The Happy Camper: First Night Recipes



When camping, night-one meals should be elaborate, like a feast before the famine. Here are three of my favourite.

Credit: Alexvav | Dreamstime.com

The further you go on a trip, the more challenging it is to cook a meal with fresh ingredients.

In short: the more days, the more dehydrated components. That’s why you should indulge on your first-night dinner. Night-one meals should be elaborate, like a feast before the famine. Here are three of my favourite. 

Parsnip & Pancetta Pasta 

Ingredients

1-2 medium sized parsnips (peeled, quartered, cored and cut crosswise into small pieces)

6 slices of pancetta

2 cups of water

Pinch of salt

2 tablespoons of butter or olive oil

Handful of fettuccini

1 tablespoon of dried (or fresh) parsley

¼ cup of Parmesan

Directions

Step 1: Fry pancetta until brown; take out of pan.

Step 2: On medium heat, add butter or oil to frying pan and cook parsnips until lightly browned (approximately 12 minutes). Remove from heat.

Step 3: Boil pasta in a pot of salted water and then drain pasta—keeping one cup of the water.

Step 4: Add pasta and a half-cup of water to parsnips. Mix in chopped up pancetta and parsley and place on moderate heat for one minute. Add more water if necessary.

Step 5: Top with Parmesan cheese

Thai Coconut Chicken

Ingredients

2 cups of Jasmine rice

3 cups of water

1 tablespoon of olive oil

2 pieces of frozen boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon of curry powder

6 asparagus sprouts

1 cup of snow peas

½ cup of shredded carrots

1 red onion

1 can of coconut milk

(*Everything except the coconut milk can be dehydrated for a meal later in the trip.)

Directions

Step 1: Boil rice in water and let simmer for 20 minutes.

Step 2: Place chicken and curry powder in a zip-lock bag; shake to coat chicken.

Step 3: Cook chicken in oiled pan over medium heat for four to five minutes. Then mix in the chopped up asparagus and onion, shredded carrots and snow peas; cook for another three minutes.

Step 4: Pour in coconut milk and continue cooking until the sauce has heated up and the chicken is cooked through.

Step 5: Serve on a bed of rice.

Lobster Pasta 

Ingredients

1 large can of lobster (*you can bring a whole frozen lobster if you like)

4 tablespoons butter

1 medium white onion

3 garlic gloves

1 can (28 oz.) of diced tomatoes (you can substitute with dehydrated tomatoes)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

2 large pinches of salt

Pinch of pepper

1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon

1 cup of white sauce (3 tablespoons white flour, 1 tablespoons powdered milk and 1 cup water)

2 handfuls of dried spaghetti

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Directions

Step 1: Boil the frozen lobster in pot of water for six to eight minutes. Or, if you have a can of lobster, add that to a large frying pan in three tablespoons of butter and place on medium heat, adding two garlic gloves and chopped onion.

Step 2: Boil another pot of water, with added salt, for the spaghetti. Cook until tender (approximately eight minutes) and drain.

Step 3: Add tomatoes to the frying pan and increase heat for the juice to boil. Then add the olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon.

Step 4: Cook for five to seven minutes, stirring constantly, and then slowly stir in white sauce for another two to three minutes on low heat.

Step 5: Stir in leftover butter and garlic to spaghetti and pour on lobster and sauce; garnish with parsley.

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