Mouthwatering Boat Recipes (mainly plant based)

[StuM]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

... The best way to preserve flavour and colour is without high heat or UV a microwave.

The leaves are very easy to strip off after they are dry. Just rub the twigs gently between your hands.

SWL

There, fixed it for you.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by StuM

There, fixed it for you.

Your suggestions are usually spot on. Wish I had a microwave to test this out .

SWL

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Wottie, no fancy equipment or fuss is needed. Do it the old fashioned way and hang the branches of thyme and rosemary high in a warm room. Think of French farmhouses .

Here in the NL in winter I put the branches on paper towel on the hydronic heater. In summer in the Med I simply left them outside in the shade on a metal tray, usually under the dodger so they did not blow away. The best way to preserve flavour and colour is without high heat or UV.

The leaves are very easy to strip off after they are dry. Just rub the twigs gently between your hands.

SWL

You described method is fuss IMHO
My low fuss method is to walk outside grab what is needed and chuck it in the pot. Very occasionally it get a cursory wash but not often

You haven't grasped how time poor I am, so many thing to correct on the internet CF, so many drinks to mix, so much wood to sand and now ya expect me to dry me 'erbs...

Originally Posted by StuM

There, fixed it for you.

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Your suggestions are usually spot on. Wish I had a microwave to test this out .

SWL

OK, trial is in progress - just to humour the lassie; not much in the garden as winter strikes but I can russell up a bit of oregano and thyme; will report later!

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by weavis

So this morning, I went to breakfast.
This was on the table, also one filled with Rosemary. I forgot to take photo of rosemary one. She said they make fresh about every 3 weeks. Have done so for 40 years.

Both tasted delicious.

Just washed and dried and put in raw.

That's olive oil, yes? Now how fast would on expect that to go bad, or rancid? I was thinking it would keep well for quite a while, no?

[weavis]

A couple of posters have presented documentation from sources that point out the dangers of Botulism from raw addition of garlic to oil and advocated pre cooking to obviate this.

I have read 3 reports... all state in one form or another "the risk is very small".

Seaworthy left a bottle in the rear of a cupboard for a couple of months and it exploded on her when opening. This has happened to me with store bought products if have been heated and cooled and cannot be attributed to anything else other than a mild fermentation process with or without a nasty bacterial involvement.

All foods need to be kept cool and used within a reasonable time. My own raw garlic in oil is made from washed and dried garlic and cracked, then placed in the oil and stirred every day. I usually use within 3 weeks.

Not diminishing the risks from bacterial infection, i also have to look at the evidence. Had it been a major risk, the entire nations of Italy Spain and Greece would have been wiped out by now if it was a major problem.

Im sat here in a different restaurant to yesterday, and watching people put garlic oil on their bread. Home made again...

Each person must make up their mind as to what they do or are willing to accept. Im not advocating for or against. The risk is acknowledged as small, and some prefer not to take any chances ever...

Incidentally, the EU decided a couple of years ago to enforce for "safety" a law here in Spain that for every customer at a restaurant, a new sealed bottle of Olive oil must be given instead of the bottle being refilled with estate oil. Spain told them to take a hike and refused. Olive Oil is a matter of pride here and each region produces a variety which has a following. Death by garlic and oil is rare.

Because of these warnings given and enforced, store bought commercial products no longer taste the same due to the garlic being heated, along with the oil to 250F. I dont like the end result.... I love garlic and oil and cook with it daily, but I also like it poured over tomato or salad cold for the taste.

Food prep hygiene is essential. In saying that i have been places where even the insects refuse to eat and yet no one dies...

Life is the biggest lottery of all...

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by weavis

All foods need to be kept cool and used within a reasonable time.

Particularly chocolate and single malt .

Originally Posted by Wotname

You described method is fuss IMHO
My low fuss method is to walk outside grab what is needed and chuck it in the pot. Very occasionally it get a cursory wash but not often

You haven't grasped how time poor I am, so many thing to correct on the internet CF, so many drinks to mix, so much wood to sand and now ya expect me to dry me 'erbs...

OK, trial is in progress - just to humour the lassie; not much in the garden as winter strikes but I can russell up a bit of oregano and thyme; will report later!

Wottie, how did your trial go? You are keeping us in suspense.

SWL

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by weavis

Im far from a Vegetarian as a person can get.

However, I live in Spain and as such follow the Spanish lifestyle pretty much regarding food.

You know what my favourite Tapa is?

A ripe fresh tomato cut in chunks, wine vinegar and Olive Oil poured over it and sea salt.

Thats it... I have it every day with a glass of beer.

Currently I follow with a small tapa of caricoles but thats another story...

This is one of my favorite meals! Or the same, but with a good thick almost gooey balsamic vinegar. Yum. If you have to use sundried toms, they taste almost as good, but you'll need a crusty bit of focaccia to compensate.

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Mmmmmm yes [emoji2].

I have some bought olives recently that had been marinated with chillies and garlic. The garlic was thinly sliced and did not have a bite to it, just a beautifully mellow flavour, a little like roasted garlic, but the texture was very firm. Anyway, it was an excellent mix and I have been wondering how to reproduce it. Reading the last few posts makes me think maybe the garlic was boiled beforehand in vinegar? It was very moreish.

SWL

Absolutely it was heat treated. You are describing one of my fave sulphurous treats--pickled garlic...mmmmmm sooo good. Good thing husband likes even stinkier stuff--pickled herring. Ugh.

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by weavis

As with Greece, here wars are fought over olives.

I go to one bar for lunch because of the olives, and another at night because they have Queen olives which go better with dinner..

[emoji3]

So jealous. I have to buy my olives in bulk at costco. And I'm still at least 5 years of cruising away from Europe😭. But who am I kidding? Seasonal cruisers in 30s can't afford the Med. Or can we...?

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Good tip.

Whenever Mum had a surplus of lemons she finally grated them, mixed with sugar and oil and packed this mix into small glass jars before freezing. It was not solid when frozen, so she simply spooned it out as needed. Fuss free freshly grated rind on demand .

On board where freezing is not an option for long term preservation, I soak finely grated lemon rind in alcohol for a week, then strain the liquid and discarding the solids. I posted the recipe for this earlier. This keeps "forever" and is just beautiful in cakes and rice pudding and dressings and fish dishes. As a bonus it also gives you the best ever Limoncello .

SWL

I took to vegetable peeling the good stuff off all my citrus fruit before eating/using the flesh. Stored the peelings packed in sugar. Several months later I ate some of the bits out of the jar, the rest got dried in the oven. Someday I'll stuff the peels in a jar of vodka too but I never have. IDK why. I've done the salt-cured lemons too, and that is the best condiment I never knew!

Tasty and efficient use of produce is half the fun😊

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

MEANDERTHAL'S ONIONS

I tried your recipe this afternoon. It is absolutely scrumptious! Given I have an onion lover on my hands I know this will become a regular staple.

I used a 1:2 ratio of oil to vinegar. This is what I threw in to the mix:

1 + cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 + cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon mixed dried peppercorns
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried thyme
500g bag of red onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
1 tsp freshly ground salt

I combined the marinating mix earlier in the day to give the flavours a chance to infuse and the herbs to soften. Salt was sprinkled on the onion and this was left to drain on a paper towel for about half an hour to leach out any bitter juices. The onions were then tossed in the marinade. An extra splash of vinegar and oil were needed to top up the jar.




This was good instantly (I have the patience of a two year old, so a couple of tablespoons was "taste tested" immediately) and even better an hour later. I think that jar will only last a couple of dinners for us. It will also make an excellent dish on a tapas platter or as suggested, grilled on focaccia.

Meantherthal, thanks so much for the recipe . This is absolutely perfectly suited to cruising. All the ingredients are long lasting without refrigeration and something delicious can be transformed quickly from very basic staples.

Any more great ideas like this?

SWL

Lol, so many.

The next most frequently consumed one with readily available or easily stored ingredients is focaccia.

There are 10,000 recipes, but this is semioptimized for easy cleanup, minimal flour explosions to begin with, and multiple ways to prep and cook while still getting some fancy flavor. I use a flat digital scale, a stainless bowl, a loose fitting silicone lid meant for a larger bowl, and stainless steel chopsticks. You can dispense with the scale and mux by feel if you understand the premise: prefermenting a yeasty slurry overnight for extra flavor and some gluten yielding, then mixing in more flour and salt to taste, and proofing to make a loose dough. Everything occurs in the one muxing bowl.

Make a slurry whenever--1:1 water to flour by weight. Add a few grams of yeast (usually 1:150 yeast to total weight). I use a stainless mixing bowl directly on the scale and tare between each ingedient so I don't need to screw around with measuring cups etc. I use stainless chopsticks to mix the ingredients.

For proofing, I have a silicone stretchy top that fits all my mixing bowls, but saran wrap or a wet cloth works. If the boat (or offroad rv) is rocking, use a jar with a lid and shake it all together. Cover the bowl or loosen the lid, and let sit in your coolest spot overnight.

Next day, add salt to taste (1:150 to 1:50 by weight is the range I've played with), add as much flour as you want to get the consistency desired (ultimately about 1:2 or 1:3 water to flour, usually). Unless making a really stiff bread dough, no kneading necessary, just mix with my beloved stainless chopsticks. I like a loose dough for focaccia. Let rise (a jar is still doable but man things are easier in a mixing bowl).

Cover again and let rise to desired lift. I usually call it when the dough doubles in volume.

The loose dough can be squished and stretched out on a pregreased sheet pan. I highly recommend pressing into the top of the dough some salt, dried rosemary, and chopped garlic, then spraying or brushing with oil. Bake as hot as your oven will go, and unless you have an oven steel as described by Serious Eats, probably on the top rack. This cooks quickly.

The smell is amazing.

A few things--most med climates landscape with rosemary. Drying a resinous plant like rosemary us super super easy. Collect clippings!

If using saltwater in the dough, you shouldn't use more than 50% of the water as saltwater, and bloom the yeast in a little warm fresh water, mix the saltwater+freshwater and flour, then add the bloomed yeast.

Garlic can be the dried chipped stuff. Just make sure to press into the dough and cover with the spray or brushed oil.

Oops, and if you don't have an oven, or the oven space is taken, panfry like naan. A tsp/dash of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium, stretch and press out the dough in the pan, and cover loosely with a lid to get that steamfry thing going. They cook quickly. Flip but don't put the lid back on. Remove. Repeat. The lid is optional, but accelerates the cooking process.

Fresh herbs may be used.
Herb salts work great.
So does feta or any cheese.
Sliced olives are tasty but only if the olives are brushed or marinated in oil. The vinegar ones never seem to transfer the flavor as well.

Play around with this.

[Meanderthal]

A good quick dip or spread, best with the focaccia above but multitudinously useful, is made from sauteing 2-3 diced cloves of garlic in a generous glug of a flavorful oil on med heat until the garlic is past translucent and almost browned. Add a few pinches of salt if desired. Add a mini can (4oz) of tomato paste. Cook it for a few minutes. You'll have to smoosh the paste into the oil, because the paste is extremely thick. The result is a thick dip or spread with deep red oil. Flavorwise, the deep taste of the paste is almost like red pepper tapenade with that roast garlic kicker.

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Meanderthal

Lol, so many.

The next most frequently consumed one with readily available or easily stored ingredients is focaccia.

There are 10,000 recipes, but this is semioptimized for easy cleanup, minimal flour explosions to begin with, and multiple ways to prep and cook while still getting some fancy flavor. I use a flat digital scale, a stainless bowl, a loose fitting silicone lid meant for a larger bowl, and stainless steel chopsticks. You can dispense with the scale and mux by feel if you understand the premise: prefermenting a yeasty slurry overnight for extra flavor and some gluten yielding, then mixing in more flour and salt to taste, and proofing to make a loose dough. Everything occurs in the one muxing bowl.

Make a slurry whenever--1:1 water to flour by weight. Add a few grams of yeast (usually 1:150 yeast to total weight). I use a stainless mixing bowl directly on the scale and tare between each ingedient so I don't need to screw around with measuring cups etc. I use stainless chopsticks to mix the ingredients.

For proofing, I have a silicone stretchy top that fits all my mixing bowls, but saran wrap or a wet cloth works. If the boat (or offroad rv) is rocking, use a jar with a lid and shake it all together. Cover the bowl or loosen the lid, and let sit in your coolest spot overnight.

Next day, add salt to taste (1:150 to 1:50 by weight is the range I've played with), add as much flour as you want to get the consistency desired (ultimately about 1:2 or 1:3 water to flour, usually). Unless making a really stiff bread dough, no kneading necessary, just mix with my beloved stainless chopsticks. I like a loose dough for focaccia. Let rise (a jar is still doable but man things are easier in a mixing bowl).

Cover again and let rise to desired lift. I usually call it when the dough doubles in volume.

The loose dough can be squished and stretched out on a pregreased sheet pan. I highly recommend pressing into the top of the dough some salt, dried rosemary, and chopped garlic, then spraying or brushing with oil. Bake as hot as your oven will go, and unless you have an oven steel as described by Serious Eats, probably on the top rack. This cooks quickly.

The smell is amazing.

A few things--most med climates landscape with rosemary. Drying a resinous plant like rosemary us super super easy. Collect clippings!

If using saltwater in the dough, you shouldn't use more than 50% of the water as saltwater, and bloom the yeast in a little warm fresh water, mix the saltwater+freshwater and flour, then add the bloomed yeast.

Garlic can be the dried chipped stuff. Just make sure to press into the dough and cover with the spray or brushed oil.

Oops, and if you don't have an oven, or the oven space is taken, panfry like naan. A tsp/dash of oil in a nonstick skillet on medium, stretch and press out the dough in the pan, and cover loosely with a lid to get that steamfry thing going. They cook quickly. Flip but don't put the lid back on. Remove. Repeat. The lid is optional, but accelerates the cooking process.

Fresh herbs may be used.
Herb salts work great.
So does feta or any cheese.
Sliced olives are tasty but only if the olives are brushed or marinated in oil. The vinegar ones never seem to transfer the flavor as well.

Play around with this.

Meanderthal, my mouth is watering reading your post.

Focaccia is boat food at its very best! Fresh bread is always a winner and cooking it as a thin layer is super quick. About 12-15 minutes is all a seond one takes when the oven has heated up well.

Sundried tomatoes are another good topping. The simple "salt, rosemary, garlic" one is my favourite though.

I will have to try the overnight proving you suggest. I used this for bread for the first time this year (see a few posts back) and it was a success. Actually better than my old way of making a firmer dough and kneading twice and I imagine it would work well for focaccia too.

Thanks for all the tips with making this. I will try your suggestions.

Cheers,
SWL

PS Just a query about the rising: do you let it rise twice the next day before shaping and not after? With the overnight bread I add all the flour the previous day to make a sloppy dough, then simply scrape this into the bread mold and let it rise once more before baking.

[Meanderthal]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Cheers,
SWL

PS Just a query about the rising: do you let it rise twice the next day before shaping and not after? With the overnight bread I add all the flour the previous day to make a sloppy dough, then simply scrape this into the bread mold and let it rise once more before baking.

No, I just let it rise once. I might let the smooshed dough sit for a bit after pressing in toppings and spraying lightly, but the conceptual framework is for a simple, easy, low mess recipe with flexible ratios. The additional rise has no incremental benefits for the crumb structure of a flatbread, and more flavor is obtained from the overnight slow proofing.

Btw, the sloppy dough minus the savory seasonings makes a great fry dough if the anchor isn't too rolly, or if like me, you are currently in a slip.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

......



Wottie, how did your trial go? You are keeping us in suspense.

SWL

Ye not a patient Lassie 'r ye...

Well the microwave works - I think.

Found some rosemary and some lemon balm (melissa).

Fresh rosemary 60 grams; 2 minutes in microwave (1200W) gives 25 grams of dry brittle leaves and stalks. I'm not that familiar with the taste of dried rosemary so all I can say it isn't as strong or pungent as the fresh; might be OK in cooking or oil. The kitchen did smell of rosemary for some time though and the neighbours sheep were getting nervous.

Fresh lemon balm 50 grams; 3 minutes in microwave gives 20 grams of dried leaves and stalks. Melissa was probably not a good choice to experiment with as the winter leaf is pretty mild (i.e. tasteless). Additionally it doesn't dry well at the best of times (summer flowering time) as the main oils are fairly volatile. I made some tea from the dried leaf and it tasted like second rate meadow hay. To compare with the fresh, I tried some tea from that and it tasted like second rate meadow hay with a hint of lemon.

Colour of both is best seen in the pics.

Yes, Stu is correct (again), the microwave does dry stuff.

Meanwhile, I will run the gauntlet of using fresh where possible.