Helene Siegel - The The Totally Camping Cookbook

Copyright 1996 by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.
Illustrations copyright 1996 by Carolyn Vibbert.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing.

The Totally Camping Cookbook is produced by becker&mayer!, Ltd.

Interior illustrations: Carolyn Vibbert

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Siegel, Helene.
Totally Camping / by Helene Siegel and Karen Gillingham.
p. cm.
ISBN-13: 978-0-89087-807-1
ISBN-10: 0-89087-807-2
eBook ISBN: 978-0-8041-5307-2
1. Outdoor cookery. I. Title.
TX823.S458 1996
641.578dc20 96-24084

Celestial Arts Publishing
P.O. Box 7123
Berkeley, CA 94707

v3.1

Other cookbooks in this series:
The Totally Burgers Cookbook
The Totally Chocolate Cookbook
The Totally Pancakes & Waffles Cookbook

Thanks to the Weavers
Jay, Paula, Ben and Adam
good campers and friends.

CONTENTS

L ets get our priorities straight. This is a book for those who care more about what they eat than how they can pack the most efficient backpack or how to air-drop a parcel of food onto the tundra. Other more rugged individuals have tackled those subjects with greater authority.

When it comes to outdoor cooking, good taste has played second fiddle to strange priorities for long enough. Who really wants to eat foods named gorp, pemmican, or jerkyor a dehydrated slice of pizza or ice cream packaged in tin foil? It seems to me that when Americans set out for a weekend of sleeping under the stars, they should reward themselves with naturally delicious real foods that are as good as anything they would eat at home. Eating well on a camping trip need not be complicated.

The model for the recipes included herein is a family of four setting out for a weekend of car camping. They should have an ice chest for perishables, a two-burner camp stove (with three small cans of fuel if theyre using propane), a grate to throw over a campfire for an instant grill, a 10-inch nonstick skillet, and a standard cookware set of two or three pots (with lids) in graduated sizes. A portable camp oven for placing over the stovetop is desirable but optional, and a backpack or two for day hikes is de rigeur.

Since there are better things to do outside than putter around a makeshift kitchen or clean up, all of these meals are easy to prepare: lots of marinades and grills, easy pasta sauces with a method for preboiling the pasta at home, foil packet-baked chicken and fish specialties, one-pot suppers, and a few spice rubs, hot drinks, and fruit dessertsnot to mention variations on the classic smores theme.

All are good enough to eat at home, but under the stars or on a crisp cool morning, they will taste much better.

The beauty of making your own granola is the ability it gives you to tailor the sugar and other flavors to taste. This lightly sweetened version is chock-full of nuts. Keep a supply at home and pack in zipper-lock bags for taking along.

2 cups rolled oats

cup wheat germ

cup whole almonds with skins, roughly chopped

teaspoon cinnamon

teaspoon ground nutmeg

cup vegetable or safflower oil

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 tablespoon grated orange zest

cup golden raisins

cup chopped dried apple slices

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In large bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, almonds, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Combine oil, honey, maple syrup, and orange zest in small pot. Cook over low heat to warm through. Pour over oat mixture, stirring well to coat evenly.

Transfer to baking sheet and bake 30 minutes, stirring once or twice to brown evenly. Let cool and transfer to bowl. Stir in raisins and apples. Store in sealed container.

M AKES 5 CUPS , 10 SERVINGS

Try substituting chopped pecans or walnuts, raisins, and maple syrup in your instant cornmeal mush.

2 cups water

salt

1 cup instant polenta

cup brown sugar

cup chopped dried apricots

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

cup pine nuts

Bring salted water to a boil. Add polenta, sugar, and apricots. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes, until water is absorbed. Stir in butter and nuts until melted and serve hot in cups or bowls.

S ERVES 6

In case you were wondering what to do with that half-eaten bag of chips in the car, try this delicious instant Mexican breakfast or light supper.

1 cup prepared tomato salsa

1 cups half-and-half

(13-ounce) bag tortilla chips (about 4 cups)

cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

4 eggs

Combine the salsa and half-and-half in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in chips, crushing with spoon. Reduce to simmer and cook until chips soften, forming a mush. Stir in cheese and remove from heat.

Melt butter in nonstick skillet over high heat. Fry eggs, sunny-side up or over easy. Transfer chip mixture to bowls and top each with an egg.

S ERVES 4

Another instant cornmeal mushthis time flavored with sweet corn and roasted chiles.

2 cups water

salt

1 cup instant polenta

1 (7-ounce) can corn kernels, drained

3 tablespoons canned diced, roasted green chiles

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

prepared salsa (optional)

Bring salted water to a boil. Stir in polenta and cook until water is absorbed, a few minutes. Stir in corn, chiles, and cheese. Spoon into bowls and top with dollop of salsa, if desired.

S ERVES 6

Other great additions to plain oatmeal: raisins, maple syrup, Sweet Spice Mix (see ), bananas, chopped dried apricots, or apples.

instant oatmeal

boiling water

trail mix with chocolate chips and raisins

Place oatmeal in bowls and pour cup boiling water over each serving. Stir to moisten evenly, sprinkle in trail mix, and stir some more.