Taking a week long sailing trip, need some good recipe ideas

All -

About 4-5 of us will be heading out on a sailing trip in two weeks and I am in charge of the culinary experience. We will be sailing for about a week, however, we will have access to ports maybe 4-5 of the nights so we will be eating out a couple of times but will also have access to a grocery store every now and then.

At this point I am trying to drum up a couple of ideas to cook on the boat that might be easy (1-2 pans) and that I could do a lot of prep ahead of time (prior to leaving port).

So far I was thinking about making a big batch of chili and tossing it into a ziploc bag for an easy reheat. Plus it will make for a totally awesome experience below deck with 4 guys.

Also was thinking about marinating some pork tenderloin then just pan searing it one night with a sauce.

Breakfast is no problem, but I am trying to come up with creative ideas for lunch and dinner.

I used to work on a boat. It was a motor yacht, not a sailboat, but the cramped galley style kitchen was similar. Inspired by being surrounded by water, I made lots of seafood. Ceviches, shrimp scampi, fish chowders. If you make pork loin or meatloaf for dinner, leftovers make great sandwiches the next day. Another idea is to make cold soups (gazpacho, vichyssoise, chilled beet soup) and salads - especially for those hot nights where you don't feel like turning the stove on. For a nice light lunch, I'd often make some gravlax. I don't know if you have a toasted oven, but mini pizzas are easy and fun too (you can put them on pita, mini Bobolis or english muffins).

Cheers and Good Sailing!

Molly
FIG Catering, For Intimate Gatherings
http://www.FIGcatering.com

Breakfast is no problem, but I am trying to come up with creative ideas for lunch and dinner.

Did you see the Minimalist's 101 summer recipes in the New York Times yesterday? There might be some ideas in there for you. It's not a super creative list, but it's practical. It reminded me of some simple flavor combinations I had forgotten about.

I normally prepared the first two main meals at home and then reheated it. It stayed perfectly cold in the coolers. Braised chicken or short ribs were always a favorite because they get better after a day or so. Chicken Marbella was also common. I also almost always brought along a batch of marinated grilled veggies. We ate them as sandwiches, side dishes and used them in frittatas.

Does the boat have a rail grill? We almost always used the grill for the main meal. I liked to pack frozen meat (steaks, marinated chops, chicken, fish) some of which had been marinated before freezing. The frozen meat keeps the coolers cold! If you don't have a grill I would suggest you freeze smaller cuts of meat (boneless skinless chicken breasts & thighs, skirt steak, fish, blocks of shrimp, etc.) because they can be cooked in the galley much quicker than a steak or chop. Leftover meat along with some fresh veggies/fruit can easily be turned into great lunches (salads, tacos & sandwiches).

For really easy meals you could even bring prepared frozen taco meat, frozen Italian beef from your favoite place, sloppy joes, etc. along with the chili. That would leave you more time to sail and less time in the galley.

For grains I preferred to prepare quinoa, couscous or rice instead of pasta. It's amazing how quickly a pot of water heats up the galley and how dangerous it can be on a sailboat.

Frittatas, Italian tuna, salame and other cold cuts are great for lunches. GORP (good old raisins and peanuts and M&Ms) makes for great snacks as does fresh fruit and veggies. Also a stash of meal replacement bars might come in handy.

Don't forget to pack a couple of sharp knives, various seasoning, a couple hot pads, a slew of paper towels, small cutting board, etc.

Most importantly don't forget to bring along several bottle of Mount Gay!

Well, it is that time of year again for the week long sailing trip. Good food was a hit last year and definately makes everything better to have a good meal!

Last year highlights:

- Sausage and Onion hoagies
- Breakfast tacos
- Skirt Steak tacos
- Corn Sautee (from fine cooking)
- Blueberry pancakes

Looking for some easy recipes that I could possibly make ahead of time.

Anything come to mind?

For a sailing trip last year, I cryo-vac'ed a few bags of pulled pork with sauce and froze them. To reheat, just drop the bags into warm, simmering water for a few minutes.

Just went camping (didn't blog it because we went camping with friends and I didn't want to go all food-geeky in mixed company) made the following, based on the food-desert linguine with clam sauce; it was even easier:

Giardinara Clam Sauce

1 red onion, sliced
1 shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 heaping tablespoons canola/butter blend or EVOO or mix your own butter and oil
a few chopped strips lemon zest and about 3 tbsp juice
1 jar giardinera (choose your heat level)
2 cans clams and juice

Cooked Spaghetti (and a bit of pasta cooking water)

Saute up the aromatics in the oil, allowing the garlic and shallot to melt, but adding the onions last (ours came out slightly raw which wasn't a bad thing with giardinera;) dump in remaining ingredients with a little pasta water. Allow to bubble away until reduced to the desired consistency.

Some of the other food desert recipes (moros y cristianos, or tortilla paisana) might work for you. I was also thinking of the Post-Thanksgiving Challenge thread might be useful; both deal in pantry staples.