Cooking on a boat, especially when you are sailing, is absolutely not an easy thing, as you can well imagine. But going by sea, being closely linked to the idea of a holiday, cannot really be synonymous with deprivation! With a few small precautions and good planning, dishes can be prepared which, at least in terms of flavours, leaving aside the visual aspect of the plating, could really rival the same "terrestrial" preparations.
But who to contact to learn the most hidden secrets of cooking at sea? It's hard to imagine starred chefs, so you can bet more decisively on a sailor who uses the stars only for orientation: the oceanic and solitary Giovanni Soldini, a sailor who sailed (and cooked), alone and with crew, on all the oceans of the world. You have always amazed everyone with the quality of his dishes, and if you can eat well a solitary regatta, it is clear that any yachtsman can do it. Social media then amplified this "art" of his and many were amazed, and continue to do so, by the quality of the dishes prepared and posted by Giovanni Soldini. But how does he manage, many have wondered, to steer a boat alone and at the same time prepare such appetizing dishes?
“The secret – explains Giovanni – is simple. Use the pressure cooker.I find it brilliant and I highly recommend it to everyone, because it changed my life on a boat. Eliminate all the risks related to the kitchen, because it is closed and its contents cannot spill. I cook everything in a pressure cooker, starting with the Milanese yellow risotto which, of course, is my favorite dish. Especially when sailing alone, I used it for everything, also avoiding dirtying other pans and dishes. It saves time. It is enough to prepare a pasta with the sauce to understand it”.
On board his latest boat, the Mod 70 Maserati, Giovanni also tried his hand at quick recipes for the whole crew, sending videos with the recipe of the week that have become real cult favorites on the net. His pasta with bottarga is among the most popular.
“In the pressure cooker, I sauté a crushed clove of garlic and leave the peel on, because I like it. Then I lower the pasta with twice as much water as the volume of the pasta, using half sea water (so I avoid salt) and half fresh water, immediately adding a tin or more of tuna. I close and fix the pot to the wall and to the stove with a fireproof top. After two minutes of “whistling” I open and insert the grated botargo, mix for another minute and then we just have to eat it”.
Obviously, planning is important on board such sophisticated and extreme boats. What and how much to eat is almost an exact science, and vacuum-packed freeze-dried and portioned food is an important part of the galley. But this aspect, albeit different, is certainly no less important for yachtsmen because, once the moorings have been removed, we find ourselves exactly with the ingredients we have stowed away. Nothing more and always something less with each passing day, with no possibility, many times, of being able to supplement with a quick trip to the nearest port supermarket. Alas… although there is much talk of “Autostrade le Mare”, they are still without Autogrill. We have to get over it!
Making "galley" is, therefore, one of the most important things when you have to face a navigation. What to take into account? The size of the boat, the number of fires and layout and, of course, the number of people on board
First of all, a compromise must be found for fresh foods. The most perishable fruit in particular should only be bought for a maximum of two/three days. Same thing for fish, but here you have the opportunity to catch it. An excellent trick for long crossings is to have single portions of perishable foods vacuum-packed, in order to be able to consume the entire contents. But the main way for a good galley is to start from a good base, made of pasta, rice, peeled tomatoes or ready sauces, canned oil, salt, sugar, canned tuna, UHT milk, biscuits. Bread is better to have it dry, and breadsticks and crackers are preferable to soft bread loaves filled with alcohol, however, which guarantees their conservation. Moreover, in case of seasickness, the breadstick is the most suitable food to chew. For wine, the choice is left to the taste of the individual, even if it is a product that takes up more space than its volume, unlike cans of beer. Beware of water! Yes, this is a precious commodity. It shouldn't be wasted, not even the one you use to cook pasta. It can always be reused to make hard-boiled eggs, boil potatoes or even wash dishes without detergent, thanks to the degreasing properties of starches.
The "cooker" on board will then have to use a lot of common sense. Lucullian banquets are banned at sea, and must be postponed once in port, because even a nice caprese makes a crew feel good if the sea doesn't allow balancing act.
