For those of you who like the idea of trying your hand at a bit of festival cooking this summer, here are a few ideas... NB. All of the following involve involve ingredients that do not need to be refrigerated.
Tinned food...
Any kind of tinned food can be heated by placing in the embers of a fire - just be careful when taking the tins out and remove the lid before heating.
NB. I know this is not really cooking and more just heating up food, however this is a really good tip for festival cooking as you can keep the tins stored inside a tent (or anywhere out of direct sunlight).
Baked potatoes...
Before going to bed wrap pricked potatoes in foil and leave in the campfire embers overnight. In the morning the potatoes should be perfectly cooked and ready for breakfast. If you have tinned beans with you, open the tin and place in the campfire embers to heat through - just be careful lifting the tin out of the fire and then serve over the potatoes!
Flat breads...
Flat breads are another good festival food and are easy peasy to make. Mix flour and water into a doughy ball and flatten into a round shape that will fit within the base of a frying pan, saucepan or even the top of a tin can. When making the dough experiment with adding different flavourings, such as salt and pepper or herbs and spices. Bake the bread in the base of a pan over an open flame. Turn the bread over once browned and cook the other side. These are really good eaten whilst still hot, straight from the pan.
Bean salad...
This dish is really nice served with the flat breads. Open and drain a tin of mixed beans or create your own selection - I like to use borlotti, pinto and kidney beans. Put the beans into a bowl or whatever you have to hand, e.g. saucepan or a paper plate. Finely chop up two chillies and a couple of cloves of garlic and add them to the beans. Cut a lemon (or lime) in half and squeeze the juice over the beans, chilli and garlic mix. Season with a generous handful of sea salt and serve...
What I really like about this recipe is that the ingredients can be changed to suit your own personal taste. Try adding more chillies or anchovies in olive oil instead of the lemon juice to create different variations.
Smores...
Smores!! These are one of the best campfire treats and involve sandwiching melted marshmallows between chocolate biscuits. NB. See one of my earlier blogs on Smores for more details.
I am planning on making all of the above and hopefully some new ones at Glastonbury next week and I will let you know how I get on. Also, if you have any other ideas for recipies let me know and I will try them out too!
T :-))
