New Boat, New Recipes, New Attitude ...and an Espresso Machine

The "new" Freedom has a great galley -- complete with 2 fridges, a proper stove/oven (why is it so hard to find a boat with a real oven -- does no one cook or bake aboard?), a trash compactor, double sink, lots of storage, granite counter tops, and an espresso machine. I think I am in love. Definitely a one-person galley, unless you don't mind doing the bump while you cook. The Flying Bridge features a grill and small fridge, and below decks we have "the store": storage shelves, a wine rack and a huge freezer. We are all set for some good cookin' -- even on long distance trips. Here's a look at the galley:

My advice: if you're looking for a good galley, buy a boat from good cooks/bakers. That's what we did.

What Keeps Them Afloat

Certain dinner options always seem to inspire comments and applause from the Freedom crew. As promised, here are the recipes from my current Dinner Honor Roll:
Fettuccini with Smoked Salmon, Shepherd's Pie, and Cheesey Potatoes with Ham.

Note: these recipes are written as I would prepare them for serving on board. You may want to make adjustments in quantities when serving your family.

Fettuccini with Smoked Salmon in Garlic Dill Sauce  (adapted from Main Line Classics II)
--serves 8 Hungry Crew Members

2 lbs Fettuccini, break pieces in half
Salt
12 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon, cut into 1/3x2-inch strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 2inch strips
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
3-4 handfulls of baby spinach leaves
Garlic Dill Sauce (see below)

Prepare Garlic Dill Sauce

Cook Fettuccini in salted boiling water until al dente, drain. Reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.

Set aside a few strips of salmon, pepper and onion

Combine hot fettuccini, reserved water, Garlic Dill Sauce, baby spinach and remaining salmon,red pepper, red onion in large bowl. Stir to combine.

Top with reseved salmon, pepper and onion.

Garlic Dill Sauce1 cup heavy cream
8 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons minced fresh dill (or 1 1/2teaspoon dried)
6 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Bring cream to a boil in saucepan, add garlic and simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced to 1/2 cup.
Let cool a bit, then puree in blender.
Add lemon juice and olive oil in a fine stream, processing constatntly until smooth.
Add remaining ingredients. Process until blended.



Shepherd's Pie  (adapted from Gourmet Magazine -RIP)
 --serves 8

A classic. I like it with ground lamb, but if you don't, or you have non-lamb eaters at your table, beef makes a fine substitute. The original recipe calls for baking the potatoes, scooping out the potato meat and mashing it , filling the empty skins with the lamb mixture and topping with the potatoes. That makes for a beautiful presentation, but more work. This version is a bit less time consuming and adapts itself well to the race course or your dinner table.


8 russet Potatoes
6 Tablespoons Butter, softened
3 Large Eggs

6 large Carrots, cut into 1/4 inch dice
2 large Onions, chopped
3 T Olive Oil
3 large Garlic Cloves, minced
3 lbs Ground Lamb (or beef)
3 T Corn Starch
24 ounces Beef Broth
6 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 large Tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons crumbled dried Rosemary (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon dried Hot Pepper Flakes (or to taste)
3 Cups Frozen Peas
3/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
2 large Egg Yolks

Dice and boil potatoes until soft. ( I like to leave the skins on, but if you don't go ahead and peel 'em!)
Mash or whip with butter and eggs.
Add salt and pepper to taste
Set aside.

Saute Carrots and Onions in olive oil.
Add Garlic and Lamb, cook until lamb is no longer pink.
Whisk together the Cornstarch, Broth, and Worcestershire.
Add liquid to the lamb mixture, stir.
Add Tomatoes, Pepper Flakes, Rosemary.
Cook for 5-8 minutes, then add Peas and  Parsley.
Place meat mixture in casserole dish.
Cover with Potatoes.
Beat Egg Yolks and brush over potatoes.

Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes until potatoes begin to brown.


Cheesey Potatoes with Ham
  -- with ham serves 8 hungry crew members as main course, without ham serves 12 as a side dish

This dish is served under many names: Company Potatoes, Sin Potatoes and Funeral Potatoes. Call them what you will, they are delicious. A great use for left-over ham. Add a layer of green beans underneath and you have a one dish meal. Omit the ham and they make a terrific side dish for your Holiday Table, next Pot Luck or post-Funeral Reception.

32 oz bag frozen Hash Browns (shredded or cubed)
2 (10 3/4 oz) cans Cream of Chicken Soup (regular or low fat/sodium)
2 cups Sour Cream (regular or low fat)
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar Cheese ( I grate my own -- pre-shredded cheese has all sorts of additives)
1/2 cup chopped green onion -- just the green part
Cubed Ham
2 cups finely crushed Corn Flakes
2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Grease a 9x12 baking dish, preheat oven to 350.
In large bowl combine Soup, Sour Cream, Cheese, and Onions. Some people also add 6 Tablespoons of melted butter here -- I don't, but feel free....)
Gently fold Hash Browns and Ham (if using) into mixture.
Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Combine crushed Corn Flakes and 2 Tablespoons melted Butter. Sprinkle on top of potato mixture. Don't skip this layer, you need the crunch.

Bake 30 minutes if using shredded potatoes, 50 minutes if using cubed potatoes.

Enjoy Afloat or At Home.......

No One Will Starve

It takes a lot of food to keep a crew of 8 fed and fuled for an offshore race. Fridge space is tight (as you can see) and we are lucky to have a freezer aboard Freedom as well. I make the dinners in aluminum roasting pans, freeze them ahead and stack them in the freezer. As they come out one by one, bread and other freeze-able perishables are added to the freezer to keep them fresh for as long as possible.

Here is what is on the Dinner Menu for Newport-Bermuda 2010:

Chicken and Barley Stew with Garlic Bread
Beef Stew with Biscuits (the Skipper reports rough weather kept the biscuits from being made)
Cheesey Potatoes with Ham
Fettuccine with Smoked Salmon in Garlic Dill Sauce
Chicken Piccata over Rice (new this year!)


Breakfast Options include:
Breakfast Casserole (Eggs, Sausage, Cheese)
Fresh Fruit Parfait with Yogurt/Cottage Cheese, and Granola
Cereal
Doughnuts, Coffee Cake
Hard Boiled Eggs
Bagels and Cream Cheese

Lunch is Cold Cuts or Tuna on Wraps or Bread (or dinner leftovers, if any)

Snacks (a very popular item this year, with the 'junky' ones running low by Sunday night):
Chex Mix, Asian Snack Mix, Peanut Butter Crackers, Popcorn, Assorted Chips, Pretzels,
NutriGrain Bars, Apples, Grapes, Carrots, Celery Sticks, Nuts.
Plus, homemade brownies, toffee-coffee bars, & snickerdoodle bars; as well as Oreos.

Assorted canned goods, soups, & boxed pastas are on board just in case. Other years I felt I had overstocked the boat, so I scaled back this year. That may have been a bad decision --it looks like Freedom will be on the race course longer than they hoped -- but only time will tell..... And they have a lot of popcorn!

Lunch on Narragansett Bay

Last July the Skipper and I spent a few days aboard Freedom on Narragansett Bay. One day we invited my cousin Ann, her lovely daughters, and my college roommate Sally out for a sail and the chance to watch the 12 meters race. When Ann's daughter Emily stepped on board she held a tray of Shrimp Bruschetta, and Sally carried a bag full of Pulled Pork Barbeque (from Blue Ribbon Barbeque in Arlington, MA), rolls and coleslaw. I immediately knew I had invited the right guests!

The weather was beautiful, the 12 meters gorgeous, and the conversation fun, but what is a day on the boat without a great meal. Here is what was on the Lunch Menu:

Shrimp Bruschetta (recipe to follow)
Pulled Pork Barbeque with ColeSlaw
Cape Cod Chicken Salad
Potato Chips
Grapes
Mint Brownies and Snickerdoodles

The Bruschetta was ideal on many levels: 1)It was a great surprise, and proved the perfect late morning/before lunch snack; 2) Delicious; 3)It can easily be made aboard or made ahead at home -- and the leftovers kept well for a day or so.

This may/may not be the recipe Ann followed but it's close! And it uses Old Bay -- a staple aboard Freedom!

OLD BAY® Zesty Shrimp Bruschetta


Bruschetta comes from the Italian word buscare, which means "to roast over coals." While you're Afloat, you may not have any coals, but the broiler will do!

Ingredients

1 pound cooked shrimp, finely chopped

1 plum tomato, finely chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped green onion

2 teaspoons OLD BAY® Seasoning

1 loaf French bread

1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Garlic Powder

2 tablespoons mayonnaise



Directions

Preheat Broiler. Mix shrimp, tomato, green onion, olive oil, OLD BAY and garlic powder in medium bowl until blended.

Slice bread into 24 (1/2-inch thick) slices. Place on baking sheet; broil until lightly toasted on both sides. You can do this at home, or earlier in the day.
Spread the bruschetta lightly with mayo, then spoon shrimp mixture evenly over bread slices.


Tips

Hate tomatoes? Substitute 2 tablespoons chopped red bell pepper. Sweet!

Satellite Snickerdoodles

I received a message from the crew last night via the SAT phone. It sounded like they were placing the call under water -- all I made out was "where...snickerdoodles." Guess they can't find them (bottom shelf of the fridge, guys).

If you are looking for them too, here is the recipe -- courtesy of Culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com

Snickerdoodle Blondies

8 ounces (two sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (yes, this is why they taste so good)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar
3 ounces Mascarpone cheese
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
¾ tsp cream of tarter
¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour

Cinnamon Sugar for coating (about 1/3 cup)

Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch pan. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar and move pan around to make sure that the bottom and sides are coated. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cream of tarter.
Using an stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat for three minutes. Scrape down the bowl.
Add the Mascarpone cheese and beat until fully incorporated.
Add eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Add the vanilla and beat for another 30 seconds.
On low speed add the sifted flour mixture. Mix until fully incorporated.
Spread mixture evenly into prepared pan. This will be hard as it is a thick batter. I found it easiest to just wet my hands a little and press the batter into the pan. Then even it out afterwards with a spatula.
Sprinkle more cinnamon sugar on top of the batter.
Bake for 20-25 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into squares and serve, or freeze.

When on shore, or cruising on a fancy boat with freezer space, enjoy them warm with ice cream.

Race Food

Here is what will keep the crew nourished for the Annapolis-Newport Race

Dinner: Beef Stew with fresh baked Rolls; Carla's Chicken and Stuffing Casserole; Mormon Potatoes with Ham and Green Beans; Turkey Tetrazzini.

Lunch: Turkey Caesar Wraps; Herbed Turkey and Ham Wraps; Sliced Chicken on Rolls; Tuna or Chicken Salad; Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Breakfast: Creamed Chipped Beef on muffins; Baked Eggs; Yogurt, Fruit & Granola Parfaits; Cottage Cheese with Blueberries; Cereal with Milk; Doughnuts and Coffee Cake

Snacks: Grapes; Apples; Pretzel Sticks; Nutrigrain bars; Cheese 'n Peanut Butter Crackers; Chex Mix

Dessert: Snickerdoodles; Fudgy Mint Brownies; Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin Cookies; Vanilla Fingers

No One Will Starve!

Okay, I thought I would start off by telling you the rules for provisioning Freedom for race mode (in short, meals should be able to be eaten in a bowl, with a spoon, when the boat is heeled over). But the biggest news is: Snickerdoodle Blondies (courtesy of culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com). What a response to this humble cinnamon-laced option! Perhaps it will become our signature dessert : Freedomdoodles! A spicy start to the sailing season....