Category Archives: From the galley

Breakfast/Brunch, From the galley, New Zealand

Corn fritters with avocado, bacon, egg and warm tomato relish

February 22, 2021 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

Breakfast in New Zealand, the land of my birth, is as varied as the eclectic variety of people representing ‘Kiwis’. Porridge, fruits and yoghurts are popular, as are eggs Benedict and French toast. However, it’s the addition of lambs fry and bacon, savoury mince, and corn fritters on the menu, that indeed reveals you are dining in a New Zealand cafe.

The last time I was in New Zealand, my dad and I breakfasted in Ahuriri, Napier. Dad ordered the corn fritters, served with bacon, avocado and sour cream, and seeing that he enjoyed it so much, I remarked that I could teach him how to make them at home. Therefore this recipe is dedicated to my dad…. time to cook breakfast old boy.

I decided upon serving my corn fritters with avocado, bacon, an egg for additional protein, and warm tomato relish. Make the relish first and have it slowly simmering on the stovetop while you make the fritters. Once cooked (keep fritters warm in the oven), but before you cook the eggs, take the tomato relish from the heat and allow to cool slightly, while you fry or poach your eggs. The following recipe will feed four people.

For the warm tomato relish

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 a small onion, finely chopped (approximately 3 tablespoons)
2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar (loosely packed)
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Salt to taste

Heat oil in a small saucepan and lightly sauté the garlic and onion for a minute or two, do not brown.

Add the tomatoes, pepper, vinegar, sugar and mustard, and simmer gently, occasionally stirring, while you make the fritters. Add water as necessary.

Remove from heat for a few minutes before serving.

For the corn fritters

¾ cup plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 egg, beaten
440g can cream-style corn
440g corn kernels
3 spring onions, finely sliced

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper into a bowl.

Add the egg, mixing well to combine. Stir in the creamed corn, corn kernels and the spring onion.

Spray a large fry pan with oil spray and heat. Carefully spoon fritter mixture into the pan, creating two or three fritters about eight centimetres in diameter. Cook until golden brown, flip and cook the other side.

Remove from the pan, place on a plate with absorbent paper, put it into the oven, set on low, and keep warm. Repeat until you have eight fritters.

To serve

8 rashers of bacon, cooked to your liking
4 eggs, cooked to your liking
1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Place two corn fritters in the middle of each plate, top with sliced avocado, bacon and an egg. Finish with a couple of spoonfuls of tomato relish.

Bon appétit

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below… thank you!

Popular New Zealand breakfast dish. Delicious and easy to make! #corn #creamedcorn #avocado #bacon #egg #tomato #relish #recipe #food #cooking #cookingonaboat #cookingatsea

From the galley, Poultry

Turkey Balls with Camembert & Cranberry Red Wine Sauce

January 30, 2021 The Captain & the Cook 5 Comments

This recipe came about after Christmas this year while sailing down the east coast of Australia. My son, Jedd, started it by saying he would make a turkey and camembert crumbed meatball. Dwayne then piped up that he was going to make a crumbed meatball also. It soon became known as the “crumbed-ball-off”. All three of us were going to make a crumbed meatball and pick the best one. The winner was not going to have to cook for a week.

The “crumbed-ball-off” never happened as Jedd flew back to Adelaide sooner than expected. However, since I had lots of leftover Camembert cheese and cranberry sauce, I decided to do Jedd’s crumbed turkey balls. This is the recipe I came up with. We enjoyed it as a meal for dinner, but I also think it would be great finger food!

Crumbed turkey balls with Camembert and red wine cranberry sauce

For the Turkey Balls

1 clove garlic, very finely chopped
1 teaspoon of white pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons of fresh sage, finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 spring onion finely sliced
1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
100g Camembert cheese
Oil for deep frying

Mix the turkey mince, white pepper, sage, garlic salt and 1/2 cup of bread crumbs. Cube the cheese – about 1cm. Depending on the size you want.

Take a spoon full of mince, place it on your palm and flatten it into a flat round shape. Place a piece of camembert in the centre and shape the mince around it. Roll into a smooth ball. Coat with bread crumbs.

Cover and refrigerate for one hour. In the meantime make the cranberry sauce.

For the Cranberry Red Wine Sauce

1 clove of garlic, very finely chopped
1 cup red wine
1/2 cup cranberry sauce (I used Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp fresh sage, very finely chopped

In a small saucepan lightly sauté the garlic, add the red wine and cook to reduce it by half. Add the chicken stock and reduce by half again. Add the cranberry sauce and cook for a while until it thickens slightly and has reduced a little more. I will thicken more as it cools.

Cook the turkey balls

Heat the oil in a deep fryer or a saucepan, and heat oil to 190c. When the oil is at the correct temperature, add the balls in batches. Fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown. Remove the turkey balls from the oil with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel-lined plate to drain.

Bon appétit

Do you like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below… thank you!

From the galley

Delicious Salami Pizza

April 24, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I love pizza, and I love homemade pizza because I can make it exactly how I like it. I love all things salty, and this is a salt lovers pizza – anchovies, capers, olives. Seriously, does it get any saltier! The best thing about pizza is that you can top it with anything you like. Change-up the toppings until you have your perfect pizza.

The last time I made this pizza was a month ago while we were sailing through Indonesia. Sailing through Indonesia during the Coronavirus Pandemic was an experience I won’t be forgetting soon. Not all good – gunshots fired in warning, but not all bad – swimming with a wild dugong. Click here to read my story.

Ingredients

For the base

Olive oil, to grease
250ml (1 cup) lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp (7g/1 sachet) dried yeast
450g (3 cups) plain flour, sifted
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbs olive oil

Topping

Homemade pizza sauce*
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 – 8 anchovies, roughly chopped
1 Capsicum sliced
2-3 Tablespoons sliced olives
1-2 Tablespoons of capers
16 – 20 slices of Salami
400g grated cheese (pizza mix is delicious)
Dry Italian herbs and chilli flakes
- amounts are a rough guide only

Method

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Brush two or three 25cm pizza trays with oil to grease. (I used 3 oven trays and got yummy thin crispy bases).

Mix the sugar and water in a jug or small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and place it in a draught-free place for five minutes, until bubbles form on the surface.

Put the flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture and the oil. Mix well with a spoon until blended. Dump the mix onto a floured work surface and knead for six minutes.

Divide the dough into 2 or 3 pieces and cover and rest for five minutes. Now is a good time to prepare your topping ingredients.

Roll each dough portion out. Use your hands to stretch the dough gently. Line the greased pizza trays with the dough, pushing the dough to the edges of the trays. Spread the bases with pizza sauce, and top with onion, anchovies, olives, capers, capsicum, salami and cheese. Sprinkle with Italian herb and chilli flakes.

Bake in preheated oven, at 220c for 8 minutes or until cheese is bubbling on top and base is crispy.

* I make pizza sauce with a tin of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, pepper.

* Another delicious alternative to pizza sauce is using sun-dried tomato pesto for the base. This pesto is a delicious option!

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below, thank you!

From the galley

Eggplant Mini Pizza

March 10, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

It is hard to cut back on processed bad carbohydrates such as white flour when you absolutely love pizza! I know there are stacks of recipes using cauliflower or almond meal as the base, but I wanted something even easier to throw together. Eggplant turned out to be the best base for a low carb pizza, in my opinion. Quick and easy to prepare and lovely creamy texture that complements all the other ingredients. I ended up with all the flavour of my favourite pizza without the empty calories from the flour base.

For me, a pizza just isn’t a pizza without anchovies! The following recipe does not have measurements, simply top your eggplant with your favourite toppings.

Ingredients

Large eggplants, sliced to make rounds
Pizza sauce (I made mine with a tin of tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste, a little stock, salt, pepper and mixed Italian herbs)
Cheese, grated ( a mix of mozzarella and cheddar)
Anchovies, roughly chopped (I cut mine so I can spread them around the pizza; I love a taste of anchovy with every bite)
Capers, whole or roughly chopped
Olives, sliced
Onion, finely diced
Ham
Chilli flakes
Cracked black pepper
Italian herbs

Method

Sprinkle the eggplant with a little salt and leave for 10 – 20 minutes. I do this to remove some of the excess water from the eggplant. Rinse the salt off and pat dry with a paper towel.

Preheat oven to 200C. Spray an oven tray with oil, place the eggplant slices on the tray and bake for 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Top the eggplant slices with pizza sauce, ham, olives, capers, anchovy, onion and cheese. Then sprinkle with chilli flakes (if you like it spicy), little black pepper and Italian herbs.

Place the tray under the grill or back in the oven to melt the cheese and heat the toppings.

Once lightly brown or cooked to your liking, serve it up with a nice green salad.

It is unlikely you can eat this pizza with your hands; however, you will definitely cure your pizza craving!

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below, thank you!

Travel Insurance

Do you have insurance organised for your travels? Take a look at our Travel Insurance page to get a quick quote! I just booked travel insurance with World Nomads again and it always impresses me how quickly I get the quote, and in fact, the entire process, from quote to policy in hand, only takes minutes. Furthermore, you can book when you are already overseas, as I did this time!

Fingerfood, From the galley, Pork

Stuffed Chillies

February 5, 2020 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law years ago. I’m not sure where she got it from, but these stuffed chillies became a staple on our picnic days, or as finger food with guests on our boat. Serve them hot as a light meal with salad, or serve at room temperature as finger food. Easy to prepare ahead of time; these stuffed chillies will be a hit!

Ingredients

12 long chillies
500g pork or chicken mince
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded & chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped coriander
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sambal oelek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon ginger, finely minced
oil for shallow frying
2 tablespoons chopped coriander

Sauce

2 tablespoons tamarind paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon sugar

Method

Split each chilli lengthways to create a pocket, leaving ends intact. Remove and discard the seeds and pith.

Combine the first 8 ingredients in a bowl. Using a teaspoon, fill each chilli with the mince mixture until slightly bulging — smooth filling with the back of a wet spoon.

Heat some oil in a large frying pan on medium. Add chillies, mince side down, and cook for 5 minutes until lightly brown, turn over and cook chilli side down until cooked all the way through.

To make the sauce, place all ingredients into a small saucepan. Stir on high heat until boiling. Reduce to low heat and simmer for a minute or two until it thickens. Arrange chillies on a plate and pour the sauce over them. Sprinkle with chopped coriander.

Notes:

*Make mini meatballs with any leftover mince mix.
*Concentrated tamarind sauce can be used instead of tamarind paste.
*Hot chilli sauce can replace the Sambal Oelek
*Use a mix of red and green chillies for an appealing look.

Like this recipe? Share with other chilli lovers! Please pin using one of the images below… Thank you

eggs, From the galley, Pork, United Kingdom

Quail Scotch Eggs

November 18, 2019 The Captain & the Cook 1 Comment

This was my second pick as a popular dish from the United Kingdom. We love travelling, and we love food… the two go hand in hand for us. Eating is one of our favourite ways to explore the culture of a country we visit. When we arrived in London, we ask Dwayne’s cousin, whom we were staying with, what is something we should try while in England. Without hesitation, he said the scotch egg. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to eat scotch egg in London, but as soon as I could, I made my own. This is a simple way to make this yummy treat and the quail eggs make it perfect finger food for a party.

Ingredients

18 – 24 quail eggs*
500g fat pork sausages**
plain flour
1 egg, beaten with a splash of milk
dry bread crumbs
oil for frying

Method

Cook the quail eggs. Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with water. Add a pinch of baking soda to make it easier to peel. Set the heat to high, and once the water begins to simmer, roll the eggs around in the pot with a chopstick. This will move the yolk into the centre of the egg.

Bring the water to a boil, boil for 4 minutes. Rinse the eggs in cold water and drain. Put the lid on the pot and gently roll eggs around in the pot to crack the eggshells. Carefully peel eggs. Set aside.

Place the flour, egg and crumbs into separate bowls.

Squeeze the pork sausage meat out of the casings and divide into the portions you need. I did 24 eggs with a thin layer of sausage coating each. You can easily make the pork thicker on each egg by reducing the number of eggs you use.

Dust the eggs with the flour.

Using damp hands wrap the sausage around the egg. Dip the sausage wrapped eggs into the beaten egg and then coat in bread crumbs.

Heat oil in a deep pan and deep fry the coated eggs until golden brown (approximately 2 minutes). Drain on a paper towel.

Serve the eggs hot with a selection of sauces. They are also yummy when cold.

Notes
I have used tinned quail eggs before. They are just as good and you don’t need to peel.
** Good quality pork sausage. Try Cumberland or Lincolnshire.

Like this recipe? Please share and pin using the image below… thank you!

From the galley, Soup

Green Pea Soup with Tarragon

October 28, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

This recipe came about because Dwayne wanted peas with his roast chicken. What…? It is simple really, we don’t have a freezer at the moment but had to buy 500 grams of frozen peas to go with the roast chicken dinner we cooked the night before. Therefore, we had 3.5 cups of defrosted peas to use… hence green pea soup. It is so simple and easy to make and, believe it or not, it is delicious.

We live on a boat… have you see our website about our travels? Check out – www.trippinturpins.com

Ingredient

1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon of oil
3 1/2 cups of frozen green peas, defrosted
2 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of dried tarragon
Cream to serve (optional)

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the garlic and onion, sauté for 3 to 5 minutes to soften.

Add the green peas, stock and tarragon and cook for 10 minutes.

Place peas in a food processor and process until smooth.

To Serve

Pour the soup into bowls and add a little cream.

Bon appetite

Like this recipe? Please share and pin using the image below… thank you!

From the galley, United Kingdom

Toad-in-the-hole

October 16, 2019 The Captain & the Cook Leave a comment

We love food, and we love to travel. Whenever we travel, we always explore the culture of a country through its food. What better way? It is perfect for us as we fill our belly with tasty ethnic treats.

I will often research and find out what the national dish of a country is or what are typical meals served and then try to eat those while in the country. I later try to replicate them at home. When I searched for ‘United Kingdom’s national dish’ it came back with chicken tikka masala. While in London we did eat Indian food and enjoyed it, however, I was looking for popular English dishes. So I searched for ‘what is the most popular food in the UK’. Topping the list was toad-in-the-hole.

Ok, I had made this before, and it had been a hit. We were not able to find it on the menu (we were only there for three days) but decided this dish was going to represent the United Kingdom as a country we had visited. When I made this the other day, Dwayne and I had it for dinner, and it is seriously moreish. A few years back, we had many people staying with us, and I made this as a breakfast dish. I was well-received; everyone loved it.

Ingredients

1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil
8 pork sausages
8 slices of bacon
2 cups plain flour
2 eggs lightly beaten
400ml water
2 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
12-15 cherry tomatoes
*Caramelised onion jam to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 220c. Add oil to a baking dish and heat in the oven while you prepare the ingredients.

Wrap a slice of bacon around each sausage. Add sausages to a cold non-stick frypan and heat on med-high. Cook sausages for approximately 10 mins, turning until they are brown all over.

Sift the flour into a bowl and gradually whisk in the beaten eggs and the water. Add a couple of pinches of rosemary and whisk until smooth.

Arrange the sausages in the preheated baking dish and pour the batter around them. Scatter with the remaining rosemary and pop the tomatoes around the sausages.

Bake for 25 – 30mins until it has risen a little and browning.

Heat the onion jam and drizzle over the toad-in-the-hole or serve the marmalade as a side dish. It is the perfect compliment. Get my recipe for caramelised onion jam here.

Like this recipe? Share with family and friends or pin using the image below… thank you!

Condiments, From the galley

Caramelised Onion Jam

October 2, 2019 The Captain & the Cook 2 Comments

I made this onion jam to eat with an English specialty… toad-in-the-hole. Now that I have discovered that it is so easy to make, I will keep some of this yummy concoction in my fridge at all times. This would be just as delicious with a cheese plate or on sandwiches of roast meat. Yum yum, making myself hungry!

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons of olive oil
1 Tablespoon of butter
2 large red onions, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup of caster sugar
1 cup of red wine
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar

Method

Heat olive oil and butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add onions and sugar to oil and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often.

Stir in red wine and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is evaporated (about 15 to 20 minutes).

To serve

Place in a serving bowl and serve with sandwiches, flans, cheese plates or my yummy toad-in-the-hole (recipe coming soon).

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below… thank you!

chia seeds, From the galley

Chia Seed Pudding

June 29, 2019 The Captain & the Cook 2 Comments

Pudding for breakfast? Yes, please! I love this delicious, super nutritious breakfast dish. What’s not to love? I love how easy it is to make; I love how tasty it is, and I love how simple it is to dress it up and add different flavours. I also love that this breakfast is packed full of superfood goodness. This is my simple recipe for Chia Seed Pudding and a few simple modifications to add variety as well as ideas to increase the fibre!

Chia Seed Pudding Superfood Nutritional High Fibre — Layered chia seed pudding with chopped mango.

Before we look at the recipes, please note I have not added any sweetener. This is precisely how I like it. However, it is simple to make this ‘pudding’ sweeter. Experiment with adding honey, maple or sugar syrup.

Making it even easier! I don’t know about you, but I love things to be simple in the morning. I am a morning person, but I like to sit with the computer, write and drink tea. That is when my brain is at its best, and I get the most done. So having breakfast prepared and ready to eat is super handy. I also have a ready-mix of chopped nuts, seeds and coconut, which I keep in an airtight container. This makes topping my chia breakfast pudding quick and easy!

Basic Chia Pudding

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup milk – almond milk, coconut milk or cows milk

Method

Mix the chia seeds and milk well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

I refrigerate mine overnight. It will keep in the fridge for a few days. So I make several breakfast puddings at one time.

*Alternatively, you can mix as above and pour into individual serving dishes (after the second mix) before refrigerating.

To serve

Divide the chia seed pudding between two serving dishes and top with yoghurt, berries and nuts and seeds. Get creative!

Chia seed breakfast pudding set in individual bowls and topped with yoghurt, blueberries and a nut and seed mix

Some of our favourites!

Choc Berry

1/4 cup Chia seeds
1 cup almond milk
2 Tablespoons of cocoa

Fresh or frozen berries

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with berries, nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut.

Choc berry chia pudding topped with coconut, nuts and seed… the seeds and nuts are full of goodness and help make this a filling breakfast

Choc Coconut

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 Tablespoon cocoa
1 Tablespoon coconut

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. Serve topped with coconut, and chopped nuts.

Tropical Fruit Salad

1/4 cup chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 cup almond milk

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with a fork, cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning I layer chia seed pudding and chopped tropical fruit (mango) in several layers. Top with tropical fruit such as mango, dragon fruit, passionfruit, pineapple and banana.

Chia seed pudding with tropical fruit

For a bigger fibre hit, I use Psyllium.

Banana Berry

2 Tablespoon chia seeds
180ml almond milk
1/2 cup water
3/4 – 1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1 tablespoon desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix well again with a fork, and pour into serving glasses. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Top with berries and yoghurt, a sprinkle of coconut and seeds.

Banana Choc

2 Tablespoon chia seeds
180ml almond milk
about 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas
2 tablespoons desiccated coconut
2 tablespoons psyllium husk
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2 Tablespoons cocoa

Mix all ingredients well with a fork, breaking up any lumps, then leave to sit for 10 minutes. Mix again with the fork, cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. I then serve this in bowls topped with banana, coconut, seed and nut mix.

Do you like this recipe? Pin for later using the image below or share with friends on social media. Sharing is caring…. Thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below, thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below, thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

Like this recipe? Share with other chilli lovers! Please pin using one of the images below… Thank you

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Like this recipe? Share with family and friends or pin using the image below… thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

Like this recipe? Please share or pin using the image below… thank you!

Share this:

Like this:

Basic Chia Pudding

Some of our favourites!

Choc Berry

Choc Coconut

Tropical Fruit Salad

For a bigger fibre hit, I use Psyllium.

Banana Berry

Banana Choc

Share this:

Like this: