Meals on heels (the variety, not the foot variety)

[Alan Holman]

Nearly 30 ears ago while skippering a Contessa 26 in a race around Prince Edward Island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence I whipped up, what the crew agreed at the time, was one of the best meals of their lives. Now we are not talking gourmands here.
Ten boats began the race, but about 8 hours into it, a fierce gale blew in from the northeast. Real dirty weather, rain, rough seas and when the sun went down, the temperature took a dramatic drop.
All of the other boats, wise people that they were, headed for the nearest port. Strait Lady well out in the middle of Northumberland Strait headed west. Our little boat had a full-keel and was designed for the North Sea so we all figured she could handled it.
With a combination of the rain and the odd wave smashing over the house, everybody, and everything, was soon soaked.
After a few hours of this we were all wet, cold and getting grumpy. In order to stave off a mutiny, the skipper (moi) decided some hot food would do the trick.
Something simple, wieners and canned beans, heated up in the swaying one-burner gimbaled stove should do the trick, me thinks. This is prior to my discovering I'd left the can opener on the dock. Now my culinary skills were being tested.
Kraft dinner to the rescue! Quick, simple, no cans to open. I noticed the box was a little soggy when I opened it. Well, more than a little soggy - the blue ink from the label had been absorbed by the pasta.
Blue pasta with orangey-yellow cheese made for an interesting presentation on the plate. But, it was hot and the crew were starving. Man, what a meal was the consensus!
Proving once again - hunger makes the best sauce.
Kelle, as most small cruisers rely on the hanging, gimbaled, one -burner stove, do you have any one-pot recipes?
Al Holman

[Kquist]

I haven't used one of those stoves and was curious to see how they work. I have a very easy recipe I will post. It was given to me by an Air Force wife many years ago to stretch out her food budget (3 growing boys and one hungry husband).

I will post it along with some simple tips and tricks this afternoon.

Kelle

[Alan Holman]

Kelle,
Without trying to promote any particular brand of a hanging galley here's a discription from one manufacturer. If you go to the Forespar site you can see a picture of the item.

THE LEGEND RETURNS! THE MINI GALLEY

Back by popular demand! The Mini Galley 2000 is a compact, versatile, fully gimbaled marine stove. The all stainless steel gimbaled frame comes with a low profile mounting bracket, which allows the entire stove to be easily detached and stowed when not in use. The Mini Galley 2000 allows cooking under adverse weather conditions or whenever a hot pot of soup or coffee is wanted without firing up the ships main galley stove. The burner can be turned on and off instantly with no pre-heating or priming necessary. A disposable propane cartridge gives up to 8 hours of hot, clean heat. Designed to accept U.S. Department of Transportation approved self-sealing propane bottles available throughout North America. This handy compact stove is ideal for small cruisers, cuddy-cabin powerboats, or on any yacht for a simple, quick hot meal or drink.

These are very useful on most voyages and in particular those that tend to be cold and wet.

Look forward to your recipe(s).

The Meddler

[Steve Laume]

Do any of you remember her as the really ugly woman on Laugh in?

Anyway, she was not exactly Martha Stewart, or Aunt Jamima but she wrote a cook back in the early 70's. The title was The I Hate To Cook Book. The one bit of advice I remember was that you should always serve your guests very late, as the starving will eat anything.

I guess that's pretty much the way it is when things get rough, as long as stomachs can stand it, Steve.

[Kquist]

Just a few tips I thought I would share. Please add your own.

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR THE KITCHEN

Cutting boards – always place a damp paper towel or a piece nonstick shelf liner under your cutting board to prevent slippage. You can also place them under your dinner plates and rugs on the boat. You can get a roll of nonstick shelf liner at the dollar store.

My favorite cutting board line is Epicurean. They are made of recycled paper and wood products. They come in a variety of sizes, are dishwasher safe and lightweight. Perfect for the boat or home. You can use them as a cutting board, tray, cheese board, drain board, etc. And best of all they won’t harbor bacteria.

Hot Sauce - When you are cooking and find your sauce or soup a bit bland, try adding a couple drops of hot sauce. It is a flavor enhancer when used in moderation. It will bring out the taste of your food. You can also try wine, lemon, lime, orange juice or vinegar. They all work in a similar fashion to enhance the flavor of your food.

Kosher vs table salt – when cooking or baking add twice the amount of kosher salt in your recipe to equal the amount table salt.

Thickener - to thicken your sauces or soups try adding a little orzo, rice or potato to your recipe. It is less messy than flour or cornstarch.

Pesto in ice cube trays – make pesto at home and freeze in ice cube trays. When frozen place them in a sealed container and add to cooked pasta with steamed veggies or cooked shrimp for a quick, healthy meal. To change the flavor of pesto in your recipe, substitute arugula and a little mint in place of fresh basil. This is delicious over grilled lamb chops. You can also substitute fresh parsley for ½ the basil for a milder pesto.

Dried herbs - If you find your dried herbs are at the end of their shelf life, try heating up a stainless steel pan and dry toasting them in the pan over medium heat for about 20 seconds. This will release any remaining oils in your herbs.

Don’t pay those high prices for herbs and spices in the grocery store. Get a list together and head off to the health food store. Many of them sell herbs and spices in bulk. You will be surprised how much money you will safe.

[dvm2nd]

You can always go the ramen route. or you can put all of the DRYingredients into a 1 gallon freezer bag. I use the Knorr pasta and rice dishes and add homemade beef or chicken jerky add the necessary water to the freezer bag. Then place said bag into a pot of boiling water. MAKING SURE THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG ISN'T TOUCHING THE BOTTOM OF THE POT!. Stir once or twice using a smooth plastic spoon. When water is fully absorbed in the food you are done. Serve right out of the bag! Hint: there is no pan to clean up use the hot water in the pan for cleaning your other dishes.

You can make an omlet the same way. Saute your favorite omlet ingredients at home. Place in 1 qt freezer bags. Place in freezer, this will help keep other food cold also. When you are ready for an omlet place two eggs(without shells) into said freezer bag. Seal bag, mix all the ingredients in the bag together add milk or water your preference. Reseal the bag taking out most of the air, remember air expands when heated! Place bag in boiling water, again making sure the bag doesn't touch the bottom. Pull from water after five minutes or so quickly squeeeze the bag if solid eggs are done if slightly liquidy place back in water. Remember you can't burn the eggs it only gets to 212 degrees!

I teach this to 10-18 year olds, to surprise their mother with breakfast in bed on mothers day, I also tell them to throw away the cooking bag and leave the pot of hot water on the stove. So when mom comes down stairs she can't find the mess she expects to see!!

You can when done eat right of the bag, or place contents in a dish or plate. I perfer right out of the bag. I hate dishes!!!!

If you know any good Boy Scout he can probably give more ideas or you can contact moi and I will do the same.