San Diego: struck; recipes; another neighbor; books read
San Diego: struck; recipes; another neighbor; books read
On another perfect San Diego afternoon--ho, hum--I have struck the set: lowered furling jib and stowed it on the port quarter berth; brought tiller extension and bow sprit below; and tied down the tiller. None of this may have been necessary, but seems prudent.
I also scrubbed the cockpit and the mainsail cover.
Last night one of my neighbors fowled (sic) GANNET.
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All right. I give up. I know you care more about food than boats. I see the loving photos you post of steak and shrimp, tomatoes and corn. You know who you are. And I have recently learned that Paula Deen, of whom I had never previously heard--if you’ve been around here a while, you will not be surprised that I am not a frequent viewer of the Cooking Channel--is worth millions. Or was. So, having Friday evening prepared a culinary treat, I am going to give you benefit of my gastronomic skills.
This is not the first recipe--perhaps a bit of a stretch--of mine in print.
The first can be found in THE OPEN BOAT, when in Tonga I provided the best way to prepare canned corned beef, once a staple in South Pacific Islands and one of the few sources of protein available to those without refrigeration.
Open can of corned beef and immediately throw away half of the contents as being fat; make a cup of rice; fry an onion; slice some cheese. Add onion and cheese to rice. Flavor with soy sauce to taste. Throw away the other half of the can of corned beef. Eat rice.
There was even something called ‘corned mutton,’ which I was told was worse. But it is hard to subtract from ‘zero.’
On Friday I opened a pouch of Mountain House Beef Stew and, while two cups of water were being heated in the JetBoil, I squirted some Black Box cabernet sauvignon into the pouch. Add boiling water, stir, seal pouch, and ten minutes later, it really did taste good. Excellent sauce. Beef stew a la GANNET.
Now, what did you expect?
Bon appetit.
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In sequence the other evening.
Writing about what I read on the Guadalupe Island sails reminded me that I have neglected to post the list of books read January through June, as some readers have requested.
EYE OF THE ALBATROSS Carl Safina
THUNDERSTRUCK Erik Larson
TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST Richard Henry Dana
THE SHADOW OF THE SANDS Sam Llewellyn
REINVENTING BACH Paul Elie
THE RED BADGE OF COURAGE Stephen Crane
THE CELLO SUITES Eric Siblin
THE NIGHT CIRCUS Erin Morganstern
25 THINGS EVERY SAILOR NEEDS Lance Gettler
NARCOPOLIS Jeet Thayil
ANTIFRAGILE Nassim Nicholas Taleb
SAILING THE PACIFIC Miles Hordern
THE SECRET RIVER Kate Grenville
RAISED FROM THE GROUND Jose Saramago
THE FALCON ON THE BALTIC E. F. Knight
THE SONG OF ACHILLES Madeline Miller
THE LAST CRUSADE: The Epic Voyages of Vasco
da Gama Nigel Cliff
LIFE AND DEATH ARE WEARING ME OUT Mo Yan
THE SEA, THE SEA Iris Murdoch
THE SHAKESPEARE RIOTS Nigel Cliff
THE RETURN OF THE CARAVELS Antonia Lobo Antunes
SAM HOUSTON James L. Haley
HORACE IN ENGLISH anthology
WORKERS Sebastiao Salgado (photographs)
GENESIS Sebastiao Salgado (photographs)
SHILOH Shelby Foote
CIVIL WAR STORIES Ambrose Bierce
Sunday, August 11, 2013