We got an early start–about 6:00 a.m.–for a longer-than-expected day to Couverden Island Cove. Originally we planned to go to Pavlof Harbor today, about 25 miles south of Couverden Island Cove. The weather forecast called for good traveling weather this morning, but worsening weather beginning in the afternoon and continuing for at least a day, so we decided to go a little further today to a super-secure anchorage and then stay put for a day while the wind blew.
Just as the ECMWF forecast predicted, we had an easy trip up Chatham Strait. By 3:30 p.m. we were all safely anchored, and right on schedule, the wind and rain arrived about 5:00 p.m. The wind wasn’t bad, maybe 15 knots, but our view of the mountains vanished as the rain poured down.
Our second day in Couverden Island Cove was rainy and gray, and several folks gathered over on Dog Star for some crafts…knitting and cappuccinos!
We met for dinner on Airship for Italian night! The group really outdid themselves this time! With a whole rainy day to prep and cook, we had homemade cavatelli from Dog Star (with a sage and brown butter sauce), fresh baked sourdough bread from Bonito, a delicious garlicky caprese pasta from Akeeva, and zucchini lasagna rolls (recipe below) and a kale and spinach salad from Airship. Everything was SO GOOD!
66.6nm today
1204.0nm total
Zucchini Lasagna Rolls with Smoked Mozzarella
(Original recipe found here on Eating Well)
Makes 4 servings (I about tripled this recipe, and made some modifications based on what I could find at the grocery store in Sitka)
Ingredients:
2 large zucchini, trimmed
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon ground pepper, divided
¼ teaspoon salt, divided
8 tablespoons shredded smoked mozzarella cheese, divided (I used a combo smoked gouda and fresh mozzarella)
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1⅓ cups part-skim ricotta
1 (10 ounce) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 clove garlic, minced
¾ cup marinara sauce, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Directions:
Position racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 425°F.
Slice zucchini lengthwise to get 24 total strips, about ⅛ inch thick each.
Toss the zucchini, oil, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a large bowl (I arranged first on racks and sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper…my zucchini slices felt too fragile to toss in a bowl.) Arrange the zucchini in single layers on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
Bake the zucchini, turning once (I didn’t turn at all), until tender, about 10 minutes total.
Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons mozzarella and 1 tablespoon Parmesan in a small bowl. Set aside. Mix egg, ricotta, spinach, garlic and the remaining 6 tablespoons mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, ¼ teaspoon pepper and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl.
Spread ¼ cup marinara in an 8-inch-square baking dish. Place 1 tablespoon of the ricotta mixture near the bottom of a strip of zucchini. Roll it up and place, seam-side down, in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining zucchini and filling. Top the rolls with the remaining ½ cup marinara sauce and sprinkle with the reserved cheese mixture.
Bake the zucchini rolls until bubbly and lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with basil before serving.
To make ahead: Prepare through Step 6 and refrigerate for up to 1 day.