52 Februar y 2015
I am so excited!
I had been waiting for the perfect
opportunity to share with you a dish
I spent a great deal of time perfecting.
A Seafood a l’Americaine.
Its origins are a cloud of various
theories. The one story I like best is that
the original lobster dish, Homard a
l’Americaine, was in fact served to first
class passenger on ships destined for
America. I am going to be pompous and
snobby and call my version of it a Fruits de
mer a l’Americaine, just because I’m a chef.
This month's column is strictly about
the adults minus the kids. Valentines
day is here and romance is in the air;
well, not the air I am breathing, but
more on that later.
Back to the a l’Americaine. Most recipes
are a convoluted set of tasks and steps
that would be ridiculous to even try while
under sail. I ahve been without mercy or
pity in stripping it back to its most basic
elements to deliver a very do-able meal of
some sophistication for your valentine.
I had been giving thought to eastern
European dishes I might add to the
menu at work and Kavarma struck
me as being entirely appropriate with
modification for cooking aboard.
A real win for us both, as I do not often
find European dishes that suit cooking
aboard and therefore not relevant to
readers of Cruising Helmsman.
Kavarma seems to be the national
dish of Bulgaria, yet so many different
versions of it exist. For the most part it is
a pork and leek stew. Endless variations
are built upon these two ingredients and
the cooking method. So, I have simplified
it and substituted a few ingredients.
This particular version does not need
baking. Gone is the pork, in favour of
chicken which does not need a long and
slow cooking process as is the case with
pork for a tender and melt in the mouth
result. A big saving in cooking fuel
consumption and cabin heat and humidity.
The leek remains but I have
substituted fresh tomatoes for a sachet
of shelf stable long-life tomato paste in a
very convenient 50g portion.
Finally, I will share with you a dessert
pasta. No, that is not an editorial
mistake, yes, a dessert pasta!
I have a preference for making
pasta rather than provisioning dried
commercial stuff. Penne, spaghetti and
shells would be the exceptions, I will
provision those, but I find making pasta
from scratch a kind of therapy. A way
of finding my way back to being a chef
rather than a sailor at sea when I am
tired and longing for landfall.I find myself now single and, with
Valentines day here and me suddenly
without my valentine of some years,
I am having to learn how to develop a
decadent dish for one. I am a chef, I have
no idea how to cook for one. I cook for
hundreds easily, yet cooking for one
terrifies me! While I have not tried,
I’m sure this recipe will scale up well.Fruits de mer a l’Americaine
Serves 2, 810kJ, 2g fat per serve.
For the sauce:- 50g sachet tomato paste
- 1tsp tarragon
- 1tsp parsley
- 1/4tsp garlic powder
- 1tsp onion flakes
- 1/2tsp Cognac (or brandy)
- 1/2 cup water
Combine all the ingredients and set
aside for about 15 minutes to hydrate.
Warm before serving.
For the seafood: - 5 scallops
- 5 calamari rings
- 5 king prawns
Trim the scallops, peel and devein the
prawns. Rinse all three ingredients
and pat dry. Grill each ingredient
separately until done to your liking.
Serve with sauce a l’Americaine and rice.
The month of Valentine's Day and here James Gyore details some simple dishes even
the most lackadaisacal lover can put together for a memorable dinner, even for one.
cruising chef
Let food be the music of love