Korma sauce for chicken, chick peas, pork, etc.

St. Martin has a large Indian population. After a great meal at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant, we stopped at the neighboring Indian grocery and talked with the proprietor about how to make korma. She gave us the vague recipe, but we haven’t been able to make it until now since you need to blend the sauce. No blender or food processor on Whisper!

1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
big chunk of fresh ginger, minced
1 tbsp curry powder
black pepper
cardamon
cinnamon
coriander
chili flakes/powder (some kind of heat)
salt
cashew nuts, ground
1 cup or so of coconut milk
1 1/2 cups crushed tomatoes
pinch of saffron

Gently sauté onion, garlic and ginger for around 5 minutes. Add all the spices and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes. Add cashew nuts, coconut milk and tomatoes. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Puree sauce in blender or food processor and return to pot. Add saffron. At this point the sauce is done. You can freeze it, can it or add food to it for dinner on the same day. We added chunks of chicken (bone-in), but it would be equally good with pork, chick peas, or maybe even chick peas with spinach. If you add chicken or pork, continue to let simmer for 45 mins. or so. Serve with rice, yogurt and naan.

Taima's easy BBQ potatoes

This recipe is from Carmelle and Yvon on s/v Taima.
Instead of baking potatoes whole on the BBQ (which takes forever!), try this method:

3 potatoes, peeled and sliced.
1 onion, peeled and sliced
salt
pepper
olive oil

Place the potatos and onion in alternating layers on a piece of aluminum foil. Cover liberally with olive oil, salt and pepper. Seal up the package and BBQ on low heat for about 20 minutes or so.

Caribbean Lobster Rolls

1 cup or so of lobster meat, steamed & diced
mayonnaise
salt
black pepper
lemon juice
onion, minced
celery, minced

Combine all ingredients, adjusting proportions to taste. Serve on a white roll.

Caribbean Lobster Bisque

1 lobster, steamed
1/2 cup shallots, diced
4 tbsp. Butter
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup cream
salt
white pepper

Steam the lobster for about 10 minutes. Pick lobster clean and put all meat aside. Conserve the steaming water to use as stock for the soup.
Gently sauté the shallots in the butter with salt and pepper to taste. When translucent add white wine and stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes. Add lobster meat and cream. Simmer for a few more minutes and serve. Goes great with cold white wine.

Captain Jim’s Rum Tonic

We got this fabulous drink recipe from Jim on s/v Merengue.

40 ml aged or white rum (approx. 1 shot)
juice of 1 lime
15 cl tonic (approx. 6 oz)
dash bitters
ice

Mix rum and lime, add ice, pour tonic over, add a dash bitters and briefly stir. Enjoy in your cockpit while watching charter boats try to anchor.

Caribbean Lobster Crepes

This is a two-step process. We make the crepes first and set them aside while making the sauce. You can roll them up in advance of eating or set the sauce and crepes on the table and everyone can roll their own.

The Crepes

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Baking powder
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup water

Combine dry ingredients. Beat eggs and add milk and water to eggs. Form a well in the dry ingredients and quickly add wet to dry with a few quick strokes. The batter will be a little lumpy but the lumps work themselves out when cooking.

Melt butter on a hot skillet. Pour 1/2 cup crepe batter, spread this out over the pan by tilting the pan. Once the top is dry, flip. Crepes are tricky to make, and practice really makes perfect. They are worth the effort!

The filling

1 cup lobster meat, steamed and diced
2 tbsp. Butter
2 tbsp. Flour
1 cup milk
salt
white pepper
paprika
curry powder
juice of 1 lemon

The filling is a basic white sauce with lobster added at the end. Melt butter and add flour to a paste-like consistency. Gradually add the milk, whisking all the time. Do not stop whisking or lumps will form. Add salt, white pepper, paprika and curry powder to taste. Once the sauce is thickened, add the lemon juice and lobster.

Spanish Tortilla

The Spanish tortilla is a stand-by on Whisper. We almost always have potatoes, onions and eggs and it never fails to please and fill hungry stomachs.

5-6 small to medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 onions, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
6 eggs
salt
pepper
(add ham, prosciutto, bacon, etc. if desired)

The trick with this recipe is a lot of olive oil. Don’t skimp! In a 9” heavy skillet, sauté the potatoes and onions in the olive oil, making sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Add salt and pepper to taste. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a little water. When the potatoes are cooked through, pour the eggs into the pan and cover. Make sure the eggs are evenly distributed and reach the bottom of the pan. Cover and cook at very low heat for 20 minutes or so. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. The Spanish tortilla is also great the next day served cold for breakfast or lunch. Try it with ketchup, but don’t tell the Spaniards!