French-Moroccan Style Food Aboard

The last week saw me yet again playing the sailing instructor to a boat load of young people. Young, healthy people with appetites to match. Put in some physical sailing exercises, anchoring off Grainger Bay for a light lunch, then pulling up the anchor by hand before some more sailing.  Add a dose of the wonderful Cape Town weather at this time of year, and you have five ravenous mouths to feed. Six if you include your favourite sailing instructor.

Not that that is a problem, of course. Part of the course is to do the provisioning planning. This effort naturally includes finding out dietary constraints and then matching the provisions to suit.

In this case we had a crew member not eating red meat. Pork and chicken, yes. But no red meat. Matching this requirement with our standard list of single pot meals could pose a problem. Our food stipend for the week does not amount to much and one does like to keep the food within that budget. Part of learning to make do in a minimalist way.

So boerewors and mash, spaghetti Bolognese and chilli con carne were out of the question. After some deliberation, I remembered that the French has a dish they call cassoulet, made with beans and pork. A stewed dish, eminently suited for preparing on board.  Of course, no proper sailor would go without some spice, so here was some more room for creativity.

The North Africans are famous for their wonderfully flavoured stewed dishes. That gave me the idea of a fusion dish: French-Moroccan style chilli beans and pork. Something away from your standard chilli con carne using beef mince.

For this dish we added some thinly sliced potatoes as starch, thereby making it a one pot dish. The ingredients are kept simple, as we have but a small two-burner gas stove on board and no refrigeration to speak of. A cooler box with ice, I'll have you know. Work space for preparing food is also at a premium.

In addition, I have stopped using cooking oil on board, using butter instead. Partly due to the fire hazard of hot oil on a bouncing and rocking stove, and partly because the butter imparts better flavour. I have also found that people eat smaller portions when I use butter in the cooking. Banting again, no less.

Space is at a premium

You may omit the potatoes in favour of couscous. We did not have any, but it will work well with this dish.


Here the flavours lie in the process as much as in the ingredients. Just mixing it all in and cooking it will not bring out the flavour and you will have a bland dish that burns your tongue.

And thus French-Moroccan style spicy pork stew was born. This quantity will feed six hungry sailors.

Ingredients

750g pork leg chops, cubed to 15mm/½ inch size and trimmed of fat.
1 can red kidney beans
1 can butter beans
1 can baked beans in tomato sauce
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 sachet tomato paste
2 medium size fresh tomatoes, coarsely diced
1 onion, chopped
1/3 Green pepper, chopped
2 medium potatoes, sliced to the same thickness as the pork.
1-2 thumbs garlic, chopped and mashed
4 small chillies, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 ½ teaspoon cumin powder
Some salt to taste

Small stove and galley area

Pepper to taste
2 dessert spoons butter for frying.

Process

Heat up the pot or pan that you will be using. Add a little butter. Fry the pork in small batches until they are brown. Set the fried pork aside to rest.
Using the same pot, which will now contain a nice layer of caramelised pork, add some more butter and fry the onions and green pepper until brown. They will pick up the caramelised bits of pork. Add the garlic and chillies and fry them for thirty seconds. Add the dry spices and fry these for fifteen seconds, then add the tomatoes, the potatoes and the pork. Reduce the heat when the the pot starts to boil and simmer until the potatoes are done. Check for sufficient saltiness, the potatoes may make the dish somewhat fresh.
Only then add the beans. Drain the fluid from the kidney- and butter beans. The baked beans go in complete with the tomato sauce. Mix thoroughly. The sauce will thicken substantially towards the end, so do make sure that nothing sticks to the bottom and burns.



Allow the dish to cook through, then take the heat away and allow the dish to rest. This may not be easy, as by now the whole boat or kitchen will be pervaded by a delicious aroma.

Bon appetit!


Authored by Johan Zietsman

Last updated on 2015-02-07

Pakistani Style Biriyani

Biriyani must be the most the most underrated dish in the culinary world. Here in South Africa you even get it in cans, if you look in the right place. Very common over the whole of Asia, it appears.

It is very easy to make. Perhaps that is where the idea comes from that it is a commonplace dish and therefore treated with disdain.

However, there is much variation to this dish. You can make it in a multitude of flavours, ranging from mild to strong. You can actually make the meaty part very strongly spiced as the rice part will dilute the strength somewhat.

But the appeal of this dish lies in the gentle flavours it carries. If you intend to use saffron, it is sacrilege to make it too spicy. The spiciness will overpower the exotic flavour of the saffron and it will turn out to be just another spicy rice dish.

Biriyani is made in two parts, then assembled and steamed. Cook the rice and cook the meaty part. And the exotic flavour lies in the preparation of the meaty part. Especially the process.

The meat is marinated in a spiced yoghurt marinade. Fresh herbs make a huge difference to the end result. I used fresh coriander leaves. The rest of the herbs and spices are the normal ground spices available through your local supermarket or spice shop. Whatever you do, try your utmost to get hold of fresh herbs and spices. It really makes a difference.

For this version I decided to broadly go along with the basic recipe from my food blogger friend Maria Nasir. She lives in Lahore, Pakistan and makes the most heavenly food in her kitchen. Pakistani food is quite spiced, but not strong. They focus on flavours over there. You can find Maria's recipes at her Foodaholic web site. Well worth the visit.

Of course, the Hungry Sailor will impart his own ideas on the basic dish. Just because I live in a different part of the world and simply cannot get hold of the same spices as in Pakistan. But also just because  the Hungry Sailor is in a creative mode.

Perhaps also because I am a bit of a pirate at heart. There is a saying in sailing circles that you should always  be yourself, except when you can be a pirate. Then always be a pirate. Very tongue in cheek, but quite uplifting. So I decided to do the pirate thing.

I used Maria's recipe as input to my dish. You  need to marinate the chicken, no arguments about that. Use lemon juice to cut the heat if too spicy. I used lemon as garnish only, This dish does not normally come out spicy.

You will need quite a large casserole with a lid to make this dish. As it is a rice dish, the rice needs to be fluffy and loose. You steam it slowly to obtain the final flavours.

So here goes.

The marinade ingredients 

Ingredients

1 kg chicken. I used a barbecue pack with loose pieces.
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 dessert spoon level masala paste. (Get a recipe here)
1 teaspoon turmeric
250 ml plain yogurt
Some coriander leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon heaped masala powder

This is a chunky version

8 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
pinch of saffron stalks, soaked in ½ cup of boiling water
salt
pepper
2 star aniseed
3 cinnamon sticks
some butter for frying
1½ cup raw basmati rice
½ cup raw lentils
some butter for frying

Process

Marinade

Chop some of the coriander leaves and mix with the yogurt. Add the turmeric, some salt, masala powder and cumin. Mix thoroughly. Add the chicken and marinade for at least half an hour. I removed the skin from the breast and thighs. Cut the chicken into manageable pieces. I find that the marinade does nor penetrate the skin, so I remove chicken skin as far as is sensible. Cut the breast pieces into double thumb sized chunks. This dish is chunky.

After the meat has been properly marinated, start the cooking. As usual, we start by frying the onions in the butter until at least translucent, but preferably caramelized. Add the garlic at the end, frying it for about fifteen to twenty seconds. Then add the meat. You don't need all the marinade, so chuck it. It will clutter your final dish and make it soggy.

Main dish

In the mean time, cook the rice and lentils on the side.

Fry the meat until it is well cooked, then add the chopped tomatoes.  Add the cinnamon sticks and aniseed at this stage. Turn the heat down to minimum and simmer for at least twenty minutes. The juices need to cook away a bit and the resulting masala needs to be on the dry side. Watch out for burning, you don't want that, it will make the dish bitter and you start over.

The last part of the masala coming along nicely

Remove the meat and masala from the pot and keep warm on the side. You will now start to build the final biriyani.

Building the final dish

Put  a layer of rice in the bottom of the pot, then add some of the meat and masala. Cover this with another layer of rice and add the rest of the meat part. Don't add the mushy gravy part, your biriyani will come out soggy. Cover the last meat layer with the last of the rice and lentils. Garnish this with some lemon slices and some coriander leaves. Add the saffron tea to the dish now, cover and simmer at the lowest heat for at least twenty minutes. Then switch off the heat and let the dish rest for another twenty minutes to develop flavour.


Mix everything up before dishing up. Add salt as required. This dish has a very subtle set of flavours, so perhaps it is not a good idea to pair this with a heavy red wine. In Pakistan this is served with a raita, a sauce made of yogurt and spices.

Bon appetit!



Authored by Johan Zietsman

Last updated on 2014-09-21

Eggs Poached In Spicy Tomato Relish: Shakshouka

The Berber word for “the mix,” I am told. This dish is made in various forms all over North Africa and the Middle East, perhaps even up to Turkey and Greece. A gorgeous dish in its simplicity, it holds flavours like you haven't tasted before.

And I was totally ignorant of its existence. That is, until a few days ago. Again, it is a story of the sea. A sailing story, no less. But let me start at the beginning.

My blog is about sailing and cooking on board. Having proper food goes a long way to keep the  morale on board high, especially during spells of inclement weather. Which, in the Cape of Storms, is often. So I am always on the lookout for decent recipes that can be cooked aboard a boat heaving and pitching in choppy seas. Your galley and stove do not stand still like at home.

On a recent sailing expedition to our neighbouring village of Simon's Town, we had a long discussion on this very subject. Of course the weather was balmy and we had lots of time for talk. Soon the topic went to food. Sailors on board do seem to be forever hungry.


My friend Vic then came out with this recipe of poaching eggs in a tomato relish. And it hit me that we have lots of tomatoes here in South Africa. So much so that you get canned tomato relish, complete with onions and even spices. Tomato relish is very popular here, to be had with a boerewors roll (a local version of a hot dog) or with maize pap (a very thick maize porridge, even crumbly) along with your braai. (Barbecued meat).

After a short research on the internet I found a myriad of recipes. These vary according to regional tastes. The Moroccan version using slightly different spices than those made towards the Middle east.


The ingredients all include lots of tomatoes and onions. Garlic is common and so is a hot chilli. Some sweet pepper are also in the mix. Spices vary, but include paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Simple.

The dish appears to be Berberic in origin, real desert dwellers. No time for long-winded food preparation. So we expect the preparation process to be simple as well.

I pondered this for a while, then decided to go with the standard process, chunky chopped ingredients. No tomato paste or -puree. Basic spices, keeping it simple.

This dish came out way beyond my expectations. Granted, it was the first time I made tomato relish with cumin and paprika, but the result was worth it. And the process is a no-brainer. Budget two eggs and three medium sized tomatoes per person. The rest of the ingredients are for additional flavour and texture.

The dish is suitable as a main dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Add some barbecued sausage (read boerewors) for lunch or dinner. You will not need a starch with this, it is quite filling, especially when made with real butter instead of just oil. An out and out Banting dish, for sure.


Use a deep pan or shallow casserole. You need to poach all the eggs at once. The pan needs a lid too. This is a one pot dish.

Here goes.

Ingredients for two people

2 large eggs per person
3 tomatoes per person, chopped coarsely
½ sweet bell pepper, chopped coarsely
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 dried chilli, chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika I used sweet smoked paprika
some salt
some ground pepper
some butter for frying

Process

Fry the onions and sweet peppers in butter until the onions go nice and brown, then add the garlic and chilli and fry for fifteen seconds. Then add the chopped tomatoes. Mix thoroughly and bring to the boil. Simmer until the fluid has reduced a little. Check for and add salt as required, the dish may be quite fresh. The dish needs to be quite dry, definitely not runny. Pat the relish flat, then make a dent for each egg. Break the eggs carefully in each dent.

This is where you may also do lots of creative things. Some recipes break the eggs so you end with something of a frittata. Others keep the eggs whole as per normal poached eggs. Sprinkle the pepper, paprika and cumin over the lot, then put the lid on and reduce the heat. Simmer for at least ten minutes.

You can make the dish with the eggs soft and runny or hard, it is up to you. Make sure that the relish is almost done and not  too watery before adding the eggs. You are not making soup.


There won't be leftovers, I'm afraid. That is what my friend told me, and that was my exact experience. Be careful, the relish is very hot.


Bon appetit!



Authored by Johan Zietsman

Last updated on 2014-09-21

Day 16: Chilli Con Carne And Cumin Chapattis

I have forgotten what the stars look like. The skipper tells me to relax, there is lot of time left on this voyage to see stars. But I am beginning to have my doubts.




To sum up the situation, we are almost a week out of St Helena island, three weeks into our six week-odd voyage. This means almost halfway. And we have yet to have a cloudless day or night. Interesting, indeed. In fact, the deays have been so cloudy that I on occasion had to time my sun sights to when the sun peeked through the clouds sufficiently to take a sight. I was not able to take noon sights at will.




I shall follow the skipper's advice: Take a deep breath, Count to ten. Then do it again. At least I shall be getting some deep breathing exercises! We can feel that the ambient temperature has gone up. One can now sit outside without a windbreaker. But at night, as I am sitting here writing, there is still a nip in the air.

Last night was my turn at the galley again. I decided on chilli con carne with cumin chapattis. I haven't made chapattis in a long while and decided that it would be a good accompaniment to the meat and beans.




Chapattis are an interesting type of flat bread to make. Almost like the twisters of the Australian outback or stokbrood from the South African culinary tradition. Made with flour, salt and water. In this case I added a teaspoon of vegetable fat and used some leftover self raising flour in the mix. And, to top it off, I added a healthy teaspoon full of cumin seeds as garnish to the mix.




It worked well flavour-wise, but due to the seeds falling out and leaving a hole, the little breads would not all puff up. The flavour, however, was excellent. And the texture quite soft as a result of the vegetable fat.




The chilli con carne was my standard boat recipe, using fresh onions and sweet green peppers. As flavour I used dried coriander seeds and added some black mustard seeds. The dried seeds were roasted, each in turn as they are of different sizes and thus toast at different rates. If they burn, everything thereafter turns out bitter, so having burnt them, you chuck everything overboard and start again. Luckily I had this under control.




The heat in the dish was supplied by two jalapenos and two of the dried St Helena chillies. Everything finely chopped. Of course one would use chillies that are on hand. Take care not to go overboard. These ingredients are fried and the heat may override the other flavours. Rather go less than more. Of course, we do not forget the requisite chopped garlic. The salt in the dish is supplied through the soy sauce, so no additional salt is required. For this dish, the flavours are mostly determined by the process, so take good care in the preparation.




Ingredients for the chilli con carne




400 g lean beef mince

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can red kidney beans

1 small can baked beans in tomato sauce

1 medium to large onion, chopped

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

5 whole black peppercorns

1-2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1-2 hot chillies. (Remember the caveat!)

¼ green sweet pepper

¼ yellow sweet pepper

A dollop of butter for frying

some soy sauce to taste




Process




Toast the coriander seeds in a dry pan. Shake them around that they can toast on all sides. Add the mustard seeds and toast them for about ten seconds, then add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the onions and sweet peppers. Fry these until translucent, then add the chopped garlic, jalapenos and hot chillies. Fry these for thirty seconds, keeping your head out of the way. The oleoresin capsicum will burn your nose and eyes,




Add the meat. Fry the meat until it goes brown, then add the soy sauce to taste. Now add the canned tomatoes and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked though. At this stage one can opt to simmer the dish for fifteen minutes more, or immediately add the beans. The beans will make the sauce thicken and the dish then needs constant attention to prevent burning. Simmering the dish will make the texture more creamy and the meat perchance a bit softer.




Whichever way one chooses to go, after adding the beans, cook the dish through and take it off the heat. Allow it to rest for half an hour to develop flavour before dishing up.




In our case the dish reposed for fifteen minutes only, as we have a bunch of hungry sailors on board!




Ingredients for the chapattis




1 cup self raising flour

1 cup white bread flour

1 teaspoon vegetable fat

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

about 1 cup of water




Process




Mix the flour and salt. Rub the vegetable fat into the flour mix. Now add half the water. Mix thoroughly, then add water a little at a time until the dough has soaked up all the water. Take care not to overdo the water. The dough needs to be kneadable. Turn the dough out onto a floured kneading board and knead for ten minutes. The dough will become elastic and less sticky. Cover to prevent drying out and put the dough aside to rest for fifteen minutes.




Roll the dough into a sausage of about 30mm thick (1 1/4inch) cut a piece of so that you end up with a ball of about30 mm size. Roll this into a round ball, then squash flat and roll out into a thin round disk. This should be about 100-150 mm size. Bake this flat bread in a dry pan, turning after about three minutes. These bubbled a bit and puffed a little. They cook quite fast, so take care not to burn them. There will be caramelised patches all over. These are good.




Roll out one at a time, there's enough time to do this while the previous one is cooking. Keep them in a closed container to prevent drying out. I used our small pot.



Dishing up is easy. I arranged three chapattis on a plate and ladled the chilli beans on top.




The chapattis are good to mop up sauce from the plate, so this time it counts as a legal table manners.




Bon appetit!






Authored by Johan Zietsman.




Last updated on 2013-10-11

Hot Chilli Pork With Stir Fry Vegetable Noodles

Just the other day I realised that I haven't made this dish for ages. In fact, the last time was about two years ago. My journey into the world of proper food has certainly taken me along a new path!

So, after a short discussion with the missus, the decision was made. Time for a decent stir-fry dish again.

This dish may be cooked on board, buth one needs to look at the sequence and the conditions at sea. The preparation may take some time. However, it is a very good pastime for idle shipmates to help and have a decent conversation to boot!

I used to make this one in my braai-skottel out of doors. This skottel has  fallen out of use since our relocation to the little town of Strand. This recipe is adapted from a stock standard Chinese recipe for stir-fried pork. It also works very well for chicken and extremely well for turkey. I also cut off all the fat and, in the case of using chicken, I cut off the skin.

The turkey which I am unable to locate locally, except for a whole bird, complete with the requisite chemical basting juices injected, ready for the oven. This recipe calls for de-boned, non basted meat. Wholesome, unadulterated meat.

There is no special addition of salt in this dish. The soy sauce takes care of all of the salt. I use the light soy sauce because I am told it contains less salt.

The preparation of the ingredients takes up more time than to cook the dish. This recipe will render at least four decent helpings. I use the cheapest cuts of pork that I can find, then remove the fat and bones at home. Sometimes you get pork cut up into strips ready for a stir fry at the same price as other cuts. Wonders never cease.

Ingredients

1 kg de-boned pork or chicken. This time I used pork.
¾ cup of cornflour (Maizena)
2 medium sized eggs
1 Thai, Jalapeno or medium heat chilli or ½ a Habanero with the pips removed. Chopped finely.

For the glazing sauce

¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sugar or golden syrup

For the vegetable noodles

1 small Chinese/baby cabbage
½ large or 1 medium onion
2 spring onions, chopped
½ cup fresh mushrooms, chopped
2 medium carrots, julienne'd. This for the looks!
½ cup of fresh sprouts. Any sprouts
Some baby corn heads
some mangetout
¼ bell pepper, chopped
Depending on the number of servings, you may also use some cauliflower, broccoli and baby marrows. You can also add some rehydrated dried mushrooms. They tend to add to the flavour.
4 squares instant noodles
¼ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic, chopped and minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped and minced
¼ cup soy sauce
Some freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil for frying

Process

Get the water for the noodles on the boil and boil the noodles. This takes the longest and gets used last, so it starts first.

 

For The Pork

Mix the corn flour and the eggs until you have the consistency of a thick batter. Dump all the pork in there after you have cut it up into small strips. Ensure all the meat is covered in the batter. Heat some oil in the pan. I used my Le Creuset buffet casserole, as I was cooking indoors. Add the meat to a medium to hot pan and fry until the outside of the meat is nice and brown. The cornflour will make this easy. Remove the browned meat from the pan and keep to one side. Add some oil and fry the chopped chilli in the oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the meat back to the pan and mix thoroughly. Now add the glazing sauce which is the mix of vinegar, soy sauce and sugar.
Stir continuously until the sauce has thickened enough for your taste, then remove the meat from the pan and keep it warm. I used another Le Creuset saucepan for this, as it keeps the heat nicely in, although the saucepan is still cold.

 

For The Vegetable Stir Fry

Add some oil to the pan. Fry the white pepper, ginger and garlic for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then add all the vegetables en masse. Stir fry this lot until the vegetables are al dente, then add the cooked noodles. Mix this lot thoroughly, then add the quarter to half cup of soy sauce. This will give some flavour and add the requisite salt to the dish.

Voila, the deed is done!
Heat the meat, if necessary, before dishing up.

Bon appetit!

















Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2013-06-29

Green Masala and cooking with hot chillies

This is a recipe for green masala. As you may have noticed from my Tortola travel blog, I like cooking, especially Eastern and maybe more Indian style cooking.

Here is a recipe for wet masala, which has a myriad uses. This recipe is adapted from a myriad versions on the internet.

This quantity will keep in the refrigerator for about three months. It is still useable even when it ferments. Mine hasn't yet.

Use a dessert spoonful of this mix when frying the onions at the beginning of your dish. The quantity is good for about 500 grams of meat. (1lb) This will enhance the flavours of the dish no end. You need to fry this, else it will overpower the other flavours in the dish.

We used this raw, spread on a baguette, along with butter, tomatoes and cheese in Tortola when we got hungry. Very good, as long as you can stand the very strong garlic and chilli.

The balance of quantities is important, else you get one or the other flavour dominating.

Masala

Ingredients:

1 cup hot chillies, fresh
1/2 cup fresh ginger, scraped
1/4 cup fresh garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
dash of cooking oil (not olive oil)

Method:
Scrape the skin off the ginger and cut it across the grain into 6mm (1/4inch) slices. You need to do this, otherwise you have a very thready mix in the end. Put everything into a blender, add the dash of oil and blend until the mix has become a paste, rather like pesto.

Store this lot in a sealed container in the refrigerator.  Use as described above.
You may go slightly less on the garlic, it tends to overpower the flavours. Olive oil also overpowers the other flavours, so I use the oil in the kitchen, which is canola oil at present.

Scale the quantities up or down as required. This recipe will make about 1 1/2 cupful of the mix. If you eat as much curry as we do, this will not last 3 months.

Cooking with chillies

There is a little art in cooking with hot chilli. It may be somewhat of a secret, but the stuff that burns the dickens out of you is the oleoresin capsicum. This is a volatile oil used in pepper sprays. And all that you need to do to get rid of most of it is to fry the chilli. It is then when the other flavours come out and you end up with a very sensual dish. Keep your head away from the pan...

So just add the chopped chillies to the onions when you fry them at the start of your dish. One small chilli per 500 grams (1 lb) of meat. Our spaghetti bolognaise always get a chilli nowadays, as well as most of the other meat dishes.

Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2012-12-12

Chili con carne en navigasielesse

2011-12-12 23h58


Ek het vanmiddag uitgevind hoekom daar 'n afset is tussen my navigasie en die GPS. Dis omdat ek 'n konsekwente fout gemaak het tussen my berekeninge en die plot. Ek sal netnou dit oordoen, dan behoort die fout weg te wees. Ek kon nie verstaan waar die konstante verskil inkom tussen die GPS en my berekeninge nie, toe vra ek vir Drikus om te help. Die fout spring toe uit die oomblik wat hy die berekening op sy eie herhaal.

Dis interessant hoe baie ons geleer het uit daardie uur se saamwerk. Ons het ook 'n noen-meting opgestel, voorberei en geneem. Dit gee 'n mens se breedtegraad, omdat jy spesifiek die meting se tyd kies om die son op sy hoogste te kry, wat regbo jou is. Die lesing gee 'n lyn van posisie op die kaart, wat parallel is met die breedtegraad. Eenvoudig, as jy verstaan wat jy doen.

Ek het vandag heeldag sonder 'n hemp geloop. Ek het met hom aan geslaap en toe vanoggend om 06h00 hom uitgetrek toe ek aan diens kom. Ek het hom weer aangetrek vir aandete, daarna hom uitgetrek. Dis gewoon te warm. More sal ek die blik Game oopmaak, dat 'n mens iets kan drink wat jou koud maak en rehidreer.

Ek het vandag weer kos gemaak. Eers skottelgoed gewas op my diensbeurt van 06h00-09h00, toe kos gemaak op die volgende skof van 15h00-18h00.

Chile con carne

Bestanddele
1 blik botterbone
1 blik rooi bone
1 blik tamaties
1 koevert tamatiepasta
1 ui, gekap
2 brandrissies, gekap
skeut sojasous
½ teelepel varsgemaalde swart peper
sout na smaak
500 g maalvleis
1 teelepel knoffel
1 koppie rys/ 1-1 ½ koppie bruin rys
Ek het botter gebruik in plaas van olie om die vleis, uie en knoffel in te braai.

Metode

Braai die vleis alleen, sonder sout of ander geurmiddels, in 'n pan tot bruin. Botter maak dit mooi bruin. Voeg 'n skeut sojasous by, verwyder van die hitte en laat rus eenkant.

Braai nou die knoffel, uie en brandrissie tot dit begin bruin word. Voeg die tamaties, al die bone en die tamatiepasta by. Kook deur en voeg dan weer die uitgeruste vleis by die pan. Kook deur en skakel dan die stoof af of verwyder die pan van die hitte, sodat die hele dis kan rus. Voeg die gemaalde swart peper by en bevestig die soutinhoud.

Wag tot die rys gaar is en dien op.

Renier het gewetensbesware teen geblikte bone van enige aard. Blykbaar bang vir die winde. Hy het gesmul aan die dis. Hierdie dis gee nie vir jou winde nie. Maar dit moet die manne maar self uitvind. Interessant, Drikus weet te vertel dat die bone nogal lae GI is. Ek het dit nie geweet nie, maar dis iets om te koester en te onthou. Veral as daar 'n storm dreig en jy weet daar gaan vir 'n lang tyd nie behoorlike kans wees vir kosmaak nie. Die dis is maklik en werk ook oor 'n sny brood.


Dit is nou na 00h00, dus die 13e. Aan die einde van hierdie dag is ons amptelik op die helfte van die beplande tyd vir die reis. Dan is daar nog drie weke oor. Dis half nostalgies om daaraan te dink. Oor drie weke gee ons die boot af, vlieg terug huis toe en spat uitmekaar. Wel, hopelik tot die volgende aflewering. Vir my lê daar nog eers 'n kursus voor by Sail Due South vir Yachtmaster Offshore alvorens ek die volgende aflewering aanpak. Die volgende aflewering is darem teen betaling van sakgeld en die reis terug.


Ek sien nogal uit daarna om weer so aflewering te doen. Die wye oseaan het sy bekoring in die eie-tyd tot jou beskikking. Daarbenewens is mens nogal besig aan boord, hoewel nie te fisies uitputtend nie. 'n Lekker soort van luilekker aftree-joppie. Dit help geweldig baie om nie ledig te wees nie. Ek het myself besig gehou met die navigasie-studies. Die ander manne praat van 'n taal aanleer. Daar is gewis genoeg tyd daarvoor. Dit hou mens se verstand ook besig. Ek lag lekker in my mou. Dit kom uit dat die ander manne ook lekker aan die spoke besweer is. Smaak my dis 'n ding wat jou gryp so in die allenigheid, veral in die nag.


Authored by Johan Zietsman
Last updated on 2012-12-12