Dutch Oven Cookery

Our first meal at camp was Vegetable pot pie. It relied on a few "staples" that don't usually find their way into my pantry but they were handy for camping:

Chop up various vegetables like potatoes, carrots and corn off the cob, mix in 1 can of cream of mushroom soup and 1 can of cream of chicken soup and top with a can of biscuit dough formed into dumplings. If I did this at home I wouldn't use canned soups and I'd make whole wheat dumplings from scratch but ideals go out the proverbial window when camping.

Here it is before cooking:



Here it afterwards. Looks disgusting but tasted yummy


On day 2 we had New England Seafood Packets. I've made this before at home and it was well liked so thought it would be perfect to have as a foil packet in the campfire. The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly. This time I left out the garlic and the dill and it was much better.


There is something to be said for simplicity and allowing the flavors of FRESH food to shine through. Using lots of seasoning can be good but when you start with good, fresh food, sometimes you need very little. The result was excellent with the lemon butter complimenting the seafood perfectly. I did the corn on the side, purely because I hadn't made my tinfoil packs big enough but I think it was better that way as the corn tastes better without the lemon I thin.

We made this stew on another night... it was from my head,


I've made Beef Bourgignon so many times I could make it in my sleep now. I cooked bacon in the cast iron dutch oven, browned the bison stew meat and then threw in the onions, potatoes, chantrelles, carrots and a bottle of wine.


We simmered this by putting it over a low part of the fire and covering with coals. It turned out perfectly and was the perfect food after a long day of surfing (tired, sore bodies) and a cold night at our campsite. We ate olive sourdough bread from Common Loaf Bakery with it. Super good!

We also had hot dogs one night, baked beans with corn bread another night. The corn bread was a recipe I pulled from the net. You used bacon grease to oil the skillet and cooked this massive corn cake of sorts over the fire. It was the moistest corn bread I've ever had and probably the most calorie laden but man was it good! We also ate fish and chips at the best place called Wildside Grill: Natural food by natural dudes. It was panko breaded vs. battered and fresh from the boat. I had shrimp, Gorilla had ling cod and Banana and DH had salmon. It was take out style and there was these great tables out in the sun beside a driftwood canopy. Cool bongo drum music was playing. It is next to Live to Surf if you are ever in Tofino - highly recommend this place!!

(blogger is not cooperating, I'll upload more tomorrow!)