In The Galley – Recipes for sailors.
Recipes for cooking or eating on board are displayed here. Click the link to view the recipe.
Hard Tack ( Martins Rock Cakes )
A nice refreshing drink for warm summer evenings.
1 measure of vodka.
3 measures of cranberry juice.
1 measure of grapefruit juice.
Put the Vodka and cranberry juice into your Sutton Mariners highball glass (with ice if you have a fridge on board) and stir before adding the grapefruit juice.
Then relax in the cockpit while watching the sun go down.
A.K.A. ROCK CAKES FOR RALLIES
Although I have been the head cook and bottle washer at home for the past 7 seven years, I would never call myself a cook. However, since going on the Sutton Mariners’ rallies I have regularly made a batch of rock cakes for the trip and these seem to be unanimously enjoyed by those who have sampled them, so much so that I have been asked to divulge the recipe. So here goes.
Ingredients ( N.B. The recipe is fairly old, hence original measurements are imperial with conversions made since. )
12 ozs self-raising flour [340g] 6oz sugar [170g]
A pinch of salt 3oz currants [85g]
½ teaspoon of ground nutmeg 1 ½ oz chopped peel [42 1/2g]
½ teaspoon of mixed spice 1 beaten egg
6oz margarine [170g] Milk to mix
The mixed spice, ground nutmeg and chopped peel are all to be found in the home-baking section of most supermarkets.
Sieve the flour, nutmeg and mixed spice into a mixing bowl. Add the pinch of salt. Rub in the margarine and add the sugar, currants and peel. Mix with the beaten egg and just enough milk to bind the mix. Using a fork and spoon or whatever you find best, place the now sticky mixture in rocky heaps on a greased baking tray or sheet and bake in a hot oven at 180 degrees C for about 18 minutes. This of course can vary from oven to oven so keep a careful watch on the baking progress (you know what happened with King Alfred!). Ours is a fan-assisted oven and cooks a little quicker so some may take more than 18 minutes. I try to get the cakes a little brown on top. When baked, remove the cakes from the oven and leave to cool. This should produce about 16 –18 cakes. I look forward to sampling your rock cakes at future rallies. Good luck
Martin Mitchell
By Jerry Tagg (first published 2006)
I like them raw, in the shell with a splash of lemon juice, sitting somewhere in France with a nice glass of wine to wash them down, the sun shining. That is the perfect way to eat them especially at about 12 euros per dozen.
Failing that, I like them cooked as follows.
12 oysters – enough for 2 as a main course or for 4 as a starter.
3ozs. Grated cheddar
Tabasco sauce or similar chilli (sweet if you prefer)
Garlic bread and a nice chilled bottle or two of white wine.
The trick with this recipe is to have the grill HOT!
Turn it on full before you do anything and let it get nice and hot.
Take your oysters and scrub all the mud and crud off them under a running tap till they are spotlessly clean.
Take your grill pan and lay some foil in the base of the pan, this needs to be ruffled up so as to support the oysters and to stop them from falling over and spilling the contents. (This is very important)
It really is necessary to have a proper oyster knife, as there is a knack to opening them. I will bring my knife to the club to show and give you some tips if anyone is interested.
Very carefully open your oysters and retain all the fluid in the shell and place in the prepared grill pan.
Now place them under the hot grill for about two minutes so that the oysters are nice and hot.
Now add a smidgen of Tabasco sauce to each shell and cover completely with grated cheese and place back under the grill for another few minutes till the cheese is golden brown.
Serve with some hot garlic bread and you are in heaven.
Spaghetti with Smoked Salmon From Kim Sudell
1 Onion chopped
1 Clove of garlic
oil for frying
3 tomatoes chopped
Glass of white wine
Pepper
400ml Single cream
175g Smoked salmon cut into strips
Watercress leaves
Lemon juice
400g Spaghetti
Fry the onion and garlic add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the wine, seasoning and cream. Cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously.
Add the smoked salmon and watercress.
Meanwhile cook the spagetti, drain and add to the sauce.
Goes well with hot bread or baguette etc.
Royal Navy weekly Blow Out by John Tetlow
A ‘dish’ served up once a week in the Royal Navy (and probably still is).
1. Make a piece of toast. If you have no will power, like most of us, cover with butter.
2. Cover the toast with cooked bacon rashers.
3. Place a fried egg on top.
4. Cover all over with thinly sliced or grated cheese.
5. Place under the grill until the cheese melts and starts to brown.
6. Smear a little Marmite or Worcester Sauce on top if preferred.
7. Eat it while trying not to think about cholesterol or your waistline.
8. For desert – have another one.
John says that they had a balanced diet in the navy – every bean weighed the same.
Jenny’s Cheesy Whatsits by Jenny Bayliss
Some Mariners club members may have eaten these on a rally or two. A good alternative to mini sausage rolls etc as a nibble on route.
There is no strict recipe – just throw in the ingredients and hope for the best.
Ingredients
One packet of puff or short pastry – most prefer puff but it depends on taste.
Mustard – anything in the cupboard or Marmite if you like it.
Grated Cheese – strongish but what you have in the fridge will do.
Method
Roll out the pastry quite thinly and keep it as rectangular as possible. Spread with mustard (or Marmite) right to the edges. The amount used according to taste.
Cover withe plenty of the grated cheese and roll into a ‘Swiss Roll’ style and cut into slices.
Place the slices on a lightly greased baking tray and cook in a hot oven until golden brown.
Remove and cool for taking on the rally.