There’s not many travellers out there that would disagree that you can’t beat that heavenly smell of a roast wafting out of the camp oven. It’s one of camping’s little joys to knock up a delectable meal that has everyone in the campsite’s mouth watering by the time it’s ready to eat.
I find the old cast iron camp oven very versatile and you don’t have to be too precious when you pack it away, it can take a beating on those bumpy 4WD tracks! My signature dish in the camp oven is a red curry, depending on how cold the climate is to how many chilli flakes I add. A great recipe to warm you up.
I’m a huge devotee to pre-cooking meals for my trips away. It equates to less jars and sauces to pack into your Ultimate off-road camper trailer and after a big day on the road usually the last thing you feel like is cooking dinner.
Before we leave for a trip I will generally do a “cook off” day and invite the other travellers in our group to join me. Using the spreadsheet to determine how many pre-cooked meals I will need to prepare we will spend the whole day cooking main meals, sharing recipes and vacuum packing the finished product. Don’t forget to use a permanent pen to write on the bags to identify what you are eating! Then use the spreadsheet as a guide to pack your fridge otherwise you could end up with a layer of spaghetti bolognaise that could take five days to eat through before you find a different sort of meal in the next layer!
I have spent many hours scouring the internet for recipes suitable to freeze and to save others time. I’ve recently started to create an online cook book specifically for pre-cooked meals for camping. Using a vacuum seal machine means the food packs down well in your fridge saving space. It’s a fairly simple concept to re-heat the meal by placing the vac bags into a saucepan or frying pan of water. Bring it to the boil then simmer to the desired heat.
If you’re like me and hate washing up, use paper plates to create a wash-free meal. Simply cut open the vac bag and pour onto a paper plate. Job done!
If you have had a successful day out fishing and have brought back a handful of fillets to camp, you now have the primary ingredient for a magnificent yellow curry. I usually use Flathead in this recipe but any type of fish will work just as well.
Camp cooking can be extremely satisfying whether it’s dishing up a pre-cooked meal or one straight out of the coals from the camp oven. If you have any great recipes or suggestions for camp cooking I’d love to hear them!
