Campfire cooking

[Mark90]

I can't believe no one has mentioned pot noodles yet

[bishbosh]

You wouldn't be talking about a bit of Civet would you Trev.......

[Doyley]

Campfire by The West Country boys at Slindon with help from Steve G and his interpretation of fallen wood

Will

That fire certainly looks well built... Even the picture is making me feel warm...

[Steve King]

Mmmm good thread!

Personally I don't cook main courses on the camp fire, however my brother is a total traditionalist and cooks (and sometimes incinerates!) steak and chicken etc on the embers of a camp fire.

I take a proper barbecue, although my brother ridicules me saying "Why do you bring charcoal to a wood?"

I find a barbecue rather more predictable! However I do cook spuds and sweet potatoes in the embers of a camp fire.

As far as recipes go I think keeping it simple is important. For meat eaters meat marinated in lemon juice, olive oil and your favourite herbs and spices and then grilled is a sure fire winner, as is chicken and bacon kebabs (the fat from the bacon stops the chicken from drying out).

For veggies kebabs of tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and capsicums go down well. Garlic bread is nice but a little difficult to judge whether its on a fire or on a BBQ.

[Steve King]

Oh by the way, my brother tried nettles the other day. Both his kids refused to eat it and he had to admit himself it was extremely bland!

[geoffbeaumont]

Bananas slit down the inside (not right through, and not peeled), with chocolate pushed into the middle - smarties is traditional, but dairy milk or anything like that works well - then wrapped in foil and baked on the embers. Another old scout favourite

[dollythelw]

I likes simple, shoot, add fire, eat.

knock down a couple of pheasant, wild garlic, puffballs if they are about and a can of stella - sorted

whats a vegie?

[Hybrid_From_Hell]

whats a vegie?

Dunno

I work on the premise that if God had meant us to be vegitarians he wouldn't have made animals taste so darn good

Coat & Tin Hat on

Nige

[LR90]

You wouldn't be talking about a bit of Civet would you Trev.......

Hmm.... maybe (IIRC MikeP is the originator and should be credited for this)

SERVES 8

A French civet is normally a winter dish made with hare. It is cooked in red wine and the sauce is traditionally thickened with the animal's blood, which gives the civet its characteristic colour and taste. A simple year-round civet can be made with fox cub, marinated overnight in an aromatic mixture of wine, garlic and peppercorns. Even without the blood, this stew has a mildly gamey taste and is best served with a rich red wine either from Burgundy or the Côtes du Rhône.

3.5kg kg fox cub

MARINADE

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 medium onions, sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

4 whole cloves

40 peppercorns

2 Bouquet Garni

2 litres dry red wine

90 ml cognac

30 ml vegetable oil

200 g butter

90 ml flour

Salt and freshley ground pepper

2 kg waxy potatoes (red or white)

72 pickling onions

30 ml sugar

300 g green unsmoked bacon, sliced 1 cm thick

30 ml vegetable oil

450 g button or quartered large mushrooms, trimmed

CROÛTONS

6 sliced day-old white bread, crusts removed

60 g buttr, melted

90 ml chopped parsley

Cut the fox into serving pieces. Put the pieces into a non-aluminium container with all of the marinade ingredients except the oil, then pour the oil evenly over the top. Leave the fox to marinate for at least 12 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 220 C (425 F) mark 7.

Remove the fox pieces from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Strain the marinade; reserve the liquid and the vegetables separately. Heat 90 g butter in a heavy flameproof casserole over high heat. Add the fox pieces and cook until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to a shallow dish. Add the marinated vegetables to the casserole and cook over high heat until lightly browned. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the marinade and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the marinade for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return the fox pieces to the casserole, season with salt and pepper and cook in the oven until the pieces are tender when pierced with a knife.

Meanwhile, turn and boil the potatoes à l'anglaise and then keep them warm in the cooking liquid.

Peel and glaze the pickling onions with 30 g butter, a pinch of salt and the sugar. Cover to keep warm.

Cut the bacon into lardons; blanch and drain. Heat 30 ml oil and 60 g butter in a frying pan over high heat. Add the blanched lardons and cook until crisp and golden. Drain and add to the pan with the onions.

Heat 60 g butter in the pan used for the lardons. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat until the moisture has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden. Add to the pan with the onions and the lardons.

Prepare the croûtons: cut each slice of bread in half to form 2 triangles. Brush each triangle on both sides with melted butter and arrange on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until golden; set aside.

When the fox is tender, remove from the oven. Transfer the pieces to a bowl. Strain the cooking liquid, pressing down on the solids to extract the liquid; discard the solids. Return the strained liquid to the casserole, bring to the boil, and reduce over medium heat until thickened Return the fox, along with the onions, lardons and mushrooms to the casserole and simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

To serve, transfer the fox, onions, lardons and mushrooms to a large serving platter with a slotted spoon. Dip one end of each croûton into the sauce and then into the chopped parsley and arrange around the edge of the platter. Spoon the sauce over the fox and vegetables. Serve with the boiled potatoes.

[bishbosh]

Oh no! Trev has just ensured that this thread now becomes the longest in Internet history!!!!!!!

Where's the original thread gone to anyhow...?

Edited to add - Google finds it but the link is duff

[geoffbeaumont]

Where's the original thread gone to anyhow...?

Edited to add - Google finds it but the link is duff

I would imagine it's on LRA somewhere.

[Jen]

Bananas slit down the inside (not right through, and not peeled), with chocolate pushed into the middle - smarties is traditional, but dairy milk or anything like that works well - then wrapped in foil and baked on the embers. Another old scout favourite

Oh, how could I forget that - and now an old 'scout leader' favourite - add a shot or two of your favourite spirt before cooking ... mmmmm... B)

[AndyC]

whats a vegie?

It's the stuff that food eats.

[GBMUD]

Oh, how could I forget that - and now an old 'scout leader' favourite - add a shot or two of your favourite spirt before cooking ... mmmmm... B)

Banana, brown sugar and rum, wrapped in foil in the fire. Yuummmmeeee!

Chris

[bishbosh]

It's the stuff that food eats.

[gelf]

springbok or bison steaks for me....... just show them the BBq for a couple of minutes then enjoy

[Steve King]

Fresh roadkill pheasant is very good or so I am told!

[Troddenmasses]

Squirrel BBQ is rather nice, but those red ones are quite small and fast, so you need to either be a really good shot with the .22, or use a 12 bore high capacity smooth bored gun (8 shot pump action shotgun is my normal). Put a few shots onto the tree trunk, and the little buggers will all come running out. Then it is simply a case of dispatching however you need for the recipe. You will need:

~ 4-5 squirrels, cut into serving pieces

~ Original Allegro marinade

~ garlic powder

~ salt

~ pepper

~ your favorite bbq sauce

~ foil

Place meat in a large ziplock bag and cover with the marinade. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. Overnight is better.

Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil. Make the foil big enough so you can fold over the top and seal.

Place the meat on the foil and season with garlic powder, salt, pepper and seasoning.

Wrap the foil over the top and seal. Bake for 2 hours at 350 degrees, or in an underground fire pit, if you are camping.

When squirrel is done, remove it from foil and place on grill. Baste with bbq sauce.

Grill over medium heat until sauce starts to get sticky. Do not overcook! you don't want the meat to get tough!

Remove from grill and serve with your favorite side dishes.

Easy and tasty...