Galley Essentials with Amanda

26 Galley Essentials

GALLEY ESSENTIALS COLUMN WRAPPING UP AFTER 16 YEARS

Amanda Swan Neal has been a fixture in the pages of 48° North since 2005. Her columns have been reader favorites not only because of the exotic and delectable recipes, but because they tracked her cruising adventures literally all around the globe and captured a spirit of exploration all boat-folk share. With humble gratitude for her 16 years of commitment, I hope you’ll join me in thanking Amanda and wishing her bon voyage as she closes this Galley Essentials chapter.

Amanda got connected with 48° North because she was giving galley-themed seminars at the Seattle Boat Show. Her infectious enthusiasm attracted then-publisher, Chuck Streach, and my predecessor, Rich Hazelton, who sought her out, saying, “You look like you’re having fun in the galley.” An iteration of a culinary cruising column had already existed in the magazine, but Amanda brought her personal blend of charm, excitement, and extraordinary sailing skills — all of which have been hallmarks of her columns ever since. For Amanda, with her book Galley Essential already published, the new column provided an opportunity for her to keep researching recipes and interviewing sailors.

Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Amanda’s early years found her visiting what are now her home waters in the Pacific Northwest in a sloop she helped her parents build. Returning to New Zealand, she first trained as a sailmaker before pursuing a career as a rigger. This knowledge paved the way for young Mandi Swan to become a part of the Whitbread’s famous first all-women crew, Maiden, with a designation as the team’s rigger. I’m at least somewhat ashamed that I worked with Amanda on her 48° North columns for some time before I knew about this facet of her life. That she didn’t need to flaunt this part of her history speaks volumes about what a full life of sailing endeavors and accomplishments Amanda has enjoyed. I will say that one of my favorite columns she did in my tenure was a Christmas reminiscence about her arrival into Antigua with the Maiden crew all those years ago.

In the years since, Amanda (along with her co-skipper, coinstructor, and husband John Neal) has become one of the world’s foremost educators in offshore sailing and cruising. Indeed, it has been her nearly unceasing exploration with these educational expeditions aboard their Hallberg Rassy 46, Mahina Tiare III, that has continued to provide cruising stories galore and ample column inspiration from new cuisines around the world. I can’t even imagine how fun it must be for the owners of small, seaside restaurants to have Amanda stop in and take not only nourishment from your food, but also a genuine interest in your life, your food culture, and your

THANK YOU AMANDA!

community. If there’s one thing of which I’m certain, it’s that Amanda will keep engaging locals in this way whether there’s a column to write or not.

Amanda looks back on her cruising and her columns and, unsurprisingly, finds it challenging to pick any particular highlights. She was, however, willing to say that Morocco lives large in her memory. She remembers “the tanginess of the food with the yogurt and honey, how fresh it was, and the presentation. And the markets were spectacular. It was one of my ‘pinch me’ moments.” She reflects fondly on her columns about “Spuds in Spitsbergen”, passages to and from Hawaii, and a wide variety of beach-side barbeques, especially those on Mopelia in French Polynesia.

With more than 346,000 ocean miles under her keel, you might think Amanda was looking to slow down. It certainly doesn’t sound like it. Life for her and John is evolving. They haven’t been able to be with their beloved Mahina Tiare since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. But this isn’t stopping them. They’re now selling the boat, not because they’re planning to stop, but because they’ve discovered another model that works — one involving charter boats instead of their own vessel. They tested it in 2020 and will run expeditions in this fashion again in 2021.

Through it all, Galley Essentials has been a constant for Amanda, as her written voice has been for 48° North readers. We will look forward to guest appearances from Amanda in the future. But with 16 years of terrific columns in her wake, we’ll give her a little time off watch. Thank you, Amanda, for all you have shared with 48° North readers over the years! - Joe Cline

CHEESEMAKING A CRUISER’S GUIDE

by Amanda Swan Neal

This month’s Galley Essentials was written by Fi while she was cruising Australia. When Fi joined us on a South Pacific sailing expedition, we caught a glimpse of her talents as an Irish dancer but she did not let on that she was also an accomplished cheesemaker. It has been fun for us to learn about that endeavor while also following her sailing adventures. - Amanda

Back in early 2016, my husband Adrian and I formulated a fiveyear plan that would result in us exiting the corporate rat race to sail the world. Part of the plan included a year cruising Australia on Addictive, our Australian designed and built 30-foot Jarkan 925, just to make sure we’re really committed to the lifestyle. So here we find ourselves, anchored in a remote creek in Queensland admiring the rugged vistas in front of us, trying not to scratch our legs from the sandfly bites, and feeling grateful for how far we’ve come and the experiences we’ve had in our beautiful homeland.

But this journey is not without sacrifice. I had to abandon my beloved gardening, as well as a lot of my cheesemaking passion. I love cheese and cheesemaking, so much so that when I was a landlubber, I relished learning everything I could about how to make cheese, serve cheese, cook with cheese, and eat cheese. Living on our sailboat with limited space means that I can’t make cheese — or can I?

We don’t have the fridge space for gallons of fresh milk, nor the proper temperature for aging cheese, not to mention storage for the plethora of possible cultures and additives. However, I found it possible to make a range of “fresh” cheeses aboard.

Note: making these cheeses generates a lot of “waste” whey. Whey can be used in place of milk in some recipes and it’s great for protein shakes. Our dog loves it, or we freeze it in ice cubes to add to dishes later.

Follow Amanda's adventures by sailing over to www.mahina.com For more details about Fi's cheeses, the equipment, and ingredients, visit fiandadriansailing.com/category/food/. They've also posted their Australian adventures and will soon be heading to France to pick up a new Garcia Exploration for more voyaging.

Ricotta is such a versatile “cheese”, though technically it is made from the leftover whey from cheesemaking. Sweet or savory, it can be used in cheesecakes; baked in muffin tins with a bit of egg, bacon, and veggies mixed in; it goes in desserts with fruit; or in my case, I use it regularly in fritters. 1 quart powdered or fresh milk ½ teaspoon salt 3 tablespoons white vinegar Colander lined with cheesecloth In a saucepan heat milk to around 195° - 200° Fahrenheit or until you see just a little movement in the liquid, being careful not to boil it over. Once milk reaches this point, turn off the heat and add vinegar. Give the liquid three stirs, then stop. You’ll see the milk start to curdle. Leave milk to separate into the curds and whey for 30-45 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the curds into the cheesecloth lined colander to drain off further whey. Let it sit for another 15-20 minutes, or until the whey has mostly stopped draining. Gently fold salt through the ricotta (although this step isn’t necessary and is just for personal taste). Remove ricotta from the cheesecloth and store in a container in the fridge for up to a week. This will make about 7 ounces.

RICOTTA “I FEEL LIKE A FANCY SIDE DISH” FRITTERS

I serve these with some smoked salmon, tomato chutney and salad. They’re also great for breakfast with scrambled eggs. 1½ cups blanched spinach or 1 large 1 or 2 eggs - whisked zucchini grated ½ to 1 cup plain flour or tapioca starch Options: 7 ounces freshly made ricotta Salt and pepper Chili powder to your taste 1 scallion or shallot - finely chopped Oil for frying 1-2 cloves crushed garlic, or to your taste Add spinach to a bowl, or if using zucchini, squeeze out as much liquid as possible using a paper or kitchen towel. Add ricotta, scallions, optional ingredients, and egg. Mix together then slowly add some flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Keep adding flour and mixing until you can make dough-like balls that don’t fall apart. Heat some oil in a frying pan. Form golf ball sized portions and add to pan. After a few minutes, flatten the balls slightly with a spatula. Once brown, turn over and cook the other side. Serves 2 with leftovers.

MAKING PANEER CHEESE

Paneer is a traditional Indian cheese and is great in curries to add a bit of protein. By itself, it is a little tasteless but it does an excellent job of absorbing other flavors. It can also be used to make sweet dishes. 2 quarts powdered or fresh milk Colander lined with cheesecloth reasons that will become clear) ½ cup lemon juice 2 plates or bowls and a heavy book (for In a saucepan, heat milk up to just about boiling, milk should be around 195° - 200° Fahrenheit and just showing some movement, being careful it doesn’t boil over. Turn off the heat; while stirring milk, add the lemon juice. Once added, give two to three further stirs then stop, you’ll see the milk curdling. Leave the curds and whey to separate for about 30-40 minutes. Pour both the curds and whey into lined colander. You can choose to wash the curds a little under the tap, to remove the lemon flavor. Gather the cheese cloth together to form a ball and squeeze out more of the whey using your hands. Place the ball between two plates. Set a book on top and let sit for one hour. Remove paneer from cheesecloth and place in the fridge to set before cutting it into cubes.

PANEER CURRY

9 oz paneer - cubed 1 teaspoon turmeric 2 teaspoons cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom 1 onion - finely chopped Knob of ginger - grated Coconut oil ½ teaspoon chili powder ½ head of garlic - crushed 1 zucchini - chopped 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock 15oz can crushed tomatoes ½ teaspoon sugar Salt and pepper 2 cups spinach

In a bowl, combine spices, except chili, and gently coat paneer. In a pan, sauté paneer in coconut oil until crispy. Remove paneer from pan. In the same pan, sauté onion, ginger, and chili in more oil. Add garlic, zucchini and half the stock; cook for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper, then remaining stock; simmer for 10 minutes. Add spinach and cook for 1 minute. Serve on basmati rice, topped with spiced paneer, yogurt, and coriander. Serves 2. Options: Add some firm white fish at the end when the curry is simmering. Add preserved lemon to the yogurt.