Going camping? The four best campfire recipes

If you’re heading off on a campervan or camping trip this summer, these recipes are designed to maximise space, cleverly use leftovers, and cook delicious and hearty food while cooking in the outdoors — our favourite way to cook. No fuss, just tasty, simple cooking, and all the ingredients can be found in most supermarkets.

The recipes make enough for two people, but they are all really easy to increase if necessary. We have tried to give quantities in amounts you can easily measure, such as cups or handfuls, as we know you’re unlikely to have a set of measuring scales in a tent or a campervan, but for most recipes the quantities are really for guidance only and can be adjusted to suit your taste.

One-pot Mexican breakfast with poached eggs

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4-inch (10-cm) piece of chorizo, sliced
• ½ red onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• ½ x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• ½ x 400g can of beans of your choice (or 1 x 225-g can)
• 1 tablespoon fajita spice mix
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper (chilli) flakes
• 4 eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

• Crème fraîche (or sour cream)
• Fresh chilli, sliced
• Coriander, to garnish
• Grated cheese
• Crusty bread or wraps

Method

1. Put a pan on the heat but don’t add any oil. Once hot, add the chorizo and fry until the oil starts to be released. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic. Fry for 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato purée, and the beans (juices and all), then add the spice mix and red pepper (chilli) flakes, and season. Simmer for 5–10 minutes to let the flavours develop.
3. When you are ready to eat, make four wells in the sauce and crack the eggs straight into them. Cover with a lid and cook for 4–5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked through.
4. Serve straight away with a spoonful of crème fraîche and some sliced fresh chilli if you like it spicy! We also love to add a handful of fresh coriander and a sprinkle of grated cheese to finish. You can eat this dish with a slice of good crusty bread, tortilla wraps, or just by itself.

Satay chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 heaped tablespoons peanut butter
• ½ x 400g can of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Olive oil
• ½ onion, roughly chopped
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 bell pepper (a variety of colors is nice, but half a pepper per person will do), chopped
• 1 cup (200g) rice
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 fresh chilli, chopped, to serve
• 1 tablespoon freshly chopped coriander, to serve

Method

1. To make the satay sauce, place the peanut butter and coconut milk in a non-stick saucepan over a low heat. Keep stirring the mixture until the peanut butter has melted. Be careful not to burn it! Once melted, add the sweet chili and soy sauces to the mixture, stir, then take off the heat and transfer the sauce to a bowl. Wipe out the pan.
2. Put your saucepan back on a medium-high heat and add a splash of oil. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Then add the chicken and the garlic to the onions. Keep stirring so they don’t catch and cook over a high heat until the chicken has browned on all sides, then add the chopped pepper.
3. Boil your kettle and cook the rice according to the packet instructions.
4. Add the satay sauce you made earlier to the chicken and veg and turn the heat right down. Season to taste. Cook the mixture with a lid on for 10–15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. By the time the rice is cooked, the chicken should be ready.
5. Drain the rice and season the satay sauce to taste. Serve on a bed of rice (or noodles are good, too) and garnish with fresh chilli and coriander.

Pasta bolognese and chilli con carne

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 500g minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 bell pepper, finely chopped
• Handful of mushrooms, chopped
• 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato purée
• 1 tablespoon mixed dried herbs
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1½–2 cups (200g) pasta
• Grated cheese, to serve

To make into chilli

• 1 x 400-g can of beans (kidney beans or your choice), drained
• 1–2 tablespoons fajita spice mix
• 1 teaspoon hot red pepper (chilli) flakes
• 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
• Crème fraîche and grated cheese, to serve

Method

1. Add the beef to a non-stick pan and fry over a medium-high heat until brown, breaking up the meat into small pieces. Add the onion and the garlic and fry for a few more minutes, then add the pepper and mushrooms.
2. Fry for about 5 minutes or until the veg is soft, then add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste (purée). Add the mixed herbs and balsamic vinegar, season to taste, and stir well. Turn down the heat to a simmer, and cook for at least 30 minutes with a lid on. The longer you leave it, the tastier it will be! Keep stirring occasionally to stop it from sticking and burning.
3. While you’re waiting, boil the kettle and cook your pasta in a pan of water, following the packet instructions.

When you’re ready to eat, serve over pasta with a good handful of grated cheese sprinkled on top.

Chilli for the next day

The bolognese recipe should make enough for you to turn the leftovers into a delicious spicy chilli for the next day. All you need to do is heat up the leftover mixture in your non-stick pan. Add one can of beans (kidney beans are traditional, but any can of beans will work) and the fajita spice mix. Add the teaspoon of red pepper (chilli) flakes (or more if you like spice!) and the diced red chilli. Cook for about 10–15 minutes to let all the new flavours develop. Serve on a bed of rice, topped with crème fraîche and a handful of grated cheese. Or it’s also great in wraps with salsa.

Banh Mi Baguette

Ingredients

• 4 pork sausages
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon ginger paste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons runny honey

For the quick pickled cucumber:

• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4-inch (10-cm) piece of cucumber, sliced into thin rounds

Method

1. To make the quick pickled cucumber, just mix the rice vinegar, sugar and sesame oil in a small bowl. Add your cucumber slices and leave to pickle. It will work even if you make them just before you start to cook your sausages, but the longer you leave them, the sharper and more pickled (and more tasty!) they will become.
2. Heat a non-stick pan on a medium to high heat. Skin the sausages and take out the meat. The easiest way to do this, is to cut through the skin along the sausage lengthways. It should then pull back easily.
3. Break the sausage meat into large chunks and add to the pan. As it starts to brown, break the chunks into smaller and smaller pieces so you are left with little sausage nuggets.
4. Once the sausage meat is browned all over, add the garlic and the ginger paste and cook for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat slightly and add the soy sauce and the honey.

Recipes extracted from The Clever Camper Cookbook by Megan Winter-Barker and Simon Fielding (out now, Cico Books)

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