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43 49.59N 15 35.72E July 2003 Monday 28th July 2003 was Ian Chearman’s 64th birthday. The last before he would draw his old age pension. His day began with a frugal breakfast in U Krnsivica within the Telascica National Park of Croata and lunch was cold leftover tuna bake straight from the pan but tonight would be different.
Our 3m Bombard dinghy is big enough to take us four and our shopping. Supermarket Jolly across the harbour has a fresh meat counter from which Ian chose steak for the main course. Liz asked for Ian’s green beans for the starter and Enid bought apricots for a pudding. Enid prepared a ratatouille and Ian marinaded the steaks and after a shower we went for a birthday drink at the bar. I don’t know if the raven was the barman’s pet or whether it flew in at happy hour for the rich pickings but it was big. No one refused it anything as it visited each table in turn.
Ian unscrewed the cap from a litre of red wine he had bought for 8 kuna(80p) and poured us all an aperitifI and after the first sip he assured us that it would mellow in time to go with the green beans. He couldn’t find a seconder for this proposition. The second bottle of red at 38 kuna did go well with the steak and new potatoes as did the tomatoes and ratatouille. With a soup bowl and the kitty purse Enid strode ashore reappearing triumphantly with four large boules of ice cream: one tutti frutti, two vanilla and one which was never identified. It was a disappointment to me that there were only two cones but the gently stewed apricots poured on the top was recompense indeed. What you need for four people. 400g of aubergines sliced. 4 steaks. We think ours were sirloin. 250g of courgettes chopped. 3 tomatoes, sliced and a handful of torn basil. Large green pepper thinly chopped. New potatoes. A large onion peeled and chopped. Garlic. 4 chopped tomatoes. Apricots, chopped and destoned. Herbes de Provence. Ice cream as available. Olive oil and seasoning. What you have to do. (a) Preparation. Marinade the steaks in olive oil, crushed garlic and black pepper. This is best done in a polythene bag.(The ingredients, not the cook.) Fry the aubergines, courgettes, pepper and onion in olive oil. The aubergines will absorb it so you may need to add more. Add the tomatoes, herbs and seasoning and leave to stew very gently until the ratatouille is to your taste. Drizzle the olive oil over the sliced tomatoes and mix with torn basil. (b) The starter. Boil the green beans in salted water for about eight mins. Drain well, fry in butter and garlic and the juice from a quarter of a lemon. (c) The main course. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 25mins. When the potatoes are about ready fry the steaks in a hot pan. when you think they are done prod them with your finger. If they feel like your cheek they are rare, like the end of yur nose they are medium and if they feel like your forehead they are well done. For me 2 minutes is about correct if they are 1.5/2cm thick. (d) The pudding. Stew the apricots gently in very little water, a sprinkling of sugar and send Enid out for the ice cream. |
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After motoring out of Telascica we followed the very narrow buoyed channel between Dugi Otok and Katina and then beat into a gentle south easterly down the Zutski Kanal before bearing away across the Murtersko More to the northern end of Murter. The passage into the channel to the east of Murter is strewn with small islands and rocks and nowhere is the water very deep. I chose the passage to the north of Radelj because we would be sailing parallel to the 5m contour and not crossing and there is a transit on an isolated danger mark. Liz and I had been in Marina Betina and this time we chose Marina Hramina and what a good choice it was.
Ian prepared tomatoes in olive oil and basil, cooked the potatoes, and made the starter. I heated up the ratatouille and fried the steaks-2.5mins a side for Liz and me and 3.5 mins for Ian and Enid.