Paddle Meals:Mary Makes Meals

February-March 2002

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Deb Leach with Mary Kroske

Growing up in th Pacific Northwest, Mary Kroske's love of nature lured her into whitewater paddling in 1978. Her first ocean kayaking trip was in Nootka Sound, and our "American cousin" includes Desolation Sound and Johnstone Strait as some of her favourite Canadian destinations. "Australia and Alaska were a lot of fun, too."

Mary is always adding new friends and paddling destinations to her list. Our first trip together was in voyageur and tandem canoes along the Yukon River during the centenary of the Gold Rush of '98. Last summer's 50th celebrations for Mary included hosting dozens of friends for a Leo Luau on San Juan Island and whitewater rafting on Idaho's Middle Fork Salmon.

These days Mary, Jean and their fleet of paddling and sailing craft are based either in Marysville, WA or Protection Island, BC. Back at school, where she works as a nurse, Mary endeavours to keep everyone healthy in "a petri dish with a virus du jour".

Mary's generosity of spirit is reflected in her menus, which promote group participation and opportunities to relax and enjoy fishing or just hanging out with friends.

"One of the things I enjoy most is having the meal become a social function. For those days, make Chili Rellenos and the dinner becomes a great festival and celebration. This recipe is labor intensive and help from fellow travelers makes for a great social occasion, much laughter and camaraderie."

CHILE RELLENOS FOR 6

26 oz (737g) can whole poblano chile peppers
1/2 pound (225 g) Monterey Jack cheese
4 eggs separated
2 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup flour
vegetable oil for frying
tomato sauce/salsa

Open and drain whole chiles. Open each chile and place a slice of cheese in the middle. Beat egg yolks until creamy and then using a wire whip or fork beat the whites until stiff (rotate whipping with friends). Fold the yolks, 2 T. flour and salt into the whites. Do not stir, to keep batter as fluffy as possible. Flour the cheese stuffed chiles and dip them inot the egg mixture, coating well. Slide the chile into hot oil in a pan. Cook until golden brown and turn over to cook the other side. I can cook two at a time in my pan. Serve with tomato sauce/salsa and your favorite beverage. They are excellent and guarantee rave reviews.

CATCH OF THE DAY

No matter what the fishing has been like, usually someone will catch something. Frequently we don't carry enough oil to fry everything we catch. So if you want to try something a little different than frying, experiment with this recipe. Clean the fish, place it in the center of a sheet of aluminum foil. Cup the foil around the fish, and sprinkle inside and out of the fish with salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne, butter/oil and lemon slices. Add 4 T. of wine for each fish. Pull foil edges together and seal, leaving a small air space inside. Cook approximately 1/2 hour over fire or camp stove.

Deb Leach :Our Paddle Meals Coordinator since 1996, Deb Leach enjoys profiling 'celebrity chef' paddlers each issue. A public health nutritionist, she's worked for a dozen years with the BC Ministry of Health. Paddling merges her interests as an adventurer, 'foodie' and social convenor and spurs her to study travel writing, marine biology, ethnobotany and the weather.

© Deb Leach is a nutritionist and lives in Victoria, BC.