Category: Galley Life (Page 1 of 2)

Cooking – Season’s End

Eggs benedict

As the season comes to an end, I need to start getting creative with my cooking. I go through what’s left on board that will spoil or expire before next season. Luckily there’s quite large, well-stocked grocery stores nearby if needed.

Fried rice

A package of hollandaise sauce becomes an excuse for eggs benedict one morning. Canned pineapple, fish sauce, and a lot of extra rice quickly becomes fried rice. The final dregs of maple syrup and a couple of really ripe bananas make for banana pancakes. Powdered potato flakes make for creamy mashed potatoes with a roast pork tenderloin. Clearly we do not starve on board…

Pink peppercorns

And there’s so much local food things! Pomegranates grow by the side of the road. Lotta turned me onto the peruvian pepper trees by their apartment (Schinus Molte) which are currently drying and readying for the pepper grinder next season, as well as the rosemary that is planted as a hedge (I always grab a couple of sprigs when leaving their place).

Chilled Sesame Chicken Noodles

½ pound pasta of choice, cooked and cooled
2 cups rotisserie chicken, chilled and shredded
3 scallions, chopped
4 asparagus spears, chopped (or any other vegetable – onion, bell pepper, etc)
¼ cup sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp water
½ cup peanut butter
¼ sesame seeds
1 tsp garlic, grated
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 lime, juiced

 

Combine all but the first two ingredients into a loose sauce. If too thick, add more water till desired consistency is obtained. Mix with chicken and vegetables and noodles. Serve chilled.

Tuna Barley Salad

1 cup dry barley, cooked till tender and cooled
1 can tuna, drained
½ cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
½ cup olives, chopped
1 cup artichoke hearts, chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 cup feta, crumbled
½ cup Italian dressing (more to taste)

 

Mix everything well and serve chilled or lukewarm. Can also be made with leftover rotisserie chicken.

Breakfast Burritos

Note: this recipe is a loose modification of one that the von Hoffmann family has been making for years, so full credit to them!

4 flour tortillas
4 corn tortillas, toasted both sides in a skillet or over open flame
½ cup refried beans (black if you can find)
4 eggs, whipped
1 cup cheese
1 cup ham or bacon, chopped
1 cup potatoes, diced and sautéed
Ketchup or hot sauce as desired

Smear the flour tortilla with refried beans and place in a skillet over medium heat. Top with corn tortilla, meat, cheese & potatoes, Drizzle with eggs, cover and cook till eggs set (might be needed to flip if eggs not cooking fast enough and tortilla browning too quickly). Wrap into burrito form and finish cooking till as brown as you like it – serve with ketchup (Lawrence – the more the better) or Lyle (hot sauce all the way).

Pesto Tortellini with Kielbasa

  • 1 kielbasa link, cut into ½ inch slices
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • 1 bag dried pesto tortellini (Trader Joes)
  • 1 cup parmesan
  • ¼ cup olive oil

In a dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the kielbasa till brown. Remove with slotted spoon, leaving drippings behind. Add onion to pot and cook till partially carmelized, ~15 minutes (add water as needed to prevent burning). Add red pepper and cook another 5 minutes. Remove and add to kielbasa.

Fill dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta till al dene (~11 minutes) and drain. Combine pasta, kielbasa, onion and pepper. Add parmesan and olive oil and mix. Serve immediately.

 

Note: you can add whatever other vegetables you have available. I like roasted broccoli or spinach as an addition when on hand.

Chicken Noodle Soup, My Way

2 chicken thighs
½ onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped (or 12 baby carrots)
1 tbsp sherry (optional)
½ bag Trader Joes 10 minute farro or barley
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp heavy cream (optional)
2 tbsp parmesan

Bring a pot to medium heat and saute the chicken. Once skin is brown, peel it off and cook both sides till crisp, continuing to cook chicken thoroughly, ~10 minutes. Set chicken and skin aside, leaving chicken fat in pot.

Lower the temperature to medium low, add onion and carrots to fat and cook till soft and lightly brown. Add sherry to deglaze and cook till mostly evaporated. Add the farro or barley and stir to coat with oil thoroughly. Add parsley.

Add water to cover ingredients in pot. Shred chicken off bone and add chicken and bones to broth. Simmer for an hour. (Trick on boat: bring to boil, turn heat off, leave on burner 20 minutes, repeat. Saves propane).

Add lemon juice and heavy cream and stir to mix. Serve immediately with chicken cracklings and parmesan.

 

Note: Most chicken noodle soups call for celery but celery wilts fast so I never had it on board. By all means, use it if you have it, it definitely adds flavor.

 

Another note: you can use pretty much any grain or noodle you like here. Originally this was a solid chicken noodle soup recipe but I do like the grains better because they have more of a texture and flavor, but use whatever you have on hand or like.  Trader Joes has little bags that cook up very quickly.

 

And another note: I freely admit this soup would taste better if I had made a broth the day before with entire chicken carcasses simmering away for a day. It’s simply not an option on the boat, but I think this version tastes damn good given the compromises I’ve had to make. Enjoy!

 

And yet another note:  yes, I have sherry on board, a small bottle can last a year for just flavoring here and there and takes up no room on board.

 

And a final note: I love making this a few days after I bake bread or focaccia. Stale toasted bread makes awesome croutons for this soup.

Sourdough Focaccia

*Note: this recipe is half the normal recipe as boat ovens are smaller and sheet pans are half the size. Simply double it if you’re baking on land.

½ tsp yeast
1 cup water
¾ cup ‘fed’ sourdough starter
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour or bread flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
Toppings optional (my preference is carmelized shallots)

 

 

Dissolve yeast in water, let rest 10 minutes.

Combine yeast mixture with sourdough starter and 1 cup AP flour. Add remaining flours, olive oil, salt and remaining water. Mix till dough is soft but not too sticky. If needed add extra flour or water to achieve desired consistency.

Smear bottom of sheet pan with olive oil. Lightly coat dough with oil, put dough in pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rest till double in size, approximately 90 minutes.

After first rise, stretch dough to fit pan. Cover again with plastic wrap, let rise 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400-450 degrees (the hotter the better).

Once ready to bake, drizzle olive oil and water over dough and spread with hands. Then poke dough all over with fingertips to create divots. Add toppings if desired (salt if nothing else). Bake 15-22 minutes, till top is lightly browned.

Creamy Pesto Pasta with Chicken & Onions

2 chicken thighs
½ onion, diced
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup pesto
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parmesan cheese

 

Bring pot to medium heat and cook chicken thighs till brown and chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Midway through cooking remove skin and allow it to crisp as the chicken cooks. Remove chicken and skin from pot and set aside, make sure skin drains and remains crisp.

Add onion to chicken fat and cook till soft and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Lower temperature if it’s cooking too fast. Remove onion and set aside. Fill pot with water and heat to cook pasta. Cook pasta according to directions and drain and set aside.

Shred chicken and add it back to the pot along with the onion. Add heavy cream and pesto and mix thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta and mix. Serve immediately, topping with parmesan and chicken skin cracklings.

Overnight Sourdough Bread

*modified from the New York Times recipe

½ cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup ‘fed’ sourdough starter
¼ teaspoon yeast

Mix everything in a bowl with enough water to create a loose sticky dough. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest for 8-24 hours.

Cut a piece of parchment paper to large circle and put in a clean bowl or proofing basket (basket only needs to be dusted with rice flour). Dust hands and working surface with flour, pull dough out of bowl and fold over on itself 5-6 times. Form a ball and lay on parchment paper. Cover with plastic and let rise 2 hours. At the 1 hour mark heat oven to 450 degrees and let a covered dutch oven come to temperature inside.

Bake covered for 30 minutes, uncovered for an additional 25. If not finished, turn off oven and let bread continue to bake another 10 minutes.

Let cool for an hour before eating.

Note: because the boat oven is so small and the temperature is quite high, the bottom of the bread tends to burn a bit. Who cares – eat it if you like or slice that little bit off.

Banana Pecan Pancakes with Smoked Maple Syrup

  • 2 cups pancake mix
  • water (seltzer water optional)
  • 1/2 cup pecans, crumbled
  • 1 banana, peeled and thinly sliced
  • butter
  • maple syrup

 

Mix the pancake mix and enough water till consistency of oatmeal.  Add the nuts and banana.  Make pancakes (pretty sure I don’t need to include specific instructions here).  Serve immediately with butter and maple syrup.  (We found an awesome smoked maple syrup in Rockland!)

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