Menu need not shrink in a galley kitchen

Chef shows in a small space what matters most

June 22, 2011|By Bridget Samburg, Globe Correspondent

CAMBRIDGE — With his cut-off white jean shorts, flip-flops, and blue cotton T-shirt, Steve Johnson is doing a good job of looking like he’s been on the deck of his houseboat. Only he’s in the Formaggio Kitchen warehouse not far from the Alewife T station, demonstrating how to cook in the sort of tiny galley kitchen found aboard most boats. When you are on a boat, a small kitchen is not the sort of thing anyone complains about. Still, limited space on land or sea can prove challenging for anyone wishing to cook creatively.

Johnson, chef and owner of Rendezvous restaurant in Cambridge’s Central Square, lives on his houseboat moored in the Westport River in the summer and has become a master of small kitchen cuisine. He catches his own fish, rakes for clams, and buys produce from local farmers and markets. This class, “Houseboat Cooking,’’ is based on his own experiences, and is equally relevant for boaters and those who simply enjoy summer cooking and grilling in New England.

Johnson starts the evening with small Wellfleet clams on a charcoal grill just outside the warehouse. He says it is just what he would do on board. The clams are tossed with a broth of white wine, olive oil, marjoram, thyme, salt, and water left from cooking potatoes earlier. The addition of Maras pepper, a dried Turkish pepper, adds subtle heat and a refined flavor. Fluke ceviche with salsa verde, then mackerel with Vietnamese cucumber salad follow. A medley of spring vegetables is light and peppery with a hint of garlic.

The chef describes his houseboat, a 32-foot Sea Rover. “The inside is really small, but the outdoors is really big,’’ he says. For anyone with a tiny kitchen, that can be an obstacle to putting out inventive, delectable meals. With a three-burner propane stove and a small charcoal grill, Johnson is a master of creating fresh dishes, even with little elbow room. “It’s all about organization,’’ he explains to the class of 15 on a recent Thursday evening. “You can’t really forget anything.’’ To simulate the experience, he’s created a galley kitchen in a rather spacious warehouse.

He describes salt marshes, clam flats, blue crabs that he chases, and a deck from which he watches various fish swim by. Johnson and his houseboat are in the middle of an edible aquarium. “I can catch four different species of fish in one day,’’ he says. Not that he’s bragging, because Johnson isn’t the type. Understated and calm, he exudes a Zen-like peacefulness not typical of chefs.

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