No matter how big your boat, a galley is not a kitchen. Preparing food means limited water, too little counter space, never enough space to store trash and many other things that make cooking afloat difficult. In an effort to make things easier, here are four essential recipes that take well to the sea, yielding minimum mess and maximum yum.

PASSAGEMAKER'S ROOT CELLAR SOUP

Going to be out for a while? Keep cartons of chicken or beef broth on hand and half the work is already done. Most root vegetables keep for weeks without refrigeration. So does cabbage, if you leave outer leaves in place. As you peel away dry outer leaves you'll find inner leaves will be moist and flavorful. This soup can also be bulked up by adding canned vegetables, such as navy beans, cut green beans, diced tomatoes or mixed vegetables. The recipe here serves 6 to 8 people.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Large onion, diced
Small cabbage, trimmed and cut into chunks
1 turnip or parsnip, peeled and diced
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
2 or 3 ribs celery, sliced (optional)
10-ounce can chunk chicken with juices
2 quarts broth
Parsley flakes (optional)

In a roomy soup pot, heat the oil and sizzle the garlic, gradually stirring in raw vegetables until they are well coated. Add the chicken and broth, cover, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender. If you're adding canned vegetables, do so at the end. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Add biscuits or grainy rolls.

FRYING PAN SHOALS PIZZA

Why heat the oven on a torrid day when you can make pizza on the stovetop? For slow, even stove-top baking, a cast aluminum skillet is best. If your skillet is thin and you can't adjust the flame to low, use a flame diffuser. Vary toppings to suit your crew. This recipe serves 4 people.

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal (optional)
1 ½ (one and one-half) cups biscuit mix
Milk or water
10-ounce can tomato sauce or pizza sauce
1 teaspoon mixed Italian seasoning
Toppings as desired (mushrooms, diced green peppers, anchovies, pepperoni, cooked ground beef, cooked and crumbled sausage, sliced black olives, quartered artichoke hearts, etc.)
6-ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray or grease a 10-inch skillet well and scatter the bottom with a thin layer of cornmeal. Tap out and discard extra cornmeal. Add water or milk to the biscuit mix to make a thick dough and turn it into the skillet. Using the back of a wet spoon, spread dough into an even layer. Sprinkle with seasoning and spread with sauce and toppings of your choice, leaving a half-inch margin around the edge of the dough. Cover tightly and cook over low flame 15 minutes without peeking. Top with mozzarella, again leaving a margin around the edge. Cover and continue cooking until the dough is crusty brown around edges. Cut into wedges and serve.