Boat Meals

[Concordia..41]

I have been elected, voted, delegated, assigned to and/or qualified for Chief Cook and Bottle Washer for a boat delivery job.

My first assignment is obviously to purchase provisions for 2.5 days - probably three breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners, plus assorted snacks and munchies. Breakfast and lunch I can manage, snacks are a no brainer, but I'd really like to have nice hot meals for dinner.

Drawback is that there is a one-burner stove (non-gimbaled) so I'm thinking my best shot is to pre-cook some things, freeze, and then heat in boiling water. I'd like to shop and start cooking tonight.

Suggestions?

[Paul Pless]

Red beans and rice, and some good bread, it'll be even better after its been refrigerated and then reheated. Easy to cook, easy to reheat, add some really spicy cajun sausage, mmm good stuff! Don't forget the hot sauce.

[ 02-11-2006, 03:37 PM: Message edited by: Paul Pless ]

[Meerkat]

Chili

Stew

Either can be frozen in it's pot and later heated with 1/2 cup of water to get them started so they won't scorch. Flame tamer would be good in that regard too.

Also: something heated to boiling and then left with an unopened tight lid will keep until the next night without refrigeration (according to that Pardey woman... ;) ). I have done it before with spagatti sauce and it's worked fine.

Speaking of which, spagetti isn't a bad choice either!

[ 02-11-2006, 03:38 PM: Message edited by: Meerkat ]

[Concordia..41]

Yep, spaghetti is a standby, but I'm hoping to dazzle 'em with my inventive cooking skills :D

Off on errands, I'll check back in a couple of hours

[ishmael]

Here's an outrageously good chili recipe. For garnishes I like fresh cilantro, sour cream, and avocado. It's best with diced rather than ground meat, and with freshly prepared beans(about 3/4 lb. dry wt. Picked, soaked and cooked until tender.)

Title: Chocolate Chili With Pinto Beans
Yield: 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb lean pork; diced fine or
1 coarsely ground lean pork
1 1/2 lb lean beef; diced fine or
1 coarsely ground lean beef
1/4 c olive oil
5 md onions; chopped coarse
2 c tomato juice
3 c ; water
5 tb chili powder; or to taste
3 tb ground cumin
3 tb oregano
3 tb unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tb cinnamon
1 ts salt or to taste
2 tb garlic; chopped fine
3 tb white cornmeal or masa harina(optional)
2 cn pinto beans (1 lb each);
-drained and rinsed


Instructions

In a large saute pan or flameproof caserole, cook the pork and beef
over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until both meats lose their
pink color but are not browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl
and set aside. Heat the oil in the same pan until rippling and add
the onions. Saute stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent,
10 minutes.
Stir the reserved meat into the onions. Add the tomato juice, 3
cups of water, the chili powder, cumin, oregano, cocoa, cinnamon, and
salt (optional). Blend. Turn the heat to high and bring to the boil;
reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
Taste for seasoning. Add more chili powder if you like your chili
really searing. Cook 30 minutes longer. Stir in the garlic,
cornmeal, and beans. Simmer for 10 minutes more until the beans are
heated through.
GARNISHES: Chopped onions, grated Parmesan, shredded lettuce, or
sour cream may be used to garnish. Serves 8. SOURCE: The Brilliant
Bean Cookbook.

P.S. This freezes well. Freeze it in some of those ziploc plastic containers and it will slide out and into a pan. Never tried the boiling bag way, but that might work too, and make clean up easier.

[ 02-11-2006, 05:18 PM: Message edited by: ishmael ]

[Meerkat]

Originally posted by Concordia..41:
Yep, spaghetti is a standby, but I'm hoping to dazzle 'em with my inventive cooking skills :D

Off on errands, I'll check back in a couple of hoursWell, there's spagetti and then there's spagetti!

Wine in the sauce, little pork meatballs, chunks of pepperoni and loads of mushrooms make for something quite out of the ordinary, spagetti-wise. An Italian lady taught me that 2-3 TBS of OJ concentrate can really brighten up sauce too.

A pound of well-smoked natural cure bacon (partially pre-cooked to reduce fat) in lieu of other meats can make for a supurb sauce. Make sure it's not cured with nitrites though - can have an adverse affect on some people (including me!).

Chicken is yet another option. Chicken browned, deskinned and stewed in sauce is yummie.

I don't have to tell you to use a good EVOO of course! ;) Sometimes a less expensive VOO is better for sauce than EVOO though - bolder flavor.

[ 02-11-2006, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Meerkat ]

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Scrambled Eggs with Smoked Salmon - Served with potato scones.

Use fresh pasta and you can have it al-dente in seconds with a kettle of boiling water - and still use the water.

The animal stand-by recipe:
Tinned vegetable soup (any kind)
Chunks of salami (or any sausage you can eat cold).
Mix in a pan and bring the soup to the simmer.
Stir in instant mashed potato powder until it will not run off a non-gimballed plate.

The Secret:
A hungry man on a boat will eat anything that's not actually nailed down. If its served up by a woman with a smile, then He'll count himself in heaven.

[Meerkat]

That's it Margo! Serve wormy beans and weavily bread in your Victoria's Secret and they'll vote you a Cordon Bleu on the spot! :D

[ 02-11-2006, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: Meerkat ]

[ssor]

Barillas tortalini/tortaloni, comes dry in foil bags, many flavors. Cooks in 8-10 min. classico sauce, good shredded cheese. Good bread, buttered, wrapped in foil and heated above the cooking pot.

Tortalini also makes for an interesting pasta salad.

[StevenBauer]

How about Lefty's (Kwami's smile.gif ) peanut soup. From the Caribean Saga Thread. :D

Steven

[ssor]

Another approach is a bag of frozen shimps for the first night, peeled, sauted, spaghetti, sauce, add cooked shrimp just before serving the spaghetti.

[Hwyl]

Traditional Norwegian stew moved to Liverpool. http://www.liverpoolpictorial.co.uk/recipe2.htm

They pasted one of mine, I did email and asked them to give me sole credit, but they didn't.

This is my mother's recipe.

One pound of stewing beef
One large onion
1/4 Rutabaga (I despise rutabaga, this recipe will not work without it)
One pound of potatoes
one pound of carrots
Two Green Peppers
Two cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of barley or lentils
Salt to taste, and twice as much black pepper as you would think prudent.
optional ingredients
Mushrooms
Cabbage
Brussels Sprouts
Beets
Any vegetable or left over
Cut everything into cubes, sear the meat onions and garlic, add all the barley
and three quarters of everything else. Cover with water and simmer for at
least one and a half hours. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for an
additional half hour. ENJOY.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Well - Its late, and I should really go to bed.

But that is much too sensible - instead I wondered - "What is a Rutabaga?" and googled.

I found this (http://members.tripod.com/~rutabagas/webcams.html) and am no better informed.

Hwyl, if I go to my local greengrocer and ask for a "Rutabaga", what am I going to get.

[Concordia..41]

OK, this is good.

So far -

Jack - gotta pass on the chili this trip (saved the recipe though) as these folks have been eating off a pot of chili all week.

Hwyl - the stew recipe is perfect timing as I panicked about 4:30 and ran over the local meat market and bought stew meat and shrimp before they closed.

Steven - I just located and printed Kwami's peanut soup recipe and will get ingredients.

PI Stazzer's animal standby recipe is in the works as well as remembering to smile a lot :D

I found some pre-cooked salmon next to the canned tuna and it had a great recipe on the back for a dip/spread aka omelette filling

[ 02-12-2006, 06:26 AM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Concordia..41]

PI - I think it's a first cousin to a turnip

[Hwyl]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:

Hwyl, if I go to my local greengrocer and ask for a "Rutabaga", what am I going to get.A swede

[Tom Lathrop]

Margo,

Where you goin' to and from? It's getting a little cold in Carolina.

If it's real cold, nothing's better than chicken & pastry even if it's out of the can. Otherwise, I'd eat whatever you put on the plate.

Rutabagga is sort of an orange turnip. Good though.

[ 02-11-2006, 07:39 PM: Message edited by: Tom Lathrop ]

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

I like cheese, various crackers, pate, coil sausage of one sort or another, pickles... a sort of country plowmans lunch...with some fruit slices, apple, pear, etc..

Pancakes... easy and filling. (with real maple syrup of course)

:D

[Paul Girouard]

Don't forget the BACON , where's Jamie when ya need him? Canadian Bacon to boot ;) Just in case ya gotta fish for lunch :cool:
Paul

[StevenBauer]

Don't forget sardines! I wouldn't even think of eating sardines on land but out on the water they're the best. Serve with crackers, cheese, too. Be sure to get the ones packed in mustard sauce and the ones in hot sauce. :D

Steven

[Lew Barrett]

Bring almonds and dried mango too.
Another spaghetti vote. I'd make a really nice marinara, simple with wine, garlic, and when done, put in Italian sausage. Putenesca's another variation, so you'll need good olives. Also, you can make pesto at home, then freeze it and add it to taste
under sail. Or really wow them and build a lasagna. Plus, a big one of those works well for lunch the next day.
But really...doesn't everything taste great on a boat? OOPS! Forget the lasagna, you don't have an oven! back to pesto....
Lew

[ 02-11-2006, 08:44 PM: Message edited by: Lew Barrett ]

[Peter Malcolm Jardine]

Canadian Bacon to boot What's the difference? :confused:

[Dave Fleming]

Lot'sa good recipes posted here BUT, youse guys are forgettin' a few t'ings.

Single burner non gimbaled stove. No mention of refrigeration, cooking gear, utensi'cals, work space etc..

A good up-to date pressure cooker ala Kuhn-Rikon, a non-stick fry pan, an 8 inch chefs knifee, some condiments/spices, a good sized cooler with a block of ice chopped in it. Pre-prepped stuff in zip lock bags on da ice and Margo might have a fighting chance.
Providing the weather doesn't pick up to Force 8! :eek:

[ishmael]

Margo,

Tell us what you have in mind.

[Concordia..41]

Dave - your pressure cooker point is well taken, but I don't have time to get one and the stove is a little Coleman number that holds about a 7" pot.

I've a small omelet pan and I'm going to slip aboard in the morning and test it for compatibility.

Dave is exactly right. Zero utensils, zero prep area. Refrigeration = two coolers. This is about making things like stew and soup here and being able to throw a little fire to it if conditions permit. Also, this is a one-way trip - everything not consumed in the two days goes in the trash upon arrival. I'll bring my favorite omelet pan back in my bag, but all foodstuffs - including condiments will be packed in those disposable Ziplock containers, cause what doesn't get used is going in a dumpster...

But being the consummate overachiever, even in minimal conditions, I'll make sure things are nice. Fresh baked goods, homemade dips and sauces, etc.

[ 02-11-2006, 09:18 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Dave Fleming]

Good Omeletteee, takes 3 eggs per.

Whipped at least 50 times with whisk.
Dash of either Tabasco or Worchestershire Sauceee.
Bit of shredded cheese, some chives.
Using unsalted butter or plain old Bertoli's Olive Oil in da pan, as any better grade of Olive Oil would be a waste.

[Hwyl]

Are you leaving tomorrow?

Freeze dried food has improved so much that I'll be taking some on my next deliv' (which looks like it's a transat).

If you have time to hit the stores tomorrow freeze dried might save your bacon

[Concordia..41]

Monday 7 am departure, so I've got plenty of time to shop, prep and cook tomorrow.

Since you mentioned it, I have a collection of Wayfayer soups and main dishes. I guess they're freeze dried. I've had them for a couple of years and they're no where near the expiration date :eek:

I pulled them out of a cabinet, but then I put them back because I am physically incapable of doing things the easy, sane, or logical way :rolleyes:

[ishmael]

Got some good salad recipes, bean and fish, if that fits.

Where ya goin'? Delivery from where to where?

[paladin]

1 cup all purpose flour(or bisquick), 1 tsp baking powder, 1/3 cup milk, 1 egg, 1 cup frozen or canned sweet corn and a cup and a half of shrimp or scallops or lobster or a mix....add a little cilantro and drop by tbsp into hot oil...serve with tbsp or two of horseradish in a bottle of heinz chili sauce...serve with pot of hot coffee
can also serve the fritters with an over easy egg on top fer brefcuss...leave out the corn, seafood and cilantro and add diced apples and a little cinnamon and a tablespoon of sugar and serve with warm maple surple..

two or three cans of progresso clam chowder with a couple extra cans of clams thrown in....sourdough bread or make cornbread in a skillet on top the one burner...

a package of orange cranberry muffins made in the skillet...remember to add a half cup of broken walnuts or pecans to the batter, whip up frosting with real butter and concentrated orange juice...

snacks...large flour tortilla, salsa, cheese, meat, mushrooms, green onions and/or green peppers for mexican pizza...
fry flour tortilla dusted in powdered sugar and serve with honey over

[ 02-11-2006, 10:40 PM: Message edited by: paladin ]

[Paul Girouard]

Originally posted by Peter Malcolm Jardine:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr /> Canadian Bacon to boot What's the difference? :confused: </font>[/QUOTE]None that I can tell :confused: but Lefty and/or Jamie made it a point to insure it was Canadian ,EH smile.gif In the old bacon boy thread, where is old Jamie ? Lefty's in Tabago but Jamie's been absent of late.

Paul

[Dave Fleming]

Oh that Chuck, he do like his fritters. :D

[Meerkat]

Nothing sparks up clam chowder like a few dashes of tobasco sauce. Not to make it hot, but just enough to make it warm and smoky.

[joejapan]

.
Strange but true.....

Had a cute little Canadian lady accept an invitation to go cruising out through the San Juan Islands. I had really only expected to cruise one day but we decided to stay out the weekend. I was pretty low on grub after our Sat. night dinner so for lunch Sunday, she took a look in the galley to see what she could come up with.

She took a big can of Campbell's Pork N' Beans and heated them in my cast iron skillet. After a few minutes she added a can of Heinz Canned Tomatoes, a dash of salt and a pinch of pepper and, as strange as it sounds, it was a helluva' lot better than you'd think...!

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Coleman and no gimbals...

I've seen a couple of really crude gimbal sets.
There is the Mini approach where you weld the gas stove to the kettle.
Or (seen on a Dragon which had sailed from Dublin to Brittany in F6+)
A galvanised bucket with a primus hung from a hook in the main beam... Worked.

N.B. 2 Inches of sand in the bottom of the bucket makes for more stable.

Thanks for the Rutabaga/Swede explanation. Its a very confusing veggie - in Scotland they are also known as Turnip, Neep, Tumshie and sometimes "mangle". They are the thing which on October 31st, is carved into a lantern.

[ 02-12-2006, 07:44 AM: Message edited by: P.I. Stazzer-Newt ]

[paladin]

yup, davey, if'n ya can make it kwik in one pot I done practiced it....

[Ken Hutchins]

Don't forget to take along a box of ginger snaps. ;)

[Gary Bergman]

Sailor's quick gourmet pasta....Boil favorite noodles, preferably linguine or fettucini, top with can of favorite clam chowder, and voila!..Pasta with a white clam sauce (always add more garlic and salt)....Also, 'mac and cheese' with the velveeta cream sauce, no mixing or milk to add, just water..my granddaughter's favorite aboard when it's her turn to cook...

[Gary E]

And set out a couple trolling lines for fresh fish... put it in the chowder since there's no grill or oven.

or you could tell them to butch up like Steve Fossett.. he just flew more than around the world in a little over 3 days on milk shakes...

[ 02-12-2006, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: Gary E ]

[Hwyl]

Originally posted by P.I. Stazzer-Newt:
Coleman and no gimbals...

I've seen a couple of really crude gimbal sets.
There is the Mini approach where you weld the gas stove to the kettle.
Or (seen on a Dragon which had sailed from Dublin to Brittany in F6+)
A galvanised bucket with a primus hung from a hook in the main beam... Worked.

N.B. 2 Inches of sand in the bottom of the bucket makes for more stable.

Thanks for the Rutabaga/Swede explanation. Its a very confusing veggie - in Scotland they are also known as Turnip, Neep, Tumshie and sometimes "mangle". They are the thing which on October 31st, is carved into a lantern.I don't know how much Welsh they speak in your part of Wales, but even a monoglot English person could not have endured school dinners in my time without knowing to stay away from "Stwnch Rwdan" mashed motato and swede/rutabega.

Rwdan is similar enough to rutabega, so there must be a common root (all accidental puns gladly accepted).

On the mini transat, I've heard that cooking facilities of any kind are now considered to be too heavy and many sailors exist on those awful "health bars". I consider any boat with a lid, that you can't make a cup of tea on to be a craft for heretics.

[Concordia..41]

I have been cooking all freaking day! Menu established smile.gif

Monday am - they're on their own for breakfast; leaving dock around 7 am

Monday morning snack:
Fresh veggies with choice of blue cheese or dill dip (veggies cut and bagged so can be passed around like a bag of chips).

Monday lunch:
Clam chowder & crackers (chowder was made incorporating suggestions above, i.e. bacon & dash of Tabasco)

Monday afternoon snack:
Parmesan cheese crackers and salmon spread

Monday dinner:
PI Stazzer's Animal Pleaser Veggie Soup with sausage and potato flakes (dinner surprises include a nice Merlot and apple pie for dessert)

Tuesday breakfast:
Omelet ah la Fleming & I'll add some shrimp and crab meat and anything else that looks promising ;)

Tuesday snack - oatmeal raisin cookies, blue berry and banana walnut muffins

Tuesday lunch:
Hwyl's mother's stew & fresh buttered bread. BTW had I not had a band saw in the garage, the rutabaga would not have made it in the pot. It is not a first cousin to a turnip, it is a freaking rock!

Tuesday dinner:
Cesar salad and per SSOR, Barilla's three-cheese tortellini with added Parmesan, stewed red peppers & fresh parsley (per idea on bag) + shrimp (my idea)
(dinner surprise = champagne & chocolate (it is Valentines Day)..)

Wednesday breakfast:
Biscuits and homemade sausage gravy

Soups, stews, etc are all bagged and since the weather looks good, all I'll have to do is heat the bags in boiling water. I'm not sure about freezing the sausage gravy or the chowder?? but everything else was cooled and put in the freezer.

If the weather changes, I've got enough cold chicken and sandwich stuff to prevent mutiny. Plus the standard fair of peanuts, chips, Chex mix, etc.

Thanks all!

[ 02-12-2006, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Donn]

"..had I not had a band saw in the garage, the rutabaga would not have made it in the pot."

ROFL!

[ssor]

Sounds like eveyone will do much better than just surviving.
An Idea for future reference cut-up chicken marinated in soy sauce and lemon juice and baked well done will keep without growing anything bad if kept just cool for two or three days. Its the acid and the salt.

[ 02-12-2006, 05:06 PM: Message edited by: ssor ]

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Margo, sounds like this is now well organised - enjoy the trip.

Hwyl, the swede/mash combination can be good eating, given enough butter and fresh ground pepper it is the traditional served with Haggis.

School meals - I almost thought they'd been forgotten. The grey-green stuff which had been a brassica. Meals where the flavour depended not on the ingredients, or on the cooking, but on the direction of the wind.
In the early sixties the town of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders, had a small secondary school, a tiny infants school, and a primary school each on its own site, totaling perhaps 600 pupils - and rather than run three small kitchens we had one central kitchen and dining hall - about 100 yards north east of the tannery.

[Norske3]

OK....so the destination is a BIG SECRET.....but wher you are going could have some input on what you will eat...no?....hot soups in the Carrib? :D

[Paul Pless]

My guess is that she's delivering a boat here: Miami Boat Show (http://www.2006boatshows.com/Miami/)

Wonder if she's making a grand entrance? :D

[Concordia..41]

Give that man a gold star!

[ 02-12-2006, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Norske3]

OOOOOH!!!....that could only mean a GLAS BOAT....UCK!....what a revolting development that is. :eek:

[Ken Hutchins]

I wonder if Margo is going to tell us how nice and WARM it is in Florida, she does that occasionally. :D I heard on the TV that the temperature in Jacksonville was 28 F this morning. :eek: Great warm weather for a sail. tongue.gif

[Dave Hadfield]

You can make a really good chowder/seafood stew from cans.

Take a can or 2 of New England Clam chowder, and add a can of shrimps, a can of salmon, a can of clams.... you get the picture. You can make it quite thick. You can also add UHT milk if required. Mke sure you add garlic and pepper. Maybe a bit of butter. Perhaps a small tin of corn...

Served with good bread, or with various kinds of crackers/biscuits, it's a good meal.

As for bacon, get the microwave-type. It cooks instantly, produces little grease, and doesn't need refridgeration.

[Alan D. Hyde]

A good thing for a cold day is macaroni & cheese, cooked ahead of time and put into a ziplock bag.

For every two servings of macaroni that you pre-cook, make one recipe of this sauce---

two tablespoons melted butter or olive oil,
mixt with two tablespoons flour
then heated in one cup milk
with one-quarter teaspoon salt and one-eighth teaspoon pepper until thickened;
when thickened add one cup grated sharp cheddar cheese, stir until melted, and then add already boiled macaroni & mix.

One board, squeeze out the precooked macaroni & cheese from the ziplock bag into a frying pan and warm it up.

Serve in bowls, and top with either canned onion rings or boxed croutons.

Irish coffee goes well with such a meal, and you can make up and ziplock some whipped cream to go on top of it ahead of time.

If you make your whipped cream according to this recipe, it will keep, without separating, for several days---

one cup whipping cream
whipped with
one-quarter cup sugar, and
one tablespoon vanilla.

(Whip until peaks of cream remain firm.)

Alan

[uncas]

Margo....
I'm late getting into this...and it sounds as though you have everything in hand...
Granted, I skipped a lot of the choices except for your weekly menu.... :D
However, had a great mashed potato dish at a rest. in CT last week....basic mashed plus chunks of lobster...I think you could put in shrimp (cooked) instead...and some chives....
Of course with one burner...this may be difficult...
I wish I had known about this before heading to CT. I have a one dish cookbook on the boat which is fantastic.....
Have a great trip...Saw Rick the other day...ordered a new club jenny.... :D and am thinking about putting a Mohegan turtle ( Uncas' clan ) on the asymetrical.

[Concordia..41]

Thanks guys! There were a couple of dramatic moments involving the autopilot (one of which was on my watch :eek: ), but all went well menu-wise & the general consensus was that this was the first cruise where weight was gained instead of lost smile.gif

I'm saving this thread for future reference, because it appears I'll be asked back... ;)

[Paul Pless]

Awesome!

[Concordia..41]

There's more, but the guys stayed in Miami another day and I got voted "Most Likely to Drive the Rental Car Back With the Gear and Dirty Laundry" so I've got to get busy... :rolleyes:

[ 02-16-2006, 08:52 PM: Message edited by: Concordia..41 ]

[Ken Hutchins]

I hope you told then you don't do windows. :D

[uncas]

Margo...I hope you don't have to wash the laundry and iron the shirts...way too much to expect of anyone.... :eek:

[ 02-18-2006, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: uncas ]

[searcher]

Everybody has a favorite recipe, but let me recomend the new GOURMET Cookbook. Loads of soups, stews, beans, on and on, easy, clear and fast. I am a commited foodie and it's become my go-to cookbook. PS anybody need a cook?