How To Cook In The Happy Haze Of A Campfire
When I think of camping, I think of childhood days at Hammonasset. Most summers of my youth saw at least a week spent in a happy haze of campfire smoke, sunscreen, sun-warmed Twizzlers from the camp store, and the ever-present perfume of beach roses.
I learned to ride a bike on one of these camping trips. I watched E.T. for the first time and spent the walk from the amphitheater to our campsite clinging to my big brother, weeping for the homesick alien. I learned how to catch blue crabs and also learned the story of my own family and origins. My parents met at 15 years old while their respective families spent the summer of 1975 camping at Hammonasset.
I’ve long hoped to recapture the beauty of those summers that exist in my memory. Early in our courtship, when my then-boyfriend asked if I liked camping, I replied with enthusiasm and entirely unearned assurances of experience. The Pacific Northwest offers quite a different type of camping than my beloved Hammonasset, I came to learn. I was not a fan. Thank goodness the reverie of new love carried us through. Thank goodness my boyfriend married me anyway.
The truth is, I want to be the kind of person who enjoys camping. I wish I did not have a deep preference for indoor plumbing, insect-free zones, and sleeping on surfaces that are reliably dry. I’d love to feel the joy of my younger years and create new memories with and for my kids. Alas, these reasons have not yet proven compelling enough for me to overcome my aversions, so I had to come up with a new strategy. If I must camp, there must at least be good, interesting food.
As a total novice, it was necessary for me to consult some experts and start at the very beginning. First up, how to pack and store the food for a camping trip? I asked around and was soon directed to Fresh Off the Grid (www.freshoffthegrid.com), an online treasure trove of camp cooking information by Megan McDuffie and Michael van Vliet. Their step-by-step guide on how to pack a cooler recommends a 2:1 ratio of ice to content for optimal effectiveness. Pre-chilling both the food and drink you’ll be packing and the cooler itself also helps keep temperatures low. Other suggestions include portioning things like condiments into smaller containers, removing cardboard or other retail packaging, and transferring food into watertight containers.
With food safety covered, I began my research into camping food beyond the realm of the dry cereal, burgers, and s’mores which dominated my childhood trips. Absolutely no shade to any of these foods—all of which I enjoy—but it's going to take more than a burger to motivate me into vacationing al fresco.
Sarah Smith is founder of The Dyrt (thedyrt.com), a leading app for camping reviews and availability. She warmly assured me that camp food did not have to be boring. The main thing to remember is to plan each meal ahead of time and do as much prep work as possible before leaving home. “You don’t want to come back to camp from a day of hiking and figure out what’s for dinner,” she advises, “and it’s not much fun trying to chop onions in the middle of the woods.”
For a beginner to camp cuisine like me, Smith suggested utilizing aluminum foil packets for cooking over a grill or open fire. She enjoys the versatility of foil packets for cooking all different combinations of ingredients and likes that they work well over a number of different heat sources. “They’re almost foolproof for chicken, fish, vegetables, potatoes…you can even heat up canned soup in a foil packet if you’re in a pinch.” I make careful note of this, as I feel certain I’ll forget something critical when the time comes to set up my portable kitchen.
Smith reassures me on that count, too. She recommends starting with one good pan that can be used over fire and a metal spatula. She and her husband, The Dyrt CEO Kevin Long, swear by their thin, cast-iron skillet for cooking everything from eggs for breakfast to s’more-tillas (tortillas filled with Nutella and marshmallow fluff) for dessert.
I’m still a bit nervous, so I ask her for some parting advice. “Think about what you like to eat, and don’t over-complicate it.” Smith recalls a group camping trip in which each person was responsible for planning one day’s dinner. One camper’s meal took over two hours to prepare and cook. The food was fantastic, but by the time it was ready everyone was too hungry and exhausted to care. “Keep prep and cooking time in mind, of course. But you don’t have to settle for lousy food because you’re camping!”
Armed with expert advice, I rounded up some guinea pigs for a test-run of some camping approved food. I can happily pronounce myself a foil-packet convert! Sloppy Joe filling which I had made ahead of time reheated beautifully in the tidy little aluminum squares. Zucchini tossed in olive oil, sausage, peppers, and onions in foil, and grilled fruit dessert rounded out the meal. There were many compliments, very little cleanup, and best of all I got to sleep inside after everything was eaten. Next time, though…the sleeping bag and tent await.
Readers, wish me luck.
Red Lentil Sloppy Joes
Lightly adapted from FreshOffTheGrid.com
Ingredients:
- 1 T. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1/4 c. tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 c. red lentils
- 3 c. water
- 1 t. mustard powder
- 2 T. maple syrup
- 1-2 T. apple cider vinegar
- 2 t. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 t. chili powder
- 1 t. salt
- 2 T. ketchup
Directions
In a medium pot, heat the oil with diced onions and pepper. Saute until onions soften and begin to brown, about 7-8 minutes. Add tomato paste and and garlic and cook, stirring, for two minutes.
Add the red lentils and water to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender but have not lost their shape.
Add remaining ingredients, stirring to combine. Simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, 3-5 minutes more.
Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Foil Packets
Ingredients:
- 2-3 yellow, orange, or red bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 onions, thinly sliced
- 1 lb fully cooked bratwurst or vegetarian sausage, sliced into 2 inch pieces
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper to season
Directions
Cut four large pieces of foil (about 20 inches.) Fold foil in half, doubling, then fold again, pinching the sides create a seam. Divide ingredients evenly amongst foil packets. Drizzle each one with about 1 T. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Fold top of packet to tightly seal in ingredients.
Heat grill to medium. Place foil packets over heat for 15-20 minutes or until vegetables are tender and sausage is warmed through. Serve on buns or over rice.
Grilled Pound Cake with Pineapple
Ingredients:
- 4 thick slices pound cake (store bought or homemade)
- 1 stick salted butter, softened
- 1 small pineapple, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
- ½ c. dark brown sugar
Cut four large pieces of foil (about 20 inches.) Fold foil in half, doubling, then fold again, pinching the sides create a seam. Divide pineapple amongst foil packets. Add 1 T. butter and about 2 T. brown sugar to each packet. Fold to seal.
Spread both sides of sliced cake with softened butter. Set aside.
Grill pineapple over medium heat about 10 minutes, until fruit is softened. Remove packets from heat and grill pound cake until toasted, about 2 minutes per side.
Pour pineapple over pound cake and enjoy!
Kitchen Note: Other fruit works very well in this recipe, too. Peaches, apples, or pears can be halved and grilled over direct heat or sliced and grilled in foil.
Jillian Simms, the Apron Strings food columnist and feature writer for Shore Publishing can be reached at apronstringsct@gmail.com.