When I am camping, I like to eat well. Normally, when my family camps, we are in our 26-foot travel trailer that has all the household amenities. Nevertheless, the only time we cook inside is when there is poor weather. Cooking outside at the camp table always makes the food taste much better. But since you’re not cooking in a kitchen with everything ready to hand, this kind of camp cooking takes some thought and planning.
Kirsten and I make dishes with set food portions, because leftovers can be hard to store and to reheat. Many of our dishes also have very few ingredients, making setup and cooking easier. I plan our camping meals and take just what I need. Often, I mix all the dry goods together (salt, pepper, and spices) in a Ziploc bag, which beats carrying around full bottles of spices that you will use only once on the trip. I also like food I don’t have to keep cold. Ice chest room is valuable real estate. And I keep the pots and pans needed to a minimum. Plus, if you don’t have lids for those you do take camping, aluminum foil is a cheap and quick fix.
Here are some recipes that I’ve found work well for cooking on a camp table, even after a day of fishing.
Polenta and Spinach
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
6 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces prewashed baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 pinch nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter 3/4 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Steve’s Gluten Free Bread Flour
1 9-ounce polenta chub, sliced
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
I found this recipe years ago, and I have since fine-tuned it. In a large skillet, add the olive oil and then the mushrooms and cook them until lightly browned. Add the minced shallots and garlic and cook for an additional three to four minutes. Then add the baby spinach and cook just until it is wilted. Finally, add the salt, pepper, thyme, and nutmeg.
Put the unsalted butter, chicken stock and heavy cream in a small saucepan, then whisk the flour into it until blended well. Cook the sauce until it has thickened. If you don’t have a saucepan, put the wet ingredients and the flour into a drinking cup, whisk them with a fork, then pour the mixture into the skillet with the mushrooms and spinach. Add the butter. Stir the mushroom and spinach mixture just until the sauce thickens, approximately five minutes. Arrange the polenta slices over the complete spinach and mushroom sauce and push the polenta gently into the sauce. Then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top of the polenta, cover the pan, and let the whole dish simmer on the stove at low heat for 30 minutes.
Adding shrimp or Italian sausage will create a one-skillet meal. I usually like a nice steak or a lamb or pork chop as the main protein, though. You can also use polenta that has added spices or herbs. I sometimes like to use the polenta that has sun-dried tomatoes in it. The kind of mushrooms you use are your choice. I have used everything from wild mushrooms to portobellos.
Suggested wine: chardonnay. Servings: 4.
Italian Sausage and Penne Pesto Sauce
6 cups water
4 Johnsonville Italian sausage links
1/2 16-ounce box Gluten Free Barilla Penne
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 large shallot, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jar Classico Basil Pesto Sauce
2 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
In a medium-sized pot, add the water and boil the Italian sausages until they are cooked. Take the sausages out and put them on a plate, then add the penne to the water and cook until tender. While the penne is cooking, cut the sausages into half-inch chunks. When the penne is cooked, drain the pasta and leave it in the strainer, then add the olive oil to the same pot, the sausage chunks, the minced shallot, and the garlic. Brown the sausage evenly — approximately five minutes. Add the jar of Classico Basil Pesto sauce and the penne to the pot and stir well while heating them up. Serve in a bowl or on a plate and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top.
Suggested wine: zinfandel. Servings: 4.
Asparagus Cream Soup
12 cups chicken broth
1 bundle fresh asparagus
4 pieces thick-cut bacon, chopped 1 large shallot, minced
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, minced 1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Steve’s Gluten Free Bread Flour
2 cups Minute Rice 1 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a large pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the bundle of fresh asparagus. Once it’s tender, remove the asparagus from the stock and place it on a cutting board. Save the asparagus chicken stock in another container. Add the chopped bacon to the original pot and brown, then add the minced shallot and cremini mushrooms. Cook for approximately five minutes. Add the unsalted butter, and once it is melted, stir in the flour slowly. Slowly pour the chicken broth back in while stirring the soup. Add the Minute Rice and simmer for 10 minutes. While the soup is simmering, finely chop the asparagus tips and about an inch of the asparagus stalks. Add the asparagus and heavy cream to the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste and let the completed soup simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
If you don’t like asparagus, substitute broccoli. You can also substitute your favorite rice. I have made the soup using many different types of rice.
Suggested wine: sauvignon blanc or chardonnay. Servings: 6.
Yukon Gold Potatoes and Lamb Chops
For the lamb chops
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 8-ounce lamb chops
1 lemon, wedged
For the potatoes
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
3 cups baby Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
In a large bowl, combine a tablespoon of olive oil, the ground cumin, turmeric, table salt, and freshly ground pepper. Coat the lamb with the mixture. In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and get the skillet hot. Put the lamb chops in the pan and cook to the desired doneness. I like my lamb medium, approximately five to six minutes on each side. Remove the lamb chops from the skillet and store in a warm place. In the same skillet, add 6 tablespoons of olive oil, table salt, and freshly ground pepper with the quartered baby Yukon Gold potatoes. Cook fry the potatoes on high heat until golden brown. I usually add back the lamb chops to get them to the same temperature as the potatoes. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste and then sprinkle a little freshly squeezed lemon juice on the lamb and the potatoes. (I also grill the lamb on my Coleman stove/grill.)
Suggested wine: sauvignon blanc or pinot noir. Servings: 2.
Guide Stew
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cups ground Italian sausage
1 12-ounce package thick-cut bacon, chopped
1/2 stick unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Steve’s Gluten Free Bread Flour
12 cups chicken broth
4 ounces cremini mushrooms, minced
5 cups diced russet potatoes
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and fresh black pepper to taste Cracked red pepper
This dish is hearty — really hearty. We offer this dish as one of our hot lunches while we are guiding for steelhead during the colder months. It really warms you up and sticks with you. One of my guests’ favorite stews/soups.
In a large pot, combine the chopped white onion, chopped bacon, and ground Italian sausage and cook until brown, approximately ten minutes. Add the unsalted butter and the minced cremini mushrooms. When the butter is melted, stir in the flour slowly. Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring the soup. Add the chopped potatoes and heavy cream and let it all simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh cracked red pepper.
Suggested wine: cabernet sauvignon.
Servings: 6.
Beef Bourguignon
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
5-1/4 cups beef broth
1 cup burgundy or other dry red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks
8 medium-sized cremini mushrooms, cut in half
2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks
1 cup pearl onions 1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons Steve’s Gluten Free Bread Flour
In a large pot over medium heat, heat the oil and add the beef chunks, thyme, and pepper. Brown the beef on all sides, approximately eight to ten minutes. Stir in the beef broth, wine, and minced garlic. Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid, and let the stew simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots, potatoes, cremini mushrooms, and onions. Cover and continue cooking on low heat for approximately thirty minutes more or until the meat is tender.
In a small bowl, add the water and whisk in the flour until it is well blended. Slowly stir this mixture into the stew. Continue cooking, uncovered, approximately five minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
Suggested wine: cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel.
Servings: 6.
Side Dish: Rice Pilaf
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 white onion, sliced
4 ounces unsalted butter 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 cup long-grain jasmine rice
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cups beef broth
3 green onions, chopped
Salt and fresh pepper to taste
It’s often helpful to have a starchy side dish at the camp table when you’re serving a separate protein grilled over a fire or sautéed in a pan. This rice pilaf works especially well as an accompaniment to fish.
In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook until caramelized, approximately five to 10 minutes. Add the butter, minced garlic, black pepper, and salt, and while stirring, add the rice. Then add the sliced cremini mushrooms and beef broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot with well-fitting lid and let it simmer for 30 minutes, then turn the stove off and let the pilaf stand for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Add the green onions and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Servings: 2.
