From Easy Food & Wine’s Mike and Amy Kass
Who decided that franks and beans were the staple for good wholesome camping meals? Don’t get me wrong, there’s a reason why they are the number one food consumed around the fire pit; they are easy to pack in, easy to prepare, and are inexpensive (and dare I say actually tasty).
courtesy of Easy Food & Wine
However, one thing they are not is romantic; and when you’re looking to impress, sometimes a few more ingredients can do just the job. Well your friends at Easy Food and Wine have three easy, delicious, healthy meals to share that have been proven from camping in Lake Tahoe to adventures in Acadia Maine. The key to everything in camping is preparation, and by taking the time to prepare the meals in your home prior to your departure allows for a variety of options when cozying up after a long fun day in the sun.
Swordfish* Puttanesca
1 lb swordfish steaks
1/2 cup Kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
1/4 cup pine nuts
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 clove of garlic
1 lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
handful of fresh parsley
While in the comfort of your kitchen, season swordfish with kosher salt and pepper on both sides and place in a 1 gallon plastic bag with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Roughly chop olives and parsley. Finely mince garlic and halve tomatoes. In another bag add garlic, tomatoes, olives and half of lemon juice and let marinate. Save parsley for serving over finished meal. Pack swordfish with freezer pack, ice, or whatever light and easy to transport cold pack you have. If you have room bring small pan to cook olive caper mixture (can be served cold or hot on top the swordfish).
Place charcoal to one side of barbecue and heat. When coals are ready place swordfish directly ontop the coal side and sear for two minutes on each side. Transfer swordfish opposite coals and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile heat olive caper mixture in pan for 5 minutes. Place mixture on top of swordfish and enjoy.
*Ed. Note: If you’re concerned about eating only sustainable seafood, you can substitute Mahi Mahi for the swordfish in this recipe or use only swordfish caught by harpoon or handline from the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic. For more information about sustainable seafood, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch List.
BBQ Pork Ribs
2 lbs country-style pork ribs
2 jalapenos
1 cup of peanuts
2 large shallots
1 clove of garlic
1 lime
Prepare the marinade in your kitchen the day prior to your departure to ensure time for the marinade to let the flavors sink in. Remove peel from shallots and garlic, juice lime, and remove stem from jalepanos. Add all ingredients minus the ribs and mix in food processor or blender until a nice paste is formed. Season ribs generally with kosher salt and pepper and spread paste on all sides of ribs, place in gallon plastic bag and refrigerate.
For camping pack ribs with freezer packs to keep cold until ready to cook. Prepare grill by shifting coals to one side of the grill. Cook ribs for one minute on each side on the hottest part of the grill above coals, then move ribs to the cooler side of the grill and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
Flank Steak Salad with homemade Blue Cheese dressing
1.5 lb flank steak
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 shallot
1 cup red wine
6 cups Mesclun mix or other greens
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups cauliflower florets
3 cups grape tomatoes
1 large English cucumber
Blue cheese dressing
1 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup light cream
fresh chives
In the comfort of your kitchen dice shallots. Season steak on both sides with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Place in a large Ziploc container with Worcestershire sauce, shallots, soy sauce, red wine and olive oil. Seal bag and shake to ensure meat is evenly coated.
Leave to marinade in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours. Make salad by adding all vegetables in plastic bag for easy transportation to the campsite. Prepare blue cheese dressing by chopping 2 tbsp of fresh chives. In a small bowl, combine blue cheese, sour cream, light cream and chopped chives and mix well. Place in small plastic container and when ready for transporting place with freezer packs and steak to keep cold for the journey to the campsite.
Place charcoal to one side of the grill and sear both sides of steaks for 2 minutes. Move to cooler side of grill and cook for desired taste (medium rare about 8 minutes, well done about 12 minutes). Remove from grill and let rest. With a trusty knife (always come prepared) slice meat against the grain of the meat – you want the meat to have short rather than long fibers, which makes it less chewy. Place on top of salad with generous amounts of dressing and enjoy.
