When I climbed Kilimanjaro, I was amazed at the meals the cook put together. We had been climbing for days with very little oxygen, and the cook was whipping up cucumber soups and Spanish omelets. I don't think I've ever eaten so well on a mountain before, and it inspired me to try cooking more adventurous food while in the woods — to step away from the traditional hot dogs and s'mores and get a little campfire gourmet.
So, in honor of my camping vacay in Acadia with Red and the dogs this week, I've compiled a list of my favorite campfire recipes.
First tip: whenever I'm car camping, I bring liberal amounts of aluminum foil. You can wrap just about anything and throw it on the fire for amazing cooked food, with very little cleanup, and it's recyclable.
10 CHEAP & EASY CAMPFIRE MEALS
1. Salsa Chicken
Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 jar salsa
Wrap each piece of chicken in a foil "envelope." Pour the salsa over the chicken and seal the foil tightly. Place on a rock near the fire, but not directly in the flames, and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.
2. Foil-Wrapped Veggie Kebabs
Ingredients:
Potato
Carrots
Onions
Mushrooms
Wrap all the veggies in foil and throw the foil "envelope" on hot coals for 15 minutes or more. Traditionally, you would put the kebabs on a stick and cook over an open flame.
3. Rosemary Pesto Fry Bread
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry onion flakes
1 tablespoon dry rosemary
I like to prepare the dry ingredients in a Ziploc bag before I leave home. Then, when I'm at the camp site, I can add the water directly into the bag, shake, and I'm ready to cook. Add 1/2 cup water to dry ingredients and shake/stir well before you're ready to cook it. Grab a small chunk of dough and flatten it between your hands. Fry for 5 - 8 minutes each side, add a heaping spoonful of pesto, and serve.
4. Spicy Grilled Corn
Ingredients:
Corn on the cob
Chili powder
Salt
Pepper
Corn on the cob is practically a grilling must, but I learned this little trick from my friend Katarina: sprinkle the corn liberally with chili powder, salt, and pepper and wrap in tinfoil. Place at the edge of the fire and cook for 15 minutes. The chili pepper adds an unexpected burst of flavor to the corn.
5. Campfire Biscuits
Pillsbury or other prepared, refrigerated biscuits
Filling of choice
Take a can of biscuits and roll each individual biscuit into a ball. Stick the ball of dough on the end of your stick, and cook over the fire until golden brown. Remove the "biscuit" from your stick and fill the hole with jam, eggs, cheese, PB&J -- get creative with your fillings.
6. Grilled Asparagus
1 bundle asparagus spears
Butter or olive oil
Drizzle the asparagus with olive oil or butter, wrap in foil, and place in the hot embers of your campfire for 3 to 4 minutes.
7. Grilled Trout
1 whole trout
1 cup of pancake mix
This is one of Red's childhood favorites. He recommends catching the fish yourself from a nearby stream, but for those less adventurous (or those not willing to bargain dinner on the fish actually biting) you can buy a trout at the store. (Just remember that if you do go fishing, make sure you have the proper fishing license for your area.)
Roll your trout in the pancake mix and wrap it in tinfoil. Place the foil "envelope" in the hot embers and cook for 20 minutes. You can also use a skewer (or stick) and cook the trout over an open flame. Insert the skewer lengthwise, starting at the mouth and ending at the tail. Roast the trout until the eyes turn white.
8. Breakfast Burrito
Ingredients:
3 eggs
1 tsp butter
salt and pepper to taste
one Ziploc bag
tortillas
avocado
salsa
other optional items such as:
green peppers
onions
mushrooms
tomatoes
cheese
This is a great meal you can make to suit your tastes. Crack the eggs into the Ziploc bag and add your other ingredients. If you've brought a frying pan, you can cook everything in there, but I actually like to put the Ziploc bag directly into a pot of boiling water. It's like boil-in-a-bag rice, but you have a veggie scramble with almost no mess. I warm a tortilla over the fire and spoon on the eggs. Top this off with a little bit of avocado and salsa.
9. Cinnamon Quesadilla S'mores
(taken from the book Campfire Cuisine: Gourmet Recipes for the Great Outdoors)
Ingredients:
4 small flour tortillas
1/2 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Cinnamon to taste
While they’ll probably never replace the age-old staple of childhood cookouts, these quesadilla-style s'mores are a lot easier to eat than the traditional kind—which will please the adults. The kick of cinnamon and the use of tortillas make them an ideal ending for a Mexican dinner, but they’re great any time.
Place 2 tortillas on the grill over high heat. Top each with half of the chocolate chips, half of the marshmallows, and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Place the remaining two tortillas on top. Cook until the bottom tortilla is lightly browned and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes, then carefully flip them. Cook until the second side is lightly browned and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes more. Cut each into quarters and serve.
10. Parsley Potato Packets
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon minced parsley
dash of salt
squeeze of lemon juice
pinch coarsely ground black pepper
1 1/2 pound(s) small red potatoes, cut in half
For camping condiments like the lemon juice, I like to grab packets from neighborhood fast food joints and restaurants and save them to take with me camping. Wrap all the ingredients above in foil, and put the "envelope" in the coals for approximately 30 minutes.
What are your favorite campfire meals, gourmet or otherwise? We want to hear them!
~ Meghan






