Stocking the lazarette is an essential step before setting sail to make sure the crew stays in good spirits. Here are 5 ingredients that offer the possibility of multiple meals on board the boat.
Chickpeas
Chickpeas are an almost perfect food! It contains both a lot of carbohydrates and proteins. When meat or fish are lacking on board, it is an interesting ally. But above all, it is a tasty food that brings a touch of exoticism to the simplest dishes.
In a can, it is ready to eat. It can be prepared in salads, grilled in a pan to sprinkle on your pasta or vegetables, in tagine, in falafel, mixed to make hummus, with semolina and ratatouille for an express couscous, in a patty with a little egg, flour and spices, etc. In short, it is extremely versatile.
You can also store it dry. In this case, it has a very interesting weight/size ratio in boats. However, it will require a night of soaking before a relatively long cooking (at least one hour) and thus energy consuming.
Chickpea flour is also an excellent ingredient, with a good protein content, but requires a little more practice to use. Chickpeas can also be eaten sprouted and raw. Good to know, sprouting makes them more digestible.
Coral lentils
The huge advantage of coral lentils, compared to other types of lentils, is that they cook quickly (10 to 15 minutes al dente). They also do not need to be soaked, but must be rinsed before cooking. Coral lentils are a nice change from the usual pasta and rice, and they also contain protein.
They can be cooked in a variety of ways: salads, curries, dhal, soups, you'll be spoilt for choice! They even replace ground meat in vegetarian lasagna. If you take coral lentils on board, remember to also take coconut milk and curry powder, these are ingredients that go particularly well together.
Chorizo
On a cruise, it is not uncommon for meat to be lacking on board due to the difficulties of preserving it on a ship. Chorizo brings a spicy and meaty touch to any dish. Its flavor, more or less spicy depending on the one you use, transforms the most banal meal.
It can be cooked in slices fried with any ingredient: with green beans and onion, on a plate of pasta or with white beans, added to a couscous, in curry with vegetables and coconut milk. It can also be used to top homemade pizzas, added in a casserole to a chicken with olives, cooked in a gratin with potatoes, etc.
In short, you can do what you want with it, your dish will always taste good!
The semolina
The semolina is a must have on a boat, especially with children on board! The express but unorthodox preparation consists in covering the grain with boiling water with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and possibly a stock cube. Let it sit for 5 minutes with a lid and it's ready! When the sea is a bit rough, this is really the easiest dish to prepare. It settles the stomach well and children generally love it.
Semolina can also be used in more elaborate meals, like a real couscous. You can also add any vegetable or use it as an accompaniment to all your dishes, it is not difficult!
Fine semolina can also be used to make good desserts. Cooked in milk with sugar and vanilla, you can drizzle it with a fruit coulis or caramel, for example. It can be decorated with raisins or any other dried fruit. The fine semolina is also used to make patties (Harcha) to be browned in the pan.
Beet
As with meat, fresh vegetables and raw vegetables may be lacking on board. Vacuum-cooked beet then takes over. It contains a lot of vitamins and minerals which is not to be disliked!
In a salad with potatoes and pickles, as a topping for pita breads with tuna cream, in a cold soup mixed with cucumber, onion, cream and vinegar, in hummus with chickpeas, in a borsch, etc.
