Svalen Skipper and Crew Cook Book, 2014-19
(We all like a good home-cooked meal aboard Svalen!)
Dishes cooked on various cruises with Gill Stowell, David Hilton, David Gundry, Rona Gundry, Karen Refsgaard, Thomas Kringleboton Thiis and Hege Hauge Toft with their family (Selma, Theakari, and Sigrid), John Bryden, Tanera Astley, Robin Astley, Lisbeth Refsgaard, Michael Adrian Fulcher, Kim Fastning, Jan Olsson, Jan Lindberg, Killian Dadi, aboard Aldarion and, later, Svalen, between 2014 and 2019. Some of these recipes are based on those we use in our own cookbooks, and especially the following gems:
Sam & Sam Clark: Moro, The Cookbook. London, Ebury Press.
Rose Gray and Ruth Rogers: Italian made easy: Recipes from the London River Café. New York. Clarkson Potter Publishers
Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cookery. London, Ebury Press.
Mridula Baljekar, Rafi Fernandez, Shehzad Husain and Manish Kanani: Complete Indian Cooking. Om Books International. Uttar Pradesh, India.
Shona Crawford Poole. The New Times Cook Book. Fontana/ Collins.
A special thanks to Sue and (the late) Ted Hull, my wonderful former neighbours in Aberdeen who gave me two of the above books, and a lot of inspiration, and to my old friend Peter Baumann who gave excellent advice on dry martinis!
Introduction
I should point out that some of the recipes in here were mainly cooked in ports, with the boat lying steady at anchor, or at a pier. Another approach is needed when Ocean sailing. When in the Atlantic we made more use of tins, even if we adapted them into pasta sauces or risottos! We also used dried and cured meats and fish, including Baccalao and cured Lamb (Norway), Camerones (Brazil), Smoked and dried Reindeer meat from Sweden, freeze dried meals from Norway and the Swedish army, and of course dried soups, especially when without fridge and freezer, as we were on the return voyage to Ireland from French Guyana. We have attempted to mark those dishes that are especially useful in difficult sea conditions. Often these are one-pot and one-dish solutions. We did have several occasions when we lost whole meals due to the pots flying off the stove (yes, even gimballed and with fiddles) and the cook taking flight to the other side of the boat. Nothing for it but to clean up and start again!
We prepared certain things before leaving on the long ocean voyages. For example, cured lamb and reindeer, orange marmalade, preserved lemons, and ginger biscuits. We were also lucky to have some sourdough yeast and some kefir grains given to us in Brazil by a kind French sailing couple, Isabelle Harlé and Ariel Waksman on Skol, allowing us to bake fresh sourdough bread and rolls, and have our morning fresh Kefir.
We kept a small herb garden alive in the covered end of the cockpit during the Atlantic crossings, which supplemented dried herbs, and generally made people happy! Remarkably, most survived at least one Atlantic crossing.
We had an extensive collection of spices and herbs on board, with an Indian spice tin for whole spices, one for ground spices, and two wooden boxes with other spices and herbs. These definitely cheer up otherwise dull dishes! We also used the spices etc to make curry, garam masala, zatar, and the like.
In addition, we had a range of vinegars (sherry, white and red wine, plain) both for cooking and cleaning, as well as oils (olive oil, sunflower oil, rape seed oil, etc).
We also took great care to wash (with plain vinegar and water), dry and carefully store fruits and vegetables. In this way we found we could keep enough fresh fruit to have it every day for breakfast between Cabo Verde and Fernando da Noronha in Brazil, and of course for the shorter legs in general. We did however run out of fresh fruit between French Guyana and the Azores, and resorted to dried fruits for the last week or so of that long, 31 day, voyage. Things to avoid include cardboard and plastic packaging, the former harbouring cockroaches or their larvae, and the latter causing fruit and veg to deteriorate rapidly.
We do not drink alcohol during ocean sailing, and feel better for it. We enjoy it much more when we reach an anchorage, mooring etc.
We have a good water supply of about 1400 litres on board, and a watermaker that runs using the generator. The water from our watermaker is not very good to drink however, as it tends to be flat and uninteresting, even though we do our best to keep the filters clean. We also have a foot pump from the tank which runs through a separate water filter that takes out impurities (Whale Aquasource Clear). However, occasionally – when we were doubtful about the water quality – we added purification tablets. We had no illness caused by bad water, or indeed bad food, during the voyage.
Washing-up uses a fair bit of water, and during ocean passages we tried our best to use sea-water to wash the dishes, rinsing them after in fresh water. We also rationed the use of fresh water for showers etc – the norm was one shower each every three days or so.
I have organised this cook-book in the following way:
- Soups and other starters
- Fish dishes
- Meat dishes
- Pasta dishes
- Vegetable dishes and salads
- Desserts, cakes, biscuits, bread, rolls
- Bottling and Preserving, Curing, Marmalades
- Drinks
Index of recipes (at the end)
A. Soups, and other starters
A.1 Onion and tomato soup
Steam some finely chopped onions and garlic until tender but not brown. Add a can or more of plum tomatoes, some salt and pepper, and a few chilli flakes and oregano, thyme and bay leaves. Bring slowly back to boil, and simmer for 15 minutes.
A.2 Tomato, Basil, Garlic and Chorizo soup for two
Gently fry a couple of cloves of garlic, finely chopped, in a soup pan (also with ½ chopped chilli pepper if you have them) using a small amount of olive oil. . Add some chopped Chorizo, and fry lightly, then add a little dry pasta and a tin of chopped tomatoes with a little water and simmer for 8 minutes. Add some fresh Basil, hopefully lurking in the cockpit garden, salt and pepper, and serve with toast or fresh rolls.
A.3 Almond and garlic soup/ gazpacho for 4.
An Andalucian delight in hot weather, but you need the fridge to work! For this recipe I owe the Moro 1 Cookbook, which I use a lot!
Ingredients
750ml Water (chilled)
225g blanched almonds ground very fine in mortar and pestel or food processor
75g stale white bread, crusts removed, soaked in cold water
3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste with sea salt
3 table spoons olive oil
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
200g sweet white grapes (Moscatel if possible)
sea salt and black pepper
Method
Chill the water in the fridge. Add five tablespoons of the chilled water to the finely ground almonds and process to a moderately thick paste. Squeeze the water out of the bread and add this along with the garlic paste. Combine to a smooth mixture. Add the olive oil and gradually pour in the remaining chilled water until you finish with a smooth thin creamy paste, Transfer to bowl and season with the sherry vinegar, salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls and divide the grapes. Drizzle a few drops of olive oil on top and serve with good bread.
A.4 Smoked haddock and poached egg
If you are lucky enough to find whole smoked haddock or fillets thereof (preferably from Arbroath!), then you can cook them lightly in butter and add a soft poached egg on top. Toast can be under. Delicious for breakfast too!
A.5 Beignets Souffle (Cheese Puffs)
Makes about 30. At their best when first made, but can be frozen after frying and reheated without thawing for 5 minutes in a hot oven (230C).
Ingredients
150ml water
45gm butter
70 gm plain flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 whole eggs and one yolk
100g Jarlsberg cheese or Gruyere cut into tiny dice
oil for deep frying
2 or 3 cloves crushed garlic
Method
Put the water in a small heavy pan with the butter and bring to the boil. Sift the flour, salt and cayenne into a bowl, add the crushed garlic and mix well. Remove the pan from the heat and add all the seasoned flour at once, mixing well with the water and butter mixture. Return to heat and stir until the paste leaves the side of the pan.
Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before beating in the eggs and yolk, one at a time. Stir in the cheese.
Using two teaspoons, mould half teaspoons of the mixture into soft balls and drop into the hot deep-frying fat (190C) for 6-8 minutes, turning them over at half time. The paste will swell into golden puffs, doubling in size. Drain, and serve very hot.
A fantastic winter warmer with a glass of sherry!
[Recipe adapted by JB from the New Times Cookbook(by Shona Crawford Poole)].
A.6 Note on packets of soup.These are very useful for quick lunches, and do not take up much space, so take plenty! We tended to augment them by sautéing and onion, garlic, and/or a chilli pepper before making the soup by adding water. If we had rice, pasta or lentil left overs we would also add that. In general, this made the soups more interesting.
B. Fish/ Shellfish Main courses
B.1 Salmon with ginger, soy sauce and olive oil (Adapted from David Gundry)
Ingredients:
4 Fillets salmon
2 bunches spring onions
Ginger
Garlic
Dark Soy Sauce
Olive Oil
Prep. /cooking
Marinate the salmon in 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 tsp EV olive oil, 2cm knob of chopped root ginger, crushed garlic, marinade 10 mins+, fry salmon in hot oil skin side down about 3 mins each side, let rest, pour the rest of the marinade into the pan, add spring onions, cook for 1 minute, serve salmon on the spring onions with crushed potatoes.
B.2 Prawn Biryani (Thanks toGill Stowell) (One pot, one bowl)
Ingredients for 4
Small onion thinly sliced
Light olive oil 2tbsps
2 tsp cumin seeds
Zest of 1large lemon
500g raw prawns defrosted(can use cooked prawns but add at very end)
4 ripe or tinned tomatoes –can add red or green pepper too if liked
150g toasted almonds or cashews –optional
1tsp dried chilli flakes
200g basmati rice & 500ml hot water
Fresh coriander leaves
Frozen peas and crème fraiche or yoghurt to serve
Prep. Cooking
Heat oil and cook cumin until sizzle/aromatic then add onion and lemon zest and fry until translucent. Add chilli flakes then tomatoes and nuts if using. Stir fry for 30secs then add rice and stir. Add hot water and simmer very low with lid on tight for 10minutes. Add prawns and return to simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in coriander and serve with peas and crème fraiche.
Excellent!
B.3 KEDGEREE for 4 (One pot, one bowl)
Ingredients
700 g Smoked Haddock
570ml Water
1 Onion, chopped
50g Butter
2tsp Curry powder
225ml Basmati rice
3 or4 eggs hardboiled
lemon juice
parsley
green peas
Method
Put 700g of smoked haddock in a pan with 570ml of water. Simmer for 8mins while you chop an onion. [just a small word of warning when you buy Nordic smoked fish – it is very salty compared, for example, with Scottish smoked haddock, and I think should be soaked for a while beforehand to reduce the salt levels! JB]
Remove the fish from the water, and keep both, which you need to keep warm.
In the same pan melt 50g butter and soften the onion in it for 5mins.
Add 2 teaspoon Madras curry powder (or more/less to taste)
Cook for another 1/2 min then add 225ml Basmati rice with 450ml
(i.e. double the volume of rice) of the water you have saved.
Bring to the boil and stir once then cover tightly and reduce heat to a low simmer.
Use the next 10mins to hard boil, peel and roughly chop 3 or 4 eggs and flake the fish.
Put the fish and egg along with 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, some parsley and another 50g of butter on top of the slowly simmering rice and re-cover.
After a further 5mins stir everything together and serve with peas and copious quantities of white wine or cider.
If you can’t get smoked haddock try it with any smoked fish and, if you haven’t got a measuring jug, just guess the quantity of rice you need and assess it’s volume by putting it in a cup/empty can of peas/whatever you please and use twice the volume of liquid as you have used of rice.
YUM!
B.4 East Coast Fish Chowder (Rona Gundry) (1-pot, 1-bowl)
Another delicious recipe from Rona, but as I recall when she cooked it on board Aldarion there was more garlic added than she mentions below!
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon plain flour (scant)
2 teaspoons curry powder (generous if it’s been on board a while!)
300 mls fish stock
300 mls milk
8 or so medium sized potatoes, cut into small-walnut size
pinch cayenne
1/2 nutmeg grated
1 red pepper chopped
handful of peas or green beans
300 mls double cream
450+gms white fish, cut into chunks
112+ gms shellfish
generous chopped parsley
Method
Sweat the onion and garlic in a little oil in a generous pan. Off the heat, stir in the flour and curry powder, then return to heat and gradually stir in stock, followed by milk; bring gently to simmering (as per sauce-making).
Add potatoes, cayenne and nutmeg, cover and simmer until potatoes nearly but not quite cooked.
Add pepper and peas/beans; allow to simmer a minute or two more.
Add fish, shellfish and cream and heat through thoroughly but gently.
Season to taste.
Serve in bowls with a scattering of parsley on top.
B.5 Fish Pie (Thanks to M Tonks, BBC Food)
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes
- 1kg/2lb 4oz potatoes, cut into 5cm/2in chunks
- 50g/2oz butter
- 100g/3½ oz crème fraîche
- 3 tbsp warm milk
- pinch salt and white pepper
For the filling
- 500ml/1 pint milk
- 250g/9oz smoked haddock
- 200g/7oz codloin
- 1 onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cloves
- 2 leeks, washed and chopped
- 50g/2oz butter, plus 25g/1oz for dotting on top of the pie
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 100g/3½oz raw king prawns
- 50g/2oz frozen peas
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley
- 1 unwaxed lemon, finely grated zest only
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
- Boil potatoes until tender. Drain and mash them with the butter, crème fraîche and warm milk and season with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
- Heat the milk in a large pan, then add the smoked haddock and cod. Cut the onion in half, make an incision in one of the halves and insert the bay leaf. Push the cloves into the same onion half and place this into the pan with the milk and fish. Bring the milk to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for 6–7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, finely chop the remaining onion half and the leeks. Heat the butter with the olive oil in a small frying pan and gently fry the onion and leeks for 4–5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
- Remove the fish from the pan, and set aside to cool slightly. Keep the milk in the pan.
- Add the flour to the leeks and stir well. Fry for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Gradually spoon in the milk from poaching the fish, and stir it in well each time. Add all the milk in this way, and heat gently until the sauce has thickened. Taste the sauce for seasoning, and add more salt or pepper if necessary.
- Break the fish into chunks, being careful to feel for any bones and remove any skin, then fold the fish pieces into the sauce. Add the raw prawns and frozen peas to the mixture.
- Place an ovenproof pie dish onto a baking tray (this will catch any of the mix that bubbles over when cooking). Spoon the fish mixture into the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the parsley and lemon zest over the top.
- Carefully top with the cooled mashed potato. Use a fork to spread the mash over the pie and create a rough texture on top. Dot the pie with the remaining half of the butter and place in the oven for 25–30 minutes, or until golden-brown and bubbling. I also like to add some grated cheese on top.
B.6 Grilling Fish (Note by David Hilton)
If the fish is thin skinned and scale-free I would wipe the skin side dry then brush generously with olive oil before seasoning with lots of salt, pepper and herbs of your choice e.g. oregano. Grill, skin side up under the hottest grill you’ve got till the skin goes crispy and a bit charred. If the fish is then cooked through (which will depend on how thick it is) serve, skin side up, with some salsa verde, pesto or similar plus crushed potatoes etc. If the fish isn’t yet done flip it over and grill the other side till it’s ready then proceed as before.
If the skin is too thick to eat or scaley I would do the same but flesh side up.
B.7 Mediterranean Grilled Red Snapper
Ingredients
2 large whole snapper fish, cleaned and gutted
15 large garlic cloves, pressed with a pinch of salt
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground sumac
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
3 bell peppers, different colors, sliced in rounds
1 large tomato, sliced into rounds
1 medium red onion, sliced into rounds
Greek extra virgin olive oil
2 lemons
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 220 degrees C.
2 Pat the snapper fish dry. With a large knife, make two slits on each side of the fish. Fill the slits and coat the gut cavity of each fish with the minced garlic.
3 To make the spice mix, combine the cumin, coriander, salt, pepper and sumac in a small bowl. Use 3/4 of the spice mix to season the snapper on both sides; pat the spices into the fish pushing into the slits you made earlier. Keep the remainder 1/4 of the spice mix aside for now.
4 Stuff each gut cavity with the chopped dill, and as much of the sliced peppers, tomatoes and onions as possible.
5 Place the stuffed fish in a lightly oiled baking sheet. Add the remaining sliced vegetables to form a frame around the fish. Sprinkle the vegetables with a pinch of salt and the remaining 1/4 of the spice mix.
6 Drizzle everything generously with olive oil.
7 Place the baking sheet on the lower rack of your 220 degrees C heated oven. Roast for 25 minutes until the fish flakes. Transfer the fish to a serving platter and squeeze juice of one lemon all over it. Use the slits you made earlier to cut through and portion the fish. Serve it with wedges of the remaining lemon.
8 Enjoy with a rice or potato and salad to choice.
(Based on the recipe online at: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/mediterranean-whole-roasted-red-snapper-recipe-with-garlic-and-vegetables/)
B 8. Roasted Goraz (Sea Bream OR BRASEN (DK)) and pure’ed garlic potato with sautéed seasonal local mushrooms.
Ah, yes! This was excellent!
I bought the bream in the local market in Cascais, along with local potatoes I was assured were good for mashing, and some wild mushrooms. I cooked it when good friends Elena Saraceno and Nelly Jazra Bandarra came aboard for dinner on 7 September 2018 , and think it was delicious, as it seems did my guests. I asked the fishmonger to fillet the bream, which she did, and also take the scales off. I fried them in a heavy pan on the gas stove, first liberally dusting with salt and pepper. I had previously boiled the potatoes with whole garlic cloves in water and chicken stock, and then mashed them all together. I mixed milk and yoghurt (should have been cream) and pressed garlic cloves and then added to the potato puree, whisking until fine. This garlic-potato puree I put on the plates, then some flat leaved parsley, then the fish. We drank pure Alvehrino Vino Verde as an accompaniment.
Followed by local Raspberries and Greek Yoghurt for dessert.
Food of the gods!
B.9 Karen’s Bacalao – a Portuguese recipe, made by Karen at Faial, The Azores, May 2019
Ingredients (6 portions)
1 kg dewatered stockfish (dried cod)
1 kg onion
1 kg potatoes
2 red chilli
4 cloves of garlic
3 tins of tomatoes
4 bayleaves
30 black olives
2-3 dl olive oil
Procedure
Clean the stockfish for skin and bones, and cut it in about 2 cm thick pieces.
If you are dewatering the stockfish yourself count on that the weight will increase with about 35 %. You can also buy already dewatered stockfish, then calculate about 250 gram per portion.
Cut potatoes and onion in about ½ cm thick pieces.
Put fish, potatoes and onions layerwise in a large pot.
Divide the garlic in two across and put in the pot together with bay leaves, chili, tomatoes and olive oil. Let it cook for about 1 hour.
Bon appetite!
C. Meat main courses
C.1 Thomas´s Boeuf Bourgogne,
Ingredients
1.5 kg of shoulder meat
300g smoked bacon
3 carrots
3 onions
250g mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic
large sprig of thyme
2 concentrated liquid meat stock
5 dl red wine
a spoon of wheat flour
Preparation & Cooking
- cut the meat in pieces 1×4 cm
- seal meat on high temperature
- cut each onion 12 (Indian style), sauté with chopped garlic added a bit later
- cut mushrooms in two, sauté with carrots
- fry the bacon
Put meat, onion, mushrooms, carrots (in pieces), meat stock, red wine, spices in a pan and simmer for 40 minutes, thicken with flour. Add bacon at the end.
Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
C.2 Lamb chops with fried pears in ginger, garlic and chevre gravy (Thanks to Thomas Kringleboton and also his brother, I believe) (five servings)
Ingredients
10 lamb chops
4 cm of ginger
5 cloves of garlic
four spoons of creamy goat cheese or chevre
four spoons of cream cheese
two pears cut in wedges
Prep/ cooking
- fry the pears in butter, put aside
- fry the lambchops in butter add garlic and ginger in the end
- add chevre and cream cheese, simmer for five minutes
- add pears, simmer for five minutes
& serve with boiled potatoes
This is surprisingly tasty and tender!
C.3 Chicken with garlic and bay leaf and olives
Ingredients
Six Chicken thighs, breasts or legs with skin on.
Olive Oil.
12-18 Whole Garlic Cloves in their skin.
White wine
Sea salt
Black pepper
Prep./ Cooking
Roast the garlic in olive oil until brown, adding the bay leaves at the last minute, take out and set aside, add the seasoned chicken to the pan and fry each side until nice and brown. Add back the garlic and bay leaves, and then add the wine to coverthe chicken. Stir around and turn the chicken. Cover and simmer for 30 mins or so. Serve immediately.
C.4 Seared sirloin salad with barley, grapes and sumac (John after Moro 1) (6 people)
Ingredients
80gms pearl barley
2 or 3 good sized, thick sirloin steaks about 750gms
drizzle of olive oil
4-5 bunches flat leaved parsley, leaves picked from stalks
500g white seedless grapes
sea salt and black pepper
MARINADE
Small onion, grated
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
2 tsps sumac
2 tsps freshly ground coriander seeds
1 tsp allspice ground
black pepper freshly ground
DRESSING
2-3 small garlic cloves crushed with salt
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
6 tblsps Ex V olive oil
3 tsps sumac
2 pinch freshly ground allspice
2 pinch freshly ground coriander
Prep/ Cooking
Simmer the barley in boiling salted water for about 40-45 minutes, drain and cool.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and rub evenly over the steaks. Leave to marinate for 1-2 hours.
Blend the ingredients together for the dressing, seasoning with salt and pepper
After the steak is marinated heat a griddle pan until it smokes. Rub the steaks with olive oil and griddle. For medium rare, just sear the steaks on both sides, about 1 minute both sides. Season with salt as the meat is turned. Remove from heat and rest a minute while you assemble the salad.
Put the barley in a large salad bowl, adding the parsley and grapes. Taste for seasoning. Slice the steak into thin slices across the grain about 1 cm thick. Toss half of the steak strips in the salad and lay the rest on top. Serve immediately.
C. 5 John’s LambRogan Josh
Rogan Josh evolved from Kashmiri roots and was one of the earliest curries to achieve mainstream popularity on British high’streets. It isn’t a chilli-laden curry, but it does have an appealingly intense flavour. Kashmiri chillies, noted for their mildness and bright colour, are traditional but notthat easy to get hold of; paprika makes a super substitute. If you can, make thiscurry a day ahead, to give the masala a chance to mature and mellow.
INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, roughly chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 brown cardamom pod, split (optional)
8 green cardamom pods, split
2 cinnamon sticks, 3cm (P/4in) each
1 dried bay leaf
5 cloves
3/4 tsp black peppercorns
1 blade mace
600g (lIb 50z) boned shoulder or leg of lamb,
cut into 3cm (P/4in) cubes
125g (41/2oz) plain yogurt
Spice mix
2 tsp fennel seeds, roasted and
ground (p322)
3/4 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp mild paprika
1/2 tsp chilli powder
. 1/2tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
METHOD
To make the spice mix, combine all the ingredients. Leave on one side.
Put the onion in a food processor, add a dash of water and blend to a smooth paste. Tip the onion paste into a small bowl. Alternatively, you can grate the onion. Blend the garlic in the foodprocessor with 1 tbsp water, then transfer to another bowl.
Heat the oil in a wok or karahi over a moderate heat and add the brown and green cardamoms, cinnamon sticks, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns and mace. Swirl everything around in the hot oil for about 30 seconds or so, until the spices give off a nutty whiff. Add the onion paste to the pan, turndown the heat and fry until golden. Stir in the garlic paste and continue cooking for 1 minute.
Tip the lamb into the pan, turn the heat up and fry for about 10 minutes or until browned. If it looks like it is catching on the bottom of the pan, add a couple of tablespoons of water. Stir in thespice mixture. Gradually add the yogurt to the pan, stirring well between each addition. Pour inenough hot water to barely cover the lamb, then cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally,for about 40 minutes or until the lamb is tender and the sauce thickened.
If, at the end of cooking, the masa/a is a little thin, take the lamb out of the pan and boil the liquid until thickened. Return the meat to the curry and serve piping hot. Mild and fragrant!
C. 6 Roast Shoulder of Lamb stuffed with saffron rice
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Saffron rice (see below)
1 shoulder of lamb about 1.6 to 11.8 kg, boned and trimmed of most of skin and fat
3 tablespoons olive oil
75ml water
4 tablespoons finely grated zest and juice of 1 fresh orange
sea salt and black pepper
To serve:
Blanched and braised chard or braised spinach (see below)
200g Greek yoghurt tinned with 2 tablespoons milk, with ½ crushed garlic clove and a good pinch of salt
Method.
Cook saffron rice and set aside.
Pre heat oven to 220C
Place shoulder skin side down on a board and open out fully. Put half, or as much as will fit, of the saffron rice into all the pockets of the boned lamb, roll up the lamb and tie with string. Place in a large roasting tray on the hob, over a medium heat, add olive oil, and brown all sides of the lamb until sealed. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and place in the oven to roast for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the meat is pink inside. Remove, transfer lamb to a board and let it rest for 10 minutes loosely covered in foil.
Meanwhile make the gravy. Pour off any fat and return the roasting tray to the hob over a medium heat. Add the water and orange peel+juice, bring to a gentle simmer and scrape off all the meat juices and other bits on the bottom of the pan. Taste for seasoning, transfer to a small saucepan or bowl and keep hot. When you are ready to eat, slice the lamb and serve with orange gravy over the top, the rest of the saffron rice (warmed) on the side, some braised chard or spinach and a little of the yoghurt mixture.
Saffron Rice
Serves 4
80g unsalted butter
½ cinnamon stick
5 whole green cardamom pods, cracked
3 whole black peppercorns
200g basmati rice, washed and soaked in cold salted water for 3 hours
2 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachio nuts (optional)
2 tablespoons barberries (optional)
1 good pinch of saffron threads (about 100 threads) infused in 4 tablespoons of boiling water
sea salt
Serve with the garlic-yoghurt and caramelised crispy onions!
Method
Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium to low heat. Add the cinnamon, cardomem pods and black peppercorns and fry gently for about 4 mins until the aromas are released. Drain the rice well, add it to the butter, and stir to coat for 1 minute. Turn up the heat to medium-high. If using them, stir in the pistachios and/or barberries now. Pour enough water over the rice to cover it by 1cm and season wwith salt. Rest some greaseproof paper on the surface of the water and then place a lid on the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Lift the lid and paper off the pan and drizzle the saffron water evenly over the rice. Replace the paper and lid. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook for another 4-5 minutes.
Braised Spinach
Dress spinach leaves with juice of ½ lemon, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper. Place a large saucepan (or wok) over a medium heat, add 4 tablespoons olive oil. When hot add 3-4 garlic cloves thinly sliced and gently fry until golden-brown. Add the dressed spinach and toss. Remove quickly as it does not need much cooking. Test for seasoning.
Caramelised crispy onions
Slice 2 onions thinly and evenly
Heat 300ml sunflower oil in frying pan. When hot add thin layer of sliced onions and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally. When onions are golden to mahogany in colour remove with slatted spoon and do the next batch if necessary. Spread onions on kitchen paper or a rack. Oil can be kept for another recipe.
C.7“Spicy pork kebabs with moorish flavors”.
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, slices
salt
1 tsp whole coriander seeds
3/4 tsp sweet paprika
3/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp curry powder
3 tablesp olive oil
1 tablesp lemon juice
1 tablesp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
freshly ground pepper
1 pound pork tenderlin, cut into 3/4-1 inch cubes
Method
Soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. Mash the garlic and the salt. In a dry pan heat coriander, papira, cumin, thyme, red pepper, and curry until hot and aromatic 30 seconds. Put the mixture in a bowl and grind it. Combine the garlic, spices, oil, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper and the meat. toss well and marinate in refrigerator for 2 -3 hours. Thread the pork onto the skewers. Broil or grill and turn every 2-3 minutes and basting with the marinade – in total 10-15 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 12 skewers to serve 6.
Then Flat bread.
1 table sp active dry yeast
2 tablesp plus 1 cup wager
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil.
Use the amount for 2 small pizza sizes of bread – not too thin to ensure to leave them soft while eating and spinkle with oil under and over… Bake and serve immediately.
The dressing
Finally make a Spanish Alioli
Spanish garlic mayonnaise
1 egg yolk,
1 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, mashed
salt and ground pepper
2-3 tablesp white wine vinegar.
Place the egg yolk and stir in the oil slowly, such that the oil is being emulsified before adding more. Add the garlic and season with salt, pepper and vinegar to taste.
C.8 Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Flat Bread and Tabbouleh (Gill Stowell, by way of the Guardian)
The jewel in the crown of Moroccan cuisine – although couscous, crispy pigeon b’stilla piesand those sticky sweet date pastries also deserve a look-in – the tagine is a stew that takes its name from the heavy earthenware pot in which it is slow cooked, traditionally over an open fire, or bed of charcoal.
Tagines can be cooked up from almost anything – lamb and chicken remain the most popular, but beef, goatand even camel turn up tagined these days (and you can also make something intriguingly named a Berber omelettein one, should you so desire).
What they all have in common is low, slow cooking – I have chosen chicken tagine with olives and preserved lemons, described by Claudia Roden as “the best-known Moroccan chicken dish”, purely because I’m hoping spring will finally spring some time soon, and such Mediterranean flavours will seem more fitting than a heartier beef and prune number.
A note – in Morocco, tagines are generally served with bread, couscous being a dish in its own right. Both are, in my opinion, equally good at mopping up any sauce, so you should feel free to do as you please. We used whole barley instead of couscous, and this was excellent! Boiled for about 40 mins in salted water and drained.
The tagine
Gill reports: “Paula Wolfert, perhaps the foremost English-language authority on Moroccan cooking, say that“the shallow bottom is most important for braising meatfor a ‘tagine’ … You use less liquid than in a deep casserole and the sauce emerges intense in texture and flavour.” So if you don’t have a tagine, any wide, shallow pot with a tight-fitting lid will do the trick.”
Meat
Prefer whole chicken, jointed. Breasts are too dry, but chicken thighs are ok and provide a decent amount of meat, while the bones add depth and flavour to the gravy.
Vegetables
Onions are a must in a tagine, and using them as a bed for the meat, especially if dry like chicken, is a clever idea. Cut them into thin strips, rather than grating,– the slim crescents are also visually rather pleasing alongside slivers of preserved lemon and the bulbous purple olives.
Most recipes use standard yellow onions, but I’m sold on the red variety, which lend a lovely sweetness to this savoury dish. Tomatoes seem wrong here, however: their fruity acidic flavour spoils the purity of the sourness of the lemons and saltiness of the olives. Potatoes seem even more out of place, their starchy bulk weighing down the tagine.
Spice
Using just ginger and saffron, as Roden does, allows the flavour of the chicken to really shine through –the vibrant yellow turmeric in some versions seems unnecessary given the saffron. Despite my “keep it simple” mantra, I can’t resist the pinch of cinnamon they also put in, which serves to underline the sweetness of the slow-cooked onion.
Fresh herbs are vital here: I’m going to add generous amounts of coriander and parsley to the dish itself, then pile on even more coriander before serving – it adds yet more freshness.
Liquid
Like any stew, a tagine needs some liquid in which to slowly braise the meat. But there’s no need to cover the meat with water if you have a tight-fitting lid and a low enough heat. Even Roden’s 300ml of water needs quite a bit of reducing before it acquires its intense chickeny flavour. The 175ml suggested by Gourmet produces quite enough well-flavoured sauce, once augmented by the chicken juices and the moisture from the onions.
Olives and preserved lemons
Violet olives seem to work better than the green ones
Preserved lemons (see also the recipe later) add a pleasing savoury bitterness to this dish, but they can be overpowering, especially if you use as much of the pulp. Instead, I’m going to concentrate on the peel, adding just enough finely diced flesh to give a little acidity to the sauce.
The Final Tagine recipe
Serves 4-6
3tbsp olive oil 2 red onions, thinly sliced lengthways 3 garlic cloves 2tsp ground ginger ½tsp saffron, in a little warm water 1tsp cinnamon Juice of ½ lemon 2 small preserved lemons 2tbsp chopped parsley Small bunch of fresh coriander 6 chicken thighs 3tbsp violet olives
Heat a tagine or heavy-bottomed shallow lidded pan on a low heat and add the oil, followed by a layer of onion. Mash the garlic with ½tsp salt and add to the pan.
Sprinkle over the ginger, saffron water and cinnamon, followed by the lemon juice, and coarsely chopped pulp of one preserved lemon and the rind of both, cut into slivers. Add the parsley and 2tbsp chopped coriander and toss it all together well.
Arrange the chicken on top and scatter over the olives. Pour 175ml water into the pan, cover tightly and simmer very gently for about 45 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Season to taste and top with the remaining coriander, chopped.
C.9 Chicken and Peanuts (Thanks again to Gill Stowell and David Hilton)
Ingredients
75ml veg. oil
1 onion peeled and diced
salt and pepper
30 ml flour
4 chicken joints
150 ml chicken stock
150 ml milk
about 40ml peanut butter
30 ml single cream
50gms salted peanuts to garnish
Method
Heat oil and sweat onions for a few minutes. Transfer to a casserole. Season with flour and coat the chicken with it. Fry until golden brown ND Transfer to casserole. Add the stock to the frying pan, stir well, add the milk and peanut butter and heat gently. Pour over the chicken in the casserole and cook for 1 hour. Adjust seasoning. Add cream,, and garnish with peanuts. Serve perhaps with sautéed mushrooms. One can also add mushrooms in to the dish at half way, but in this case only use 75ml chicken stock-
C.10Greek Chicken (Based on The Mediterranean Dish)
For 8 people
INGREDIENTS
- 4 to 5 pieces chicken, bone in, skin on (I used 2 breasts and 3 legs)
- Salt
- 4 gold potatoes (about 2 lb), scrubbed clean, cut into thin wedges
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved then sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil, plus 1/2 cup more for later
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 12 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp dried Rosemary
- 1/2 tspground nutmeg
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 12 pitted quality kalamata olives, optional
- Fresh parsley, for garnish
Side dishes (optional)
- Greek Salad
- Tzatziki Sauce or Garlic Yoghurt
METHOD
- Pat chicken dry and season generously with salt (lift the skins and apply salt underneath as well). Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pat dry again if needed.
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- Place the potato wedges and onions on large sheet pan. Season with sea salt and 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken skin-side down to brown (5 to 7 minutes,) then flip over and sear briefly, about another 3 minutes. (do this in batches, if you need to). Transfer from skillet to the prepared sheet pan, nestled between the potato wedges, keeping everything in one layer.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil with lemon juice, minced garlic, rosemary, and nutmeg. Pour all over the chicken and potatoes; lift chicken pieces so some of the juice will flow under, and toss potatoes until well-coated.
- Now, pour chicken broth into the pan, but do not pour over the chicken. Add lemon slices on top.
- Bake in heated oven uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until chicken and potatoes are tender. Occasionally, flip the potatoes over. (Chicken’s internal temperature should register at 165 degrees F)
- Remove from heat and add kalamata olives, if you like. Garnish with a little bit of fresh parsley. Serve withGreek salad, Garlic Yoghurt and flat bread or pita.
Find it online: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/greek-chicken-and-potato-dinner
D. Pasta main courses
D.1 Penne Arabbiata(John’s recipe, based on the River Café Italian recipes book; but Gill and David Cooked a slightly different version of their own)
Ingredients
Penne: 500gms
Garlic cloves 4, peeled and halved
Plum tomatoes 2 cans
Ex.V. Olive Oil 2/3 tbsps
Dried Chillies 2
Basil leaves ¾ tbsps.
Prep./ Cooking
Heat the olive oil in pan and add garlic and whole chillies. When the garlic is brown, remove with the chillies and save. Put the basil leaves in the hot oil for about 5 seconds and remove. Add the tomatoes to the oil, season and break them up. Cook gently for 10 mins.
Cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente, Drain.
Add the garlic, chillies and basil to the pasta Stir in the tomato sauce and stir everything well before serving.
Sometimes, if there are no vegetarians at the table, I add chopped Chorizo to this.
D.2 Spaghetti alla Carbonara (4-6 people) John, based on the New Times Cookbook recipe.
Ingredients
225gms streaky bacon thick sliced and cut into short strips
5 or 6 cloves garlic peeled but not chopped
2 tblsps Ex V Olive Oil
30 gms butter
4 or 5 tblsps white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
450 gms spaghetti
3 large eggs
84 gms parmesan cheese
3 tblsps chopped flat-leaved parsley
Preparation & cooking
Bruise the garlic with the back of the knife and add with the chopped bacon to a pan with melted hot oil and butter, cooking until the garlic and bacon are golden colour. Add the win and shake. Boil until the wine is well reduced, then discard the garlic. Keep warm while cooking the spaghetti to al dente.
Break the eggs into a warm serving bowl, add the cheese and parsley and black pepper, beating all lightly together. Add the hot cooked spaghetti and toss in the egg mixture until well coated. Add the bacon with its fat, and toss again. Serve immediately!
E. Vegetable dishes and Salads
E.1 Taboulleh for 6 (Thanks to John and Moros 1 cook book)
The salad
150 gms Organic Pearl Barley, boiled for about 40 minutes and drained
600 gms small sweet tomatoes cut into quarters
6 spring onions, trimmed and chopped
4 small bunches of flat-leaved parsley, roughly chopped
2 small bunches of fresh mint, roughly chopped
Mix all the ingredients together after preparation
The dressing
3 garlic cloves crushed to a paste with salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground allspice
3 tblsps fresh lemon juice
4 tblsps Ex V Olive Oil
Sea salt and black pepper
A teaspoon of honey if desired
Mix the spices and garlic together with the lemon juice to disperse flavours, then add the honey and the olive oil and season if needed with salt and pepper. Toss in the salad just before eating.
E.2 Ratatouille Provençal (Ragout) (The one John likes) (serves 6-8 or more if accompanied)
(Adapted by John from Joan Weir: From Tapas to Mezze)
Ingredients
2 large aubergines cut into 1 inch cubes, salted washed and dried
6 tblsps Ex V Olive Oil
2 red bell peppers cut into ½ inch strips
1 red chilli pepper, seeded
4 small courgettes (zucchini) trimmed and cut into ¾” slices
2 large yellow onions cut into 8 wedges
8 garlic cloves crushed with sea salt
5/6 tomatoes, skinned and cut into 1 inch cubes
3 tblsps tomato paste
3 bay leaves
4 tblsps chopped flat leaved parsley
¾ tsps. Fresh chopped thyme
2 tblsps red wine vinegar
20 fresh basil leaves cut into thin strips
Large glass of white wine
Glass or two of water as needed
Method
Heat 3 tblsps olive oil in large heave pan. Add the aubergine and brown on all sides (15 mins). Remove with slotted spoon and reserve. Add 1 tblsp olive oil and add the bell peppers, cooking and stirring occasionally until wilted (6/8 mins). Reserve with the aubergine. Add the courgettes and cook until lightly browned (4/5 mins). Reserve with the other veg. Add the remaining 2 tblsps of olive oil with the onions and cook until soft, adding the garlic half way through ( 8/10 mins). Add the tomatoes, paste. Bay leaves, parsley, thyme and pepper, and simmer slowly for 20 mins. Add the reserved veg. to the pan with the wine and vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 mins, adding in water as necessary. Place on serving platter and garnish with the strips of basil.
Can be served hot, warm cold, and is very good the day after!
E.3 Potatoes with Grilled Fennel Salad with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan
Ingredients
- 2 fennel bulbs, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- fresh herbs like basil, parsley and thyme and some fennel fronds
- lemon juice and zest
- Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
- Waxy potatoes
Instructions
- If your fennel bulbs have stalks and fronds on them, then trim them off.
- Cut off any hard and inedible outer parts.
- Trim a tiny bit off the bottom, the core helps to keep your slices in tact.
- Holding your fennel bulb upright cut ¼ inch slices vertically from top to bottom.
- Brush each side with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
- Place slices on a medium hot grill turning until you get a nice char on each side and fennel is tender to the touch.
- Whisk together the lemon, olive oil, herbs and zest adding salt and pepper to taste, then drizzle all over.
- Garnish with the shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Delicious slightly warm or at room temperature.
E.4 Steak, Pesto and Rocket Salad with Parmeggano (Thanks to David Hilton)
Ingredients:
1 jar pesto – homemade using home grown basil
Random quantity pine nuts
As much Parmesan as it is possible to ‘shave’ while being thrown from one side of the boat to the other
Large amount of home grown rocket
Rump steak
Method:
Spend 15 minutes or so jamming 4 bowls into various corners of the galley in such a way that they will stay put while the boat is rocking wildly from side to side.
Find a plausible excuse to go on deck for a spell to gaze at the horizon in the hope of quelling waves of nausea.
Return to galley and spread generous amount of pesto in the bottom of each bowl while, simultaneously, flash frying steak which you have (at the last minute) remembered to cut into thin strips.
Respond to urgent need to check course by going on deck and gazing at horizon.
Return to galley. Retrieve 2 bowls from cabin sole, scrape up spilt pesto and return it to bowls.
Grab a large handful of rocket and try to ram it into the first bowl which keeps sliding round the galley work-top. Repeat for the the other 3 bowls.
Rescue frying pan from sink where you put it in the vain (and misguided) hope that it’s contents would remain within it. Divide what’s left of the steak between 3 of the 4 bowls then spoon the spilt portion out of the sink into the 4th bowl. Sprinkle pine nuts and Parmesan generously around the whole interior of the boat in the belief that some of it will land in the bowls.
Serve with steamed home-grown potatoes by staggering precariously across cabin in order to hand one bowl at a time up to green- faced crew in cockpit. Watch them pick unenthusiastically at your offering while fighting back nausea.
Wait a while after eating as you may have the chance to enjoy the meal again but this time coming up rather than going down…. (Joke!)
E.5 Whole green lentils with green coriander and mint
If you are lucky, you will have a nice coriander plant in the cockpit garden, as well as mint. And lentils are a basic item in boat stores. This one is based on a recipe in Madhur Jaffrey’s Quick and Easy Indian Cookery, which I carry on board for quick and easy Indian meals.
Ingredients
180g whole green lentils
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon black or yellow mustard seeds
1-3 dried hot red chillies
115g onions peeled and cut indian style (lengthwise and then halved)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
½ teacup chopped green coriander
½ teacup chopped fresh mint
Method
Set oil in a large pan with a close fitting lid. When hot, add the cumin and mustard seeds. When they begin to pop, put in the chillies. Stir once, then add red chillies, stir once, and then add onions garlic and tomato. Stir until the onions brown a little, then add lentils , 800ml water, salt, ground coriander, green coriander and mint. Stir and bring to a simmer. Put the lid on and heat to boiling. Turn down heat to a simmer for 50 minutes or until lentils are cooked. Serve.
E.6 Chickpea Curry
Ingredients for the paste:-
2 tablespoons veg oil
1 onion, diced
1 tsp fresh or dried chilli
9 garlic cloves
thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 ablespoons ground cumn
1 tablespoon garam masala
2 tablespoons tomato puree
Ingredients for the curry
2 x 400g cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
400g can of chopped tomatoes
100g creamed coconut
172 small pack coriander, chopped, plus extra as garnish
100g spinach
Method.
To make the paste heat a little of the 2 tsp oil in a frying pan, add diced onion 1 tsp fresh or dried chilli, and cook until softened (8 mins approx.)
Combine the garlic cloves, ginger and remaining oil in a food processor, and then add coriander, cumin, garam masala, tomato puree, 172 tsp salt and the fried onion. Blend to a smooth paste adding oil or water as needed.
Cook the paste on a medium high heat for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the two cans of chickpeas, and one can chopped tomatoes. Simmer for about 5 mins to reduce.
Add the creamed coconut with a little water and cook for another 5 minutesd, then add ½ small pack coriander and 100g spinach. Cook until wilted.
Garnish with extra coriander.
Serve with Rice and/or Dhal
E.7 Lentils with fried spices for 4-6 people
(Based on a recipe in Complete Indian Cooking by Mridula Baljekar, Rafi Fernandez, Shehzad Husain ad Manisha Kanani)
Ingredients
1 large onion sliced Indian-style
1 garlic clove
115g or half cup of red lentils
50g or quarter cup Bengal lentils
3-4 fresh green chillies
1 tsp ground turmeric
400g or 1 can chopped tomatoes
4 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
6 curry leaves
2 dried red chillies
deep fried onions and fresh coriander for the garnish
Method
- Put the lentils in a heavy pan with 350ml (1,5 cups) water. Add the chillies, turmeric and onion slices and bring to boil. Simmer with lid on until lentils are soft and the water has evaporated (about 45 mins).
- Mash the lentils and add salt and tomatoes when nearly smooth. If too stiff, thin with hot water.
- Heat oil in frying pan and fry the rest of the ingredients until the galic is golden brown. Pour the oil and spices over the lentils and cover.
- After 5 minutes, mix well, garnish and serve.
E.8 Tomato and Chickpea Bake (or Stuffed Aubergine alternative)
Ingredients
1 aubergine, flesh cut into cubes (keep the shell with some flesh, and use two of them, on if going for the stuffed Aubergine option)
1 onion, chopped finely
2 garlic cloves chopped finely
2 tbsp olive oil and more for brushing
400g can chopped tomatoes
200g cherry tomatoes
400g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 tsps dried oregano
4 slices white baguette (if not going for stuffed aubergine option)
3 or 4 tablespoons grated Parmegianno cheese
handful of Basil from the cockpit garden
Method
Heat the oven to 180C.
Fry the aubergine and onion in opil for about 5 mins or until softened and light brown. Add garlic, canned tomatoes, ½ can water, 1 tsp oregano and a little salt and pepper. Bring to boil and simmer for 10 mins. Stir in cherry tomatoes and chickpeas, and cook for another 2 or 3 mins.
If stuffing the aubergine shells, brush them with oil and put in an iron dish. Add the mixture above inside and around the shells. Add the parmesan and rest of the oregano on top, and bake in the oven for c 20 mins until the top is crisp and golden. Scatter basil over the top and serve with green veg or salad.
If opting for bread, brush the bread with olive oil and proceed as above.
F. Desserts, biscuits, breads, cakes etc
F.1 Simple Bread
Ingredients
1 kg unbleached organic white or mixed brown/white bread flour
Yeast
2 tsps sea salt
700 ml tepid water
Method
Mix all ingredients together and beat until smooth. Put the mix into two well oiled and floured bread tins. Cover and let rise for as long as needed, usually about 3 hurs. Preheat the oven to 230C (450F), and bake in the middle shelf for 35 minutes. Remove from tin and bake for a further 10-12 minutes, after which time the bottom should sound hollow when tapped. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
F.2 Karen´s Simple (Italian) Rolls (Boller/ Rundstukker)
Ingredients
150 gm durum wheat
500gm wheat flour
½ Litre water
20gm fresh yeast
1 tsp salt
Method
Dissolve salt and yeast in water, add flour. Makes a wet dough- do not try to knead. Let lift overnight. Make shapes with casserole spoon, put them in oven at 220 deg C for about 15 mins. Makes about 20 rolls.
F.3 Flat Bread for 6 (Thanks to John who adapted it from Moros 1 cook book)
Ingredients
600 gms unbleached organic strong bread flour
¾ tsp fine sea salt
yeast (preferably fresh)
255ml tepid water with a little honey dissolved
1.5 tblsp Ex V olive oil
Zatar or Rosemary or Sesame Seeds to garnish
Method
Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Dissolve the yeast in the honey water, and then pour the oil on it. Now sloly mix the water mixture into the flour by hand, kneading for about five minutes and adjusting the amount of flour/water to give a very slighltly tacky but soft elastic and smooth dough. Rest to rise for about 45 minutes on a floured surface and covered by a cloth.
Heat the oven to 230C (450F)
Divide the dough into 6 and roll into balls. Roll out the balls into oval flat breads about 3-5mm thick, and dust with the garnish and a little olive oil before baking on an oiled baking tray for 5 to 10 minutes. Each bread should partly bubble up and colour slightly, but remain rather soft to the touch (ie not crisp).
F.4 Simple Ginger biscuits (John, based on Anne Carr’s recipe)
Ingredients
250gms butter melted
250 gms castor sugar
2 tsps ground ginger
chopped stem ginger if available
440 gms self-raising flour (or normal flour with 2 tsps baking powder mixed in it)
Method
Melt the butter and sugar together gently, then remove from hear and slowly mix in the flour and ginger (including the stem ginger). Press into a 30x20cm baking tray. Bake in a moderate oven, 190C for 15-20 mins until lightly browned. Cut into squares and transfer to a wire rack to cool before storing in an airtight tin.
F.5 Linda’s Incredible Fruit Cake (sufficient for 3 standard loaf tins)
(With many thanks to Rona Gundry for this delicious sailors cake, who got the recipe from David’s late sister, Linda. Who would be without it with a nice mug of good tea! I took three of them with me to Russia on Aldarion!)
Ingredients
450g butter
560g S-R flour
112g ground almonds
4-6 eggs
450g demerara sugar
900g sultanas or other dried fruit chopped.
Method
Melt butter with sugar in saucepan then remove from heat.
Add fruit, eggs, ground almonds and flour.
Divide into lined loaf tins.
Cook in slowish oven ‘until done’.
Fantastic!
F.6 Cheese Straws
Ingredients
- 56g of Plain Flour
- A pinch of Salt
- A pinch of Cayenne Pepper OR Ground Paprika
- 70g of Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 14g of Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 56g of Butter
- 1 egg yolk
- Only if needed: 1 tbs of milk
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan.
- Sieve the flour, salt and pepper/paprika into a bowl. Add the butter and rub well. Once rubbed well ad the grated cheese and briefly stir.
- Moisten with egg yolk. Knead into a ball. If the mixture is still oo crumbly add the milk to it and then knead into a ball. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface. Roll the mixture out into a square and cut into thin strips (1cm).
- Place on a lined baking tray and brush with any remaining egg yolk if you would like. Bake them for 12 – 15 mins or until golden. Cool them on a wire rack.
- Eat and enjoy!
F.7 Lebanese Apricot and Chocolate Tart for 6 (Amazing!)
This is another gem from Moro 1.
Ingredients
- One sweet pastry tart shell (see below)
- 180 g apricot paste or dried apricots (see below to make paste)
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 135g unsalted butter
- 110g 70% good quality dark chocolate, in pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 60g fine white sugar (caster if possible).
Method
- The sweet pastry shell
140g plain white wheat flour
30g icing sugar
75g cilled butter in small pieces
1 egg yolk
Stir flour and icing sugar together and blend with butter by hand or in food processor. Add the egg yolk when the texture is like fine bread crumbs, and mix until collected. If too dry, add a splash of milk or water. Shape in a ball. Wrap in cling film and chill in fridge for at least an hour. Usung a coarse grater, grate the pastry mix onto the 24cm pie form to a thickness of 3-5mm, pressing firmly and evenly. Prick the base with a fork and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes or more. Preheat the oven to 220-230 C and bake the tart for 10-15 mins until light brown. Remove and cool on a rack.
The apricot paste (if not using the dríed apricot plates from Lebanon)-
Chope the apricots finely and simmer with an equal amount of water and some lemon juice for 5-10 munutes until tender, and then puree in a blender.
The filling.
Put the apricot paste in a saucepan over a low heat with the lemon juice and stir to a smooth paste. Spread on the bottom of the tart shell and leave to cool until there is a slight skin on the paste.
Place the butter and chocolate in a bain-marie (a heat proof dish or small pan over another pan with boiling water). Whisk the eggs and sugar together until pale light and fluffy. Fold the eggs and melted chocolate mixtures together and pour into the tart shell using a spatula.
Bake at 180C on the middle shelf of the oven for about 25 minutes. Serve with crème fraiche if available, or creamy yoghurt.
F.8 Shortbread
Ingredients
150g plain flour
Pinch of salt
25g ground rice (rice flour)
50g castor (fine white) sugar
100g butter, chilled
Caster sugar for dredging when ready
Method
Sieve the flour, salt and ground rice into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Add the chilled butter in one piece and gradually rub in to the dry ingredients. Knead by hand until well mixed, but do not allow the dough to become sticky. Wrap in foil or polythene and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes approx.
Preheat the oven to 160◦C.
Press the chilled dough firmly into a 17.5cm round tin, or if available a fluted edge flan ring on a greased baking sheet. Prick all over the dough with a fork and mark into triangular portions with a knife. Chill in the fridge for a further 15 minutes.
Bake in the centre of the warmed oven for 40-45 minutes or until pale golden in colour. If it becomes too brown during cooking, cover with foil.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Dredge with sugar and break or cut into slices for serving.
G. Jams, Marmalades, Preserves
G.1 Strong Orange Marmalade (John’s recipe based on the New Times Cookbook)
(Not to be made on the boat, it uses too much gas! I pre-prepared two lots prior to sailing to Brazil and back, and still had a little left over after the fourteen months at sea!)
Ingredients
900 gms oranges, preferably Seville
2 lemons
2.25 litres water
900 gms granulated or preserving white sugar
900 gms demarara sugar
2 large tblsps dark treacle preferably molasses
Method
Cut the peel off the oranges and lemons and insert into juicer to remove juice and separate the pith and seeds. Then cut the peel into short thick strips.
Tie the pith and pips into a muslin bag and hang into the large pan. Add the water and peel to the pan and boil gently until the peel is very tender and the liquid well reduced (about 2 hours). Lift the muslin bag out of the pan and squeeze as much of the thick pectin mixture into the pan. Add all the sugars and treacle into the pan and return all to the boil rapidly. Test for setting, and when it sets, remove from heat and take off the skimmings. Stir rapidly with a glass of whisky. Cool a little and put into the sterilised jam pots. Leave to cool and cover.
G.2 Preserved Lemons (these keep well in a large kilner jar on the boat and can be used for several great recipes such as Gill´s Tagine).
Ingredients
10 unwaxed organic lemons washed and dried
1 kg coarse sea salt
3 roughly broken up cinnamon sticks
1 tblsp coriander seeds
1 tblsp whole cumin seed
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cloves
5 small dried red chillies
5 bay leaves
juice of 8 extra lemons
Method
Make a cross on the top of each lemon and continue to cut 2/3 of the way down. Open out slightly, pushing some salt inside each one, and press together again. In a large steralised preserving jar of about 1.5L, alternate the salt with the spices and lemons so that everything is more or less evenly packed into the jar. Press down on the lemons to help extrude some of the juice. Pour on extra lemon juice to cover completely. Close the jar and leave at room temperature for about 2 months, or until the skins are soft all the way through. When ready to use a lemon, remove from the jar, rinse under cold water to remove excess salt, pull out and discard the pulp, then chop the skin as desired. Will keep in the fridge for up to a year, or in the sole of the boat.
Another quicker method is to boil the lemons whole with lots of salt and the same spices above until the skin is soft. Place in a jar with the cooking liquid and spices and leave to cure for 5 days. Cover with olive oil and keep in fridge or in skin of ship.
G.3 Cured leg of lamb. This is very useful as it keeps out of the fridge in a well ventilated space and a muslin bag to keep off flies etc. I pre-prepared two lamb legs in this way before the Russia cruise in 2014, and was given one by Thomas in Norway before sailing to Brazil.
Ingredients:
- Leg of lamb. 2-3 kilos
- Coarse sea salt
Method
Use a good container, and do this in a cool, fly-free cellar, or failing which a large fridge!
- Massage out the blood. Start from the thin part of the leg and work your way upwards.There are twoblood vessels in the middle of the inside of the thigh and one on each side. The more blood you remove the better the end product.
- Wash with cold water and dry with paper-towels.
- Add enough sea-salt to cover the bottom of a container.
- Rub salt all over the leg and push it into the salt in the container.
- Cover the leg with salt.
- Put it in thecellar or fridgeand leave it for at least 0.6-1 day pr. kilo of meat. You can flip the leg every day or every other day, adding more salt as required.
- Remove the leg from the salt and brush off the salt.
- Put a grate or some sticks at the bottom of the container and place the leg on top. Alternatively in a good cool cellar, hang the leg up in a muslin bag. Put the leg and container back in the cellar or fridge. The temperature should be 3-4degrees C. A Norwegian cellar in winter is usually fine for this.
- Leave it in the fridge for at least a month, and preferably two. The longer you leave it the more “fenalår” taste the meat will develop. If mould appears, wash it off with brine or vinegar.
- Remove the leg from the cellar or fridge. The fenalåris usually driedat a relative humidity between 69 to 76 percent and a temperature of between 12 and 18 degrees. Duration of drying varies, but between 60 and 90 days are usual. The Fenalår is completed when the weight is reduced by 30-40%.
This final step is optional. But vacuum sealing your fenalår will stop the drying process and also make the meat more moist and tender. It will also preserve the quality for a long time.
H. Drinks (For hot evenings)
H.1 Long cool port concoction (thanks to @Thomas Kringlebotn Thiis)
Fill tall glass with ice, and add some white Port. Then an equal amount of tonic. Finish with a slice of lime or lemon. This is not strong, and can be enjoyed in quantity!
H.2 Gin and French (sometimes called a Dry Martini). (Thanks to @Peter Baumann)
Peter tells me: “For the dry martini: you can mix it on ice, don’t crush it, use the cubes, and poor the drink into cold glasses as quickly as possible, if not you dilute the drink by melted ice. Ratio gin/vermouth depends on how you want to finish the evening. A medium could be 3 gin/1 vermouth. I have had it 6:1 or 1:0! Vermouth must be dry. I often use the French Dolin or Noilly Prat; the Martini vermouth is not suitable – too perfumed. Don’t forget a little lemon peel – only the yellow.
Enjoy.
Peter”
I can confirm that Peter’s dry Martini is second to none because he has concoted a few for me!
H.3 Mohito. (Thanks to @Amina Memon)
Put 10 fresh mint leaves in a tall glass with crushed ice and a wedge of lime. Stir around to release flavours and crush the mint a bit. Add a tablespoon of cane sugar (more, or less, to taste) and two more lime wedges. Fill glass to top with ice and stir again. Pout in a ´tot´ of rum and fill the glass with fizzy water. Garnish with lime wedge and a few more mint leaves. One again, cå canny!
H.4 Caipirinha (Brazil) for 2 or 3 persons
Crush 2 or 3 quartered fresh whole lemons with 2 or 3 teaspoons of cane sugar, and add a good measure of Cachaca (Brazilian rum made with the juice of sugar cane rather than molasses), and fill the shaker with a lot of crushed ice. Crush all together and pour into glasses with limes and ice included. Once again, take it easy – they slip down all too easy and a few can leave you legle
Index (Version 5)
Introduction
A. Soups, and other starters
A.1 Onion and tomato soup
A.2 Tomato, Basil, Garlic and Chorizo soup for 2
A.3 Almond and garlic soup/ gazpacho for 4.
A.4 Smoked haddock and poached egg
A.5 Beignets Souffle (Cheese Puffs)
A.6 Note on packets of soup.
B. Fish/ Shellfish Main courses
B.1 Salmon with ginger, soy sauce and olive oil
B.2 Prawn Biryani
B.3 Kedgeree
B.4 East Coast Fish Chowder
B.5 Fish Pie
B.6 Grilling Fish
B.7 Mediterranean Grilled Red Snapper
- 8 Roasted Goraz (Sea Bream OR BRASEN (DK)) and pure’ed garlic potato with sautéed seasonal local mushrooms.
B.9 Karen’s Bacalao
C. Meat main courses
C.1 Boeuf Bourgogne,
C.2 Lamb chops with fried pears in ginger, garlic and chevre gravy
C.3 Chicken with garlic and bay leaf and olives
- 4 Seared sirloin salad with barley, grapes and sumac
- 5 Lamb Rogan Josh
- 6 Roast Shoulder of Lamb stuffed with saffron rice
C.7 “Spicy pork kebabs with moorish flavors”.
C.8 Moroccan Chicken Tagine with Flat Bread and Tabbouleh
C.9 Chicken and Peanuts
C.10 Greek Chicken
D. Pasta main courses
D.1 Penne Arabbiata
D.2 Spaghetti alla Carbonara
E. Vegetable dishes and Salads
E.1 Taboulleh for 6
E.2 Ratatouille Provençal (Ragout)
E.3 Potatoes with Grilled Fennel Salad with Fresh Herbs and Parmesan
E.4 Steak, Pesto and Rocket Salad + White grapes
E.5 Whole green lentils with green coriander and mint
E.6 Chickpea Curry
E.7 Lentils seasoned with fried spices
E.8 Tomato and Chickpea bake
F. Desserts, biscuits, breads, cakes etc
F.1 Simple Bread
F.2 Simple (Italian) Rolls (Boller/ Rundstukker)
F.3 Flat Bread for 6
F.4 Simple Ginger biscuits
F.5 Fruit Cake
F.6 Cheese Straws
F.7 Lebanese Apricot and Chocolate Tart
F.8 Shortbread
G. Jams, Marmalades, Preserves
G.1 Strong Orange Marmalade
G.2 Preserved Lemons
G.3 Cured leg of lamb.
H. Drinks (For hot evenings)
H.1 Long cool port concoction)
H.2 Gin and French
H.3 Mohito
H.4 Caipirinha
Sailing with Svalen 