Fast and Frugal Menus for a Day on the Water
March-April 2004
One of the challenges in making a good evening meal is the time it takes to prepare (have you ever noticed that the time it takes to fix a meal is inversely proportional to the time it takes to eat the meal?) Who wants to be spending any more time in the galley than they need to now that spring has arrived? I try to find recipes for “Solitaire” that are varied, simple to make, taste good and don't cost a lot. Here is a easy menu that goes well with boating. Another frugal main dish is Pork loin. Pork is an ideal main course for spring dinners afloat.
Black Bean Salad in Avocado Boats
Crab Quesadillas
Fresh Pineapple
Shopping List: 2 cans lump crab meat, red onion, 2 avocado, large flour tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese, 1 can black beans, 1 can corn, 1 small can green chilies, 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 bell paper, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch green onions, 2 Serrano chilies, 1 cucumber, sour cream and pineapple. Add nacho chips, salsa and some limeade (or margarita mix) to serve before dinner.
Preparation:
1. Slice and clean pineapple and keep chilled.
2. Grate cheese.
3. Chop green onion and chilies.
4. Prepare black bean salad.
5. Peel avocados. Cut in half lengthwise and remove pit. Sprinkle with white wine vinegar so they don’t turn brown. Fill each half with bean salad.
6. Prepare quesadillas.
Black Bean Salad
Drain a 15 oz. can of black beans and put in a medium bowl. Add 1 cup diced Roma tomatoes, 1 cucumber that is seeded and finely chopped, 2 chopped Serrano peppers, 1 chopped bell pepper, 1 cup canned corn, 1 chopped red onion, ½ bunch cilantro (chopped), ½ teaspoon chili powder and 1 T. balsamic vinegar.
Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce, then refrigerate for up to one day. Serve in Avocado Boats.
Crab Quesadillas
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Lightly oil skillet with corn oil and place tortilla in skillet. Sprinkle about 3 oz. grated jack cheese evenly over tortilla, followed by ¼ of the green chilies, 1/4 the green onions and 1/4 the crab meat. Top with another tortilla. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes or until tortilla is starting to brown and cheese is starting to melt. Carefully turn over the quesadilla and cook second side until lightly browned and cheese is thoroughly melted. Garnish with sour cream. Repeat with remaining tortillas to make 4 quesadillas.
Fresh Pineapple
When buying fresh pineapple, the only way we have of really knowing if it's ripe is by smell (color doesn't really matter). Pick up the pineapple and smell the bottom of it. If it smells like fresh sweet pineapple it's ripe, if it has no smell, it's not ripe yet and if it smells like wine, it's over ripe and well on its way to rotting.
Cutting a fresh pineapple isn't as intimidating as it appears. The first thing to realize is that there will be some waste. With that in mind, here's a simple method. Chop off the top about a 1/2 inch below the leaf and cut about 1/2 inch off the bottom. Cut Pineapple into quarters lengthwise and cut out the inner tough core on each piece. Cut away skin of pineapple, making the cuts as shallow as possible, while still removing the "eyes" from the fruit. Slice quarters into slices of desired thickness.
Pistachio Crusted Pork Steaks
Our marina neighbor, Dee (“Ursa Minor”) shared this quick and elegant recipe with us.
Pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into ¼” slices
1 Cup Shelled Pistachio nuts – chopped
½ Cup Heavy Cream
Salt, Pepper and Vegetable Oil
Sprinkle both sides of each pork “steak” with salt and pepper and coat with finely chopped pistachio nuts (press in place to help them adhere). Heat oil in skillet and working in batches, cook pork steaks until brown (about 2 minutes each side). Keep warm. After cooking all “steaks”, add cream to skillet – stirring to scrape up brown bits, until reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over pork. Serve with rice.
Pork Loin with Summer Salsa
8 - Pork loin chops, 1 inch thick, boneless
¼ - Cup Lime Juice
¼ - Cup Worcestershire Sauce
¼ - Cup Dijon Mustard
3 - Tablespoons Vinegar (or white wine)
2 - Tablespoons Water (or white wine)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground Cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Mix all the remaining ingredients in a large baggy and add pork. Marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Grill pork on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 20 to 30 minutes, brush with reserved marinade halfway through cooking. Serve with Summer Salsa. Summer Salsa: Combine 1-1/2 cups chopped fresh apricots or peeled peaches; 3/4 cup chopped red or green sweet pepper; 3/4 cup chopped, seeded cucumber; 1/4 cup sliced green onion; 1 to 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and finely chopped; 2 tablespoons honey; 2 tablespoons lime juice; and 1 tablespoon snipped fresh cilantro or parsley.
Pork Roast with Apples and Mushrooms
This is our friend, Susan’s favorite dish.
1 – 3 pound Pork Loin Roast
2 – T. Thyme (fresh is best, but dried is ok)
Salt and Pepper
1/3 – Cup Apple Cider (or apple juice)
2 – Cup whipping cream
1 – Cup chicken broth
¼ - Cup dry Sherry
2 – T. Butter
3 – Apples, peeled and cut in wedges
2 – Cups sliced Mushrooms
Roast – Combine spices and rub on roast. Cook in roasting pan at 325 degrees for about 2 hours (until temperature registers 160 degrees). Sauce – While roast is cooking, melt 1 T. butter in a large sauce pan and sauté mushrooms. Add cream, broth and sherry. Cook for 20 minutes until reduced to 1 cup. Remove Pork from roasting pan and keep warm in foil. Add cider to roasting pan and scrape up brown bits, then mix in with sauce. Apples – Melt remaining butter in small skillet and sauté apple wedges until warm and golden. To serve – On each plate, place sliced pork with mushroom sauce spooned over top. Place apple wedges on side.