Chicken Souse

Last night we went caroling in Hope Town. This is a yearly tradition here. The locals, visitors, and boaters meet up at the Post Office dock and we wound our way through the streets singing the traditional songs. Several people carry handheld VHF radios so the caroling can be broadcast over the VHF radio. It was a lovely night, it had finally warmed up and we were able to wear shorts. Afterwards we were rewarded with bowls of hot chicken souse. Souse is the Bahamian remedy for the dreaded hangover, and in my opinion a lot better than Menudo. While chewing on piece of tripe from a bowl of Menudo in Miami, I turned to the cap’n and said, “If I were eating steak, this would be the part I would spit out.” Of course, hair of the dog ain’t bad either. The first recipe is a little more authentically Bahamian, the second one is for us that are neophytes to Bahamian cooking.

Chicken Souse Recipe 1

Ingredients
5 lbs portion chicken wings
1 onion
8 lemon/Lime "big sour" (your desired amount)
1/4 lemon Juice
pepper (your desired amt)
all-spice (your desired amt)
1/2 tspn salt (your desired amt)
1 carrot
1 stick of celery
2 Irish potatoes (if desired)

Directions
Clean portion wings in vinegar and warm water.
Place wings into pot containing and 8-10 cups of water. (this will ensure that all remaining oils and other particles are removed) let wings boil for about 5-8 minutes.
Remove from pot and place into a bowl containing cool water, rinse well with water and lemon juice. Place wings into pot with about 8-10 cups of water or until wings are completely covered.
Slice onions, pepper, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Add salt, onions, celery, lime , pepper, lemon juice and all-spice seeds. (Boil for about 45 minutes). Add potatoes and Carrots.
Boil for another 15-20 minutes. Serve with home made bread or Jonny Cake if desired.

Cooking time: 1 hr 30 min
Serves: 8

Chicken Souse Recipe 2

2 lbs of chicken (preferably wings or drumsticks)
4 chopped potatoes
2 sticks chopped celery
1 or 2 diced onions
1\2 cups allspice
1 or 2 bird peppers
salt to taste
2 limes cut in half

Cooking instructions:
In a large pot bring chicken to boil for approx 10 minuets, then strain. Return chicken to pot, fill pot half full with water and return to boil. Add potatoes, celery, onions, bird peppers, allspice, salt, lime. Boil until potatoes are done, stirring occasionally.
Final cooking time 30-35 minuets.
Prior to serving add more if desired. Serves 4
Try a Tropical drink with your meal

PLACES I'VE BEEN AND SHOES I'VE LOST

I was sitting here contemplating my gnarly old arch deprived feet the other day and I thought about the people that would be envious of me and my barefoot lifestyle. You know, the “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” kind of life. The truth of the matter is….I don’t have any friggin’shoes left.

I don’t remember the first time I lost a pair of shoes. It was probably somewhere up north. Maybe in Block Island at the tiki bar at Champlin’s Marina. Probably the same night I learned to do the hand jive from some little girls that were sitting outside the bar’s entrance, the same night we couldn’t find the boat for a couple of hours. Hey come on, there were 1200 boats in the harbor.

There are a few times I do remember, though. Like my favorite pair of “Candies” sandals. (I admit, I never was a Manolo Blahnick kind of girl and anybody that knows me knows that.) They now rest in a watery grave at the Las Olas Marina in Fort Liquordale. We’d started our happy hour at Blondies on the corner of Las Olas Blvd. and A1A. Of course, Blondies’ happy hour starts at 10:00 a.m. and goes until. This is one of the cap’n’s favorite bars. He says it’s because of the scenery. Blondies is smack dab across the street from the beach which sports many signs that say nude sunbathing is not allowed under which numerous young nubile bodies are blatantly disobeying these public sanctions and the authorities are turning a blind eye but risking the other just for a peek. The cap’n went inside for some freshers and conversed with one of the patrons leaning tiredly against the bar.

“I’m so drunk. I really need to go home but I just can’t tear myself away from the view,” says the patron as he eyes one of the sun worshipers who I hope only had to pay for the half of the bathing suit she is wearing.

“Come on, man,” says my noble cap’n, “They’re obviously fake.”

“My complimentsh to the shurgeon,” drooled the bar patron.

Later on that night after bar bouncing down A1A with the cap’n and four other guys, (Mary’s a lucky girl!! One of them even looked exactly like Steven Segal, but his shirt was wrinkled and he lived in a cinder block house so I don’t think it was him.) we ended up back at the boat for a nightcap (like we needed one!). The tide was out, waaay out, and I was faced with a little 6 ft. hop down to the deck of the boat. I decided to do my best Baryshnikov impression and leapt…and missed…again. Instead of partaking of the assistance offered by my four handy male companions, I decided I’d retain what was left of my dignity while floating around with the skirts of my very short dress swirling about me and climb aboard myself. No, not by using the ladder. The cap’n never puts it down. I guess he doesn’t want it to get wet. Instead I’ll use the barnacle encrusted piling to which the boat is tied up. I’ll just use the barnacles as foot and handholds. Just like one of those climbing wall on those fancy cruise ships. Not a good idea, as my oozing scraped up arms and thighs would attest to in the weeks following. I did eventually make it back onboard but alas my poor “Candies” didn’t.

Marsh Harbour Marina and Jib Room Restaurant, Abacos, Bahamas. It was a dark and stormy night. I don’t remember what kind of shoes they were but I’d lived aboard long enough that I’m certain they were of the moldy variety. I can’t even blame it on too many Bilge Burners or any of the other lethal adult beverages that Steven, the bartender at the Jib Room, serves up. We hadn’t even gone into the Jib Room, instead we’d had a nice quiet dinner with some friends who lived across the road. Just a couple of glasses of wine. When the evening wound down, we made our way down the death defying steps of the Marsh Harbour Marina without mishap and proceeded to the dinghy dock to continue our passage home. Did I mention it was raining? For some imperceptible, idiotic reason I chose this night to abandon my usual “old lady, ass slide” into the dinghy and leapt feet first. And I made it! At least my feet did! The dinghy lurched one way, of course I lurched the other and with arms windmilling I ended up in the drink….again. By the time I sputtered to the surface, whatever shoes I had on were permanently embedded in the muck of the bottom. Another innocent pair of shoes left behind along with a pretty good chunk of my scalp on the dock. Thanks, Cleatus. Whooee! Those scalp wounds sure do bleed! Fins to the left, fins to the right. And I'm the only bait in town!

So this year before we got on the boat the cap’n refused to invest anymore capital into my shoe inventory. “Nothing but thongs,” he pronounces. I presume he meant the shoe kind. Have you ever tried to find flip-flops in Colorado in the winter? So here I am shoeless. But you know what? If shoes are required, I don’t think I want to go.

Potluck 3: Sourdough Starter and French Bread

Back on the boat for 4 days now and nothing is working (batteries are crapped out and the alternator is likewise) but this always works as long as you feed it and pamper it as prescribed. This makes a very hard crusty bread but delicious when you break through, kind of like the cap’n. Just mixed this up yesterday so it should be ready to bake by Thanksgiving, in time for the potluck we have planned here at Hope Town Marina. This is from the cookbook Cruising Cuisine by Kay Pastorius. I have been doing this sourdough since we moved aboard the boat.



SOURDOUGH STARTER

1 pkg. active dry yeast
2 cups tepid water
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1.In a clean, rigid-covered container, dissolve the yeast in the water and stir in the flour. Don’t use a metal spoon--use a wooden spoon or chopstick.

2. Leave uncovered in a warm place (80 F to 90 F) for four days to a week, or until mixture bubbles and has developed a sour odor. Stir the mixture daily. If it smells bad or becomes discolored, discard and start again (also pertains to the cap’n)

3. You can begin using the starter or store it in the refrigerator. If stored in the refrigerator, allow it to come to room temperature before using.

4. You should feed you starter every week. Always save 2 cups of this mixture for an ongoing starter. If you have your original 4 cups of starter, either give half away or use it in baking. To the remaining 2 cups of starter, add 1 cup of unbleached, all-purpose flour and 1 cup of tepid water. Allow the starter to ferment and bubble overnight at room temperature, then use or place in the refrigerator.

5. You can also freeze the starter for 2-3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 24 hours, feed it some flour and water and it should start to bubble. If it doesn’t add a teaspoon of active dry yeast and let it ferment overnight.

6. If a gray liquid accumulates on top of the starter, pour it off. Wash your starter container every week with soap and water, then rinse and dry it. (also pertains to cap’n)

7. To use the starter in any bread recipe: 2 cups of starter equals 1 pkg of dry yeast and dissolving liquids in the recipe.



SOURDOUGH FRENCH BREAD

1 ½ cups room temperature starter
1 cup warm water
2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of sugar
4 cups flour

1. Mix together all the ingredients. Knead on a floured board until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Add more flour if dough is sticky. ( I usually have to add quite a bit more)
2. In a warm draft-free area, allow the dough to rise in a greased bowl covered with a cloth until doubled in bulk. Punch down and allow to rise another 45 minutes.

3. Shape the dough and place in a greased loaf pan. (I usually just shape it and cook it on a cookie sheet) Allow to rise again.

4. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 45 minutes (usually takes my oven on the boat longer) until crusty and brown.

Lots more sourdough recipes to follow! The capn says to write something funny so I guess I’ll have to invite Kary May over. Thank God the liquor order is coming over on the afternoon freight boat.

An Island Anthem

I must be getting homesick but at least I 'll be on a plane heading that way tomorrow morning. I'm a huge Jerry Jeff Walker fan and just found this song by him that made me think of down there. For those that don't know, Jerry Jeff is the person that wrote Mr. Bojangles. I just saw him a month or so ago at Red Rocks. Of course, he had that tag-a-long Willie Nelson with him. Click on this.
http://www.intothesouth.com/media_h-i-j/JerryJeffWalker-CowboyBootsAndBathinSuits For some reason this won't come up as a link tonight but I'm tired and have a flight to catch in the am. But please check out the song because to me it is what the islands are all about. I'm going to listen to it one more time. Goodnight!

I freakin' give up!! Just google Jerry Jeff Walker "Cowboy boots and Bathin' suits. It will be worth it. At this point don't make me come after you!


Okay, I tried it again this morning and it decided to work. I don't know why, maybe Blogger was drinking to much Merlot last night.

Diet Ads

I don't understand why all these diet ads are showing up. I guess the google crawlers are trying to tell me something. I wish I could click on the ads myself (against the blogspot rules) and maybe I could figure out how to lose this last 25 lbs before I get to the boat in 3 days. Could somebody just email me how Rachel Ray's diet works or those 2 steps to a flat stomach or put it in the comments. And why are my before and after pictures in the wrong order? I'll talk to you when we get there.

Communications: Skype

I am busy trying to tie up loose ends before we get to the boat and I just wanted to mention Skype. I know most boaters already know about this wonderful service but for those not in the know skype is a voice over internet protocol phone and messaging system. The service is free if you are using computer to computer calling or text messaging and it only cost $.02 per minute if you are making a computer to traditional phone call. Go to skype.com and check it out. The days of getting away from it all are over and I know it because I see all these sailors with laptops in hand searching for hotspots everywhere. I would love to have all of you fellow skype usernames so we could chat or if we're in the same harbour we could call each other without those curious VHF listeners knowing our dastardly plans. The way this website works is that I review every comment before it is posted, so if you want to share your skype username with me post it to comments and I will respond with my username but nothing will be published to the www. or this website. Looking forward to chatting with you!

Potluck 2: Stromboli Recipe

Stromboli Recipe

Stromboli
This is so easy but looks great and is always a hit at potlucks. Plus you can make it ahead and heat it up and it's finger food so it's easy to eat during passages. For my dough I usually use my own sourdough bread recipe but I don't have the recipe here, since trying to bake bread at 10,600 is usually disastrous. I will post the sourdough recipe next week when I'm back on "da boat". I brought this to the big potluck that Grabbers(on Great Guana Cay, Abacos, Bahamas) has every Wednesday and Jimmy the manager ordered 100 for the next day. Of course I didn't deliver, I was too hungover.

Stromboli

1 Pillsbury French Loaf or home-made bread dough

2.Whatever fillings you want or whatever you have on "da boat". It's a great way to get rid of veggies that are going south faster than you are.

Instructions:

Find the seam in the Pillsbury French Loaf and unroll dough (this is easier to do if the dough is well chilled) or roll bread dough to a 11"x13" rectangle. Do not roll dough too thin.

Then just layer desired ingredients. Your are going to flip this over so make sure that the ingredients you want at the top, like cheese, should be the first layer. Place ingredients in the middle of the dough with enough dough on edges to fold over ingredients. Don't over stuff. Fold over sides and ends and flip the stromboli over. Brush top with olive oil or butter and sprinkle with grated Parmesan, maybe some rosemary...it's all up to you. Cut ventilation slits in top of stromboli and bake at 350F until crust is brown and cheese is bubbling through slits. Slice and serve Here are some examples with ingredients in the order I layer them:

Italian Stromboli
Cheese (Parmesan, Cheddar, Mozarella)
Vegetables (Mushroom, Onion, Green Pepper, Olives)
Meat (Pepperoni, cooked ground beef or italian sausage or both in your favorite sauce)

Chicken Alfredo

Cheese(Mozzarella, Parmesan)
Vegetables (Broccoli or Asparagus),
Meat (Chicken or Shrimp in Alfredo Sauce)

The possibilities are endless, Mexican, Vegetarian....