Mouthwatering options abound even when you step out of the galley and into the great outdoors.
September 2014
No matter how elegant the galley in today’s motorhomes, outdoor cooking remains dear to our hearts. Whether you start with a crackling wood fire or turn a knob on a high-tech gas grill, it’s all about the primitive pleasure of watching an open flame while the aroma of good food drifts across the campsite.
When you want to take it outside, try these recipes.
Grilled Shrimp Sandwiches
The flavor is in the sauce, so the shrimp needs only a quick grilling on skewers or in a grill basket. Work quickly so that hot shrimp on hot rolls meet a cool sauce.
1 cup bottled pesto
1/2 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound tail-off, deveined shrimp, thawed and drained
6 large Kaiser rolls
Olive oil
Leaf lettuce
6 slices light cheese, such as provolone
Mix the pesto, yogurt, and Parmesan cheese and use at once or refrigerate. Brush the cut rolls with olive oil and place them over the fire to toast them while the shrimp cooks just until it turns firm and pink (about 2 minutes). Spread the toasted rolls with the pesto mixture. Add lettuce, a slice of cheese, and a layer of hot shrimp. This recipe makes six servings.
Pie Iron Sliders
Pie iron campfire cooking is an art. It requires patience to toast without burning, and a light touch that resists the temptation to use too much filling.
1 dozen brown-and-serve dinner rolls
12 very thin slices of sweet onion
24 small, thin squares of yellow cheese
12 small frozen meatballs, cut in half
Ketchup
Coat the pie irons with nonstick pan spray. Cut the dinner rolls in half and squash them flat with your hands. Layer half a roll, a wisp of onion, a square of cheese, the halved meatballs, and a little ketchup. Top this with another bit of cheese and the other half of the roll. Close the pie iron and toast over a medium-high grill until heated through. This recipe makes 12 sliders.
Variation: Use biscuits, ham, and cheese to make breakfast sliders.
Cranberry-Crowned Grilled Chicken
Prepare the chicken for the grill any way you choose, but don’t use a highly flavored rub, brine, or marinade. The flavorful sauce is the star of this show.
6 to 8 pieces of grill-ready chicken
1 pound fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 small can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
1 small can mandarin oranges in water, drained
While the chicken cooks over the grate, prepare the sauce. Mix cranberries, sugar, pineapple, maple flavoring, and ginger in a pan; cover; place over medium-high coals. When the cranberries pop, stir and move the covered pan to low heat where the sauce can simmer and thicken. A few minutes before serving, stir in the oranges and bourbon to heat through. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
Dutch Oven Lamb Stew
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound lean, boneless, diced lamb
Salt, pepper
1 large onion, diced
2 teaspoons crumbled, dried rosemary
1 cup water, broth, or red wine
2 cups each diced yellow squash, diced plum tomatoes, sliced mushrooms
Rice, mashed potatoes, noodles (optional)
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, and brown the lamb over high heat, sprinkling it lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in the onion, scraping up the brown bits. Sprinkle with rosemary. Add the liquid; cover; and place the Dutch oven over medium coals for 30 to 45 minutes or until the lamb is tender. Stir in the squash, tomatoes, and mushrooms, and add liquid if necessary to keep it from sticking. Move the Dutch oven to the hottest part of the coals and bring the stew to a boil for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Serve as is or spoon over a starch such as potatoes. This recipe makes four to six servings.
California Cauliflower Stew
Perfect for a campfire get-together, this stew can be served simply in disposable bowls with plenty of foil-heated garlic bread.
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
1 15-ounce can diced potatoes, drained
1 15-ounce can sliced carrots, drained
1 teaspoon each garlic granules, diced dried onion bits, pepper, dried thyme
1 12- to 16-ounce bag of frozen small meatballs, thawed
1 medium cauliflower, cut in bite-size pieces
1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained
Put everything in a pot over well-started coals. Cover; heat to simmering; and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender but not mushy. This recipe makes six to eight servings.
Sweet Red Lentil Stew
1 6-ounce can of orange juice concentrate
Water
1/2 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped or diced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon crumbled dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
2 cups red lentils, washed, picked over and drained
2 cups baby spinach, any tough stems removed
Salt, freshly ground pepper to taste
Thaw the orange juice concentrate and add water to make a total of 4 cups of liquid; set it aside. In a kettle over a crackling campfire, melt the butter and stir in the onion, gradually adding the garlic, spices, and lentils to coat. Stir in the liquid; cover; and move to lower heat over well-started coals. Check after 20 minutes and add water as necessary to cover the lentils. Cook until the lentils are tender but hold their shape. Stir in the spinach for a few minutes until it is limp. Adjust the seasonings and serve as is or over rice. This recipe makes four servings.
Quiche Stuffed Peppers
Ham and cheese are salty, and ready-to-serve rice may already contain salt, so don’t add salt to this recipe. It can be eaten right out of the foil for a camp-style meal.
4 large green bell peppers
2 eggs
2 cups ready-to-serve rice
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup diced ham
1 plum tomato, diced and drained
1 cup shredded cheese, such as cheddar
Lightly coat four large sheets of aluminum foil with nonstick spray. Cut 1/4-inch off the top of the peppers, and remove the seeds and membranes. Cut thin slices off the bottoms if necessary to allow the peppers to stand, but don’t make holes in the bottom of the peppers. Place a paper on each sheet of foil, and bring up the sides of the foil to keep the peppers upright.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs and then mix in the rice, pepper, ham, tomato, and cheese. Spoon the rice mixture into the pepper halves. Bring up the corners of the foil and twist together to seal the package and to form a handle. Place over a low-medium grill and cook without turning for 30 to 45 minutes until the filling sets. Take care when opening the foil; steam will be hot. This recipe makes four servings.
Spicy Rice Silverado
Make this side dish in individual foil packets for a carefree course in a meal that revolves around campfire-roasted meat, chicken, or seafood.
2 cups ready-to-serve rice
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup carrots, cut in thin matchsticks
1 medium sweet onion, cut in crescents
1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon curry powder
Coat four rectangles of foil with nonstick spray. On each rectangle, place 1/2 cup rice, 1/4 cup peas, 1/4 cup carrots, and some onion. Mix the olive oil, salt, pepper, and curry powder; spoon it over the rice. Fold the foil closed and seal the edges to form leak-proof packets; place on a grate over medium coals and turn every 3 to 4 minutes for 12 minutes to heat through without overcooking the vegetables. This recipes makes four servings.
Grilled Chicken Salad
Assemble everything ahead of time and put this together as soon as the chicken comes off the grate. The contrast of hot chicken, cold vegetables, and crunchy corn chips is just right for a hot day.
2 cups chopped celery
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 medium red or green sweet pepper, seeded and diced
1 8-ounce carton lemon-flavored yogurt (not Greek style)
1 8-ounce carton Greek-style plain yogurt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (8 to 12 ounces total)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups corn chips, such as Fritos brand
Lettuce cups (optional)
Mix the celery, onion, sweet pepper, yogurt, and vinegar. Set the mixture aside or refrigerate for later use. Season the chicken lightly and grill it until its internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Remove it to a cutting board and cut it into bite-size pieces. Working quickly, fold the chicken, almonds, and corn chips into the vegetable mixture and serve at once as is, or in lettuce cups.
Taste Of India Chicken Salad
Marinate, brine, or rub chicken as you wish, but don’t over-season it. Use toasting forks to slow-roast as much chicken as you will be serving, plus enough left over to make 2 cups. Then chill the remaining chicken, still rich in campfire flavors, to serve in this cold salad the next day.
2 cups leftover campfire-roasted, boneless, skinless chicken cutlets, diced
2 cups ready-to-serve rice
1/2 cup mango chutney
1 cup shredded coconut
Mayonnaise to moisten
Lemon or lime wedges (optional)
Mix the chicken, rice, chutney, and coconut, and then moisten the mixture with mayonnaise to taste. Serve this in lettuce cups. Garnish with lemon or lime if you wish. This recipe makes four main dish servings.
Books For Cooks
Grill Master ($29.95, Weldon Owen) is a Williams-Sonoma book, an endorsement in itself from this highly respected kitchen supplier. Author Fred Thompson, an accomplished “grill meister,” takes you through all the basics, from the grill and smoker to page after page of eye-popping pictures and recipes. This book merits a permanent spot on the traveling bookshelf, because it’s so all-inclusive for both experienced grillers and newbies. The sturdy hard cover should withstand years of use.
The Complete Idiot’s Guides series is always a fun and fast way to catch on to anything, including cuisine. New in the series is The Mediterranean Diet cookbook ($18.95, Alpha), proving that healthful eating can also be delicious and galley-friendly. Like other Complete Idiot’s Guides, this one is simple, with no photos. It’s packed with recipes that are easy to follow, prepare, and eat. The author is Lebanese, so her recipes tend to be from that side of the Mediterranean. It’s a refreshing change from Mediterranean cookbooks that focus on recipes from Italy and France.