Dining on Moondance

[SeaBelle]

I've often said "There is no reason for not eating well" and rather than agreement I got the job aboard a friend's Sabre 452. We are fortunate to have a freezer (that unfortunately freezes the bottom of the fridge and sometimes the top). I have given up on the oven; it has never worked for me.

First, there is always a variety of (Zartarian) rice mixes aboard. We can have rice as the starch component almost every day and the variety keeps it from getting old.

One of our favorite meals is Jambalaya; I use the box and add shrimp and chorizo (Spanish sausage) and sometimes peas. Quick and easy. We have a freezer for the shrimp but the chorizo keeps well.

Quick Paella is another favorite but since it bears some resemblance to the Jambalaya I don't serve them back-to-back.
Quick Paella
• 3/4 pound cooked chorizo or linguiça sausage, cut into chunks
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1-pound bag saffron rice (such as Vigo)
• 1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and drained
• 1 8-ounce jar roasted red peppers, drained and sliced
• 2 cups chicken or fish broth, or wine
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled
• 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted

1. In a large skillet with a lid, brown the sausage in the oil until crispy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rice, artichoke hearts, peppers, broth or wine, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in the shrimp and peas. Cover and continue cooking until the shrimp are opaque, 5 to 7 minutes

Here is a favorite that I serve with Rice Pilaf:
Chicken Piccata

4 chicken cutlets (2 breasts), boned and skinned
flour for dredging
1 Tbsp. oil
1 Tbsp. butter
salt and pepper to taste
1 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in ¼ c water
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter
4 lemon slices as garnish (optional)

1. Remove excess fat and tendon from chicken breasts.
2. Flatten chicken to ¼ inch. Spread chicken smooth side down on plastic wrap, cover with second sheet of plastic wrap, and pound with mallet.
3. Dredge breasts in flour until lightly coated.
4. In a large skillet, melt butter and oil together over medium heat. Add 2 cutlets (don’t overcrowd). Cook 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side until golden. Remove , salt and pepper, and keep warm while cooking the other cutlets.
5. Add diluted chicken bouillon and lemon juice to pan drippings. Cook, stirring constantly, until deglazed (it’s deglazed when all the browned bits on the bottom are dissolved).

For those with a grill I suggest Kabobs. I buy marinated steak tips from my favorite butcher and intersperse Red peppers, Green Peppers, and Red onion on the skewers. When this was first served the captain fetched his camera. Presentation is important; I bought the boat a plastic platter. Meals seem to taste better now. Also I splurge on Rib-eye steaks (once each annual 3-week summer sail). Never any complaints.

Speaking of splurging, while I never provision on a budget, it seems each cruise comes to about $10/person/day.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Hi SeaBelle,

Those recipes look good.

It's interesting that you've given up on the oven. Does it burn alcohol, propane or CNG? The gas stoves/ovens are head over heals easier to cook with than the alcohol ones.

We use the oven all the time. As a matter of fact, we like using it so much that we've given up using the BBQ grille. I don't think we'll be taking the grille with us on cruises any more. We never use it and it just takes up valuable space in a locker that we could be using for something else. Our 2-burner propane stove with oven is all we need and we always have good meals aboard.

We don't have refrigeration either. The ice-box never brakes down and the lid never freezes shut. Though it does need to be better insulated.

Cathy
CD32 Realization, #3
Rahway, NJ
Raritan Bay