rudderless

The Galley

Yesterday John hooked up a propane tank to the stove that came on the boat. The glorious, three-burner stove with an oven. We’d been cooking on a camp stove, which worked well enough(we fed ourselves for two years on the original Rubi with a Coleman propane camp stove!), but WOW, this thing rocks my liveaboard world.

Our celebratory dinner was a cabbage/sausage/noodle jubilee. We are cabbage fans on this boat. Simple, sauteed cabbage is so cheap and easy and so delicious. We eat it all the time.

But this? This is a great recipe. A pasta recipe that truly comes together in one pot. We loved it. The girls devoured it. It’s our new favorite pasta.

One Pot Corned Beef!

Pressure Cooker Corned Beef and Veg

My parents bought us a pressure cooker for a wedding gift and over the years, I have expanded my repertoire. It’s brilliant on a boat, as it packs a big punch- one-pot meals that taste like you’ve worked all day making them. When really? They took half an hour under pressure . . . this recipe follows that approach. Celebration food in just over an hour. It doesn’t get much better.

3-4 lbs corned beef brisket
8-10 small boiling potatoes, peeled
A few handfuls baby carrots
1-2 onions, cut in half

Cut the corned beef in half, such that it will fit in your pressure cooker.
Cover it with water and add the pickling spices that come with it.
Bring to high pressure, then lower heat to stabilize, cook for an hour.

Release pressure with cold water, remove beef and tent on a plate. Add veggies and bring back to high heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes then release pressure again with cold water. Check to see if veggies are tender and if not, simmer until done.

Serve with crusty bread and cabbage- you could add cabbage at the end and repressurize for a minute or so to cook it. But we love shredded, sautéed cabbage. It cooks fast and is never soggy. The other must-have: horseradish sauce. Some friends served us pork tenderloin with horseradish sauce and I have never loked back. Addiction is a fine thing when it goes so well with so many delicious dinners.

Red Pot Meals! Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is among my favorite things to eat. I crave it, I love it. It’s GOOD on so many levels. The recipe’s from Citymama- I usually make half this amount, and have plenty for my wee family. Try it, you won’t regret it.

Chicken Tortilla Soup- serve with cheese, avocado, and lots of crushed chips.

• 3 lbs. chicken (all breast or a combination of light and dark meat)
• 16 cups water
• 1 cup butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise then diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tsps. paprika
• 4-6 tsps. Lawry’s Seasoned Salt (or regular salt if you prefer)
• 4 tsps. ground cumin
• 2 cans Ro*Tel tomatoes (15 oz), use mild if serving kids if you prefer
• 2 cans diced green chiles (4 oz)
• 1 pint of sour cream (low fat okay)

Cook the chicken in a large pot of water. (I drop the chicken into simmering water and “poach” for about 20 minutes. Then I remove the chicken right away so it doesn’t get tough.) Chop chicken and set aside, saving all the broth for later.

Melt butter in another large pot and cook onion, garlic, celery, and carrots over medium heat until onions are translucent. Gradually add the flour, paprika, seasoned salt, and cumin (you are basically making a roux). Slowly add reserved broth, a ladle at a time, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.

Add rotel and chiles. Stir and add chicken. (At this point, you can keep the soup indefinitely.) Just before serving, stir in sour cream and heat through but do not boil. Serve in bowls topped with garnish.

ps- another bike I love. Though I’m still planning my rickshaw.

Red Pot Meals- Chili!

First off, thanks for the well-wishes and support when it comes to living aboard. We will be back and forth for the next month as we close out the land base and try to get the mast on the boat so we can live at a mooring (where the breeze is better!). But I can’t tell you how amazing it was to see the ladies loving the boat. The most gratifying thing EVER.

I’m concerned that the big red pot won’t fit in the boat’s oven, as I’ve recently become a fan of slow-cooking in the Dutch oven by putting it inside the oven (my version of a crock pot). Perhaps it will work out, and perhaps the pressure cooker will give me a similar effect in a fraction of the time. We’ll see, eh? Yesterday we cooked this chili all day long and it was, hands down, the best we’ve ever made. Try it-

Chili in the Red Pot

2 tbs oil
2 medium onions, chopped fine
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup chili powder
1 tbs ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg. ground turkey (or beef, i suppose!)
2 cans beans- dark red kidneys, pintos, whatever you please
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato puree
salt
condiments: scallions, cheese, etc.

1. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, bell pepper, garlic, veggies are softened and beginning to brown- 10 mins. Increase heat and add meat. Cook until no longer pink and beginning to brown.

2.Add everything else and bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 1 hour. Remove lid and simmer for 1 hour longer. Alternatively, put the whole pot in the oven at 225 degrees for 6 hours or so. You won’t regret it.

We eat ours alone with sour cream, or in true Southern form- ladled over a hot dog, in a bun, in a bowl with onions and mustard on top. My grandmother would insist on putting oyster crackers over the whole thing. A true Scrambled Dog- famously served at the small-town pharmacy in Columbus, GA where she took her children and grandchildren to dine at the lunch counter.

Red Pot Meals- sausage and beans!

As boat life becomes our reality once again (T minus THREE days!!!), I am trying to remember the best of the one-pot meals. I have a Le Creuset cast iron dutch oven that is my favorite kitchen item, ever. I use it five time a week- for soups, stews, braises, popcorn. The inside bottom is dark brown, seasoned with five years of use and goodness. It’s my baby. So without further ado, here’s a favorite red-pot meal. We made it last night and will be making it again, on the boat!

Spicy bean stew with sausages
adapted from the River Cottage Family Cookbook

2 tbs olive oil or veg oil
1 lb mild Italian sausages, we’ve used both pork and turkey; of course the pork is slightly better, but the turkey seems healthier!
1 medium onion
2 garlic cloves
2 14 oz. cans beans, cannelini, pinto, kidney- whatever you love.
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
salt and pepper

1. Fry the sausages in the oil, over medium heat until browned all around. Set them aside on a plate,
2. While the sausages cook, peel and chop the onion and garlic as small as you can, drain beans into a colander and rinse.
3. Add onion to the pan (same pan you cooked the sausages in). Turn heat to low and cover, sweating the onion for about 10 minutes. Add garlic and fry for another minute or two, until fragrant. Stir in brown sugar and the spices and thyme.
4. Pour in tomatoes and beans, season, and add sausages. Turn the heat up to medium until stew simmers, then put the lid on, turn to low, and cook for 1-2 hours (longer the better). Stir every now again, but if you cook it gently enough, it shouldn’t stick.
5. You could leave the sausages whole, but I like to pull them out at the end and cut them into bit-size pieces, then add them back in (this makes feeding a toddler simple).
6. This is exceptional with potatoes, mashed or roasted, and a good beer.

Pizzer

We love pizza and live in a town that has NO good pizza. Not one slice. My friend Marie used the say, “The best pizza in the Keys is DiGiorno.” And we tried that too. But still, not GOOD pizza. Our favorite place in the world to get pizza was five minutes from our marina in East Boston- Santarpio’s. Anyone in the Boston area who hasn’t tried the sausage and garlic pie should make a bee-line for this old-school awesomeness. I’d order one on the way home from work and pick it up via the backdoor of the kitchen. Cash only. Always amazing.

But back to us. Our first homemade pizza recipe appeared on the old blog almost 3 years ago. It’s still a great recipe. Problem is, we’re about to move aboard and use an oven that can’t accommodate a traditional cookie sheet. When I saw the America’s Test Kitchen deep dish recipe using cake pans, I knew we had our next experiment. I’ve made it three times and it gets better and better. Try it, you won’t regret it. And the old, healthier recipe is also below.

Deep Dish Pizza
Makes two 9-inch pizzas serving 4 to 6

Dough:
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup skim milk plus 2 additional tablespoons, warmed to 110 degrees
2 teaspoons sugar
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour , plus extra for counter
1 package instant yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/2 teaspoon table salt

Topping:
1 1/3 cups tomato sauce
1/2 pound shredded mozzarella, along with bits of any other cheese you like. I use cheddar, Parmesan, Asiago, fresh mozzarella, any of it.

I haven’t experimented with toppings beyond cheese. But I aspire to. Some Zen master says somewhere, “There’s always another pizza.”

1. Mix milk, sugar, and 2 tablespoons oil in measuring cup. Mix the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the flour, then pour the milk mixture into the well. Using a wooden spoon, stir until the dough becomes shaggy and difficult to stir. Turn out onto a heavily floured work surface and knead, incorporating any shaggy scraps. Knead until the dough is smooth, about 10 minutes. Shape into a ball and place in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil over the top and spin ball of dough to coat thoroughly. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about an hour.

2. Oil two cake pans with 3 tbs. olive oil each (non-negotiable). Transfer dough to lightly floured counter, divide in half, and lightly roll each half into ball. Working with 1 dough ball at a time, roll and shape dough into 9 1/2-inch round and press into pan. Cover with towel and set in warm spot (not in oven) until puffy and slightly risen, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Remove towel. Ladle 2/3 cup sauce (I use jarred pasta sauce, and occasionally make my own) on each round, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 cups cheese and any toppings. Bake until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven; let pizzas rest in pans for 1 minute. Using spatula, transfer pizzas to cutting board and cut each into 8 wedges. Serve.

Pizza Sophia

dough:
1 cup lukewarm water
1 tbs dried yeast (or 1 packet, if that’s what you’ve got!)
1 tbs olive oil
1 tbs honey
1 tbs flaxseed meal (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 1/2- 4 cups unbleached white flour (I rarely measure anymore)

Combine the yeast, water, honey, and olive oil in a big bowl. Stir to dissolve yeast. Wait about 5 minutes, until yeast bubbles. Add salt, flax, and work in flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, until dough comes together. It shouldn’t be dry- slightly sticky is what you’re looking for. Knead until dough it is smooth and has some ‘give.’ Drizzle with oil and turn to coat, then cover with a damp towel and put in a warm place. I have a big mixing bowl and having worked with bread on the boat, I try never to take it out of the bowl!

When it’s risen (about 2 hours later), sprinkle with flour and stretch it onto a cookie sheet or pan of your choice. We then spoon on some jarred pasta sauce (Newman’s Own Organic is good), thinly. Then break up about a 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella cheese (Squeeze the excess moisture out with a paper towel so the pizza isn’t sopping wet), sprinkle over the top. When I have it, I’ll sprinkle on some Pecorino or Parmesan, freshly grated. Sharp cheddar is also delicious. Bake at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until cheese is golden. Cool for 10 minutes, season with fresh pepper, salt, and fresh herbs if you’d like, and devour. Oh we love this.

A Challenge

Hip Mountain Mama’s One Small Change challenge is a rockin’ idea. One small GREEN change every month for the four months leading up to Earth Day. If she gets hundreds of participants (and she will), think of all that change added up. It does a lot to help with the “drop-in-the-bucket” feeling of doing everyday stuff like hanging laundry out, or using a cloth napkin for dinner. I was a bit proud when I read her list and saw that we’re doing just about all we can do, from cloth diapers to rags in the kitchen, recycling to LED holiday lights. But there’s always more.

So for us, it will be a new recipe once a week from my fabulous new cookbook (thank you Susan) that seeks to OUST the diet dictocrats. Nourishing Traditions promotes the good stuff. Unrefined, unprocessed, grass-fed goodness. Also on the food front I need to commit to finding something other than soymilk for my kids to drink. So sweet. And my candy consumption has been ridiculous over the holidays. New late-night snacks for mama. Stat.

So there. We’ll check in on February 1 to see how we’ve done!

Last of the Crafting

Recycled wax candles. I made a couple of solstice candles that turned out to be too airy and burned right through in half an hour (too much ice- now I remember you add it to the wax a bit at a time). So we remelted them, added some wicks, and voila- purple candles for our upcoming birthday celebration. Sophie already has plans to make tissue paper lanterns with mason jars. Like these. I love the candle-making. It sums up the whole of the solstice/Hannukah/Christmas tradition with such a simple symbol. We have big plans for next year, including a bonfire if we can manage to get on our land in Maine!

On Christmas Day we crafted some gifts for our beloved birds, taking this great recipe from Zach’s site. They are hanging all over the yard and haven’t seen any action yet, but they are awfully cute to look at. Sophie was thrilled to hear that her homemade dog biscuits were well-received by the family canines. We’ve covered most of the bases, between dogs and birds, apple butter and pesto, brownies and deadly-good chocolate chip cookies. There’s only one thing left to say:

CHEERS to 2010!!! Happy last week of the year.

Mac & Cheese

When we eat something particularly good, John asks me to write it down. Five stars. Make a note.
I bookmark the recipe page. I copy it into my recipe folder onto the computer. It rarely comes up again.
No longer, I say.
From now on the “write it down” things are going into our Recipe list on the toolbar above.

Here’s the first. A Southern mac and cheese straight out of a Paula Deen kitchen. It surfaced for the first time in our lives at my grandmother’s memorial service a few years ago. It’s taken on a life of its own, different versions showing up at the family table every Christmas. It’s good. Really good.

RUBY LANDRUM’S MAC AND CHEESE

1 Box elbow macaroni, (16 oz.)
1 Can mushrooms, chopped
1 Can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 Cup mayo
¼ Cup chopped bell papper
¼ Cup chopped pimento
¼ Cup chopped onion
1 Pound cheddar cheese, sharp, mild or combo
1 Box of Sociables or blue cheese crackers, crushed (Cheez-its are also awesome!)
2 Tablespoons or a whole stick of butter.

Cook macaroni until barely tender.
Mix soup, mayo, bell pepper, onion and mushrooms thoroughly.
Drain macaroni and stir in grated cheese.
Pour soup mixture over macaroni and cheese and mix thoroughly. Place in baking dish.
Melt butter in small pan and add crushed crackers.
Sprinkle crackers over top of casserole. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-030 minutes.

Rainbow Cupcakes!

Today we made rainbow cupcakes for my Mom’s birthday. We make a lot of rainbows and talk about light dividing into colors. It was fun to reinforce the rainbow principle in such a sugary way. And slightly magical to mix 6 different colors of icing.

I usually make my own cake, but today I used a box and our own icing. It’s stupid simple- a stick of butter, 8 oz package of cream cheese, a cup of powdered sugar, and a few drops of vanilla. Because cupcakes are truly all about the toppings.

R-O-Y-G-B-V and Happy Birthday to Mom, and to our common-law-brother-in-law, Corey Long!