Creative Camp Food

I recently returned from camping in Namibia where I was reminded how fun cooking on a fire in nature, with limited ingredients and good company, is.

I find holiday is the time when we are really able to enjoy cooking and for South Africans the braai fire is a place that brings people together, be it in your backyard or in the middle of the Kalahari.
The braai is a meal where everyone contributes and the rules of the kitchen are out of the window, so to speak. Most of us have fond childhood memories of tomato, cheese and onion braaibroodjies, warm roosterkoek with apricot jam or home-made sosaties straight off the grid.

These are a few of my favourite outdoor cooking recipes, but be adventurous and add your own flavour!

Enjoy!

Poached eggs in chunky tomato sauce
This is one of my all time favourite camp meals and on a Sunday evening, it becomes the ultimate comfort food – quick, easy and delicious.
Optionally, add chorizo sausage to add a hint of smokiness.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp of olive oil
10 ml tomato puree
2 tins of chopped tomatoes
1 onions, chopped
1 tsp dry oreganum or a bunch of fresh oreganum or thyme
1 tsp sugar
Salt and black pepper, to taste
2 eggs per person
1 chilli or 1 tsp paprika

Method:
A big, deep non-stick pan works best for this dish, but a pot can also work.

• Heat the pan, add the olive oil, chilli, tomato paste and onion and cook on a low heat until the onion is soft. Then, add the tinned tomatoes.
• Add ½ c to 1 cup water, the sugar and the herbs and allow the sauce to simmer without covering the pan.
• Once the sauce has reduced slightly, you can add the salt and the pepper, to taste.
• Now carefully break the eggs into the tomato sauce evenly spaced, reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid until the eggs are cooked, but the yellow of the egg is still soft.

Serve this with warm pot bread for a rustic feast!
















Beer bread baked in a cast iron pot

Tip: Add onion, dried herbs or sundried tomatoes to give your bread extra flavour. Roll the dough into individual rolls after knocking the bread back and pack them closely together to make small breads that can easily be broken apart, when cooked.

Ingredients:
20g dried yeast
2 tsp sugar
300ml beer
300-350ml tepid water
1kg bread flour (brown or white)
30g salt
Some extra flour for dusting and kneading

Method:
• Dissolve the yeast and the sugar in the tepid water.
• In the same pot that you’ll be baking the bread, measure the flour and the salt and make a well in the centre.
• Pour all the dissolved yeast mixture into the centre and with four fingers of one hand make circular movements slowly mixing more and more of the dry flour into the dough. Add your 300ml of your favourite beer and continue mixing until all the flour is incorporated to make moist dough. You might need to add some extra water.
• Now knead and dough on a clean, floured surface, folding and rolling the dough over for about 5 minutes. If the dough sticks to your hands, simple rub them together with some extra flour and continue kneading! This is the time to add any additional ingredients, like herbs.
• Shape the bread into a round or oval shape, dust it with a little extra flour and scour the surface of the dough, if you like. Clean the pot and dust it with a little flour. Place the dough in the pot, cover and place it near the fire for about an hour, turning it, if needed.
• When the bread has doubled in sized, it’s time to ‘knock it back’, this is simply kneading the dough again and reshaping the bread. Place it back in the pot and allow it to prove for another 30-40 minutes next to the coals. When it has doubled in size again, it’s time to bake!
• Make sure you coordinate your preparation time and the coals being just perfect for baking your bread.
• Place the pot on a bed of coals as well as placing some coals on top of the pot lid. Check the bread after 30 minutes to make sure it’s not burning and is baking evenly, bake for a further 30-40 minutes until golden brown and hollow sounding when you tap the bottom on the bread.
• Allow the bread to cool slightly before slicing it.

Fruit Skewers with chocolate fondue
Ingredients
200g dark chocolate
60g butter
60ml sugar
180g evaporated milk
30ml brandy or liqueur of your choice
Ripe nectarines, peaches, pineapple or other fruit of your choice.

Method:

Melt the chocolate and the butter in a small pot over a low heat.
Add the sugar and gradually add the evaporated milk, while stirring.
Once the sugar has melted, add the brandy or liqueur of your choice.
Cut the fruit into bight sized chunks and make fruit skewers.
Cook over a hot fire for 3-5 minutes, turning them once.
Dip in warm chocolate sauce and enjoy a delicious dessert around the camp fire.

West Coast Meander

On a recent weekend adventure I found myself stumbling across a well hidden, food- lover’s paradise and discovering a unique aspect of South African cuisine in the little village of Paternoster. With the current trend of using fresh, regional ingredients, Paternoster has so much to offer, from surings (an edible long stemmed flower) to fresh mussels picked off the rocks. This little hamlet has a colourful food culture evolved from years of its people living off the harsh terrain and harvesting the treasures of the sea.

Paternoster’s white washed village and seemingly never ending shoreline, dotted with brightly coloured fishing boats is worth the visit alone. But, more than that, I loved the authentic west coast cuisine on offer at the local ‘Winkel op Paternoster’- moskonfyt snoek, bokkoms and potbrood. Another culinary discovery was the wafer thin, pure sea salt flakes harvested nearby - they add a delicious crunchiness to roast potato wedges and salads.

With the shouts of “vars kreef, sappige kreefstert” and the smell of braai fires on the salt-infused air, it’s a picture perfect place to relax and savour authentic South African cuisine.

Snoek Pate

A delicious variation is to add a few finely chopped, dried apricots after blending the pate.
Serve this with fresh, crusty bread as a starter.

Ingredients:
3 medium potatoes, peeled
300g smoked snoek
3 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp sugar
Freshly ground black pepper
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¾ cup olive oil
20g flat leaf parsley
20g chives, finely chopped

Method:
Boil the potatoes in a pot and mash them with a fork.
Remove the skin and bones of the fish and flake the meat.
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth.
Taste and add seasoning, if needed.
If it looks slightly dry add additional olive oil.
To serve, garnish with finely chopped chives.












Crayfish, smoked Salmon and Avocado Salad
(Makes 6 portions)
A modern version of the classic avocado Ritz salad


Ingredients:
3 ripe avocados
Juice of 1 lemon
Rocket leaves, watercress leaves and butter lettuce, as desired
300 g smoked salmon
2 crayfish tails, boiled and cut into medallions
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
A bunch of fennel sprigs, roughly chopped

For the dressing:
½ cup home-made mayonnaise
1 tsp tomato paste
1 tbsp brandy (optional)
5 drops Tabasco sauce
½ cup pouring cream
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:
Toss the lettuce leaves in olive oil just before plating the salad.
Cut the avocado into wedges and squeeze lemon juice over the wedges to prevent discolouring.
Combine the sauce ingredients.
Arrange the dressed leaves on a big platter and toss with crayfish tail medallions, avocado wedges and ribbons of smoked salmon. Drizzle the sauce over the salad and serve as a starter salad platter.
Garnish with roughly chopped fennel and freshly grated black pepper.