We are not professional chefs. All measurements are approximate and subject to change. All recipes have been tested on crew and guests. If any recipe contained herein is met less than enthusiastically, add more rum to either the recipe or the ungracious guest
General Notes
On Whiskeyjack, we have a small galley.
Really small. Six square feet of surface area would be generous.
Equipment-wise, we have a two burner alcohol stove, an icebox, a sink, and cold water.
That's it.
No oven, no microwave, no refrigerator, no blender, no mixer, no dishwasher.
We have happily discovered that cooking aboard has become a valued component of our life aboard, and Whiskeyjack meals rival anything we could produce onshore.
Here's what we have learned:
1. Plan your meals.
Before you provision your boat, put together a basic menu for the duration of your voyage or stay. Then, plan your snacks. Then,stick to it. By taking the time to set out what you plan to cook and when, you don't end up buying more than you need, and buying more than you will use. Space is at a premium, and it makes little sense to try to stow a case of canned tomato soup when you are only going out for the weekend. The space those cans take up is space that could be put to better use, like, say, rum storage.
2. Know the limitations of your equipment.
If you haven't got an oven, don't plan to cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. If you have only two burners, it doesn't make sense to plan a traditional Sunday dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes, corn, and peach cobbler for dessert. Do the math- it just ain't gonna work.
3. Simple ingredients can produce sophisticated results.
We only have a few powdered spices aboard. We don't keep much produce. The staples are seasoned salt, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, curry, pepper, sea salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, fresh garlic, oregano, ginger and Old Bay seasoning.
Produce is always sourced fresh, and we try not to load more than we can use. In Cajun country they talk about the "Holy Trinity", the three ingredients that go in damn near everything: celery, onions and peppers. On Whiskeyjack, we have "The Four Horsemen": celery, onions, peppers and garlic.
4. Garlic makes everything better.
5. Everything tastes better on a boat.
6. Baguettes are the Swiss army knife of bread.
Use half a loaf for garlic bread for dinner, the remainder makes great small pan french toast for breakfast, or lay hand-torn chunks out on a cutting board with a block of cheese and cold cuts for a quick afternoon snack. One warning, though- it is damn hard to disguise a three foot long baguette as you walk down the Dock. Everyone you pass will look at the bread poking out of your dock cart, then contemplate whatever lesser meal they had planned on their own boat, then start angling their way into getting in on whatever involved that tasty-looking bread.
7. Olive oil is a space saver.
It is the base for tasty elegant salad dressing, the lubricant of choice for pots and pans, the perfect compliment to baguette and minced garlic. One bottle of olive oil replaces a whole bunch of bottles and cans of lesser foodstuffs.
Shredded pork in Peking Sauce
1 lb pork tenderloin.
Pork Marinade:
1 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Cooking wine
1 tbsp Cooking oil
1 tbsp Corn starch
1 tbsp Water
Stri Fry sauce:
1 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce (optional)
1 tsp Ginger. Grated.
1 tbsp Cooking wine or spiced rum
1 tbsp Sugar
Additional:
a bunch of green onions.
a small dash of sesame oil
mu shu pancakes, or substitute tortillas.
Cut the pork into julienne style strips, about 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" long.
Mix the marinade ingredients together.
Drop the pork in the marinade, let it do it's thing for anywhere from an hour to 12 hours.
Cut the green onions into strips about the same size as the pork. set aside to dress plate later.
Mix up the stir fry sauce ingredients.
Heat up your a pan, or if you have one, a wok. Medium heat is good.
drop the pork in, cook until it is white, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from pan/wok, set aside.
Crank pan/wok heat up to high.
While pan/wok is heating, dress serving plate with 3/4 of the onions.
add sauce to pan/wok, and any pork marinade remaining.
when bubbling, add pork back into pan/wok.
Stir fry for 2 minutes or so, until sauce is thickened.
turn off heat, drizzle in sesame oil to taste, stirring all the time.
lay out on top of onions. garnish the remaining onions on top.
Serve with pancakes or tortillas.
Enjoy.
Peel and core the apples, then slice into rings. Put apples in a pan and cover with cider(about a cup or so) add 1/2 tablespoon each of nutmeg and allspice and simmer until the apples are soft. Drain the apples. Save the liquid to make some wonderful cider and whisky cocktail to you know, take off the chill) Slice the baguette, slap the apples and a big hunk of brie on it. Butter that puppy up and toast them in a hot pan until the bread is golden brown and the brie is a warm, gooey mass of unavailable in Mexico loveliness. This sandwich goes better with cold weather.
8. Free food gets you free booze.
Offer someone a meal, and they always ask, "what can I bring?" No matter what you reply, the guests always bring booze.
At least on our Dock.
Your dock may vary.
I love this place.
Jambalaya
.
Spicy and filling, this is a favourite go-to dish that travels and reheats well. Great for pot-lucks and left-overs
Ingredients
3 cups (coarsely chopped) of The Four Horsemen
2 Andouille, chorizo, or any other smoked/spicy sausage
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
20 Fresh shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined.
1 1/2 cup Rice ( As a space-saving short cut, susbtitute Zatarain's Jambalaya mix for rice and spice)
Spice to taste
Hot sauce
1 bottle of beer.
Olive oil
Cut the sausage and chicken into bite- sized pieces. Heat up a medium sized pot, and add a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Add the chicken. when the chicken is half cooked, add the sausage and the Four Horsemen.
(If you like your vegetables less firm, start cooking with the Four Horsemen and add the meat when the onions begin to clarify.) Add rice, spice and beer (add water if necessary to meet desired rice:liquid ratio), cover and simmer. Stir often.
3-5 minutes before the rice is done, add the shrimp.
When rice has abosrbed almost all liquid, and is al dente, remove from heat and let stand.
Uncover, serve with baguette and more beer.
Serves 4.
Shrimp Boil
40-60 medium uncooked shrimp deveined.
Little neck clams (optional)
Three bottles of beer
A stick of butter
The four horsemen, plus shallots, tomatoes and corn on the cob, ...
Serve straight out of the pot with a baguette and/or some garlic bread.
Offer someone a meal, and they always ask, "what can I bring?" No matter what you reply, the guests always bring booze.
At least on our Dock.
Your dock may vary.
I love this place.
Jambalaya
.
Spicy and filling, this is a favourite go-to dish that travels and reheats well. Great for pot-lucks and left-overs
Ingredients
3 cups (coarsely chopped) of The Four Horsemen
2 Andouille, chorizo, or any other smoked/spicy sausage
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
20 Fresh shrimp, cleaned, peeled and deveined.
1 1/2 cup Rice ( As a space-saving short cut, susbtitute Zatarain's Jambalaya mix for rice and spice)
Spice to taste
Hot sauce
1 bottle of beer.
Olive oil
Cut the sausage and chicken into bite- sized pieces. Heat up a medium sized pot, and add a teaspoon or two of olive oil. Add the chicken. when the chicken is half cooked, add the sausage and the Four Horsemen.
(If you like your vegetables less firm, start cooking with the Four Horsemen and add the meat when the onions begin to clarify.) Add rice, spice and beer (add water if necessary to meet desired rice:liquid ratio), cover and simmer. Stir often.
3-5 minutes before the rice is done, add the shrimp.
When rice has abosrbed almost all liquid, and is al dente, remove from heat and let stand.
Uncover, serve with baguette and more beer.
Serves 4.
Shrimp Boil
40-60 medium uncooked shrimp deveined.
Little neck clams (optional)
Three bottles of beer
A stick of butter
The four horsemen, plus shallots, tomatoes and corn on the cob, ...
Toss it all in a pot with a stick of butter and two bottles of beer. Add some spices, then when it all starts boiling, toss in some littleneck clams and shrimp.
Serve straight out of the pot with a baguette and/or some garlic bread.
Beer -Steamed Mussels and Shrimp
Less beer (only one bottle, just enough to steam the ingredients) and substitute mussels for clams n the above recipe.
Serve with Old Bay-dusted biscuits.
Shredded pork in Peking Sauce
1 lb pork tenderloin.
Pork Marinade:
1 tbsp Light soy sauce
1 tbsp Cooking wine
1 tbsp Cooking oil
1 tbsp Corn starch
1 tbsp Water
Stri Fry sauce:
1 tbsp Soy sauce
2 tbsp Hoisin Sauce
1/2 tbsp Oyster sauce (optional)
1 tsp Ginger. Grated.
1 tbsp Cooking wine or spiced rum
1 tbsp Sugar
Additional:
a bunch of green onions.
a small dash of sesame oil
mu shu pancakes, or substitute tortillas.
Cut the pork into julienne style strips, about 1/4" x 1/4" x 1" long.
Mix the marinade ingredients together.
Drop the pork in the marinade, let it do it's thing for anywhere from an hour to 12 hours.
Cut the green onions into strips about the same size as the pork. set aside to dress plate later.
Mix up the stir fry sauce ingredients.
Heat up your a pan, or if you have one, a wok. Medium heat is good.
drop the pork in, cook until it is white, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from pan/wok, set aside.
Crank pan/wok heat up to high.
While pan/wok is heating, dress serving plate with 3/4 of the onions.
add sauce to pan/wok, and any pork marinade remaining.
when bubbling, add pork back into pan/wok.
Stir fry for 2 minutes or so, until sauce is thickened.
turn off heat, drizzle in sesame oil to taste, stirring all the time.
lay out on top of onions. garnish the remaining onions on top.
Serve with pancakes or tortillas.
Enjoy.
Hair of the Dog French Toast
A loaf of SWMBO's cinnamon bread (or inferior substitute cinnamon bread)
Four eggs
Butter
Rum
This is almost like regular french toast, except instead of adding milk to the drench, substitute rum.
Simple Rustic Penne
2-3 Tuscan sausage
6 pieces of bacon
3-4 cloves garlic
1 onion
1 red pepper
Olive oil
Italian spices (rosemary, thyme, oregano, etc.)
Balsamic vinegar
On burner 1, brown some Italian sausage cut into chunks. Set aside sausage when browned. In sausage pan cook 6 pieces of bacon. When crispy, set aside and chop coarse. On burner 2, boil water for pasta. Back on burner one, saute a bulb of garlic (chopped) a white onion (chopped) and a red pepper (chopped) with a little olive oil in the sausage/bacon pan. Season to taste with rosemary, thyme and oregano, if you've got it, and a dash of balsamic vinegar When the pasta is done, strain and put pasta in a serving bowl. Add the sausage and bacon to the pan of veggies just before removing from heat, and stir into the pasta. Serve with a baguette.
Whiskeyjack Beef Stew
1 pound (454g) beef on sale. The cheapest cut you can find. Stewing beef not necessary. I like to use cheap steak.(cut into 1 to 1½ inch cubes)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sized onion roughly diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp herbs de Provence (or 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, )
1 1/2 cups (.60 L) reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper (or Old Bay) to taste
1 large potato, peeled and roughly cubed into bite sized pieces
1 large carrot, chopped, or a half bag of baby carrots.
1 glass of cheap wine, or 1 bottle of cheap beer
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp soy sauce
In a bowl combine the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Drop in the beef. Let it marinade. Drink a beer, or take this time to slice and chop and peel the veggies. Work slow. You want the marinade to do it's thing for a while.
Remove beef from marinade, pat dry and rub in salt and pepper or Old Bay seasoning. In a medium size pot over medium heat, add olive oil, then drop in beef. When beef is browned, remove from pot and pat dry again.
Add celery, onions, garlic,to pot.
When veggies begin to soften, add beef marinade to pot.
. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in herbs de Provence. Toss in the tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper and booze. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. You want to cook this low and slow, stirring occasionally. Your boat will start to smell GREAT!
When a cube of meat is so tender it can be just about pulled apart with a fork, add the potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes to half hour, until a potato can be cut with a fork. Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp water until smooth. Add to stew. Stir well and continue to cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened. Stir in peas and cilantro and cook just until peas are heated through, just a couple of minutes.
Serve in bowls, with a basket of biscuits or rough cut baguette for dipping and wiping.
1 pound (454g) beef on sale. The cheapest cut you can find. Stewing beef not necessary. I like to use cheap steak.(cut into 1 to 1½ inch cubes)
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium sized onion roughly diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tbsp herbs de Provence (or 1 tsp oregano, 1 tsp basil, )
1 1/2 cups (.60 L) reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon sugar
salt and pepper (or Old Bay) to taste
1 large potato, peeled and roughly cubed into bite sized pieces
1 large carrot, chopped, or a half bag of baby carrots.
1 glass of cheap wine, or 1 bottle of cheap beer
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp soy sauce
In a bowl combine the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Drop in the beef. Let it marinade. Drink a beer, or take this time to slice and chop and peel the veggies. Work slow. You want the marinade to do it's thing for a while.
Remove beef from marinade, pat dry and rub in salt and pepper or Old Bay seasoning. In a medium size pot over medium heat, add olive oil, then drop in beef. When beef is browned, remove from pot and pat dry again.
Add celery, onions, garlic,to pot.
When veggies begin to soften, add beef marinade to pot.
. Return beef cubes to pot and stir in herbs de Provence. Toss in the tomato paste, vinegar, bay leaves, sugar, salt, and pepper and booze. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 45 minutes to an hour. You want to cook this low and slow, stirring occasionally. Your boat will start to smell GREAT!
When a cube of meat is so tender it can be just about pulled apart with a fork, add the potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer for another 20 minutes to half hour, until a potato can be cut with a fork. Mix cornstarch with 2 tbsp water until smooth. Add to stew. Stir well and continue to cook until stew is bubbly and has thickened. Stir in peas and cilantro and cook just until peas are heated through, just a couple of minutes.
Serve in bowls, with a basket of biscuits or rough cut baguette for dipping and wiping.
Appetizers, Snacks, Desserts
Ceol Mor Schmoopy Sammich
Here's what you need: 2 apples, a big hunk of good brie, fresh baguette, fresh pressed apple cider, nutmeg, allspice and butter. Margarine is an abomination, use the good stuff.
Peel and core the apples, then slice into rings. Put apples in a pan and cover with cider(about a cup or so) add 1/2 tablespoon each of nutmeg and allspice and simmer until the apples are soft. Drain the apples. Save the liquid to make some wonderful cider and whisky cocktail to you know, take off the chill) Slice the baguette, slap the apples and a big hunk of brie on it. Butter that puppy up and toast them in a hot pan until the bread is golden brown and the brie is a warm, gooey mass of unavailable in Mexico loveliness. This sandwich goes better with cold weather.
Pears on Toast
Two pears
Half a wheel of brie cheese
Baguette
Butter or olive oil
Cranberry jelly, fruit chutney, or raspberry jam,
Thinly slice pears, brie and baguette. Heat a pan, add olive oil or butter. lay in baguettes. when done on one side, flip baguettes and cover each baguette with pear slice, brie slice and chutney/jam/jelly. Optionally serve jam/jelly/chutney on plate as a condiment. Remove from pan when brie is all melty and gooey but before the baguette gets burnt and yucky.
Cabo Crepes
Four flour tortillas
One stick of butter
One piece of good quality dark chocolate
One jar of Dulce De leche sauce (caramel can be substituted)
One jar of Nutella (optional)
Whipped cream
Vanilla Yogurt
Maple Syrup
cinnamon
Blueberries or strawberries
melt a spoon of butter in a largish pan, and warm tortilla on both sides. slather warm tortilla with dulce de leche and/or, optionally, Nutella. Roll tortilla. garnish with whipped cream and grated dark chocolate. Put two on each plate. Artfully arrange berries on plate. Mix yogurt and maple syrup 3:1 garnish with cinnamon and serve in small dish for dipping. Serves two.
Vegetarian Recipes
Dock 6 Dirty Rice
Ingredients:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green or red bell pepper
1 stalk celery
1 shallot
1 tbsp or thereabouts Old Bay Seasoning, or a blend of chili powder, seasoned salt, black pepper.
1 tsp. Five Spice powder
1 1/3 cups uncooked white rice
2 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 diced tomato
1 can black beans
fresh lime juice
chopped fresh cilantro to taste
Bring the water to a boil, then everybody in the pool! Except the lime juice. Whne rice is cooked to desired firmness, remove from heat, squirt on lime juice (or garnish with lime wedges) and dress with sriracha sauce.
Quinoa Salad
This recipe was inspired by a dish on the menu at my brother-in-law's restaurant, Rosie .
1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
2.5 cups of water or vegetable broth
1 diced tomato
1 diced red pepper
1/2 english cucumber sliced and diced.
Handful chopped cilantro
Dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp. cider or rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
Boil water or broth, add quinoa, coook for about 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add veggies. Combine dressing ingredients and rapidly whisk to fully blend. Pour over quinoa and stir. Serve at room temp or chilled.
Hummus and Pita Wedges
1 can chick peas, rinsed
2 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
1 lemon or juice equivalent
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cloves mashed garlic (optional)
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 pitas
1 green onion
Dash of Old Bay seasoning
Mash chick peas. Blend in tahini and garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt. Blend. Blend some more. Taste. Add lemon juice to taste. Taste again. When yummy, serve in bowl garnished with tablespoon of olive oil, Old Bay and sliced green onions.
Drizzle olive oil on warm grill or skillet, then warm pitas on both sides until golden brown, then slice into eighths.
Easy-Peasey Guacamole
3 avocados - peeled, pitted.
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup diced onion
Big handful of chopped fresh cilantro
2 roma (plum) tomatoes, diced
4 cloves minced garlic
A dash or two of cayenne or Old Bay Seasoning
1 bag tortilla chips
In a bowl, mash together the avocados, lime juice, and salt. Stir in onion, cilantro, tomatoes, and garlic and seasoning Taste. Adjust as necessary. Refrigerate 1 hour for best flavor, or serve immediately with tortilla chips
Note: Keep one avocado pit in the bowl to prevent discolouration
