Paddle Meals: Mmmmmmm Magic

October-November 2002

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
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by Deb Leach with Rick Palmer

Cascading musical notes wafting across a mountain lake from a canoe enveloped in late afternoon sun. Magical moments on a golden pond. Sounds like the music angels would make. But the sweet vibrations emanate from a Zimbabwean thumb piano being played by Rick Palmer. (An mbira is smaller than a laptop and ideal for creating heavenly, healing sounds on paddling trips.)

A founding member of Victoria's Marimba Muzuva, Rick builds marimbas for a living and explores the coast of British Columbia between folk festivals. (For more details see www.marimbamagic.com)

Inspired when cooking with friends, ‘Mr. Muzuva' turns on the creative juices and loves to compose ‘music for the tongue'. His eyes light up when he talks about picking huckleberries to load into pancakes. Imagine bursts of huckleberries exploding on your palate with a hit of maple syrup! Sipping lattes on the beach.

Planning food for trips is his least favourite task. He prefers to brainstorm ideas with paddling buddies and raid his friend Rob's garden for fresh veggies and herbs. Rick claims the best chowder he ever made— complete with Jerusalem artichokes and fresh crab—was based on directions he followed from the novel, Smilla's Sense of Snow.

HOME BAY HOT POT

A nice blast for the taste buds. Near Home Bay on Jedediah Island is the place to fetch fresh oysters and fish to replace the canned seafood. Serves 4

1 package Red Thai curry paste

4 or 5 tbsp peanut butter

2-3 tbsp tomato paste

1 can coconut cream

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

10 cloves garlic chopped

1 cubic inch chopped and bruised ginger

1 large yam, cut in cubes

2 small beets,

sliced 4 small carrots,

sliced 1 medium zucchini, cut in cubes

1 red pepper, cut in cubes

1 can large clams

1 can salmon

In a large fry pan or saucepan, saute curry paste in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 1 min. Add the onions and garlic. After another minute, stir in the coconut cream, tomato paste and peanut butter. Saute till onions soften. Meanwhile in a second pot, steam-cook the vegetables in a minimum of water, adding the liquid from the salmon and clams. When the vegetables are soft, combine with the sauce and stir in the seafood. Heat through. Serve with biryani rice or pasta. (Make Biryani rice by adding a package of biryani spice to the rice).

CHINA POOT MUSSELS AND CLAMS

- from Favorite Recipes from Kachemak Bay Wilderness Lodge savoured on Rick's travels in Alaska. Serves 4

Scrub and remove byssal threads from 4-5 lbs mussels and/or clams In a large saute pan (or wide saucepan), bring the following ingredients to a simmer:

2 cups medium white wine

1/4 cup minced shallots

4 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

Simmer 3 minutes. Increase heat to high, add shellfish, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until shells are opened (4-8 min). Discard any unopened ones. Try this: Add 1 tsp curry powder and sprinkle cooked mussels with chopped cilantro and basil.

PASTA PALMER

Slice young zucchini into 1/4" inch rounds, dip in soy sauce and coat with brewers yeast. Saute zucchini in olive oil and toss into cooked pasta with pesto sauce.

(Perhaps penne or rigatoni pasta to follow a marimba theme?)

Paddle Meal Tip: Pack along tubes of pesto, tomato sauce and olive paste for adding zest to meals and appetizers with less mess.

© Deb Leach is the Health Promotion Director for the Canadian Forces in Esquimalt, BC.