Last month’s winter solstice was the perfect reminder for our family that cruising the world doesn’t mean giving up the rituals that add to a family’s origin story. After 15 years aboard our Stevens 47 Totem, we rarely spend holidays in the same country twice, but we’ve grown family traditions while sailing around the world.

It felt charming to be snowed in last month at my Aunt Heidi’s house in Washington state on the shortest day of the year. We were supposed to head south to Bainbridge Island, to meet up with my brother and his family flying in from Boston, and our son coming up from Portland, Oregon. Mother Nature had other plans. Thanks to freezing rain, we were housebound another day—with the distinct upsides of cheesy holiday movies, a snowball fight and cracking up in front of a crackling YouTube fire on the mega-screen TV.

We’ve been able to slow down and enjoy some time together. I try not to think about how fleeting it is to have a family quorum. The views out the windows of Aunt Heidi’s great room are of the Chuckanut Mountains and tidal flatlands in the basin of Chuckanut Bay. We were treated to deer walking through, and beautiful peekaboo views of Mount Baker in the distance. There was time to make ourselves useful.

There were culinary upsides, too: Aunt Heidi is an excellent cook, and her home has a well-equipped kitchen. We stocked up with groceries based purely on looking forward to cooking in the social space. And thank goodness we did, because we didn’t leave the house for five days! The cooking had to get a little creative, without an opportunity to run out for a missed ingredient or full knowledge of the kitchen’s contents. Like with our latkes: This year, we had to cheat a little, using hash browns because we couldn’t find a box grater (which, of course, turned up the next day). But who cares? Especially when the latkes are served with smoked salmon aioli or tarragon béarnaise.

On December 20, my daughter Siobhán reminded me that we should make our traditional solstice sun bread the next day. In one sentence, she warmed me with how, despite her highly nomadic childhood, we have created traditions for our family. Our children appreciate them, and seek to continue them, and share them with us. I didn’t have to look hard in our image archives to find reminders of the many examples of Totem’s solstice sun bread over the years.

Other traditions may be more constant: the decorations we bring out and activities we indulge in, like this Christmas in Thailand. Others are found along the way, like funny hats and a sunglass-clad Santa in Australia’s “silly season.”

So, Siobhán made our solstice bread while I fussed over email. A picture of the delicious outcome posted on social media brought a flurry of recipe requests, so here it is. This bread entered the Totem holiday corpus in 2011, our year in Australia. The idea that we were celebrating winter solstice in June felt odd. Looking for ways to share holiday joy and learning, I made the first batch of bread with help from the junior crew.

Enjoy it from your own galley or kitchen.

Solstice Sun Bread

Ingredients:

• 1.5 Tbsp. yeast (about two packages)
• 3 Tbsp. lukewarm milk (or water)
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 cups flour
• 8 Tbsp. salted butter, melted (or egg wash)

Preparation:

• Proof yeast in milk (or water). Let stand until foamy.
• Meanwhile, combine eggs and sugar.  Stir well
• In a larger bowl, combine flour and butter. Add egg mixture and beat well. Add yeast mixture and stir.
• Knead the dough. It will be very wet; I do the kneading on a silicone baking mat. It’s OK to add flour to work the dough.
• Scrape the dough out of the bowl, oil it, and return the ball of kneaded dough to the bowl. Wait for the dough to double in size.
• Punch down the dough, knead briefly, then divide in half. One half becomes the sun’s face, made by shaping a ball, pressing it down, and centering it on a baking sheet. The other half is divided (into six, eight or 10 parts) and turned into the sun’s rays.  
• Save a bit of dough (I pinch bits off the rays) to make facial features on the sun. You can also add features by poking into the dough with your fingers or a spoon.
• Let rise again on baking sheet. Brush the dough with melted butter (or egg wash) to create a gorgeous crust.
• Bake in a pre-heated, 425-degree oven until crust is golden. This can take 10 to 30 minutes. 

Happy New Year, from our crew to yours! If you make your own sun bread, tag us Cruising World. We’d love to see it

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After six months of using my Instant Pot, I have some opinions. One I’m sure of: This gadget is going to make the short list of galley MVPs on board our Stevens 47, Totem. Another strong opinion is that the benefits of an Instant Pot are largely similar to a conventional stovetop pressure cooker. Both will reduce galley heat, lower fuel consumption and allow great shortcuts that I detailed a few months ago in “Is an Instant Pot Worth it?” 

Readers asked for favorite Instant Pot recipes. I’ve had a lot of time to try standard family favorites, and I’ve been exploring additional recipes to fit our sailing life. I polled friends and a favorite forum to glean the onboard favorites from other folks, too. 

Preparing meals ahead helps

When I solicited input on the Pressure Cooking on Boats Facebook group, Cindy Smith on her Oyster 54 Oyster Reach jumped in to say, “Just made pulled pork tonight in prep for passage from New Zealand to Fiji.” She’s been patiently waiting for a weather window and is now on her way. One of her favorite recipes? Bobotie, a South African specialty we’ve come to love. Not just an easy make-ahead, but easily reheated in a pressure cooker too. The recipe she shared is below.

One-pot meals win underway 

“Beans are one of our go-to passage meals,” says Erin Easingwood, who sails Skookum V, a Leopard 40, with her family, and has shared a few winning recipes with me in the past. And she’s right: When you can cook a meal in one pot (especially if juggling the helm and/or two busy children), your day at sea just got one tick easier. Simplified prep, fewer dishes and pressure cookers have locking lids by design, which means added safety if seas are spicy. 

Meals (and treats) made easy

Not gonna lie: I felt a little homesick when Roberta Darrow , who owns the Islander 36 Mystic in Mexico and the Transpacific Eagle 53 trawler Happy Talk in Puget Sound, posted from the Pacific Northwest about how the Instant Pot is ideal for preparing fresh-cracked Dungeness crab on her boat. Another new trick I learned? Whole coconuts are easily peeled after a few minutes under pressure. Cooking under pressure was a lifesaver for my hearty carnivores since unaged (and never refrigerated) meat in remote locales tends to be tough otherwise.

A well-fed crew is a happy crew

Sometimes, it’s easy, healthy snacks: Setting an exact cook time on an Instant Pot results in hard-boiled eggs that are perfect and easy-peel. Sometimes, it’s more substantial sustenance, such as comfort food readily prepared after a hard day’s boat work.

The recipes

Here’s a roundup of recipes that I hope you all enjoy. The first few are staple recipes referenced by many sailors. The rest are favorite recipes for pressure cooking on board. Some are linked, some are written out, all are delicious. 

Yogurt

Being able to DIY yogurt on board is helpful for access (it’s not sold in many places) and reducing waste (no more plastic tubs). The Boat Galley has a great yogurt recipe. It uses powdered milk and a thermos, but readily adapts to use the yogurt function on an Instant Pot. 

One boater who uses this recipe in her Instant Pot says: “I got rid of the thermos to make more space, and I don’t think the Instant Pot uses much power to maintain a temperature of about 115 degrees Fahrenheit for eight hours.” 

I might actually move our single-use, rather large EasiYo Yogurt machine off the boat now.

Rice

Rice has been the most widely available staple along the entirety of our circumnavigation.

As a college student, I researched wet rice agriculture—including living in a village in the foothills of an Indonesian volcano and helping with the harvest. It is the standing family joke that I am terrible at cooking rice on the stove, but having a rice cooker on board? Who does that? Then, I was introduced to perfect-every-time rice in a stovetop pressure cooker. The Instant Pot’s set-it-and-forget-it capability leveled me up.  

One cruiser takes it a step farther: “You can even cook rice in your pressure cooker. I put my rice, seasoning and water on the bottom, then slice sausage on top and pressure cook. Total meal in one pot. The sausage juices drip down and seasons the rice. Yum!”

Passage beans

The ease of stowing dried beans makes them a favorite among cruisers. They taste better than their canned brethren, and create less garbage. Cooking dried beans is often the first thing new pressure cooker owners learn to appreciate. Aboard Skookum V, Erin makes what she calls Passage Beans that are similar to what we enjoy, too, based on this recipe and interpreted for an Instant Pot. 

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1½ cups chopped onion
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cups dry pinto beans (presoak, or see notes on adding cook time)
• 1 chipotle pepper in adobo, with sauce from the can; use more peppers for more punch
• 2 cups broth or stock
• 2 tablespoons mustard
• ½ cup tomato paste
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 tablespoons chili powder (balance with chipotle, depending on spice preferences)
• 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke (an essential pantry item on Totem)

Optional ingredients

• Sugar or other sweetener, if you like sweeter beans
• Hot sauce, if you like more kick to your beans

Preparation

1. Heat oil in the Instant Pot or pressure cooker; sauté onion and pepper until onion is soft and translucent.
2. Add beans, chipotle pepper and broth, then additional water as needed to just cover the beans.
3. Cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Erin’s hot tip: skip pre-soaking, and increase cook time to 40 minutes.
4. Release pressure when time is up. Stir in mustard, tomato paste and seasonings. Heat (sauté function on an Instant Pot) another 10 to 15 minutes to bring flavors together. Taste and adjust as desired.

Bonus: If you do pot-in-pot cooking, a stacked pot can cook cornbread at the same time as the beans. Dinner’s on.

Hard-boiled eggs

These are a great cruising staple, for a few reasons. Keep a few in the fridge for an easy, delicious, healthy snack. Eggs are usually widely available, and they’re an inexpensive option for protein. Whoever brings deviled eggs to sundowners earns everyone’s appreciation.

I never nailed easy-peel hard boiled eggs until I had the Instant Pot to make the cooking dummy-proof. Susan Travers, on the Privilege 445 Motu, shared her go-to reference on cooking times for various levels of doneness. With room-temperature eggs and subtropical-temperature water, I find they take even less time.

Ramen is a big deal for our crew, and two minutes at low pressure makes an ideal “jammy” egg to marinate for topping a bowl of ramen.

One-pot pasta

Cooking in a pressure cooker means you don’t have to boil water (and then juggle the hot pot). This recipe, which teenagers love, uses the pasta’s starch to help thicken the sauce. And the recipe is more of a method, readily adapted to whatever you have on hand. Any kind of meat, veggies and pasta will do.

Preparation

1. Sauté meat and heartier veggies.
2. Add pasta, seasoning, broth or water to barely cover the pasta, and the more-tender veggies.
3. Cook for five minutes at pressure, and then allow to release naturally for five minutes before opening the pot.

Here’s how we interpreted this preparation a few nights ago:

1. Sauteed three links of sliced Polish sausage; added ½ diced onion and a couple of sliced carrots; cooked to soften, adding some minced garlic partway through.
2. Added half a 16-ounce bag of pasta, two cups of broth and sliced bell peppers. Stirred, put a 14.5-ounce tin of diced tomatoes over the top, and then a bit of water to cover the pasta.
3. Cooked as above, and then released pressure and opened the pot to add a bunch of spinach (I add a lot, like pot-height). If you stir it in, it wilts, so there is no need to cook further. 

We passed this dish around with Parmesan to sprinkle. Alternate versions include ham and peas, kale and walnuts, and sundried tomatoes with olives and capers

Baked potatoes

For years, we went without baked potatoes, partly because russets are scarce in the tropics, but mostly because it meant using the oven … or so I thought. Under pressure, potatoes come out perfectly (and quickly, and don’t heat your boat).

Preparation

1. Puncture scrubbed potatoes all around with a fork.
2. Place whole potatoes on a trivet. Top with salt and pepper, with water underneath for pressure.
3. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes, then allow to release naturally.

Loaded potatoes are a great family-pleaser meal. This preparation works with sweet potatoes, too.

Fish curry

Two salty commenters, Jaye Lunsford and Cheri Hanes, brought up fish curry as a favorite. It’s the only dish on this list of favorites we’ve never made, and now I’m wondering why. Seriously, fresh seafood plus coconut? What’s not to love? Cheri, who owned the Endeavour 42, Consort, recommended this favorite from Hip Pressure Cooking, and Jaye, aboard the CSY 33 Cinderella, shared one from a recipe book.

Lazy cabbage rolls

Amy Alton turns impressive meals out of the galley on Starry Horizons, her Fountaine Pajot Helia 44, so I paid attention when she suggested lazy cabbage rolls. “Take any cabbage roll recipe, follow it up to assembling. Throw it in the pressure cooker, add some extra water and then the cabbage on top. Cook for six minutes, and then naturally depressurize. I do it in my stovetop pressure cooker.”

This technique readily adapts to stacking in an Instant Pot. Amy has a circumnavigation under the keels: I trust her recommendations (also, I can’t believe I never thought of making this in a pressure cooker). She sent another recipe that riffs on traditional cabbage rolls by filling them with Asian flavors.  

Creamy chicken pasta

Deanna Landers and family are in the crunch period of projects on their Leopard 46. As they prep Erin Skye for offshore cruising, they are close to cutting the docklines, but can’t use the stove on board yet. We made the family’s Instant Pot favorite, creamy chicken pasta, partly to try it out, and partly to get a food photo. It was delicious. We dug in, polished it off and were rubbing our bellies when I remembered: the photo… 

Bobotie

Bobotie is part of Cape Malay cuisine, in which Asian spices meld with South African ingredients. When we were in Langkawi, Malaysia, the kids came home from a sleepover raving about it. We don’t have it often enough, because it requires using the oven, or so I thought. Cindy Smith is a tenured cruiser and Instant Pot pro; this is among her favorites recommended for preparing in a pressure cooker. Instant Pot users can readily adapt this bobotie recipe that Cindy recommended.

Dungeness crab

I might have had some pangs for our home waters of the Salish Sea when Roberta Darrow mentioned that an Instant pot is perfect for steaming fresh crab. “Our small pot fits four halves (two crabs with guts removed). Add ½ cup water, pressure cook for 5 minutes and then quick-release outside on the rear deck.” When we visited last month, crab season wasn’t open yet. I wonder if we can make it back in time this year?

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I’m not sure which I prefer more: organizing and stowing food supplies after a major provisioning run, or trying to make a fabulous dinner from meager supplies the night before a ­restock. Either way, the only thing better than eating dinner on the boat, surrounded by stunning water views, is cooking a tasty meal on board. Summer dinners are always better on our Hunter 31, Katie 3, when we’re cruising Canadian waters from Burlington Bay to Rockport, Ontario. One evening when provisions were low, the dinner dance began. I searched every storage locker as well as the bowels of the icebox to see what Katie 3 would surrender for one last pre-provisioning meal. I placed the seemingly incompatible ingredients on the counter and contemplated the best course of action. In the end, grilled vegetables and pasta seemed the most palatable possibility. Who knew this quick and easy dish would become one of our regular favorites?

Colorful Peppery Pasta

• Olive oil
• 8 ounces dried penne pasta
• 1 medium red pepper
• 1 2-inch jalapeño pepper or 1 small, mild green banana pepper
• 1 small red onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained
• Handful fresh baby spinach
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• A few dashes hot sauce (optional)
• Parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Serves 2.

Fill a large pot with water for pasta, and heat. Meanwhile, slice the red pepper into 1/4-inch strips. Slice jalapeño or banana pepper and onion into rings. Peel and smash garlic, and cut cloves into 4 pieces. Lightly oil a grill pan or large, nonstick sauté pan, and turn heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, place the red pepper strips, jalapeño/banana peppers, and onions on first. Allow to cook and char slightly, for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté. Put pasta in boiling water to cook. Move peppers, onion and garlic to the side of the pan, and place artichokes in the center. Cook, turning 2 or 3 times, until lightly browned.

Drain pasta. Immediately add the uncooked spinach, stir to wilt, and then salt and pepper to taste. Swirl with olive oil, to taste, and toss. Add hot sauce, if using. Add pasta to grill/sauté pan, and toss with grilled vegetables to combine. You can serve this right from the pan. Plate and then top with grated cheese, if you have any left.

Cook’s Note

If your galley gives up a leftover cooked protein, you can add sliced beef, pork or chicken to the mix. Just add to pan for long enough to reheat the meat.

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Until recently, my husband, Bob, and I cruised the Bahamas and Caribbean every year aboard Scaramouche, our Tayana 58. As we headed south from Florida, our home port, my mind sometimes drifted to the favorite “meals out” we’d left behind. One was a delicious, juicy burger from our local bar and grill. I decided to create my own ideal burger on board, and it’s since become our benchmark, whether eating aboard or dining out.

The ideal burger is made from ground chuck with 20 percent fat (this is not the time to go lean), and is grilled to a crusty char outside and (per our own preference) perfectly rare to medium-rare inside. Use a digital meat thermometer to cook the burgers to your own desired level of doneness (see “Cook’s Notes,” below). The first bite of that ultimate burger should be juicy and full of flavor. Enjoy every bite!

Stuffed Bacon-Cheddar Burgers Recipe

• 6 slices bacon, diced
• 6-8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, diced in 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 lb. ground beef (20% fat)
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 4 hamburger buns (we like brioche)
• 1-2 tablespoons butter, softened (optional)

Serves: 4

Preparation: at anchor

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: easy

If using a grill, preheat it for direct, medium-high heat (at least 400°F).

Spread bacon in a nonstick skillet. Bring heat to medium, and cook bacon until it’s beginning to brown and almost crispy. Transfer to a paper towel on a plate to drain, and chop into pieces once cool. Remove skillet from heat. If you’re pan-grilling the burgers, set pan aside—do not wash.

In a large bowl, mix the ground beef with Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Add the bacon and cheese pieces. Mix by hand and form four equal-size patties, about 1 inch thick. Make a small indent with your thumb in each patty to prevent burgers from bulging as they cook.

Grill: Brush grill grates with a little vegetable oil. Place patties on the grill and cover for 4 minutes. Flip burgers and grill for another 2 to 3 minutes for medium-rare. If desired, top with cheese slices just before burgers are done; close lid until cheese melts. Remove to a plate and let rest.

Stovetop: Use a paper towel to wipe excess bacon grease from skillet, leaving a thin coating. Over medium-high heat, cook burgers for about 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Add extra cheese as above if desired; briefly cover pan until cheese melts.

Butter the cut sides of the buns and grill briefly before plating. Add your favorite toppings. Serve with potato chips.

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You’d be hard-pressed to find a dish more versatile than a frittata, which is probably why so many cultures and cuisines have something comparable. In Spain, tortilla Española is a regular part of a classic tapas spread; China has its egg foo yung; and France, of course, is famous for omelets and quiches.

A frittata is a simple Italian dish that can be served at any time of day. It’s a favorite aboard our wooden cutter, Opus, for either brunch or an equally tasty lunch or dinner, with a green salad and a loaf of good bread. It can be made quickly if surprise guests come aboard; it keeps well and makes a great snack while underway, during any watch. It can be vegetarian, gluten-free, served hot or cold, and made with just about any ingredients you have on hand. The main thing is: Don’t overcook it! You want a creamy, custardy consistency.

Cook’s Notes

If you’d prefer a lighter frittata, consider replacing sausage with 1/2 to 3/4 cup smoked, shredded salmon; add it to pan just before adding egg mixture. For a fancier touch, make a soufflé frittata by separating egg whites and beating into soft peaks before folding into the yolk mixture.

Check out more: Recipes and Food

Sausage Frittata with Spinach, Red Peppers and Cheese Recipe

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 cup sausage, sliced
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 2 cups raw baby spinach (or to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 8-10 eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk or cream
• 1 cup fontina cheese, coarsely grated (can substitute Gouda or Emmental)

Yields 6 servings.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a nonstick, lightly oiled, ovenproof 10-inch skillet (cast iron is ideal), heat the oil over medium heat. Saute sausage until it begins to brown. Add onions and peppers, and saute until slightly soft. Add spinach, and cook down until wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Break eggs into a large bowl. Add milk or cream and whisk lightly. Stir in 3⁄4 cup of the shredded cheese. (Reserve 1⁄4 cup to sprinkle on top.) Add egg mix to pan, and gently stir to mix ingredients. Cook on medium-low heat until edges just begin to firm up. Top frittata with reserved cheese.

Place on middle rack of oven and cook until center is just set, about 10-12 minutes. (Center might not be brown; this is OK.) Remove and let cool for about 10 minutes if serving warm. Either slide it onto a serving dish or serve from the pan. Cut into wedges and enjoy.

Preparation: at anchor

Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: easy

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Cruising with my family on our Catalina 400, Circe, has taught me the true value of a fresh vegetable. After weeks anchored out in remote Sea of Cortez bays, when provisions have dwindled to a few packets of dried ramen noodles and similarly beige foods, there’s nothing more appealing than the thought of eating something green. Provisioning days are celebrations—and I always make the same dinner: stir-fried veggies with pasta in peanut sauce. To our produce-deprived crew, it’s more decadent than filet mignon or lobster—a perfect way to honor our fresh vegetables.

The real star here is the sauce. Use whatever veggies you have on hand, or toss them with rice or quinoa. Slice vegetables fairly thinly; either parboil the longer-cooking ones first or add the hard ones to the pan first, delicate ones last. Use medium-to-high heat, and stir constantly to keep them from burning. Once the burner is on, the dish comes together quickly. Bon appétit!

Stir-Fry Veggie Pasta with Peanut Sauce

• 2 Tbsp. canola, peanut or sunflower oil (not olive oil)*
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled
• 2-3 cups broccoli florets
• 2-3 cups carrots, peeled
• 5-6 ounces spaghetti

*Olive oil’s smoke point is too low for stir-fry.

For the sauce:

• 4 Tbsp. peanut butter
• 2-4 Tbsp. soy sauce (to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. honey or mirin (see “Cook’s Notes”)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
• Squeeze of lime (to taste)
• Splash of water, if needed to thin

Garnish (optional):

• 1/4 cup peanuts, crushed
• 1/4 cup green onions or fresh coriander, chopped

Serves two. (Doubles easily.)

Prep veggies and set aside in separate piles: Slice onion. Slice or julienne carrots. Cut florets from broccoli head; halve larger florets. Coarsely mince garlic and ginger. (For faster and more-even cooking and to preserve color, parboil carrots and broccoli in adequate water for 2-3 minutes first. Drain and set aside.)

Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl; taste and adjust all ingredients to your liking. (The sauce will thicken a bit when poured into the hot pan, and the pasta will absorb some liquid.)

Cook pasta, drain, and set aside.

Heat a very large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add vegetable oil, and heat until shimmering. Add onions, and stir-fry for 1 minute or less. Add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry briefly, until fragrant. Quickly add parboiled broccoli, and stir-fry 1-2 minutes. Add carrots, and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add cooked pasta to pan, and toss to mix. Pour in sauce, stirring/tossing to evenly coat veggies and noodles. Turn off heat; remove pan. If sauce looks too thick or grainy, add a splash of water and toss. Serve immediately. Garnish with crushed peanuts, fresh coriander or sliced spring onions, if you have them.

Cook’s Notes

Mirin is a sweet, tangy rice wine. If you can’t get it, use honey and add an extra splash of lime. The peanut sauce keeps for about three days in the fridge, so it can be made ahead of time, or stored if you have sauce left over.

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While cruising aboard our Tayana 58 in Florida, the Bahamas and Caribbean in recent years, we managed to weather several hurricanes as well as ­countless storms that approached our harbors. Once it appeared that a storm might impact us, if there was time, meal planning began in earnest, so when it was time to hunker down or move off the boat for safety reasons, we’d already eaten our way out of the freezer. One year, I devised this recipe for a small, whole turkey. It provided plenty of food to weather a storm: After a turkey dinner with all the trimmings, we used the leftover meat for turkey hash, turkey sandwiches and turkey soup.

The recipe below is a scaled-down ­version, using turkey parts. For a whole small bird, double the quantities of all other ingredients. For holidays aboard without a crowd, a spice-rubbed, split turkey breast or a few turkey thighs are simple to cook in a cast-iron pan that goes right into the oven to finish roasting. Don’t forget to pick up some stuffing mix, cranberry sauce and a vegetable of your choosing, and you’ll have an easy and wonderful holiday meal—or roast a whole bird for a storm turkey dinner that will provide plenty of comfort and nourishment until the tempest passes.

Spice-Rubbed Roast Turkey

Spice Rub

• 3/4 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. salt, coarse or kosher
• 1 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Herb Butter

• 3-4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/8 cup fresh sage, chopped (or more, to taste)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Turkey:

• 1 turkey breast, split; or 2-3 turkey thighs (about 2-3 pounds total)
• 2 large shallots or 1 small red onion, quartered
• 1 orange, cut into eighths

Serves 2 to 3.

Spice Rub: In a small pan, over low heat, toast the coriander seeds, cool, and then coarsely grind with a pepper mill or mortar and pestle; add salt and pepper and mix. Season the turkey breast and/or thighs with the rub. (Save and store what you don’t use!)

Herb Butter: In a small bowl, combine the softened butter and sage, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Lift the skin off the turkey, and spread butter mix underneath. Brush the outside of the turkey pieces with melted butter.

Turkey: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Heat a lightly oiled cast-iron pan on the top of the stove. Lightly brown the turkey on both sides, and briefly remove from the pan. Add the shallots (or onion) and orange pieces to the pan, and place the turkey, skin side up, over them. Place the pan in the oven to roast for approximately 45-60 minutes; internal temperature should read 165°F. The spice-rub crust will be rich brown. Let rest 15-20 minutes before serving; if you wish, ladle some buttery, delicious pan juice over each portion.

Preparation: At Anchor

Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Difficulty: medium

Cook’s Notes

Depending on your marine oven, a 10- to 12-inch cast-iron pan should fit, otherwise use a 9-by-12-by-2-inch roasting pan. If you can’t find coriander seed, use ground coriander, but you’ll lose a bit of the lovely crust. No fresh sage? Use dried.

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The end of our cruising season signals the start of a flurry of activity aboard Outrider, our Westsail 42, as we prepare her for storage on the hard in Mexico during hurricane season. The to-do list is a rather lengthy one, with my husband, Jeff, and I sharing many of the chores. There are, however, a few delegated to me, one of which entails the removal of all perishables and non-perishables from the boat in order to keep cockroaches and other critters at bay during the five months we’re gone. A few days prior to departure, I take inventory of all remaining foodstuffs, then plan my last few meals accordingly. Keeping the necessary ingredients aside, I give all remaining items to marina employees or boat workers. I must say, it’s always a treat to discover a package of pasta that has made it through the season untouched, particularly macaroni, because Jeff is a huge fan. What’s even better is finding that I have all the other ingredients required to produce one of our favorite meals—macaroni and cheese—plus the recipe, perfected by my sisters and graciously shared with me. Mac ‘n’ cheese—the ­perfect way to end any day.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese with a Twist

• 12 oz. (3 cups) dry elbow macaroni*
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tsp. dried mustard
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 tomatoes, sliced thinly
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese (preferably sharp) or similar
• Fresh basil, for garnish (optional)

*or substitute penne, rigatoni or ziti

Serves two (with leftovers)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a 9-by-9-inch (or equivalent) ovenproof baking dish. Cook macaroni according to package instructions until al dente (not soggy). Drain. While macaroni is cooking, make white sauce: Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until it begins to bubble. Sprinkle in flour about a half-tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly to blend. Add salt, pepper and mustard, and stir for another minute or so. Slowly add milk a little at a time, stirring constantly, until sauce is creamy and smooth. Add one-half cup grated cheese, and stir until it’s melted and sauce thickens slightly. Combine sauce with macaroni, mix well, and place in greased baking dish. Sprinkle some of the grated cheese over the top to cover. Add tomato slices either whole or quartered; cover top as much as desired. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until sauce and cheese begin to bubble. If you like crispy, golden-­brown cheese, broil for another 3 to 5 minutes, to taste. Garnish with a sprig of fresh basil, if you have it. Serve directly from ­baking dish.

Preparation: At Anchor

Time: 1 hour

Difficulty: Easy

Cook’s Notes

For variation, you can add a few raw, chopped spinach leaves and/or thin-sliced onions (quartered) or mushrooms (sliced, sautéed) to macaroni/sauce mix before placing it in a baking dish. Or sprinkle uncooked, chopped bacon on top of the cheese before baking and optional broiling.

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We spend our summers on our Hunter 31, Katie 3, sailing from our home port of Hamilton, Lake Ontario, Canada, through the Bay of Quinte to the Thousand Islands. I revel in the sailing, the scenery, and the meals created from local markets. I love having quick and easy go-to recipes for after a long passage, or being anchored and having time to let flavors ­develop. § A small farmers market was the inspiration for this saucy ­summer salad. It’s almost a ceviche minus the seafood, using lemon ­instead of lime. The initial chilling time is key because it allows the ­flavors to marry. Fresh cilantro and red onion added at the last ­minute lend a nice tang. A drizzle of olive oil just before serving ties all the ­flavors together. § This salad is extremely versatile: Add diced jalapeno for additional zing. If you only have limes on hand, use those. Add grilled chicken or shrimp to make a complete, light meal. It’s also great as a dip. At a recent birthday dinner on board, I served it as a side, but as the salad warmed to room temperature and the bowl began to empty, my guests improvised: They grabbed some tortilla chips, and—voilà!—the salad became a delicious salsa.

Cool Summer Salad (or Salsa)

• 1 large, soft-to-the-touch avocado, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium tomato, chopped into small pieces
• 1 lemon, halved
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (optional)
• 1-2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 2-4 Tbsp. red onion, minced finely (or to taste)
• 3 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped coarsely
• Olive oil, for drizzling

Serves 2 as a side salad, or 3 to 4 as a dip

Place chopped avocado and tomato in a medium-size bowl. Drizzle juice from half the lemon over avocado and tomato slices (this will prevent the avocado from turning brown). Add garlic powder and half of the salt. Toss, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 1 hour. Before serving, squeeze remaining lemon juice over the salad, taste, and add additional salt to taste, if desired. Drizzle with olive oil and toss lightly. Sprinkle red onion and cilantro before serving.

Preparation time: 15 minutes, plus chilling time

Difficulty: Easy

Can be made: Underway or at anchor

Cook’s Notes

To serve as a salsa, reduce chilling time to 30 minutes. Remove from fridge, still covered, and let sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving—as the veggies warm and tomatoes release juice, it yields a salsa-like texture. Add finishing touches as above, and serve with plenty of tortilla chips. 

The post Sailor & Galley: A Cool Summer Salad appeared first on Cruising World.

Cooking while under sail has always daunted me. I was first introduced to preparing meals on a sailboat more than 20 years ago, when my husband, Mark, and I chartered in such exotic places as Tahiti and Tonga. I loved the fact that our boats were pre-provisioned with supplies that I might turn into some elegant meal, and I spent long hours inventing recipes. While I’ve never mastered onboard bread baking and confess to using dried herbs rather than fresh on long cruises, I’ve loved the challenge of cooking on a boat—although I still prefer to do it at anchor.

Mark and I have sailed more than 5,000 miles on our Bavaria 42 Ocean, Convergence. On one Thanksgiving that we spent in the Golfo de California, our menu consisted of fish, canned vegetables, and white bread. Now we try to stay close to home for the holidays.

For the last several years, we’ve been sailing at Thanksgiving to Avalon, on California’s Catalina Island, where we meet up with our children on their 42-foot Californian motoryacht. Often we’re able to secure moorings so close to each other that we barely need to give the dinghy a shove in order to ferry dinner items between boats.

Timing the preparation of a Thanksgiving dinner in order to have all dishes cooked and ready at the same time is challenging enough in a single kitchen that’s on land—coordinating the meal between two boats and two galleys adds to the proportions of the task! To cut down on cellphone and VHF usage, we bought walkie-talkie radios so we can chat about our dishes and manage our cooking so everything is done at more or less the same time.

With the two boats, we have enough burners to cook almost all of the traditional turkey-day treats, but neither oven holds an entire bird. We thought about cutting it up and roasting it in parts, but we figured that three to four hours of cooking would use up a lot of propane. In the past, I always cooked the turkey at home, then sliced it and packed the pieces for warming up later on board. Last year, however, I decided to try a different approach.

I bought a fresh whole turkey breast that the butcher quartered. I rubbed the pieces with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs, placed cut sweet onions and apples between the slices and on top, then wrapped it all in foil to roast on the barbecue. Cooking time in the wind was about an hour. The meat doesn’t brown inside the foil, but guess what? We enjoyed one of our best, most moist turkeys ever.

Grill-Roasted Turkey Avalon Recipe

• 1 whole 5-pound turkey breast or whole boneless turkey breast, cut vertically in four pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup combined fresh basil, thyme, chives, mint, rosemary, chopped
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large sweet onions, sliced
• 2 or 3 Granny Smith apples, sliced
• Strong aluminum foil

With the foil, create two packets for the turkey. Place two pieces of turkey in each packet. Drizzle and rub with olive oil and chopped herbs. Salt and pepper each piece. Place onion and apple slices between, under, and on top of turkey pieces. Seal foil packet tightly at edges, but leave foil loose enough overall to allow room for steam and juices to collect. Roast on a low-to-medium grill for 60 to 90 minutes or until done. Use a meat thermometer; turkey is done when the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Let the meat rest for about 15 minutes before slicing further. Serves five to eight. Happy Thanksgiving!

Preparation: At Anchor

Time: 2 Hours

Difficulty: Easy

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