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Wintertime Cooking


Cal

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You can tell when autumn arrives and winter is on its way because the slow cooker makes its way back into Naughty-cal. 

We have limitedcpoking facilities onboard with two gas rings and  grill so the slow cooker opens up more options.

In the last few weeks We have rustled up slow cooked minted lamb shoulder with root veg mash and vegetables, slow cooked beef shin in Guinness gravy with dumplings, bbq brisket, hot and spicy chicken and chorizo casserole served with wild rice and home made garlic bread.

And for dinner tomorrow we will be having pulled pork and vegetables. 

You can't beat cruising down river with the smells wafting up into the canopies then sitting down to a warm meal at the end of the day.

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We had a Mr D thermal cooker for winter boating, absolutely brilliant. Get it going at home and eat a hot meal 6 or seven hours later without even turning the gas on.

Sorry can't post a link but google MrDscookware.

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Yes Cal, Thanks for posting that I feel really hungry now Haha I assume you're using your slow cooker Of an inverter which is okay while you're motoring, slow cookers are normally 4 or 8 hours depending how much of a hurry you're in, at home I use the pressure King which can cook a meal in just over half an hour, So I am considering using this on the boat as I wouldn't need to run the engine for so long to cook a meal, problem is I think I will need a larger inverter have to work that one out, Your right once winter gets here we think of all those lovely hot warming Meals (happy cooking)

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21 minutes ago, eddybear said:

 Your right once winter gets here we think of all those lovely hot warming Meals (happy cooking)

So do my hips.     Beef stew and dumplings tonight with various veg and home made bread.    Oh dear I can hear the scales sighing from here.

 

 

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24 minutes ago, eddybear said:

Yes Cal, Thanks for posting that I feel really hungry now Haha I assume you're using your slow cooker Of an inverter which is okay while you're motoring, slow cookers are normally 4 or 8 hours depending how much of a hurry you're in, at home I use the pressure King which can cook a meal in just over half an hour, So I am considering using this on the boat as I wouldn't need to run the engine for so long to cook a meal, problem is I think I will need a larger inverter have to work that one out, Your right once winter gets here we think of all those lovely hot warming Meals (happy cooking)

We tend to run ours when cruising, more often than not on a Sunday when we are returning to our home moorings so we can plug in towards the end of the cooking. 

It's fine cooking for a few hours without the engine running but any longer starts to take its toll on the batteries really. The total draw from the inverter and slow cooker is about 16 amps but at this time of year we also have the heating on so touching 20 amps.

Fine for a dinnertime pub stop though and then onwards again to our home mooring.

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We don't have shore power so I tend to only cook when we are on holiday in the summer.In the main weekends we eat out.What I do before the holiday I park cook chicken casserole,and mince for cottage pie.So on the boat I Finnish off with dumplings Roast potatoes and for the pie mash potatoes.Can also do beef pie,chicken,lamb.Whatever you like.Top with shortcrust pastry,or do with suet and self raising flour.I also do stirfrys which are quick to cook.Hotmade soups are great for the boat also.

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19 minutes ago, Chelsea14Ian said:

We don't have shore power so I tend to only cook when we are on holiday in the summer.In the main weekends we eat out.What I do before the holiday I park cook chicken casserole,and mince for cottage pie.So on the boat I Finnish off with dumplings Roast potatoes and for the pie mash potatoes.Can also do beef pie,chicken,lamb.Whatever you like.Top with shortcrust pastry,or do with suet and self raising flour.I also do stirfrys which are quick to cook.Hotmade soups are great for the boat also.

We eat well onboard with the two rings and a grill. It is surprising what you can rustle up with two rings and a grill we don't starve. 

Only trouble is our gas bottles are the 2.7kg Camping Gaz bottles which are stupidly expensive. Last bottle was £32!

Which is part of the reason we got the electric kettle which has halved our gas consumption. 

Try as we might we can't get Calor bottles that fit in the gas locker. Only the two tiny Camping Gaz bottles :default_crying1animated:

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Another great dish that's sounds posh,and indeed is served in many great hotels.Confit duck legs.lets say you intend to visit the boat the weekend. On the Thursday take duck legs sprinkle with sea salt,quite a lot pepper corns bayleaf and thyme and rosemar,garlic. Cover and store in the fridge.Friday dust off salt place in a oven proof dish,cover with oil,adding fresh herbs garlic and pepper corns.You can use herbs and garlic from before,make sure there's not much salt left.cook for about 2 hours.Take out from the oil and allow to cook.Stain off the oil retain great for roast spuds or more duck.when you serve give some colour in the pan and heat in the oven,serve with creamed mash red cabbage or buttered Savoy cabbage and a rush red wine gravy.its easy to do and is great in the winter.You can also do with game.

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Sounds good. When you do the first 2 hour cook in oil, what temperature do you cook it at, and then how quickly and at what temperature do you cook it for the final stretch in the oven?

As you can guess, I’m a mostly recipe-tied cook, except when I make a dish handed down from my Mam and Nains. Tonight we’re having Lobscowse (Welsh version) with dumplings. Basically a broth cooked slowly on the hob at a low simmer made with beef, onion, carrot, swede and potato finished with dumplings. Pretty basic, but still tasty. 

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6 minutes ago, MauriceMynah said:

No, the best meals are when you throw out a few ingredients, throw in the towel and get a take away.

Last resort for us that. 

Prefer a nice home cooked meal most of the time.

This was a nice recent boat meal. Aberdeen Angus ribeye steak, garlic and cheese mushroom, cherry tomatoes, asparagus and broccoli. 

FB-IMG-1543078704978.jpg

 

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Just now, grendel said:

I have just had a nice tea of liver and onions, just threw it in a frying pan for a while until the liver was cooked through, some weekends I throw a stew into a slow cooker leave it on all day, then add mash for the end of the day.

I love liver and onions. The other half won't eat it. I only get thd occasional chance to have it now.

It is his works Christmas party in  few weeks so I will be having liver that night.

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1 minute ago, grendel said:

I tend to limit my cooking on board, something easy like bangers and mash or even a fray bentos pie and mash. but then again I have been known to bake bread on board too.

If we had more cooking facilities I would cook more on board. 

I miss a proper Sunday lunch with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings.

Can't achieve that on our current boat but the next one we will have one most weekends.

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1 hour ago, YnysMon said:

Sounds good. When you do the first 2 hour cook in oil, what temperature do you cook it at, and then how quickly and at what temperature do you cook it for the final stretch in the oven?

As you can guess, I’m a mostly recipe-tied cook, except when I make a dish handed down from my Mam and Nains. Tonight we’re having Lobscowse (Welsh version) with dumplings. Basically a broth cooked slowly on the hob at a low simmer made with beef, onion, carrot, swede and potato finished with dumplings. Pretty basic, but still tasty. 

About 160.C,make sure you cover with tin foil.Check after an hour. You are after soft.When you have given the duck some colour cook until hot about 180 about 10/15 minintes.Its a easy and fairly cheap meal.If you have a few friends on board they will be impressed. Serve with a nice full bodied red wine.

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4 minutes ago, Cal said:

If we had more cooking facilities I would cook more on board. 

I miss a proper Sunday lunch with Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings.

Can't achieve that on our current boat but the next one we will have one most weekends.

Some items you can pre cook at home,including Yorkshire puds.I always do extra and store in the freezer.

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