the kitchen towel and set aside until the dough has doubled in size, about 25 minutes.

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake until browned and until the loaf sounds hollow when the top is tapped, about 35 minutes or 30 minutes for smaller loaves. Remove from the oven and the pan and cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

Linda Borum aboard “Sea Dream”, a Great Harbor N47 trawler

Immersion Blender Makes Pumpkin Curry Soup Delicious

2010-01-30T14:30:00.000-08:00

It is a snowy wintry day at my house and the kind of day that a bowl of hot, creamy soup would hit the spot. Pumpkin Curry Soup is also good for spring and fall days that have a chill in the air. It is quick and easy; the thick creamy consistency comes from evaporated milk (I use fat free) and a hand held immersion blender. If you have not used a blender like this before you should consider it for your home and galley because it is thin and good for multiple uses. I have one at home but was frustrated that I did not have one on the boat; my perceptive children solved that problem by giving me another as a gift!

PUMPKIN CURRY SOUP - a recipe from www.verybestbaking.com

2 tbsp. butter or margarine
1 cup chopped onion
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
3 c. chicken broth
1 15 oz. can pure pumpkin
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (I use fat-free)

MELT butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Stir in curry powder, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute.

ADD broth and pumpkin, bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in evaporated milk.

PUREE with immersion blender until soup is creamy, smooth and frothy. Serve warm.

Easy And Impressive Dessert

2010-01-16T19:15:00.000-08:00

During our first season on the Chesapeake Bay we entertained a lot of friends and family on the boat. We wanted to be sure they not only had a great time but appreciated that we were equally serious about food on the boat as we are at home. At home I would normally serve a home baked dessert but I am reluctant to use the oven during the summer months because it heats up the cabin. Much to my surprise, the very simplest dessert that I could ever come up with was the biggest hit! Over and over again, people were WOWed when we served them fruit dipped in chocolate! How easy can that get?? It didn't matter whether I prepared it ahead of time or brought out the ingredients for a fondue style dessert, it was always greeted with an "oh my goodness" look.

The item that makes it so simple is microwaveable chocolate that is available either in the produce or baking section of the grocery. Having tried several brands, we like Baker's microwaveable milk chocolate and Dolci frutta because they keep without melting in the pantry, melts quickly and smoothly in the microwave and hardens on the fruit without refrigeration. We have served banana pieces and chunks of pineapple but strawberries always increase the WOW factor. Practice at home this Valentine's Day, enjoy the compliments, and be prepared to wow again on your boat!

Luck Comes To The Prepared

2010-01-12T18:26:00.000-08:00

"I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have."
Thomas Jefferson

I am always on the lookout for new recipes for home and the boat. Those of us who like to cook are just "wired" that way. In a sense, we are the epitome of continuous adult learners. When we taste something we like, we ask the cook to share the recipe. How many times have you heard the person start the recipe with "it is so easy" before they give it to you?

Well, recipes that may be "easy" for a home kitchen are not always easy for a small boat galley. So those of us who like to cook have to put recipes through filters to decide if they are "boat worthy". We make multiple decisions: number of ingredients, can we store them on our boat, how many steps, how many pots do we have to get dirty, can you do it on two burners (or three if you're really lucky)? Does it need to be cut down in size so there are not so many leftovers? Can it be prepared while underway although, I have to admit, I haven't tried that yet. What if you can't get fresh ingredients (my greatest fear)? I honestly grieve when I have to admit to myself that some of my favorite foods are just too difficult to make in the galley. But that is what makes coming home to a full kitchen so much fun, too.

I always try recipes at home to see if they will transfer to the galley. Because I cook on a gas stove at home, it is easy for me to practice recipes on my two lowest BTU burners which would simulate the propane stove on the boat. My mother-in-law taught me to make notes on any recipe that I make for the first time. Then I will try the recipe again with modifications until I think it will work for the boat. This is especially true when I am using the pressure cooker: I practice EVERY pressure cooker recipe at home first.

We practice many skills on our boat, some for safety, others for navigation, etc. Why can't cooking be one of them?

Bite Sized Goodness - Part II

2010-01-05T18:58:00.000-08:00

Because we are limited for galley space, it makes sense that the foods we stock should have multiple purposes. So the King's Hawaiian Rolls can serve double duty as the buns for SLIDERS, which I love. The first time I ever HEARD about sliders was on Top Chef-Miami when they made them on a food truck for an after- party meal. And I thought if they can cook that in a food truck, certainly we can reproduce it on the boat because our spaces are equally as tiny. When I researched how to make sliders, I read Alton Brown's comments that Crystals and White Castle burgers were the original sliders. Who knew? I thought it was a brand new food that someone made up! Where I live a Crystal is a Crystal and nothing else and certainly not a slider.

The sliders themselves are really easy to make and are very well suited for galley cooking because the prep is rather simple and the meat is cooked on the stove. With the meat and buns as the basics, sliders can be as plain or fancy as you want to make them. I use Alton Brown's recipe but for the purposes of doing it on a boat, I would make the following suggestions:

instead of using a jelly roll pan or baking sheet, just spread waxed paper or plastic wrap directly onto your counter/workspace
instead of using a rolling pin, use the side of your tallest glass or use a spatula
a knife, obviously, works as well as a pizza cutter

There are some great comments on embellishing these sliders; just follow the link for the recipe and read away!

Bite Sized Goodness - Part I

2010-01-02T18:21:00.000-08:00

Lunch is a big part of our sailing day. We often entertain friends for day sails and I am eager to make a good impression while serving good food. It has to be easy to prepare ahead of time, easy for us to serve while the boat is moving (not messy or sloppy), and easy for us to eat. This sandwich is small but makes a great visual presentation in a basket or a non-sliding platter. I make it with King's Hawaiian Butter Rolls which are often found in the deli department. The sweetness of the roll blends well with meats and condiments. I shared this recipe with a friend who was entertaining a lot of people at her house for a post-graduation luncheon. She made the sandwiches, went to the graduation, served lunch and accepted praises for being a calm and creative hostess!
By adding pretzels or goldfish, veggies with hummus or other dip, and cookies you will have a fun and filling lunch.

Bite Sized Goodness Sandwiches (for lunch underway)

King's Hawaiian Butter Rolls
deli sliced turkey
deli sliced salami- any kind is delicious
deli sliced cheese- swiss, havarti, provolone, american, any kind
honey mustard, deli mustard and/or mayo

Move the contents of the package, uncut, onto a cutting board. Slice the rolls in half, like hamburger buns, and open them. Spread condiments of your choosing on each side of the rolls. Add meats and cheese. Place the top of the roll back and cut the sandwiches according to the original shape of the rolls.

I usually make two sandwiches each for women and three for men.

Good Quality Pays

2010-01-02T13:17:00.000-08:00

A big THANK YOU to my local Williams Sonoma store for replacing my broken Henckels knife, which was guaranteed for life. (see post "Goodbye Good Friend" Dec 27, 2009) I had the knife for many years and my purchase did not come up in the archived records. After answering a few questions, I picked out a free replacement and was on my way. It pays to purchase quality products from reputable vendors who respect your passion for cooking.

Stocking The Galley

2010-01-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

Utensil choices for galleys have to be made with deliberate care because we have limited space.
I put myself through an interesting exercise to come up with a list of utensils which I thought were absolutely necessary for a galley, although I admit I have a few more items in my drawer. It is tempting to want to duplicate your home kitchen utensils in your galley for the "just in case" scenarios, but try this basic list first:

can and bottle opener
wine bottle corkscrew
large spatula for grilling
silicone spatula for scraping
mixing spoon
ladle
carving fork
wisk
vegetable peeler
measuring cup (2c) and nesting cups from 1/4 to 1c.
measuring spoon
utility or paring knife
6-7" chef (santoku) knife
utility scissors

I store all these items, except for the knives, scissors and wine bottle opener, in a galley drawer.
In catamarans these items can be stored on the counter top.

Key Lime Pie

2009-12-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

We were sailing in Charlotte Harbor, Florida with our friends Hans and Ria when we decided to spend a night or two at South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island. After docking, we walked into town and I spotted a huge homemade Key Lime Pie in the refrigerator case of the general store. I bought it and brought it back to the boat for the evening's dessert. It was pale yellow, creamy and large. When it was time to cut into it, my husband said, "Why don't we just cut it into fourths?" to which the spontaneous response was "NO!!!". So Ria cut the pie into little slices. We each had a piece, then another and another and soon we had eaten the entire pie in one sitting!

Homemade Key Lime Pie is a masterpiece but is probably not suitable for galley cooking. I am sharing a recipe for an easy Key Lime Pie that your guests will enjoy. It is a crowd pleaser and not as fattening as the one we ate on Captiva. Plus, it does not have to be refrigerated.

Just to be sure that we all know this I will mention that REAL Key Lime Pie is not green, it is a pale yellow color.

Kathy's Key Lime Pie
note: make this one day ahead to allow flavors to blend

1 pre-made low fat graham cracker crust
1 can low fat Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1/4 to 1/2 c key lime juice (either fresh limes or bottled key lime juice)
8 - 12 oz. Cool Whip, either regular or low fat

Fold the milk, lime juice and Cool Whip together by hand. Pour into the crust. Garnish with fresh lime slices or zest.

Do NOT have to keep refrigerated before serving.

Goodbye Good Friend

2009-12-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite knives broke yesterday. I feel like I have lost a good friend. It was a Henckels 4" paring knife and I loved it so much that I have two of them which I use interchangeably every day. It was (and still is) my "go to knife" for almost everything I do. IT DIED WHILE IN THE KNIFE BLOCK! THE BLADE SPLIT CLEANLY FROM THE HANDLE! How did this happen? I was a good mom to my knife: I never put it in the dishwasher and always washed it by hand. But to split while standing up IN THE BLOCK is somewhat like being shot while lying asleep in bed! It will be an unsolved mystery and I am not completely comfortable with that fact.

So I went to Williams Sonoma and purchased a Henckels 4"replacement along with its 5 1/2" bigger brother (they came in a set), and they will join their biggest brother, the 7" which has been the big boy in the block for years. I hope they all get along well and I will remind them, as every mother does, that each has its talents and I love them for who (or what) they are.

I had a real problem deciding how to store my knives on the boat. I don't have enough room for a knife block on my counter, plus there's too much movement on my sailboat to keep the block stable, and I knew that putting them in a drawer would be disastrous.

One day I was walking through Williams Sonoma with a $25.00 gift card in my hand and found the perfect solution for me: a wall mounted magnetized bar. Just like the one they use to display the knives in the case. Now, to be perfectly honest and fair, the one shown on the left is more expensive than the one I have, but they come in various lengths which is handy for boat owners. Our galleys are weirdly shaped and long, flat lengths of wall are at a premium. Mine is mounted in my galley wall that is facing aft right above my refrigerator. The knives, scissors, and wine bottle opener stay put while we are underway. And isn't that what we want from all the contents in our cabin?

My Favorite Soup: Chicken Noodle

2009-12-25T19:29:00.000-08:00

I could eat soup 365 days a year, and of all the soups I make, our favorite is chicken noodle. It is the epitome of comfort food: real chicken, fresh vegetables, lots and lots of thin noodles. It makes you feel good when you are sick and warms you up when you are cold. So the real test was to reproduce the same chicken soup that I usually make in a large commercial pot at home and bring it down to scale for the 6L pressure cooker. I knew if I could make my chicken soup successfully in the pressure cooker, I would have a very happy crew.

I practiced it many times at home. It was very successful and it took only 45 minutes of cooking time from the time the jigger started moving until I stopped the stove flame. How much faster than 2+ hours in the larger pot! What a richer flavor!! It is the only way I make chicken soup now.  

This past April my husband and I opened our boat for the season. We spent two weeks on her, learning our new electronic equipment, programming the radio with our MMSI number, etc. We had a lot to learn and none of it was going smoothly. Everything took longer than we thought. And what complicated the entire process was that it rained 3 inches in 5 days while the temperature hovered in the 40’s with wind. We were stuck in the cabin, our bimini was in the shop, the electronic system was not reading the computer chip and we were at a really low point. One day I put down the instruction manuals that I had been trying to digest and said, “I am going to do something I KNOW HOW TO DO WELL” and I began a pot of chicken soup in the pressure cooker. Because I had practiced this recipe at home, I knew it would be delicious. I felt empowered that I could cook and do something successfully.

One hour later lunch was ready. We were warm. We took a nap, gave our brains some down time, and were able to tackle the rest of the day.

 JULIE’S PRESSURE COOKER CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE (6L POT)

1/2 whole uncooked chicken, split down the spine and breast bone
 4 carrots, peeled and cut in large pieces (can use baby carrots)
1-2 stalks celery cut in 1/3’d
1 large or 2 small onions, quartered
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cube chicken bullion (I use Telma brand)
 salt and pepper to taste 
water to within 2” from top of pot 
noodles, thin or medium, to preference

Place everything except noodles in the pot. Tighten the lid and bring to pressure. Maintain pressure with jiggler valve moving for 45 mins. Remove lid when pressure has dropped on its own accord. Discard celery. Debone the chicken, cut into small pieces and return it to the pot. Skim fat if necessary. Add noodles and bring to a simmer uncovered, until the noodles are done.

In The Beginning

2009-12-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

Many of us have gone to boat shows to look at the latest boats, gadgets, “gizzies” (as my friend Crystal calls them), gear, etc. Well, my first big boat show was THE Miami Boat show and I was saturated with the latest and newest of all of those things. But what I REALLY wanted to get was some information about cooking on my new sailboat: how to stock my galley, what pots/pans/utensils were the most economical for space, how to store food without inviting bugs, how to plan simple meals using the minimum number of ingredients. After walking through the show for 3 days and not finding anything on the topic, I came upon Corinne Kanter’s booth in the tent area in the sailboat marina. I KNEW I had found the right person and the right place to help me get started. I asked her a zillion questions and she answered them all so patiently. So while many of you purchased gadgets, gizzies and gear, I purchased a PRESSURE COOKER and Corinne’s book The Cruising KISS Cookbook. I was on my way.

Welcome to my blog!

2009-12-24T18:28:00.000-08:00

When I first started sailing, I was always amazed at my more experienced sailing friends who could cook, entertain and eat well on their boats. I looked at the food I had brought from home, and then looked at the delicacies from their galleys, and thought to myself, "How do they do that?" I didn't want to be a gourmet chef, I just wanted to create dishes on my boat that were the way I wanted to eat - in short, to eat on the boat the way I eat at home. So I made it my mission to find out. Over the course of several years, much trial and error, and even more sailing, I finally feel I'm a capable galley cook. And now anyone on my boat - including me - is part of a well-fed crew. I hope you'll enjoy the nuggets of information on this blog, and of course, please share your own! With a little planning and passion for food, anyone can have a well-fed crew.