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recipes | dinner |
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Mussels with beer and corianderLamb Stew with Shredded Ginger and FennelOmelettesGreen Beans and toasted seasame seedsCourgette & Watercress SoupTomato mozzarella & Basil SaladColeslawChorizo Potato & Rocket SaladBasic Cous Cous RecipeSalt & Pepper SquidChicken fajitasSimple Lamb StewWilted Spinach & Toasted GarlicPaella of sortsSpicy cous cousTomato salsaStilton & Leek SoupStuffed Trout wrapped in Maize leavesPerfect RiceMarinated King PrawnsMushroom Risotto with AsparagusDeep Fried NightfishFeta & Olive SaladChicken & Chorizo CasseroleFish TagineOxtail SoupGambas An AjilloTatws Pum MunudSalmon fillets with lime & corianderPea & Broad bean RisottoSpanish OmeletteSpaghetti mare azzurroRissoto Putanesca Smokey Bonfire PastaValentine Pork with capers & sageCampers 'Roast Beef' | |
serves 4
This is a recipe given to me by my pal Glyn. I was dining at Fish! In Borough Market in London a couple of years back, and via the waiter, I asked if the chef would be so kind as to knock me up some mussels using the following recipe. He did. He also came out to our table and informed me that the recipe was so good he’d like to put it on the menu! By all means, said I. I don’t think I paid for the wine that night. Ingredients Method I find that this works well in a wok, over the washing machine drum. Failing that, any large stockpot will do! Mussels should be easy to find if you’re camping in Scotland, or near the coast.
serves 4
A few years ago I had the good fortune to live in Damascus for a year. Syria is a fascinating country and throughout my stay there I was introduced to a host of wonderful dishes. Lamb stew was a staple, available in almost every good restaurant or cafe. Though variations abound, the flavours of fresh coriander and ground cumin were always apparent. The addition of ginger and fennel sets this dish in its own league. Young lamb works best for this recipe, as you don’t have to simmer it for hours on the stove! Welsh lamb is renowned for its quality and tenderness, but I suppose any good farmer would argue that his or her sheep are the best around. Ingredients Method
Let stand for two or three minutes before serving.
serves see below
Ok, everyone knows you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs. But not everyone knows just how easy it is to make omelettes, and what a great breakfast alternative to scrambled eggs they make, especially when you have a decent non-stick frying pan. The eggs bit is always the same, it’s the other ingredients which make it your own creation, so I’ve set out a couple of suggestions at the bottom of the page. Ingredients Method Crack the eggs into a pyrex mixing jug or similar. Add the other ingredients (stripping the leaves from the stalk of the thyme) and beat thoroughly with a fork. The longer you beat the fluffier the omelette (it’s to do with beating air into the mixture). Heat the olive oil in a decent non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat, pour in the beaten eggs and cook for five minutes or so. You should be able to shake the omelette about in the pan. You then need to cook the other side. An easy way of flipping the omelette is to place an upturned plate over the frying pan and transfer the omelette onto the plate, then slide the omelette back into the pan uncooked side down. To customise this basic dish gently fry any of the following in the pan before adding the beaten eggs:
serves 4
This one came to me in a flash of inspiration while cooking for my pals on my 40th birthday. The only tricky bit is not burning the sesame seeds under the grill! Ingredients Method
serves 4
I usually use a blender at home for this one, and given the fact that not even I could bring myself to pack a food processor on a camping trip, a little improvisation works well. By grating and then chopping the courgettes you’ll end up with an acceptable chunky texture to a soup that is usually served liquidised. Ingredients Method
serves 6
You’ll laugh at this one, it’s getting ridiculous! Humour aside, this is a fantastic and extremely quick side dish that works really well with barbequed meats. It looks pretty impressive too! Ingredients Method
serves 6
A great accompaniment to many of the Guyrope Gourmet dishes, particularly the herbed lamb cutlets. You can customise this recipe to your own liking by adding anything that you think might work! Ingredients Method
serves 4
This is a deliciously simple dish that works on its own or as an accompaniment to chicken. The beauty of chorizo is that as a cured meat product it will keep for a good few days in the cool box. Chorizo is available in two ‘formats’, thinly sliced and packed, or in a more traditional ‘ring’ or long sausage. The latter works better for this dish as you need a chunky texture, which goes well with the potatoes. Ingredients Method
serves 4
This isn’t even an actual recipe, it basically involves following the instructions on the side of a cous cous packet! (add boiling water). Cous cous is a staple of North African cuisine and makes for a simple and (very) quick substitute for rice (and so is great from a saving gas perspective). The idea of a ‘basic’ recipe is that you can adapt it to your own taste. Ingredients Method
serves 6
This dish is unbelievably easy, but does take some preparation. The clever trick that gets the best results is to make sure you dry the squid thoroughly. The secret is to dry well when whole and then dry again after chopping. Plenty of kitchen roll helps out here. Admittedly it’s a bit faffy but well worth the effort. You could short-cut the drying process, but it’ll end up a bit claggy! Claggy and Faffy, now are they bona fide cooking terms – who knows? You get the picture! Ingredients Method
serves 4
I owe this one to my daughter who came home after having tea at a friend’s house. Daddy, Verity’s mum cooked us chicken wraps for tea and I ate all of mine up! That’s my girl! So I thought I’d try them on a recent trip to a tipi in mid Wales. It turned out that what she had actually eaten all up was a tortilla covered in ketchup – so much for the Mexican influence! Ingredients Method
serves 4
This is a hearty dish and really simple to prepare. It’s a regular for me, I often cook it at home the day before and re-heat it the next day once we get to the site, particularly if we are arriving late on a Friday night and we need to eat quickly and get the kids wrapped up in their sleeping bags. Ingredients Method
serves four
Lord only knows where this dish originated, but I first came across it courtesy of my now wife. The way to a man’s heart and all that! This works well with grilled meats and fish. Ingredients A large bunch of fresh young spinach 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped olive oil Method Trim the storks from the spinach. If you have large leaves, chop roughly, otherwise chuck it in whole. Peel and chop the garlic. Heat a glug of olive oil in a large frying pan. Throw in the chopped garlic and stir. Be very careful not to burn the garlic, keep it moving in the pan until it just begins to turn a golden colour. Turn off the heat and add the spinach. Stir it with a wooden spoon until the leaves begin to wilt. Serve hot!
serves four
Spain holds some magical force over me. The language, the food, the wines, the Moorish history and the civil war (ok so I’m a bloke!). It all adds up to my favourite country. I have fond memories of a week long camping trip on a beach just outside of San Fernando near Cadiz. Antonia’s mum was great, she showed me the basics of a good Paella – you use what you have! Paella is often about the pan you cook it in! Ingredients 2 chicken breasts (free range is always best, but if the Spa don’t got it!) 1 large red onion 1 red pepper (or green, or yellow – es egual!) 3 cloves of garlic finely chopped 1/4 dried chilli finely chopped Olive oil Large knob of butter 8oz Bomba or Calasparra paella rice 500 ml of vegetable stock Fresh milled pepper and salt for seasoning Half a glass of manzanilla sherry or very dry white wine 1 tsp paprika (smoked if you got it but don’t worry) 3 or 4 large flat mushrooms salt & fresh ground black pepper
Method Boil a kettle of water for the vegetable stock. Finely chop the onion and simmer gently for four or five minutes in a glug of olive oil in a high-sided frying pan. Halve, de-seed and slice the pepper. When the onion begins to soften and colour, throw in the chopped garlic, chilli and sliced pepper. Simmer for a further three or four minutes, taking care not to burn the garlic. While that is simmering chop the mushrooms to 2 cm chunks. Melt the knob of butter in the pan and throw in the mushrooms, simmering for a further 5 minutes – the mushrooms will start to wilt in the pan an give off some of their lovely dark brown colour. Cut the chicken into 2 cm chunks and add to the pan, making sure the chicken seals on all sides. Then add the teaspoon of smoked paprika and a good grind of black pepper, together with a pinch of salt. Add the rice to the pan and stir well ensuring the rice is well coated. Add the half glass of wine/manzanilla and stir. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Turn to a gentle simmer for twenty minutes or so, or until the rice has absorbed all of the stock.
serves four
Take the basic cous cous recipe and elaborate! This is the variation that I always return to. It works with lamb, it works with fish and it’s wonderful with the marinated king prawns. It's even good on its own and cold for breakfast!! Ingredients Method
serves four
A bit on the faffy side, but well worth the effort. It’s good for snacks, but sits so well with the tuna steaks, you’d be daft to ignore it! The longer this gets to sit, the better the flavours develop. The key thing to notice here is the VERY FINELY CHOPPED instruction. This is why it’s faffy, but essential for a good result. Ingredients Six tomatoes (quartered and seeded and very finely chopped) One red onion (very finely chopped) 2 cloves of garlic (very finely chopped) Half a fresh red chilli (deseeded and very finely chopped) Juice of one lime Fresh coriander (chopped) Five tablespoons of good olive oil Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method Quarter and de-seed the tomatoes. Chop very finely and throw into a bowl. Peel and very finely chop the red onion, the chilli and the garlic (notice VERY is cropping up a little here!). Twist in a good grind of fresh milled black pepper and a pinch of flaked sea salt. Add the five tablespoons of olive oil, together with the lime juice. Finely chop the fresh coriander and throw that into the bowl. Stir well and leave to sit for a minimum of one hour to allow the flavours to develop.
serves four
This is a fantastic adaptation of a classic heart-warming soup. Sous chef of Sheffield conjoured this one up in no time, to everyone's delight. I've left the method exactly as he wrote it. Simple straight forward soup, simple straight forward instructions - Enjoy! Ingredients Method Melt butter , shred leeks finely – cook until softened Add potatoes diced small and cook for 5 minutes Add hot stock and bring to the boil . Simmer for 30 minutes or so until the vegetables are very soft. Mash the potatoes into the soup to thicken the texture Crumble in the stilton , ounce by ounce tasting as you go . Stilton can vary greatly in strength and when you have reached a balance between the richness of the stilton , the silkiness of the soup and the leeks then stop . You can add cream - but i don't think it needs it . Add the chopped parsley Serve with the freshest bread you can get.
serves 2
I rustled this one up while camping in the redwoods in California. I was planning on proposing to my then girlfriend when we got to the coast. I was pulling out all the stops in trying to impress, hoping for an affirmative answer! I cooked it on the grill over the open fire that every American camp site seems to have. It works well on a barbeque. Ingredients 2 fresh cobs of corn with leaves still on 2 trout (cleaned and gutted) Sea salt & and plenty of fresh ground black pepper 2 bay leaves 2 large knobs of butter A large bunch of fresh thyme Half a lemon 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced A couple of small wooden toothpicks Method Fire up the barbie! Carefully peel off a couple of leaves from each of the corn cobs, making sure that there is still enough leaf left to cover the yellow kernels. Put the corn on the Barbie to cook, turning as necessary. Take a bay leaf, half the sliced garlic, a knob of butter, half the thyme and a good wedge of lemon and stuff into the trout. Apply a good sprinkle of sea salt and a generous grind of black pepper to the outside of the fish. Wrap the trout in the two leaves from the corn and pin closed using the wooden tooth picks as mini tent pegs! Place on the BBQ and cook for about ten minutes on each side. Spread a knob of butter over the cooked corn on the cob, enjoy with the stuffed trout, together with the knowledge that if you cook this dish for your squeeze and then ask them to marry you, they will more than likely say yes!
serves 4
Don’t ask me how this works, it just does – time after time! You do need a measuring jug though, and the secret (or at least part of the magic) is twice the liquid to rice ratio. The tea towel is also essential! Ingredients 8 oz Basmati rice 16 oz water 1 star anise Half a dozen whole black peppercorns A bay leaf 1 Tsp boullion or vegetable stock powder A pinch of flaked sea salt A drizzle of olive oil Method Put all of the ingredients (except the drizzle of olive oil) into a saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Turn to a low heat and leave to simmer very gently for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and stir gently with a fork. You will see that that the majority of the liquid has been absorbed by now. Fold the tea towel in half and place over the pan. Place the lid back on a press into place to form a tight fit. Fold the hanging corners of the tea towel onto the pan lid to stop them burning on the flame. Continue to simmer on very low heat for a further five minutes. Turn off the heat and leave to stand unopened for another five minutes or until you are ready to serve. Remove the lid and tea towel, add the drizzle of oil and fork through. The rice will be light and fluffy, and you won’t believe it! Fish out the bay leaf and star anise and smile.
serves 4
I cheat and bring a bag of frozen king prawns with me and cook them, usually the next day, by which time they’ve played their part in cooling my wine and are well on their way to thawing out. I use the shell on variety, but that’s only because I like getting my fingers sticky when it comes to tucking in! You can use peeled if you fancy. Serve this one with either the spicy cous cous or the perfect rice. Ingredients 16 shell on uncooked king prawns (more if you are hungry!) 4 tablespoons of olive oil juice of one lime 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped 1/4 dried red chilli chopped pinch of flaked sea saltground black pepper 2 cm peeled and thinly sliced root ginger 1 teaspoon of paprika A good handful of chopped fresh coriander A couple of drops of soy sauce (but don't get hung up if you forgot to pack it) Method Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and leave to marinade for at least half an hour (while you are preparing either the rice or cous cous). When you are ready to eat, throw the lot into a non-stick pan and fry over a high heat for four or five minutes, stirring well with a wooden spoon. The prawns turn pink as they cook and the marinade will start to caramelise. Turn out onto a bed of rice or cous cous and tuck in.
serves 4
There's not mushroom in here for any thing else! This is a risotto dish that will work time and time again. Never mind the bit-by-bit approach to adding the liquid and stirring 'till your arms fall off. This is the simplified version fit for the camping gaz stove that produces the needed results. The steamed asparagus on top just adds pleasure to perfection! Ingredients 3 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
1 small bulb of fennel - finely chopped 3 tablespoons of olive oil 1 large knob of butter 1/2 glass of white wine Salt & milled black pepper 1 sprig of fresh thyme 8 oz of bomba paella or arborio rissotto rice 4 large flat head field mushrooms 4oz mixed fresh wild mushrooms - (add a couple more field mushrooms if you can't lay your hands on mixed varieties) 1 bunch of asparagus tips 2 oz grated parmesan cheese 1 litre of vegetable stock of boullion Method
serves 2 lovers
Another one from California, and this is about the most romantic meal i've ever cooked - my now wife had just accepted my proposal of marriage as the sun went down over the Pacific Ocean! John Maybury of Fort Bragg California turned me on to this one. We were camping on Usal beach in Sinkyone State Park when Mr Maybury showed up with a triangular fishing net. "I'm looking for Nightfish," he declared, "they follow the Dayfish". It turns out he was fishing for Grunion, similar to the whitebait common around British waters. Served up with warm crusty bread and cool beer it's pretty hard to beat. Ingredients Flaked Sea salt & fresh milled black pepper Whitebait Olive oil for deep frying Warm crusty bread A cold beer!
Method
serves 4
A simple and fine salad that will take about five minutes to knock together. Ingredients A block of feta cheese (about 150 grammes) Green olives Black olives Salt & Pepper Olive oil Fresh basil
Method
serves six
A fantastic feast first cooked up by Niki of the Jones persuasion in mid Wales. It was getting late and things weren’t going to plan! The kids were still up and it was beginning to rain. “You sort the kids and I’ll sort the supper”, she said. It was fair to say that I had the easier of the tasks, but an all round team effort found nippers tucked up and adults tucked in by nine o’clock! Ingredients 1 large onion (finely chopped) 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped) Olive oil Half a chorizo ring (chopped) 1 desert spoon of paprika 1 heaped teaspoon of plain flour Six joints of fresh chicken (drumsticks or thighs or both!) 1 red pepper (chopped) 1 yellow pepper (chopped) 1 small glass of red wine 1 tin of chopped tomatoes 1 ltr of vegetable stock (use a cube or a big teaspoon of Boullion) Salt and pepper to taste
Method Put a kettle of water on to boil for the vegetable stock. Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a stock pot over a good flame. Add the chopped onion and garlic. Simmer for four or five minutes, then add the chopped peppers and the chicken joints. Turn the chicken so it begins to brown all over. As the onion begins to turn translucent, throw in the flour and paprika. The whole thing will turn a glorious orange colour. Now add the chopped chorizo and marvel as the colour deepens. Chuck in the small glass of red wine and the tin of chopped tomatoes. Give it a good stir and bring back to the simmer. Stir in the vegetable stock and add salt and pepper to taste and another glass of water for good measure. Place a lid on the pot and turn the flame to low and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally so as not to let the thing stick and burn on the bottom of the pot. Serve with either boiled potatoes or rice, or just consume with hunks of crusty bread for dunking!
serves 4
That Middle Eastern influence creeping in again. The smell of fresh ground cumin always takes me back to the souk. You'll need a high sided frying pan with lid for this one. Ingredients 2 large fillets of skinned white fish (haddock, cod, whatever!) 1 onion thinly sliced 1 bulb of fennel, thinly sliced 3 cloves of garlic 3/4 teaspoon of whole cumin seeds 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds 2 teaspoons of whole fennel seeds 1 heaped teaspoon of paprika Olive oil 1 red pepper 1 lemon a handful of pitted olives (a mixture of black and green looks good! A handful of cherry tomatoes halved Salt and ground pepper Small new potatoes or salad potatoes Half a litre of bouillon or vegetable stock A handful of chopped fresh coriander Method Cut the fish into large chunks and place in a bowl. Grind the cumin, coriander and fennel seeds in a pestle and mortar, chuck in the garlic cloves, a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper and the paprika. Grind into a chunky paste and add three tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of half the lemon. Give it a good stir and pour over the fish. Leave to marinate for as long as you can wait!! Par boil the potatoes whole for about 5 minutes and drain. Allow to cool and halve. Halve the onion and slice thinly. Top and tail the bulb of fennel and do the same. Simmer both gently in olive oil in a high sided frying pan. While the onion and fennel is cooking blacken a whole red pepper over a naked flame. Scrape the skin off, remove the seeds and slice it. Once the onion takes on a little colour, spread the chunks of fish around the pan and add the potatoes and sliced pepper. Throw in a handful of the olives and a handful of cherry tomatoes and pour the rest of the marinade over the pan. add half a litre of stock and a glass of white wine if you have one kicking about. Place the lid on the saucepan and simmer very gently for ten minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Scatter the chopped coriander over the top before serving.
serves 4
Ok, this is somewhat ambitious and given the fact that it tastes better the longer you leave it to simmer, it probably isn’t appropriate for your average camping gaz stove. But I’m including it here because I was so pleased with the result. I simmered it for four hours, the meat was falling off the bone and the whole thing smelled divine. The amazing thing about this recipe is that you can taste it getting better and better the longer you cook it. This would be a great one for cooking at home the night before and warming it through when you get to site. You'll need a large stock pot with lid. Ingredients 1 large oxtail, cut into chunks 1 large Onion 2 Cloves of garlic 1 Tablespoon of olive oil 4 celery stalks, chopped 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced 1 tablespoon of plain flour 1 heaped teaspoon of paprika 2 star anise 1 bay leaf Salt & milled black pepper A large glass of red wine 1 beef stock cube 500 ml water
Method Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot. Brown the chunks of oxtail on all sides, remove and set aside in a bowl. This dish really starts to take on flavour the longer you simmer it. After about three hours the meat just falls off the bones and the whole thing takes on a new unctuous character. Once the meat has separated, take out the bones, the star anise and the bay leaf. Devour with chunks of crusty bread.
serves 4
Another gem from Sous Chef of Sheffield (I become Sous Chef of Otley when dining at his place! - it's a respect thing!). The guy is a bit of a whizz, and incidentally makes the best Christmas Puddings in the World - unfortunately beyond the capacity of the Guyrope Gourmet! Anyway, you know this chap is good when he adds ' or something like that - based on something I had in a tapas bar in London' on the end of the recipe. He orders, he savors, he recreates! Ingredients Method
serves Four
This is an old family favourite. One of those handed down from mother to son. The best home-made chips in the world and tatws pum munud are the two things by which I fondly recall my mother’s cooking prowess. I used to eat it a lot when I was on the dole, serving my apprenticeship as the Giro Gourmet! My old landlady, Gill re-named it Tatty Bogals for some reason, it’s easier to spell I suppose! Ingredients 4 or 5 medium King Edward potatoes (you could use Jersey Royals if it’s giro day!) 1 large onion finely chopped Olive oil 6 rashers of unsmoked back bacon A heaped dessertspoon of plain flour Salt & pepper An Oxo cube 250 ml of water Method Peel the potatoes (though obviously not if you are fortunate enough to be using Jersey Royals). Cut into halves and par boil them for six or seven minutes. Fry the onions in olive oil until they are just beginning to turn brown. Cut the rashers of bacon into 2 inch strips and add to the pan, give it a good stir making sure the bits of bacon are not sticking together. Simmer gently until the bacon starts to cook through. You don’t want crispy bacon for this dish. Crumble in the Oxo cube and throw in the flour, stir in well and add the water. Cut the potatoes into small chunks or thick slices, whichever you prefer, and add to the pan. Season with salt & pepper, give it a stir and simmer until the potatoes are cooked. Add more water if the gravy starts to run dry.
serves four
Great on a barbeque, fine in a frying pan! Served up with Jersey Royal new potatoes and a cherry tomato & basil salad, makes for an easy dish. Ingredients 4 Salmon fillets (skin on) 1 clove of garlic Bunch of fresh coriander (roughly chopped) Salt & Ground black pepper A good glug of olive oil Juice of 1 lime Method Place the fish into a bowl and pour over the olive oil. Add a pinch of sea salt and a good grind of pepper. Halve the lime and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Thinly slice the peeled garlic clove and toss in the bowl too. Add a handful of roughly chopped fresh coriander. Turn the salmon over in the marinade, making sure it’s well covered and leave to sit while you fire up the barbeque. The longer you leave it in the marinade the better really, but there is no hard and fast rule! Remove the fillets from the marinade and place on the barbeque, skin side down (a non stick frying pan is just as good if the campsite owners are funny about barbies!). Drizzle the remaining marinade over the top of the fish and leave to cook for four or five minutes. Lift and turn the fillets over with a spatula or a fish slice and cook skin side up for a further minute. Serve with new potatoes and a cherry tomato & basil salad.
serves 4
The simplest of risottos. With new season pulses, this recipe is a must for a long summer evening and follows the principles of the basic risotto recipe - keep it simple. You need a good glass of white wine with this (both for cooking and for drinking), so I'd recommend an albarino - but then again, I always would. Use whatever you like! Ingredients 1 onion 200g of Risotto rice
1.5 litres of vegetable stock or bouillion Salt & fresh ground black pepper Olive oil 1 kg Fresh garden peas (in pods) 1 kg Fresh broad beans (in pods) 1 large glass of dry white wine (use whatever you like) Large knob of butter 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese Method Fine chop the onion and simmer in olive oil until it begins to soften and turns a lovely golden colour. Throw in the rice and stir. Add a pinch of salt and fresh ground black pepper. Add the glass of wine, stir again. Pour in the stock and stir well, simmering until the stock is absorbed and the rice begins to soften. The more you stir the better this gets! Once the rice looses its nutty crunch, add the vegetables and grated parmesan. Stir well and simmer for a further three or four minutes. Add the knob of butter and stir in before serving. Don't forget to drink the rest of the wine!
serves 4
A really simple dish. This is delicious cold for a picnic or warm straight from the pan. A good non-stick pan will make life easier here, but I have done this on a Trangia before. Use a pan with fairly deep sides so the omelette comes out like a cake. I like to use King Edward potatoes, or El Rey Eduardo as the Spanish might call them, they're my favourites, but any will do. Drizzled with a drop of honey, this makes a fantastic breakfast. Ingredients Six eggs Salt & Fresh ground black papper Two or three large potatoes A glug of olive oil
Method
serves 4
Thanks to pal Rob for this one. Rob's a one for Italian, given that he spends all his time in Spaccanapoli on Dean Street in London. Try his dish it's easy, quick and tasty, a winner all round I'd say! Ingredients 10 plump cherry tomatoes 1 red chilli (2 if you are brave) 2 cloves of garlic 1 tin of sardines a little olive oil Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley Spaghetti
Method Make a little cut on the bottom of the tomatoes, chuck 'em in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Let them stand a while then peel off the skins. Meanwhile, boil a large pan of water for the spaghetti (put a lid on the pan it boils quicker and saves gas!). Chop the peeled tomatoes, garlic and chillies roughly. Fry gently in a little olive oil. Open the sardines, split them and remove the backbones, break the fish into large chunks. Wait 'til the pasta is nearly ready, and add the broken sardines to the tomato sauce. You just want to heat the fish really so you're looking at a couple or three minutes. While the fish is warming, finely chop the flat leaf parsley. Don't stir the sauce too much as the fish will break up. Drain the pasta, douse with a glug of olive oil and plate it up. Pour the sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley. Done
serves 2
Another gem from Rob Little. Though I have to admit I thought he was saying ‘horse risotto’ when describing it over the phone! Rob lives on a narrow boat called ‘Scarlet’, so he knows a thing or two about cooking on a two ring gas burner. He’s also a regular at the annual camping trip. He usually shows up in a clapped out motor, maybe next time he might just bring Scarlet! Ingredients 900 ml chicken or fish stock 300 ml rissoto rice 4 cloves of garlic crushed 1 small tin of anchovies 1 handful of pitted black olives (chopped roughly) 1 handful of capers 1 handful of sun dried tomatoes (chopped roughly) 1 handful of grated Parmesan cheese. Glass of dry white wine (not optional!). Glug of olive oil Salt & Pepper to taste Method Heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and stir for a minute or two. Take care not to burn the garlic. Throw in the rice and give it a good stir to coat the grains in the garlicky oil. Pour in the glass of wine and stir. Add the fish, olives, capers and tomatoes. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer. As the liquid is absorbed add a little of the warm stock and stir it in. Again, as the liquid is absorbed add a little of the warm stock and stir it in. Repeat until when adding the last, include most of the Parmesan, keep enough to garnish. Serve the creamy risotto in deep plates with something crisp and fresh from Sicily or Portugal (I’m assuming Rob means wine here! – try an Albarinho).
serves 4
A splendid treat from pal Rob again - tried and tested on a two ring burn aboard a narrow boat moored on the Grand Union canal. I love his description of 'quality' smoked bacon and the freedom to serve this with whatever pasta takes your fancy! Ingredients Method
serves 4
Heaven knows where he got it from, but I've nicked this one from Valentine Warner (the clue is in the name - Valentine Pork). It's a fantastic dish and one of my favourites. Done in a matter of minutes, good with a crunchy salad or boiled minted new potatoes and wilted spinach or Swiss chard. Perfect for camping! Ingredients 1 tablespoon of plain flour
Ground black pepper Flaked sea salt Olive oil 8 fresh sage leaves (chopped) 1 large clove of garlic (finely chopped) 6 anchovy fillets large knob of butter 2 desert spoons of capers Juice of a small lemon Method
serves 4
Here's a rather generous offering from a chap by the name of Moose. I've been to his house for tea and he knows a thing or two about cooking that's for sure! There’s nothing that says Sunday more than a roast dinner, some wine and a family movie in front of a log fire, except possibly church, for those of a religious bent. Nights under canvas can make a traditional family Sunday quite a task, but there’s no reason why you can’t have a crack at roast beef, even without an oven. Camping requires the ability to adapt to any situation, and this recipe adapts the true meaning of the word ‘roast’ for the limits of two gas rings and a grill. Ingredients A decent sized joint of beef that’s not too fatty, but has a thin layer of fat on one side, such as topside or silverside. Don’t get one that has a random piece of fat added to the top with an elastic band, it won’t be up to the task. When selecting your joint, consider the size of both your frying pan and your largest cooking pot. Buy from a local butcher to avoid meat that’s full of added water. Good roasting potatoes - I always go for King Edwards A handful of Chanteney carrots Half a dozen shallots At least one bottle of robust red wine, such as a Merlot, Shiraz or Chianti. If you’re feeling posh, a Barolo is best. Work on the basis of ‘one for the chef, one for the pot’. A couple of beef stock cubes A little cornflour Olive oil Creamed horseradish and English mustard Salt and pepper Some Aunt Bessie’s ready-made Yorkshire puddings Seasonal veg of your choice
Method Several hours before you start, take the beef out of any cold box or campsite fridge and bring it up to ambient temperature. As lunchtime approaches, scrub the carrots, peel the shallots and the potatoes and lightly season the beef. The spuds need to be cut fairly small, into pieces of approximately 2-3 cm, then soaked in cold water to release the starch, and rinsed. Put a large pan of water on to boil. Throw in the spuds and parboil briefly for around five minutes until the edges are just translucent. Drain into a colander and refresh with cold water to stop them from overcooking. Whilst the spuds are on, pour some olive oil into a frying pan and place over a high flame until the oil is smoking hot. Add a small amount of oil to the saucepan, and gently brown the whole shallots over a very low heat. Place the beef into the hot frying pan, fat side down initially, and sear all round for a few minutes. This browns and seals the outside of the meat. Keep on the heat and look at the ends of the joint. You’ll see the depth of meat that is cooking as it changes colour. Once you have about 1cm depth, seal each end by holding the meat upright with a fork, then remove from the pan and rest on a tin plate. Keep the fat and oil in the frying pan, you’ll be needing it later. When your shallots have browned, place the beef joint into the saucepan, add a generous amount of red wine and bring to the boil. If you feel the need, you can add water instead of wine, or a mixture of both, but whilst suitable for a child’s sensitive palate, it’s nowhere near as nice. When the wine has come to the boil, add the carrots, reduce the heat and simmer slowly with the lid on. The amount of time really depends on how you like your beef, not very long for rare, ages and ages for well done. Pot roasts tend to like a bit of time to make the meat tender, but it’s all a matter of taste and relates to the size of joint used. The panicky bit of any roast is usually the end, whilst attempting to get the timings right. As the beef simmers, prepare your green veg. Heat the oil in the frying pan until it’s spitting, then add the spuds and sauté until golden brown. This frees up the colander for the veg. Place your greens in, then remove the beef from the saucepan and rest it on the tin plate, wrapped in foil. Add the stock cubes to the saucepan, and steam the greens over the top, placing the saucepan lid atop the colander. Heat the grill and put the ready-made Yorkshire puddings underneath a low flame for a few minutes, once filled with gravy, they’ll be warm enough. Drain the oil from the spuds and keep them warm in the frying pan over a very low flame. Carve the meat, pour the juices back into the saucepan and replace the tin foil. To thicken the gravy, mix a little cornflour into a paste with water and gently add to the saucepan, stirring constantly. If all has gone to plan, you’ll now have a plate of pot-roasted beef, a pan of spuds, some warm Yorkshire puds, a colander of green veg and a rich red wine gravy full of shallots and carrots. Assemble this onto plates and serve with horseradish, mustard and large glasses of red wine. Once eaten, light a fire, enjoy the rest of the wine and settle down for an afternoon or evening nap. |
