Easy Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1-2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1½ to 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large or 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 cup beef stock
• 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cups peas (canned, or frozen and precooked)
• 4-5 cups mashed potatoes (pre-prepared)
• Sharp cheddar cheese, to taste

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Sauté onion in oil until soft. Add meat, sauté until browned. Add carrots and cook until just tender-crisp. Sprinkle in flour. Stir and cook 1 minute. Stir in stock and Worcestershire sauce; bring to a boil, reduce heat. Simmer for two to three minutes, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Add peas, stir, and transfer to a deep, greased, 11-by-7-inch ovenproof dish. Cover with mashed potatoes to desired thickness. Place on cookie sheet and bake until heated through, about 30-40 minutes. Top with cheese, return to oven, and heat until cheese is melted. (Ovens vary; time and temperature may need adjustment.) Serves six (or two, with leftovers!)

My husband, Robert, and I sail our Pearson 31, First Look, out of Waukegan, Illinois. We’ve spent two of the last three summers cruising to, through and back from Lake Huron’s North Channel. Several years ago, we removed our icebox and replaced it with a fridge, but it’s so small I’m always looking for recipes requiring few ingredients that require refrigeration — especially since supplies can often be three or four hours away in the North Channel.

I love shepherd’s pie, and spent many years looking for a perfect recipe. The first few times I served it on First Look, the recipes were composites of many I have collected over the years. Unfortunately, none of them was as good as I’d hoped.

A couple of years ago, my daughter-in-law, Lida, shared this basic recipe, and I’ve used it many times since. I’ve tweaked it for a richer flavor, but it can be made milder using less Worcestershire sauce and substituting vegetable stock for the beef stock. Last summer was a miserable weather season in the North Channel and, along with a green salad and hot bread, this pie was delectable after cold and rainy sails — the ultimate comfort food! It’s so easy to make and clean up, I wanted to share it with other cruisers.

Here’s a Super-Easy Version

by Lynda Morris Childress

When I’m really pressed for time, I make my own very simplified version of shepherd’s pie. Aboard our Atlantic 70, Stressbuster, it’s one of our favorite “homey” foods when we don’t have guests aboard. You can use the recipe above, but substitute two large (12-ounce) cans of sweet corn (drained) for the peas and carrots, and omit the flour, stock and Worcestershire sauce. Just sauté onions and ground beef in oil, salt and pepper to taste, add corn, heat through and spread into a prepared pan. Top with mashed potatoes, dot with butter, sprinkle with a bit of paprika, and bake at 375 degrees F for 25 to 30 minutes. Dinner’s ready! (It’s even good without the cheese!)

This article first appeared in the November 2014 issue of Cruising World.

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Ratatouille Polenta Bake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packaged polenta, cornmeal, or masa flour (Mexico)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 small eggplant, diced (about 2 cups)
• 1 medium zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 can (14 1⁄2 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1⁄4 cup grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella, Swiss, or cheddar cheese, shredded

Steps:

Prepare polenta: Bring water to a boil in a saucepan. Add salt. Gradually add cornmeal, stirring constantly for about one minute. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring, until polenta thickens to the consistency of grits or loose mashed potatoes, and is cooked. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Spread polenta into a lightly oiled 9-by-9-inch baking pan. Set aside to cool. This will become the bottom layer or “crust” of the dish.

Sauté the onion, bell pepper and garlic in a bit of olive oil over medium heat for two to three minutes, or until onion is translucent. Add eggplant, zucchini, salt and ground pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and sauté until veggies are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until heated through. Sprinkle polenta crust with Parmesan cheese. Spread the ratatouille over it in an even layer. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven; remove foil. Top with additional shredded cheese. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly. Let cool for five to 10 minutes before serving. Serves four to six, depending on appetites!

Anchored in the crystal waters of Placencia, Belize, aboard Winterlude, our Passport 37, my husband, David, and I were invited to dinner aboard E2Motion, a neighboring boat. Our friends Mark and Liz treated us to a delicious meal that included ratatouille, a thick, tasty French veggie stew with eggplant as a key ingredient. Eggplant is unusual to find in Belizean produce markets, so Liz was ecstatic about her treasure. I’d never even heard of ratatouille. Luckily, I loved it.

Later, while searching for meatless recipes that were similar, I stumbled upon the idea for combining ratatouille with another of my favorites: polenta. After playing with it and modifying it for cooking aboard — including the very real possibility of not being able to find polenta while shopping in a foreign port — this Ratatouille Polenta Bake was born. It turned into one of our favorite meals aboard Winterlude.

What Is Polenta?
by Lynda Morris Childress

By strict definition, polenta is the name of the delicious Italian way of preparing cornmeal by boiling it in water — not the name for cornmeal itself. But the popularity of this dish has led to interchanging the terms “polenta” and “cornmeal” in speech as well as product labeling; packages labeled “polenta” on supermarket shelves actually are simply cornmeal.

The quality of polenta can vary; some takes longer to thicken when boiled, requiring up to 15 minutes of simmering/stirring time; some thickens to the proper consistency fairly quickly. Polenta made the Italian way is versatile — use a water-to-cornmeal ratio of about 2-to-1.

It can be served plain, as a delicious side dish, like grits or mashed potatoes, or with toppings such as grated cheese.

It can also be molded and baked (as in the recipe above) or grilled. Making polenta is quick and easy, so be sure to put cornmeal (or packaged polenta) on your boat’s provisions list before your next cruise!

The post Ratatouille Polenta Bake: Meatless and Magnificent! appeared first on Cruising World.

I’m a short-range cruiser. Rather than Tortola and Tahiti, my destinations are more like Poulsbo and Port Orchard, in my home state of Washington. I do, however, live aboard my Islander 30, Miramar, in Seattle, so I understand issues important to voyagers — such as refrigeration. My boat is small, and I quickly gave up on the icebox, needing its space for all my pots, pans and baking sheets. Instead, I installed an apartment-size refrigerator with a top freezer in the hanging locker at the foot of the companionway. It runs on AC, so when I’m away from shore power, I find other ways to keep things cold.

Before I leave the dock, I make one-pan meals that I freeze solid, then move them into the fridge, where they act as block ice as they thaw. When they’re defrosted, I just heat and eat! Or I buy items pre-frozen. One of my favorites is frozen sea scallops. I simply ask my supermarket for the quantity of scallops I need directly from their freezer. These are harder than the proverbial brick— the perfect refrigerant. I keep them frozen until I cast off. Once they’re thawed, this is one of my favorite ways to prepare them. I serve this as an entrée; it’s ideal with sauvignon blanc or any other dry white wine, but then again, what isn’t? To serve as an appetizer, just decrease quantities slightly.

Scrumptious Sea-Scallop Salad Ingredients:

• 10 to 12 large sea scallops
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 to 6 handfuls mixed salad greens
• 1 large avocado
• Juice of 1/4 lemon
• 1 tomato or 8 cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup fresh blueberries (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves, to taste

Dressing:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons brown mustard
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste

Steps:

Heat the butter and olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place scallops facedown in butter/oil and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Flip and repeat on other side. (The oil may smoke a bit). Remove scallops from pan and cool. They should be room temperature for the salad. While scallops cool, prepare salad ingredients. Place salad greens in a large bowl. Pit the avocado and cut into bite-size wedges. (Squeeze on a bit of fresh lemon juice to prevent browning). Slice tomato into wedges, or halve cherry tomatoes. Add to greens, along with blueberries (optional) and mint. Prepare dressing: In a large measuring cup or small bowl, combine oil, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified. Add scallops to the salad and dress to taste. Reserve any extra dressing for future use. Toss and serve immediately. Serves two.

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Throughout our Pacific crossing on Namani, our Dufour 35, we not only became more accomplished sailors, but better foragers too. From fishing to gathering coconuts, wild limes and juicy mangoes, we learned to provide for ourselves. In New Zealand, however, we found a promised land: It’s a magical place where supermarkets and chandlers could once again be counted on to provide exactly what we wanted, when we wanted it. Yet just a few weeks after our arrival in this lovely corner of the world, we found ourselves foraging again — this time for sheer pleasure.

We were at Great Mercury Island, a pastoral 4-mile-long swath of green dotted with white sheep just 65 miles outside Auckland. Namani was one of only two boats anchored off a long, golden arc of sand, the perfect place to gather local pipi and tuatua clams. Standing in ankle-deep water, we plunged our hands into the loose sand, groped around, and soon had a harvest of clams sitting happy as — well, clams! — in our bucket, destined for our galley and our rumbling stomachs.

New Zealand often reminded us of our home waters of New England — more for the quiet, easygoing feel of the place than any similarity in landscape. In tribute, we dubbed our dinner Kiwi Clam Chowdah, putting a twist on a traditional recipe by using a local beer instead of wine as a base. With the sun setting over the rugged landscape of the Coromandel Peninsula to the west and the spectacular windward cliffs of Great Mercury to the east, we savored every spoonful of this hearty, fulfilling soup.

Kiwi Clam Chowdah

Ingredients:

• 2 cups clam meat*
• 1 12-ounce bottle dark beer
• 1 tablespoon cornmeal
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3-4 strips bacon, diced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil or
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups pan broth
• 2 cups milk or light cream
• 3 tablespoons flour

*The number of whole clams you’ll need for this will depend on the type of clam.

Steps:

Soak clams in salt water mixed with cornmeal for two to four hours to help remove sand. Rinse and clean the clams, then steam in half the beer until shells open. Remove clams and cool; reserve broth in pan. Remove meat from shells and chop coarsely. Fry onions and bacon in oil or butter until onions are golden. Pour away excess fat and add broth from pan plus remaining beer to make two cups. Add potatoes, clam meat and thyme leaves; salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil; simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are done. Stir in the milk or cream. To thicken soup, dissolve flour in a bit of water to make a paste and stir in slowly. Simmer briefly and serve. Serves four.

Tips for Cleaning Clams
by Lynda Morris Childress

If you don’t want to spend the time to clean clams using Nadine’s cornmeal trick, here’s a faster way:

1. Sort through the clams and discard any with broken or cracked shells.

2. Place the clams in a clean bucket and fill with fresh water to cover. Soak the clams for at least 20 minutes. As the clams breathe, they will filter sand from their shells.

3. Remove clams from bucket, one by one, and set aside. The filtered sand will be at the bottom of the bucket; do not pour soaking water over clams.

4. Use a scrub brush to remove any additional sand or other material clinging to the shells. Rinse. The clams are ready for cooking!

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It was our first Christmas as cruisers, and it arrived rather unexpectedly. We’d been anchored for a couple of weeks on Picaroon, our Hardin Sea Wolf, at Norman Island in the British Virgin Islands. Without the traditional holiday cues — decorations, holiday parties and snow — we’d hardly noticed it was Christmas Eve when we were invited to join local cruisers for a potluck dinner the next day.

“Make figgy pudding!” insisted Philip, my British husband. Figgy pudding is a fond nickname for what we Americans call plum pudding, and I know of it only from English Christmas carols and holiday stories. I’d obliged and made it for several holidays running, but now lacked key ingredients on the boat. Then it struck me: Plum pudding is pretty much a denser, richer version of Caribbean black cake, also traditionally served at Christmas. With a recipe for neither, and no Internet access, I decided to improvise. And use lots of rum, just in case.

The final result was still warm when we dinghied over to Willie T’s bar for the cruisers’ Christmas potluck. It was such a hit, even the bar’s local staff asked for the recipe!

Caribbean Christmas Pudding

Ingredients:

• 2 cups raisins
• 1 cup currants or dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup dried or fresh orange peel, chopped
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons powdered ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup dark rum
• 1/3 cup Madeira
• 1/2 cups pecans or walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup candied ginger, chopped
• Confectioner’s sugar (optional)

Steps:

Chop half the raisins roughly. Combine all raisins, currants, orange peel, and water in saucepan. Simmer 20 minutes until water is absorbed; let cool. Sift together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and baking powder. In another bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and whip until light. Whisk in rum and wine (or substitute ⅔-cup water). Fold liquid mixture into dry mixture. Add fruit mix, nuts, and candied ginger. Fold all ingredients together. Pour batter into a greased metal or heatproof glass bowl that fits into a larger pot. Cover bowl tightly with foil. Place a strip of folded foil underneath/around bowl to serve as a handle and place in pot. Add enough water to pot to come about halfway up the bowl. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low, cover pot, and steam for about two hours, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. Remove bowl, cool, then invert onto a serving plate. Dust with confectioner’s sugar or glaze (add 3 tablespoons rum or water to 1 cup powdered sugar and pour over cooled cake). Serves 10.

Tip: Use a Pressure Cooker
by Lynda Morris Childress

If you have a pressure cooker aboard, use it for this dessert. (Place covered bowl on the cooker’s steamer plate with one cup water beneath. Bring to pressure. Steam for one hour.) For anything that requires extended cooking time, a pressure cooker such as the 8-quart Vitaquick by Fissler is an invaluable galley item. Pressure cooking cuts cooking time significantly no matter what’s in the pot, and the energy savings alone make them worth the price.

Do you have a favorite boat recipe? Send it to us for possible inclusion in Sailor & Galley. Tell us why it’s a favorite, and add a short description of your boat and where you cruise. Send it, along with high-resolution digital photos of you aboard your boat, to sailorandgalley@cruisingworld.com.

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Greek cuisine is adored worldwide for many reasons, primarily its creative use of fresh, seasonal ingredients to make diverse dishes. During summer and fall, the tomato reigns supreme in Greece; aboard Stressbuster, our Atlantic 70 cutter based in the Greek islands, I make good use of these luscious, ripe-red beauties whenever they’re in their prime.

The word yemista in Greek means “stuffed.” In this traditional summer-and-fall dish, large tomatoes are stuffed with different variations of rice-and-herb fillings. My own variation includes the addition of multicolored peppers for variety, sultanas for sweetness, pine nuts for crunch and texture, and parsley for fresh flavor. This is an ideal recipe for preparation onboard; aside from the tomatoes, peppers, and parsley, all other ingredients come from the ship’s dry stores; if you can’t find peppers, use tomatoes alone. While this is best made at anchor due to the long sautéing and stirring time, it can be made a day ahead or before departure for later consumption – some say this dish actually tastes better the next day. It’s cruiser-versatile – in hot summer months, it can be eaten cold or at room temperature; when the weather cools off in the fall, it can be reheated or eaten straight from the oven, piping hot. Aboard Stressbuster, this unusual, tasty dish tops the list of recipes most often requested by our charter guests. Kali orexi! (Good appetite!)

Greek Yemista (Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers)

Ingredients:

• 6 large, ripe tomatoes
• 1 each: yellow, orange, red, green bell pepper
• Salt, sugar
• Olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 cup round-grain rice
• 1 12-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 to 2 cups water
• Parsley (generous handful), minced
• 3/4 cup sultana raisins
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps:

• Wash tomatoes and peppers and slice off tops with a sharp knife. Set tops aside. Hollow out the tomatoes with a melon-baller or teaspoon and set pulp aside. Seed peppers. Add salt and a pinch of sugar to each hollowed-out vegetable.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick sauté pan and sauté the onions till translucent.
• Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Add canned tomatoes and about 1/2 cup of water; stir.
• Salt and pepper to taste and simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, or until rice is soft enough to chew, stirring very often and adding more water as needed. (Mixture should stay very moist.)
• When rice is ready, remove from heat and stir in parsley, raisins, and pine nuts. Fill the hollow tomatoes/peppers with the rice mixture, replace their lids, and arrange in an oiled baking dish. Give the whole lot a good swirl of olive oil and add about 1/2 cup water, along with the reserved tomato pulp.
• Bake at 375 degrees F until tomatoes and peppers are tender and skins begin to brown and/or blister, about 45 minutes to one hour, adding more water to pan bottom if necessary.

Serves six to eight.

The post Greek Yemista: Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes and Peppers Recipe appeared first on Cruising World.

Pita Bread for Cooking on a Boat

My husband, Billy, and I were sailing the Exuma Islands chain of the Bahamas aboard Bonnie Christine, our Catalina 380, when I realized we were out of bread. We were far away from provisions. Then I remembered a recipe I’d clipped and saved from Cruising World ages ago, for pitas that could be made in a skillet (“A Peaceful Offering,” CW July 2000). This was years before we set off cruising ourselves. At the time I’d thought, “How exotic! I want to do that!” I’d saved the basic recipe, dreaming of the day when I too could bake bread while sailing far from civilization.

So as we sailed toward Lee Stocking Island, I pulled out the yellowed clipping and began to mix and knead the simple ingredients — but (like most boat cooks) I couldn’t resist adding some personal touches. This is my own version of that recipe. Not only did the pita feed us — that first recipe fed my cruising dreams for years before we actually set sail.

Editor’s Note: Before the recipes from People & Food were available online, this recipe was one of those most often requested. We think readers will appreciate Linda’s twist on this bread. Find this recipe and more old and new favorites online at cruisingworld.com/people/people-and-food.

Savory Skillet Pocket Bread Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups lukewarm water
1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups flour (plus 1 cup for kneading)
2 tablespoons dried herbs (sage, thyme, oregano, basil)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
Sea salt, to taste

Steps:
Whisk together water, yeast, salt, sugar and oil. Let sit five minutes. Add 5 cups flour and mix with a wooden spoon until dough is very stiff. Tip dough onto floured work surface, lightly flour hands, and knead for five minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a lightly oiled, clean bowl, roll around to coat, and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled (1 to 2 hours depending on air temperature). Tip dough onto floured surface. Shape into 12 fist-size balls. Place balls on a sheet of baking paper, cover, and let rise again for 20 minutes. Cut more baking paper into 10-inch squares. Roll balls into 1/8-inch-thick circles. Firmly pat on your choice of dried herbs, sesame seeds, and sea salt, and stack, separated by squares of baking paper. Heat a dry nonstick or cast-iron skillet over high heat, then reduce to medium-high. Don’t use oil or butter in pan. Dry-fry each pita until top begins to form air pockets and bottom begins to brown (5 to 30 seconds per side, depending on stove). Makes 12 6- to 8-inch pitas.

CAN BE PREPARED: UNDER WAY OR AT ANCHOR
PREP TIME: 3 TO 4 HOURS (DEPENDING ON RISING TIME)
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

Tip: Pita-Making Tools
by Lynda Morris Childress

Whether you’re safely at anchor in a peaceful cove or under way on a calm day, making this bread will be easier if you have the following items. Do use a wooden spoon. Wood is strong, and won’t bend or break when stirring thick, elastic dough batter. Do use a nonstick spatula — it won’t scratch or damage nonstick cookware.

• One or two large mixing bowls
• A wire whisk
• A wooden spoon
• Baking paper
• 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet
• Heat-resistant plastic spatula

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Chicken Enchiladas

Simplicity is the name of the game aboard Outrider, our Westsail 42. We live aboard and cruise in Mexico for eight months of the year. Mostly we enjoy the bountiful harvest the ocean provides, but there are times when we’re just not lucky enough to catch anything. Fortunately, fresh or frozen chicken is readily available in all the cities and bigger towns of Mexico, and usually is less expensive than beef or pork, so we always have a good supply of it onboard. Whenever we come away empty-handed from fishing, we head for the freezer and pull out a couple of chicken breasts to turn into an easy, tasty meal. Because we eat a fair amount of chicken, we experiment with different recipes to keep our meals fun and interesting. Some are a success, some aren’t! This one was a huge hit with both of us, and is our favorite of all the enchilada recipes we’ve come up with.

Recipe for Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 8 8-inch flour tortillas
• 2 cups cheddar and/or Monterey jack cheese, grated
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 4-ounce can green chilies, chopped (or more to taste)

Steps:

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Sauté chicken and onion in oil on medium-high heat until chicken is done. Let cool slightly, shred chicken, and divide chicken and onions evenly among the eight tortillas. Add 1/8 cup cheese to each tortilla. Roll the tortillas and place them seam side down in a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Melt butter in a saucepan and gradually add flour to make a roux, stirring constantly. Add chicken broth a little at a time, still stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and thickened. Let it come to a boil, then immediately remove from heat. Stir in sour cream and green chilies, then pour sauce evenly over the enchiladas. Top enchiladas with remaining cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and golden and sauce bubbles at the edges. Serves four, or two with leftovers for the next day — this keeps well in the fridge. Note: If you use pre-cooked chicken in this recipe, just add the sautéed onions to the sauce when you add the chilies.

CAN BE PREPARED: AT ANCHOR
PREP TIME: 1 HOUR
DEGREE OF DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM

Tip: Roast Your Own Chilies
by Lynda Morris Childress

If you can’t find canned green chilies wherever you’re cruising, if fresh peppers are available, it’s easy to roast your own. Banana chilies (also called yellow wax peppers) are a good, mild pepper to roast for this recipe, but choose the pepper that suits your own palate. Important: If you use hot chili peppers, wear disposable latex gloves when handling them.

To roast peppers: Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Place whole peppers on an ungreased cookie sheet and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, or until skins are charred on all sides and peppers are soft, turning frequently with tongs. Remove and place in a paper bag to steam until cool enough to handle.

When cooled slightly, gently peel off skins, remove stems, scrape out seeds, and discard. Slice and dice pepper for use in recipes or salads.

Ready for dessert? Click here to find recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth.

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Most sailors follow their own routines, usually superstitions to avoid bad luck. I know one skipper who won’t let his crew bring bananas aboard, and another who refuses to let anyone whistle on the foredeck. But whenever I start a charter trip with family and friends, I have one routine that seems to guarantee good fortune: I serve grilled lamb chops for our first dinner onboard.

I’ve grilled these tasty morsels while anchored in the islands of Washington, British Columbia, California and, most recently, the British Virgin Islands. We always try to sleep aboard the night before a charter, so there’s plenty of time to marinate the chops for the following night’s dinner. Giving the meat a full 24 hours to marinate brings out the tastes that will dazzle your family and guests. We usually serve the chops with baby red potatoes and a steamed green vegetable. And because we’re Californians, we pour a proud zinfandel and toast our good fortune at once again starting a charter trip with good friends and good food.

Grilled Lamb Chops Dijon Recipe

Makes Six Servings

Ingredients:

• 6 lamb chops (either loin or rib)
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• 3 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
• 3 tablespoons garlic, crushed
• 6 tablespoons Dijon mustard /Users/elawson/Desktop/heesen-tout.jpg
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground sage

Rinse and dry chops. Grind black pepper onto chops and sprinkle with half of the crushed rosemary. Firmly press into the meat. Smear half the crushed garlic and then half the Dijon mustard over the chops. Pat the paste with your fingers so it sticks to the meat. Turn chops over and repeat process on the other side. Put the coated chops into a resealable bag and add lemon juice, sherry, soy sauce, olive oil and sage. Massage the air out of the bag; zip it shut. Place bag in the ice chest or refrigerator overnight, turning a couple of times to evenly distribute marinade. (If you can’t marinate overnight, do so at room temperature for two to three hours.) Preheat grill until hot. Grill chops about eight minutes per side for medium-rare meat. Each grill differs, so check meat often to avoid overcooking. When chops are done, set on a warmed plate. Tent with aluminum foil and let meat rest for at least 10 minutes while you steam the vegetables, open the red wine, and call your guests to the table.

Can be prepared at anchor, prep time is 4-8 hours, easy to prepare.

Tips for Great Grilled Chops

• Always bring chops to room temperature before grilling for faster and more consistent cooking.
• Turn chops with tongs, not a fork, to avoid piercing meat.
• Trim excess fat before grilling to avoid flare-ups. (Leave a bit on for added flavor).
• Always let meat rest for a few minutes before serving to enhance flavor.
• Grills differ; when in doubt, use a meat thermometer. Internal temperature for medium-rare meat is 125 to 130 degrees F. For well-done chops, internal temperature should be 160 degrees F.

-Lynda Morris Childress

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Watermelon Salad

I first fell under the spell of the sea as a dinghy sailor on England’s eastern coast. A number of years later, my husband, Pete, and I owned Don Quixote II, a Northwind 435 that we sailed across the Atlantic on our honeymoon. We settled in the British Virgin Islands, where we’ve worked as captain and chef aboard yachts for the past six years. In my early days as a charter chef, I was fortunate to have a lovely guest aboard who went on to become my food guru. She opened my eyes to the wider issues behind cooking for guests, including how to create dishes and menus that reflect and respect the local environment. I’ve also embraced the notion of pairing dishes to complement the weather.

In the balmy Caribbean, where our current yacht, Kings Ransom, a Matrix Silhouette 76 catamaran, charters throughout the winter, I find this arugula and watermelon salad a cool way to please the palate in hot weather. Originally I made this with olives and feta, but, like my cooking, the recipe has evolved. The cool, sweet melon and creamy goat cheese create a balance with the tangy citrus and cumin in the dressing. It looks beautiful on the plate, and my guests’ eyes always grow wide in anticipation of tasting this mouthwatering concoction. It has yet to let me down!

Arugula and Watermelon Salad Recipe

Makes eight servings

• 6 cups watermelon, seeded, cubed, drained
• 1 small red onion, sliced thinly
• 12 cups arugula
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, dry roasted
• 3/4 cup goat cheese (or substitute feta)
• Cracked black pepper, to taste

Spicy Citrus Dressing

• 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 4 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
• 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a nonstick skillet, dry-roast pine nuts and toast cumin seeds, then set aside. Combine watermelon, onion, arugula and pine nuts. Sprinkle with goat cheese and pepper. To make dressing, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, balsamic vinegar, mustard, cumin seeds and seasoning. Add olive oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss, and serve immediately.

Note: This recipe for arugula and watermelon salad is excerpted from Dining on Deck: BVI Charter Yacht Crews Share Their Favorite Recipes, edited by Traci O’Dea and Janet Oliver ($12.50; 2012; Charter Yacht Society of the BVI; email info@bvicrewedyachts.com). If you want to try a taste of the delectable fare served by British Virgin Islands charter chefs aboard your own boat, this book offers a delightful sampling. The lavishly illustrated, easy-to-follow collection of recipes for appetizers, salads, main dishes and more has a tropical flair that will make your mouth water. If you’re headed south, take this with you.

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