Robin Donovan - The Camp Dutch Oven Cookbook: Easy 5-Ingredient Recipes to Eat Well in the Great Outdoors

Copyright 2017 by Robin Donovan

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Illustrations Ryan Johnson/Illozoo, 2017

ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-884-2 | eBook 978-1-62315-885-9

FOR CASHEL AND DOUG,
MY FAVORITE CAMPING AND
DINING PARTNERS

I GREW UP IN A FOODIE FAMILY. My mother was a great self-taught cook who was always experimenting in the kitchen, drawing culinary inspiration from every corner of the globe. Our home-cooked meals were always interesting and delicious, and we tried every type of restaurant we could find in our diverse areaThai, Indian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Laotian, Afghani, Persian, Northern Italian, Southern Italian, French, Portuguese, Peruvian, Mexican, and more. We even chose travel destinations based on the food. Ours was a family of adventurous eaters, but no one would have ever called us outdoorsy. In fact, I never once went camping with my family growing up. I used to joke that my mother thought the only reason a person would camp was if they couldnt afford a hotel room.

Somewhere along the way, outside influences like camping trips with friends families and sleep-away camp adventures began to sink in, and by the time I was a young adult, I had grown to love camping every bit as much as discovering unfamiliar cuisines. At some point, I even took what was (to me) a big leap: I spent a chunk of my measly paycheck from my first job out of college on a tent, a super warm sleeping bag, and a handful of other camping essentials. I had become a bona fide camping enthusiast. Even so, I was resigned to the misguided belief that camping and eating well didnt go together. Camp cooking was a necessity. It wasnt about making outstanding food. That, I figured, required loads of equipment, long lists of ingredients, intricate timing, and a well-stocked pantryall things that are sorely lacking at most campsites. My outdoor adventures were fueled by such pedestrian fare as hot dogs, canned baked beans, and quick-cook noodles in a foam cup.

Then came a single camping meal when I was in my mid-20s. I was with a group of friends, and in the evening, we all came together to produce a meal that was both delightfully simple and surprisingly delicious. Everyone contributed to the meal, which included teriyaki chicken kabobs, rice pilaf, grilled asparagus, and more. That evening was a light bulb moment for me, and my approach to cooking was forever changed. Camping meals, I realized, could be every bit as amazing as home-cooked ones. By relying on simple recipes, fresh ingredients, easy techniques, and the most basic equipment, I havent had to choke down another boring ground beef concoction or dish based on canned cream of mushroom soup. Instead, Ive enjoyed everything from fresh-baked Buttery Campfire Beer Bread ()all cooked over a flickering campfire.

Since that night, Ive campedand cookedat dozens of campsites. What Ive learned is that outdoor cooking doesnt need to be elaborate in order to be fantastic. And it doesnt have to rely on processed, canned, or freeze-dried ingredients, either. The truth is, a few good ingredients, simply prepared, can always make a delicious mealeven with only one main cooking vessel: the Dutch oven. Because it is made of cast iron, a Dutch oven is incredibly durable (no worries about damaging it in your travels), great at conducting heat, and versatile enough to cook everything.

A camp-style Dutch oven has legs that enable it to stand over a bed of coals, allowing you to use it like a pot on your kitchen stovetop. You can even control the heat by adding or subtracting briquettes. Another feature of the camp-style Dutch oven is its flat, rimmed lid that is designed to hold hot coals on top. Using this feature, you can approximate the all-around heat of your home oven, again, controlling the heat by the number of hot coals you use. As a result, you can make everything from Cinnamon-Raisin Breakfast Bread Pudding ().

Armed with the recipes and advice in this book, a hot fire, and your trusty Dutch oven, youll soon discover how satisfying campsite-cooked meals can be. The recipes here are simple, none requiring more than five ingredients (not including staples like salt, pepper, butter, and oil), and are easy to prepare. While some recipes might fall back on pantry staples like canned diced tomatoes or broth, none use processed ingredients like canned cream-of-whatever soup, instant ramen noodles, or powdered mixes. All of them draw on fresh, wholesome ingredients, easy techniques, and the genius of the Dutch oven.

There are two things that can always soothe my soul: spending time in the great outdoors and enjoying delicious, wholesome food. I spent too many years thinking these two endeavors were mutually exclusive. Fortunately, I saw that they werent. With this book, you will, too.