8 Treats to eat around the campfire
BY READERS DIGEST
1st Jan 2015 Recipes
Nothing says comfort like sitting snugly around a roaring open fire. To complete the idyllic scene, you'll need some delicious campfire food. Here are our picks of the tastiest fire-cooked foods around.
1. Beer pancakes
Image via Countdown to the Campout
Pancakes are a great dish for your camping armoury because they can be eaten for any meal. This recipe works best with Guinness but is suitable for any type of beer.
All you need is instant pancake mix, and instead of water, you use beer. This substitution gives the pancakes a sourdough flavour and perfect texture. The alcohol cooks out, so it's a delicious treat for the whole family.
2. Orange blueberry muffins
Image via Apron Strings Blog
These genius sweet snacks are cooked inside an orange peel, infusing them with a delicious citrus flavour. This recipe is so easy to make that the kids can muck in too, providing a fun family activity as well as a yummy treat.
Children will love the simplicity of wrapping the orange in foil and, quite literally, tossing them into the fire.
Read more: 10 Wonderful ways with blood oranges
3. Nachos
Image via Spindles Designs
A hearty and tasty fireside indulgence, these loaded nachos are filling and easy to put together, plus the recipe can easily be adapted for vegetarians.
The secret to getting these just right is a low heat. Try a stove diffuser to evenly distribute the heat.
4. Canned campfire doughnut
Image via Thoreau's Daughter
You'll be amazed by just how quick these doughnuts are to make.
Flavoured with sugar and cinnamon, they're sure to fill you up after a long walking excursion.
5. Chilaquiles with blistered tomatillo salsa and eggs
Image via Bon Appetite
For this hearty meal, the salsa can be prepared over the fire and the eggs can be fried on a propane stove.
Add dollops of yoghurt, ricotta salata, hot sauce, and cilantro for an extra indulgent kick.
6. Camp side jambalaya
Image via Bon Appetite
Fierce heat and strong tastes are the key to this flavorful campfire jambalaya. The recipe can adapted to include whatever ingredients you wish, and the meat can be substituted for a vegetarian version.
Make sure you pack any perishables in a cool bag before heading off for the great outdoors.
7. Campfire French toast
Image via This Lil Piglet
What better to wake up to after a night under the stars than this fresh, strawberry flavoured bake?
The loaf needs just 40 minutes over the campfire to cook to perfection.
8. Seared cod with potato and chorizo hobo packs
Image via Bon Appetit
Be sure to use this as your first meal of the trip so that the fish is at its freshest.
Parts of this recipe can be made in advance to save you hassle on the night.
Don't be left out in the cold with our tips for making your campfire a roaring success:
What you'll need
Gather together your key ingredients: tinder (dry twigs, paper, pine needles), kindling (small, short sticks), and firewood (dead branches or dry logs).
Dry wood burns best, so when gathering your firewood make sure it snaps easily: if it's very wet or young, it won't burn.
Collect more than you need. The fire will generally burn more than you expected, and it saves you heading out in the dark for more.
Step 1: create your fire bed
On a campsite, use the designated fire pits. If you're camping rougher, find a place away from trees and bushes and with bare earth (no grass, especially if it's dead)
Clear your space of all combustible material, this includes dry plant material, as these can catch and spread quickly If the ground is wet, use dry wood as a platform. Always have a bucket of water to hand in case the fire spreads.
Step 2: Build your tindling structure
Place a handful of tinder at the centre of your fireplace. Make a ‘box’ around it with kindling: build up a teepee or cone shape for cooking, and a pyramid (constructed like a log cabin) if your fire is for warmth.
Continue adding kindling in your chosen shape, working up to slightly larger twigs. Leave some space in the side getting the wind—the fire needs oxygen to work.
Step 3: add your firewood
Now add the firewood around the kindling structure, in the same teepee or pyramid shape. Light the fire (from the side sheltered from the wind) by placing a match under the kindling: so the flames spread from the tinder to the kindling, to the firewood.
Enjoy the fruits of your labour with some fire-cooked food and some infectious campfire songs. To keep the fire going, simply add firewood when needed, being careful not to suffocate smaller fires—otherwise you'll need to get it going again.
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