Whisper's Galley

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

2008-08-27T07:39:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T08:44:00.001-07:00

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

2008-05-28T08:41:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-05-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

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!

Tuna Steaks on the Barbie

2008-05-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

Serves 2

2 very fresh tuna steaks, approx. 1 1/2 inches thick

4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 of an onion, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
dash of hot sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp. Maple syrup

Mix all ingredients for the marinade. Add tuna and let sit for half an hour. (We usually marinate in a Ziploc bag.)

Crack open your cold beer, fire up the Barbie, put the fish on and baste while cooking. For medium-rare steaks, cook approx. 3 mins. per side, give or take a few minutes depending on the thickness.

Tomato-sausage sauce

2008-05-28T08:32:00.000-07:00

For use as a pasta sauce for dinner and for hot sandwiches for lunch the next day.

1 lb. Italian style link sausage, preferably spicy, cut into 1 inch pices
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Olive oil
salt
white pepper
dash hot sauce
2 16 oz. (450 ml.) canned tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine

In a heavy, 9” skillet, saute the sausage and onions in the olive oil at a moderately high heat. When the onions are translucent, lower the heat and add the garlic. Saute for only a minute or two, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add the tomatoes, spices and red wine. Simmer for an hour or so. Add water if the sauce gets too thick.

Serve over pasta for dinner. The next day, heat up the leftover sauce and spread on a baguette for the best sandwich ever.

Margie’s Scotch Eggs

2008-05-28T08:30:00.000-07:00

These are a great hit for potlucks! We brought them to a beach potluck in St. Lucia and they were gone within 5 minutes.

1 lb. Ground breakfast sausage (Jimmy Dean in a tube variety works well)
6 hardboiled eggs, peeled
fine breadcrumbs (Asian Gourmet, Japanese style “Panko” breadcrumbs are the best)
oil for deep-frying

Thickly coat each egg with sausage and mold in your hands like a snowball. Coat with breadcrumbs. Deep-fry one egg at a time until golden brown, approx. 4 minutes per egg. Cut in half and serve cold. If bringing to a party, eat one before you leave home to be sure you get one!

Dinghy Donuts, the one and only!

2008-05-28T08:29:00.001-07:00

2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
5 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 cups flour
4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg

Beat eggs; slowly add sugar, beating constantly. Stir in 1 cup milk and oil.
Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg.
Quickly add wet to dry, being careful not to overbeat.

Form small golf-ball sized donut holes using two spoons and drop into hot oil. Deep fry until golden brown, making sure the oil is not too hot. (If the oil is too hot the inside of the donut will be raw and the outside will be burnt. If the oil is not hot enough, they will take much longer to cook and be very greasy.)

For franchising opportunities through the Caribbean, contact Hans and Kristen on s/v Whisper.