| "The cook and the galley on an American ship" (facing p.11 of Around the Galley Stove) |
A great sailor's dish is 'cracker hash,' made by breaking up ship's biscuit into small pieces with some salt junk diced in it. The whole is mixed up with 'slush' or grease skimmed from the cook's coppers, and baked in the oven.You can continue reading--the book is not only available in the Library, but online for free as well.
'Dandyfunk' is another foc'sle mess, made by pounding biscuit into a fine powder and mixing it into a paste with water. Molasses is added, and the resulting 'cake' is baked in the oven.
Regarding 'dandyfunk.' Aboard a large scotch ship, the crew had a penchant for making this dish, but latterly, most of the crew became too lazy to bother making it. One man, however, always made himself a dish for tea, and the others would expect him to share all round, sailor fashion. At last, the industrious one got tired of making 'dandyfunk' for the whole of his watch, and refused to share. His shipmates thereupon annexed the delicacy, whenever they could steal it out of the oven, and would gobble it up, leaving the empty dish in the oven again. When this had been done once or twice, the industrious one procured perfect immunity from theft and sharing, by chewing the biscuit up in his mouth, instead of the orthodox pounding and mixing with water. Nobody bothered him to share his 'dandyfunk' after they had seen his process for making it.
In order to get these dishes baked, it is necessary for the sailor to keep on good terms with the cook, who can, if he likes, become postively [sic] autocratic with his privileges. --p. 38-39.
Fried Eggs Bordelaise
Cut 6 medium to large firm tomatoes in half and press them, shaking gently over a bowl, to remove the seeds and water. Sprinkle tomato halves with salt and pepper to taste. Mix 2/3 cup fine fresh bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons finely chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons finely chopped shallots, and 1 garlic clove, chopped and crushed.
In a skillet, sauté 1/4 pound mushrooms, finely minced, in 2 tablespoons olive oil until they are almost black. Add to bread crumb mixture and toss well. Spoon 2 teaspoons of the mushroom-bread mixture onto each tomato half; sprinkle with olive oil.
Arrange the tomatoes in a buttered shallow baking dish. Bake in a very hot oven (450° F) for 10 to 12 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and the tops are browned. For each serving, place two tomato halves on a plate and top each with a fried egg. Garnish with fried parsley. Serves 6.
(To make fine fresh bread crumbs, cut crusts from bread and tear into small crumbs, or blend torn bread pieces in a blender until crumbs are as fine as desired.)
The friendly scrambled egg becomes an international sophisticate.
Shell 1 pound cooked shrimp. Reserve the meat and dry the shells in the oven for a short period. Pound the shells in a large mortar having a heavy pestle, adding gradually 2 tablespoons heavy cream, until they are broken up as finely as possible and blended to a smooth paste. Rub the mixture through a very fine sieve, combine it with 12 eggs, beaten, and season with salt and white pepper to taste. Cook the egg mixture in a double boiler over hot water until it is smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a timbale mold and arrange a small bunch of cooked asparagus tips in the center of the mold. Arrange the reserved shrimp meat around the rim of the timbale and garnish with thick slices of black truffles. Serves 6.