The Galley Chef

There are few things more conducive to gargantuan appetites and prodigious thirsts than a long run through open water on a powerboat or sailing vessel. And there are no more felicitous surroundings in which to appease and slake the inner mariner than topside on a boat moored in a quiet cove, the summer stillness broken only by the gentle lapping of gins and tonics against frosty tumblers.

The kind of victuals you'll want for your boat depends for the most part on the length of your cruise and the size of your galley. If you're speedboating from one (continued on page 96)Galley Chef(continued from page 45) yacht club to another, you call pick up food and drink wherever you happen to tie up. Longer trips are simply floating picnics: you pack your portable cooler with rare roast beef and rich brown pieces of barbecued chicken, fill a deep bowl with German potato salad, stack the fresh rye and the pumpernickel, remember the mustard, add the necessary amount of cold lager to your cargo, and shove off. For an all-day or weekend cruise, you'll want hot and hefty fare from your own galley. The sailor assigned to the job may have a misgiving or two when he or she lights the stove, but when the aroma of crisp bacon or hashed brown potatoes or hot clam chowder first rises on deck, all hands know that the real master of the vessel is stationed below.

To the landed gentry who may be unacquainted with the customs of marine life, it should be pointed out that cooking equipment on most boats is, of necessity, a narrow-gauge version of citified gear.

Yet after a few offshore outings, you'll discover unexpected virtues in your vest-pocket kitchen. With elbow room at a premium in the narrow cooking space, you learn how to stow all food within arm's reach. It's always a matter of surprise to see how much grog, grub and equipment a small galley can hold. You'll find that a single all-purpose herb — bouquet garni — can substitute very well for the dozen or so apothecary jars you would normally tap. Coffeepots and Thermos jugs mounted on gimbals use wall space that would otherwise be wasted. The shallow drawers of your food locker put all provisions in easy view. On board you use one saucepan where you'd ordinarily be tempted to use two or three — a limitation that compels you to chart an easy menu course. Again, because of limited quarters, you'll buy pans that are nested and fitted with removable handles so that one handle can do the work of four. The marine rail around your stove compels you to use deep pots with narrow diameters, a type which happens to be just right for those soups or stews which shouldn't be reduced too quickly. The same deep pots, incidentally, are insurance against unexpected tidal waves of clam broth or gravy spilling over the galley deck. Plastic salt and pepper shakers can be made to defy the laws of gravity by fitting them with small magnets that will secure them to the stainless-steel counter surface.

Cruising schedules on rivers, lakes and seas all over the world are alike in one respect: the best laid schemes gang aft a-gley in the face of becalmed waters or ailing engines. Anticipating these normal delays, an experienced commodore sees to it that there are always extra rations in cans. All hands will welcome canned ham. Buy the type which requires no refrigeration. Canned Canadian-style bacon, another name for smoked boneless pork loin, is equally good hot or cold, on land or sea. In the canned-chicken department, the large-size units containing whole chicken are your best bet; small cans or jars, with the exception of those containing whole breast of chicken, are likely to be filled with trimmings rather than thick chunks of meat. Corned beef hash or roast beef hash, both stanch nautical standbys, can go into the frying pan without any additions, although you can enhance them mightily with a few beaten egg yolks and a spray of Worcestershire. Among canned meats and seafood, the field, of course, is now unlimited — from galantine to gaffelbiter. Just remember, though, that some of the foods which sound exotic — kangaroo steak or canned wild boar — aren't likely to satisfy ravenous seafarers as readily as generous helpings of chili con carne, meat-stuffed ravioli and other time-tested pleasures.

There are days when nothing, not even 150-proof arrack, can warm a crew like mugs of hot thick soup. The huge baskets of provisions once required to make hot potages are now reduced to paper envelopes. Until recently most dehydrated soups were better left unsipped. The newer soups, however, following the Swiss recipes for smoky green-pea soup or cream of leeks, are fast and easy. You may want to add a lump of sweet butter or a generous dash of madeira, but even without these flourishes, they're superb.

One of the best ways to broaden your culinary horizons at sea is through the crafty art of foraging. If you know where to dig for clams or scallops, or can navigate your way to a clam or oyster shed, lobster pound, or a waterside fish store where such piscine provender as swordfish steak or red snapper can be bought, half the galley battle is won. Cruising down Chesapeake Bay, for instance, you'll find dozens of coves where fresh-cooked crab meat is ready to go into salads, fried crab cakes or crab meat newburg.

Skippers of small- or medium-size craft should guard against going overboard on gadgets. The gross tonnage of corkscrews, cans, bottles, ice buckets, tongs, racks and picks can present a formidable obstacle course twixt the gent who's drawn the duty as bartender and his wares. To avoid this kind of overstocking, limit, first of all, the variety of drinks you're offering. If liquor is called for in a food recipe, use the same liquor for bar purposes. Try to carry no more bottles and glassware than fit into a mounted bar rack. Drinking ware with thermal insulation conserves ice and is unbreakable.

Happily, shipboard menus have long since jettisoned bully beef and baked beans as seagoing staples. Now, the regular weekend hegira down to the sea in ships is just about equally divided between the sexes. And when you ask a woman into your cabin to share the dogwatch, you no longer make your pitch with a chunk of salt beef garnished with hardtack. Not that she's likely to expect a pomegranate soufflé à l'Orientale on ladyfingers saturated with kirsch. She will be buoyed up, however, with the easy, informal fare which follows.

[recipe_title]Crab Meat Hash Browned[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1 lb. fresh or canned crab meat[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 package (4-1/2 ozs.) prepared hashed brown potatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]Onion salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/4 lemon[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]4 eggs[/recipe]

Very carefully examine crab meat and remove any pieces of shell or cartilage. Boil potatoes, following directions on package. Drain and cool. Combine crab meat and potatoes. Add onion salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Two skillets may be used if necessary. Add crab-meat mixture. Sauté slowly, stirring frequently, until mixture is hot. Move mixture to one side of pan, and shape into a long oval like an omelet. Continue to sauté without stirring until bottom is deep golden brown. Turn onto platter, brown side up. Poach or fry eggs and place atop crab meat. Serve with bottled sauce diable.

[recipe_title]Clams South Side[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

(If fresh chowder clams are procurable, use 2 dozen in place of clams in jar below. Scrub clams well. Steam open with about a pint of water. You'll need 1-1/2 cups of the resultant clam broth for the sauce.)

[recipe]2 11-1/2-oz. jars clams in juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon onion juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup dry white wine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon parsley flakes[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, monosodium glutamate[/recipe]

Let butter stand at room temperature until soft enough to spread easily, then mix with flour into a smooth paste. Drain clams, reserving juice. Cut clams into eighths. Pour clam juice, cream, milk and onion juice into saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil. Add butter mixture slowly, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth. Add wine, clams and parsley. Simmer five minutes. Add salt, pepper and monosodium glutamate to taste.

[recipe_title]Sea Bass Sauté With Tomatoes[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]2 2-lb. sea bass, cleaned and scaled[/recipe]

[recipe]19-oz. can tomatoes[/recipe]

[recipe]6-oz. can tomato paste[/recipe]

[recipe]1 teaspoon onion salt[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon garlic salt[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons brandy or bourbon[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons parsley flakes[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper, paprika[/recipe]

[recipe]Flour[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

Chop tomatoes coarsely, reserving their juice. In a saucepan combine tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato paste, onion salt, garlic salt, brandy, butter and parsley flakes. Simmer 10 minutes. Cut off head and tail of each sea bass. Cut fish crosswise into 1-in. slices. Sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and paprika, then dip in flour. Heat 1/4 in. salad oil in saucepan or skillet. Sauté fish until brown on both sides. Place fish on a large platter or serving plates, removing carefully from pan to avoid breaking slices. Pour sauce on top of fish.

[recipe_title]Beef in Mustard Sauce[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]2 lbs. top sirloin of beef[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon beef extract[/recipe]

[recipe]2 teaspoons onion juice[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 teaspoon bouquet garni[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]3 tablespoons Dijon mustard[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup heavy cream[/recipe]

Cut beef, Chinese style, into thin slices about 1/8 in. thick and 1 in. square. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Sauté meat until brown, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, mixing well. Add 3 cups water, beef extract, onion juice, bouquet garni, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, until beef is tender — about one hour. Mix mustard and cream to a smooth paste. Pour into sauce. Serve with buttered noodles or home-fried potatoes.

[recipe_title]Calves' Liver Sauté, Onion Fritters[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1-1/4 lbs. calves' liver sliced 1/3 in. thick[/recipe]

[recipe]Salad oil[/recipe]

[recipe]1-1/2 cups diced onion[/recipe]

[recipe]Flour[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon baking powder[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]2 eggs, well beaten[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup milk[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon parsley flakes[/recipe]

[recipe]1/4 cup butter[/recipe]

[recipe]Juice of 1/2 lemon[/recipe]

Pour 3 tablespoons oil into saucepan. Add onion and sauté until just barely tender, not brown. Set aside. Sift together 1-1/2 cups flour, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Pour eggs and milk into mixing bowl. Add onion, parsley flakes and sifted dry ingredients. Stir only until a lumpy batter is formed. It should not be smooth. Heat 1/2 in. oil in skillet until it shows first wisp of smoke. Drop batter by large spoonfuls into skillet. Brown fritters on both sides. Sprinkle liver with salt and pepper. Dip in flour, patting off excess. Heat 1/4 in. oil in skillet and sauté liver two to three minutes on each side. Avoid overcooking. After liver is removed from skillet, add butter and lemon juice to skillet. Heat butter until it sizzles. Pour over liver on serving plates or platter. Line up fritters alongside liver.

[recipe_title]Sausage and Rice Pilaf[/recipe_title]

(Serves four)

[recipe]1 cup long-grain rice[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons butter[/recipe]

[recipe]1 small onion, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]1 piece celery, minced fine[/recipe]

[recipe]2 envelopes instant chicken broth[/recipe]

[recipe]2 8-oz. cans brown-and-serve sausages[/recipe]

[recipe]10-1/2-oz. can mushrooms in gravy[/recipe]

[recipe]2 tablespoons dry sherry[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

Melt butter in a deep heavy saucepan. Sauté onion and celery until tender but not brown. Add 2-1/4 cups water, instant broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt and rice. Stir well. Reduce flame as low as possible and cook, covered, without stirring, until rice is tender — about 20 minutes. Place sausages in pan and sauté until brown. Remove sausages from pan. Pour mushrooms in gravy into the same pan and add sherry. Bring to a boil. Season to taste. Spoon rice into a shallow casserole or platter. Place sausages on top of rice. Pass gravy separately.

[recipe_title]Curried Lobster Salad[/recipe_title]

(Serves two)

[recipe]2 boiled lobsters 1-1/2 lbs. each[/recipe]

[recipe]2 hard-boiled eggs[/recipe]

[recipe]1 cup Chinese cabbage[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 cup mayonnaise[/recipe]

[recipe]1 tablespoon heavy sweet cream or sour cream[/recipe]

[recipe]1/2 teaspoon curry powder[/recipe]

[recipe]Dash garlic powder[/recipe]

[recipe]Salt, pepper[/recipe]

[recipe]4 radishes[/recipe]

[recipe]2 scallions[/recipe]

[recipe]Lettuce leaves[/recipe]

Remove meat from lobster. Cut into 1/2-in. cubes. Chop eggs coarsely. Cut Chinese cabbage into thin julienne strips. In a mixing bowl combine mayonnaise, cream, curry powder and garlic powder. Mix well. Add lobster, eggs and Chinese cabbage. Toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cut radishes and scallions into thin slices. Line a salad bowl or bowls with lettuce leaves. Pile lobster salad on top. Sprinkle with slices of radishes and scallions.

Bon appétit and bon voyage!