Home             Soups, Chowders and Chili

January 2003 - February 2005 - April 2005

 

Text Box: Boating friends from other parts of the country always ask us, “When do you stop boating for the winter?” and seem somewhat incredulous when we explain that winter is our favorite time aboard “Solitaire”. Many weekends, we practically have the Marina to ourselves. Sometimes we’ll take a sail – snug inside our fully enclosed cockpit. Other times, we’ll stay in the slip – cozy below deck with a good book, a movie and a steaming bowl of delicious chili. Here are a couple of my favorites that provide a nice departure from the standard ground-beef chili.

 

 

 

 


 

 

Pork and Black Bean Chili - Try serving this over rice – with toppings of grated cheese and chopped onions. Cook slowly over the stove or make it in a pressure cooker in about 25 minutes or simmer all day in your slow cooker – either method will fill your cabin with the warm, wonderful smell of home cooking.Cook onions and garlic in oil over medium heat until tender. Add pork cubes and cook about 15 minutes. Stir in spices and then add tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until pork is tender (about 1-1/2 hours). Drain and rinse black beans – Stir into chili and simmer for about 10 minutes.

 

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 yellow onions, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

2-1/2 pounds boneless pork, cubed

1/3 cup Chili Powder

1-1/2 Tablespoons ground cumin

1-1/2 Tablespoons dried oregano

½ Teaspoon (or more) cayenne pepper

1-1/2 Teaspoons Salt

1 16-oz. can of tomatoes, chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2 16-oz cans Black Beans

 

Chicken Chili - Try making this ahead of time and freezing it in a foil pan. When you are cruising, it can help keep other provisions cold in your ice chest. Thaw and reheat in a saucepan or skillet – or leave in the foil pan and heat in the oven at 350 degrees.Sauté chicken in batches until lightly browned, remove from skillet and set aside.  Using same skillet, cook onions, garlic and peppers until tender. Add spices and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and beer. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and simmer about 20 minutes longer.

 

½ Cup Vegetable Oil

4 pounds chicken breast, cubed

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, chopped

4 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced

4 fresh jalapeno, seeded and sliced

6 T. chili powder

2 T. ground cumin

1 T. dried oregano

½ Teaspoon cinnamon

2 28-oz cans crushed tomatoes in puree

1 12-ounce can of beer

 

Baggie Bread - Nothing compliments a nice hot bowl of chili more than hot tortillas, spicy corn bread or a loaf of fresh-basked yeast bread. On the following page are a couple of bread recipes you might like to try. Put two cups of flour, two cups of water and a packet of yeast in a baggie. Seal up the bag and squish everything together. Place in a bowl, or sink and leave for at least 12 hours. The bag will expand. Mix contents of baggie in a bowl with two more cups of flour and a tablespoon of salt. Knead for five minutes then place in bowl, cover with a damp close and let it rise two hours. Punch down, knead and let rise another two hours. Shape dough and place on cookie sheet – let rise a final time until double. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the dough, in about 30 - 40 minutes you'll have the best bread ever.

 

Pressure Cooker Bread - Mix water, sugar and salt; sprinkle yeast into mixture; stir to dissolve yeast. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir 1 cup flour and beat 1 minute. Repeat with second and third cup. Turn out and knead by hand. Use fourth cup of flour to prevent sticking while kneading bread. Butter bowl and turn dough ball to coat. Let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes. Butter inside of the pressure cooker and coat with corn meal. Punch down dough and shape into a ball. Place in pressure cooker and let rise in a warm place until double in size (about one hour). Place cover on cooker - do not use gasket or pressure regulator). Cook over very low heat for 45 minutes until done.

 

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tablespoon yeast

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons salt

4 Cups flour

2 Tablespoons corn meal

 

The Soup Kettle - Soups are ideal for on-board luncheons or dinners. They can be assembled ahead-of-time and reheated on board, or prepared from scratch in your galley using a pressure cooker for the added safety of a “locking” lid. Many cruisers will keep a thermos of warm soup handy for a pick-me-up while standing watch.

 

Crab Bisque - This easy and elegant first course was given to me by Jacqueline, first mate of “Spinache”. It can be assembled from canned goods found in most pantries. Mix soups in a sauce pan. Add milk and heat. Add crab meat. Drizzle with Sherry and season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste.

 

1 can Cream of mushroom soup

1 can Cream of celery soup

1 can Tomato soup

1 quart Milk

1/2 cup Sherry

1 pound Crab meat

 

Black Bean Soup - Heat oil and add onion, chilies, garlic and cumin; sauté about 5 minutes. Add beans and broth. Bring to boil, and then reduce heat to medium low. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let soup cool. In batches, puree in blender then return to pot. Reheat. Season with cilantro. Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

 

2 Tablespoons Olive oil

1 each Red Onion, chopped

1 can diced green chilies

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 each jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 Tablespoon ground cumin

2 15-ounce cans black beans

1 can low-salt chicken broth

8 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Sour cream

Tortilla chips

 

Baked Potato Soup - This soup is one of specialties that Bev serves aboard “Savage Son”. Combine potatoes, yellow onions, butter and 8 cups water in a pot and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer for about 30 minutes. Add green onions, garlic, beef broth powder, salt, chives and bacon bits. Remove from heat and add blended sour cream, cream cheese, milk and cheddar cheese. Return soup to heat and simmer until hot.

 

5 each potatoes, baked and diced

4 cups yellow onions, diced

1/4 cup butter

1 cup green onion, diced

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 Tablespoons Beef broth powder

1/4 cup dried chives

1 Tablespoon bacon bits

1 cup sour cream

3 ounces cream cheese

1 cup milk

1/4 pound cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Four Onion Soup

 

Melt 3 Tablespoons butter and add 2 cups sliced yellow onions, 2 cups sliced leeks, 1 cup sliced green onion, and 1 cup Shallots. Cook until tender.  Season with 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 2 teaspoons minced ginger and a dash of cayenne pepper.  Stir in 2 teaspoons flour. Add 7 cups chicken stock, 1 cup dry white wine, 1 cup cognac and 3 teaspoons lemon juice. Simmer for ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh chives.

 

Seafood Stews and Chowders - It was a cold and somewhat miserable sort of a day – not much to do but curl up in Solitaire’s salon with a good book and the anticipation of a great tasting meal that evening. It was just the sort of day for some chowder or maybe some bouillabaisse (also known as cioppino, if you prefer the Italian name). Clam chowder was our standard Friday night supper when I was growing up in the Pacific Northwest. My Mom would serve it with Oyster Crackers and slices of sharp cheddar cheese.  It is a great meal for cruisers – since it can be easily made with ingredients on hand - potatoes and canned goods.

  

Clam Chowder - Fry bacon in the bottom of a large sauce pan or soup pot until browned. Add onion, celery, and potatoes – sauté about 4 minutes.  Add bottled clam juice and drained juice from canned clams (don’t add clams yet). Cook until potatoes are tender. Add clams and milk – cook about 10 minutes more. Season and serve.

 2        slices bacon, cut up

1        onion, chopped

2        stalks celery, chopped

2        potatoes, diced

2        small cans of minced clams

1        bottle clam juice

2        cups milk (skim, 2%, cream)

Salt, pepper and Tabasco sauce to taste

 

Easy Salmon Chowder - Not only is this economical, it is easy to prepare from ingredients in your pantry. Cook onion, celery and potatoes until tender. Mix cornstarch with 1 cup water. Add water, milk and salmon and cook until warm.

3        T. Butter

1        onion, diced

1        cup celery, diced

3        potatoes, diced

2        T. Cornstarch

1        12-ounce can evaporated milk

1        large can cooked salmon

 

Bouillabaisse -  Pronounced Boo-la-bays, this is the French version of fish stew. Serve it with plenty of hot bread or rolls to mop up the great tasting broth. A glass a crisp white wine would complete the meal. Mix the following in a crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 8 hours:

2 onions, chopped   

2 stalks celery, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 large can diced tomatoes with liquid

1 small can tomato paste

1 bottle clam juice

½ Cup dry white wine

1 T. Balsamic, red wine or sherry vinegar

1 T. Olive oil

1/2 Tsp. each thyme, marjoram and parsley

1/4 Tsp. each salt, red pepper, sugar

1 Bay leaf

 Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the following seafood and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes:

 1 lb. halibut, cut into 1” pieces

1 lb. peeled, raw shrimp

1 can chopped clams

1 can crabmeat, drained (or ½ lb. fresh)