Happy Valentine’s Day!
Celebrate this special day by cooking a delicious meal. The recipe below, was given to me by Chef Bonnie Carroll from the S/V Paradigm Shift, a fun meal to cook together and share with friends.
CARIBBEAN CHICKEN MARINATED IN A SECRET RUM MARINADE
(now not so secret)
Prep time: 20 minutes. Marinating time: overnight
Cooking time: 15 minutes. Serves: 6
4 – 6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
MARINADE:
3 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp fresh orange
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp coarse sea salt & minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 tsp rum extract
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup honey
1/8 tsp allspice
Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour over the chicken breasts. Place into a gallon size plastic zippy bag and marinate overnight. To cook, remove from marinade, then bake, sauté or grill to your preference.
SWEET POTATO PASTA
Prep time: 15 minutes. Resting time: 30 minutes
Drying time: 45 minutes. Serves: 6
2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes that have been cooled
3 eggs
3 ½ +/- Cups Semolina flour. Start with 3 cups and add in as necessary to keep the dough from being too sticky.
Pinch of Sea Salt
Pour the flour onto the counter and make a well in the middle, pour in the eggs and mix together. Once the eggs have been worked in you can begin to add the sweet potatoes. You want the dough to have the consistency of Play Dough. This can take up to 15 minutes of kneading until you get the dough soft. If it is too dry add a little water.
Note: Kneading is a great upper body work out!
Cut the dough into 5 pieces, wrap in plastic, and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Now here is the tricky part: As I do not have a pasta machine, I rolled the dough out with a rolling pin and used a pizza cutter to make the noodles. Being on a boat, space is limited, so we used a line strung from the boat outside, put plastic on it and hung the noodles to dry for about 45 minutes. Cook immediately or store in an airtight bag in the refrigerator or freezer.
WHITE RUM CREAM SAUCE
Prep time: 5 minutes. Cooking time: 5 minutes. Serves: 6
2 tbsp butter
½ tbsp of cornstarch
1 cube of chicken bouillon – crushed
¾ cup grated Asiago cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
2 cups of heavy cream
¼ cup spiced rum
In a medium saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the cornstarch then add the remaining ingredients and you now have a tasty sauce to pour over your amazing dish!
Serve the noodles over fresh spinach topped with the marinated cooked chicken and sautéed vegetables. The finishing touch is the White Rum Cream Sauce that is drizzled over the dish!
Note: For a little kick, red pepper flakes are great in the rum sauce.
TABOULI
Prep time: 10 minutes. Cooking time: 10 minutes
Chilling time: 15-30 minutes. Serves: 6
¼ cup quinoa
½ cup boiling water
3 cups flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves
2 large tomatoes, diced finely
½ yellow or sweet onion, diced finely
Freshly squeezed juice from two lemons
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Romaine leaves for serving
Place quinoa in a saucepan, pour boiling water over and heat on low, covered, for about 7 to 10 minutes, until slightly softened. Drain any excess water and set aside. Place parsley, mint, tomato, and onion in a bowl and add quinoa. Mix in lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to taste. Chill.
Serve with Romaine lettuce for scooping. Or, stuff into hollowed zucchini or on grape leaves and bake.
Capt. Jan Robinson’s Ship to Shore Cookbook Collection is available at your local marine or bookstore. Visit: www.shiptoshoreINC.com or email CapJan@aol.com.
