Recipe's for Boondocking

[blmkid]

Did not want to limit "Recipe's for.." any certain group. As in , Vanners, RVer's, etc...Just like Bob's open invite to RTR, "..all are welcome"..

I'm hoping jimindenver will share his expertise, and also other's using solar oven's. Dutch oven cooking is also a talent that should be recognized, and hopefully shared to the forum.
Let's not forget those hardcore cast iron skillet chef's.

In the Spirit of RTR. " May it.....



Live Long and Prosper.."

 

[jimindenver]

This is called dry curry (fill in the blank)

Cube up your beef/chicken/pork and veggies that you want in the curry dish. Generously coat with curry powder while stirring and then again with coconut cream powder. Place in a 3 quart graniteware roaster, There are no measurements, just prepare enough food to feed who you want to and use enough powder to coat. Cooking times in a solar oven vary on the oven and amount of food but enough for 3-4 takes 2-3 hours in a solar oven, longer in a solar cooker. Enough for one should be checked after 45 minutes to a hour.

The reason I can get away with not adding water or using coconut cream is because solar ovens are sealed so you loose no moisture. The meat and vegies come out moist, tender and green since I use green curry powder from Walmart at $3.69 a jar. It isn't a very hot curry and a sprinkle after cooking really wakes it up.

Should it cloud up before the meal is ready, add some water, stir and you can cook it on the stove at a slow simmer or in the oven at 300* for a few hours. Less for the individual meal.

You can also do a wet curry by mixing the curry and cream powders with water before adding to the pot. You could always use coconut cream too. Wet or dry it is great served over rice. Costco has a decent curry powder too.

Most of my meals are like this, basic and inexpensive.

 

[jimindenver]

This one is dump can Pazole.

Like above this can be made on the stove instead of a solar oven but the process is different.

Peel and dice a large onion. Cube your chicken/pork/ beef and add to the onion. Drain and add one small can of diced green chilis and a can of diced jalapenos if you like it hotter. Ad spices are garlic, salt, oregano, cilantro and some red chili powder to taste. In the stove top version you would be browning this all together. In the solar oven you just mix it up.

To this add one large can of stewed, diced tomatoes liquid and all plus a large can of hominy drained. Stir, cover and place in a preheated solar oven for three hours or add water to cover and simmer for three hours on the stove. It is usually served with tortillas, diced onion, oregano, lime and red chilli flakes. If it is too hot some sour cream on a tortilla will calm your mouth down. Milk will to.

 

[duckwonder]

Sounds really good.  Here's one for the dutch oven pot, cast-iron is best, on a propane stove (and enough propane for about 6 hours)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, Serves 6

8 chicken tenders or 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 packages sausage
The Trinity - 1 large onion, 1 package celery, 1 green pepper, all chopped
Fresh Garlic or Minced Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Canola or Safflower Oil
Flour
Italian spices
Cayenne Pepper
Sea Salt
Fresh ground black pepper
White pepper
a whisk & flat edge wooden spoon

First you make a roux:
Pour enough canola or safflower oil to coat the bottom of the pot well and add a little extra, let that warm up
Whisk in enough flower to give you a basic match with the amount of oil (ratio should be about 1:1)
Use the wooden spoon to scrape the mixture constantly for about 45 min to an hour, not allowing the flour to burn.  If the flour burns, start all over.  This part is labor intensive.
The roux should become golden brown then a dark rich brown, turn off the stove and let it sit or "rest" as we say for about 15 min to an hour.
(continued in next post)

 

[John61CT]

Curry IMO should be over rice, or wrapped in pita or soft flour tortilla, crepe or omelette. With potato too.

Getting the component spices and mixing up yourself is a **lot** tastier is lots of fun, little electric grinder or re-use a throwaway peppermill. The Thais in my tribe insist on carrying a stone mortar & pestle

Canned fruit on the side is great with spicy.

Leave some for after and there's your dessert.

Fruit smoothie, with or without yogurt, if you've got a blender

Yogurt on its own too.

 

[duckwonder]

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (continued)

Scrape the roux into a bowl and set aside to rest, then once cleaned/rinsed, use the same pot to do the veggies.
Coat bottom of pot with extra virgin olive oil.  Let it heat up until a drop of water will sizzle or snap in it.
Add garlic and stir for a couple minutes, reduce heat to low/med
Add chopped veggies
When onions look more clear/translucent, veggies are ready.  Turn off the heat.
Add in the roux.  Stir and let that sit about 15 minutes.
Add chicken broth or water to the roux and veggies, a little at a time, and raise heat to medium high
Add spices to taste, reduce heat to low
Stir the pot and skim fat that rises to the top about every half hour.
After about 2 hours, increase heat to medium 
Add grilled chicken and sausage (assuming that you've grilled that separately)
Stir occasionally and allow it all to cook down about another hour or 2 on low, partially cover the pot to keep some moisture in.
Serve over long-grain rice (assuming you did the rice separately)
Serve with french bread or bread of your choice.

 

[jimindenver]

I wish dutch ovens were not so heavy. Almost all of my cookware is thin for use in the solar oven. I do have a Visions oval roaster in storage that might do but I have no idea where to keep it.

John, I love cooking from scratch and at home had a two door cabinet for nothing but spices. Out here I have a little box dedicated to basic spices and it is over flowing. I miss the spices, my stand mixer, my choppers, blender, pressure cookers. etc. I just do not have the room for it all.

 

[John61CT]

Yes, can't take it all with you. Having a "base" you can visit. . .

Instead of jars tiny ziplocs help.

Grinding and mixing in advance is a compromise, but just enough for a couple months, not too bad.

But some people do have bigger rigs.

 

[Almost There]

Out here I have a little box dedicated to basic spices and it is over flowing. I miss the spices, my stand mixer, my choppers, blender, pressure cookers. etc. I just do not have the room for it all.

You're always welcome to borrow from my spice cabinet Jim.

One whole drawer in my pantry was designed and built for nothing but my spices. There's barely enough room in there for my vinegar and oil assortments too...

Never had a stand mixer or a pressure cooker but I have my chopper and my immersion blender on board!

Which reminds me, I need to do an inventory so I can go buy at the bulk barn store before I cross the border.

 

[duckwonder]

I wish dutch ovens were not so heavy. 

Me too, it's too heavy for van life, I had to nix it.  I'm sad about it.  Got a different pot that is lighter weight that should be ok on propane but won't transfer to a campfire or charcoal grate like the cast-iron.  Will see how it goes if I make it to Havasu.  Will test it out.

 

[mert6706]

Which reminds me, I need to do an inventory so I can go buy at the bulk barn store before I cross the border.

What is the bulk barn store and where, please? Thanks

 

[Almost There]

Fortunately for me it's here in Canada.

Unfortunately, there are no Bulk Barn stores in the US.

Here's the link

http://www.bulkbarn.ca/en/Home

It and Swiss Chalet chicken are about the only two things I miss when I'm stateside so I stock up on Swiss Chalet dipping sauce mix and all things bulk...

It's just like it's name...nothing but products in bulk except for a few packaged specialty items. Products range from candy to spices to all the flour, soup mix bases, pasta, dried fruits, jams, peanut butter, more candy, you  name it. No fresh fruit or meat but if you used TVP you could live off their products.

 

[ColdBrook]

 I miss the spices, my stand mixer, my choppers, blender, pressure cookers. etc. I just do not have the room for it all.

Those tools are all the items I am struggling with needing to leave at home.....sniff.

 

[jimindenver]

It sucks and I have a big ass trailer and a SUV to hold it all too. I remind myself that stand mixers and big pots are for cooking for lots of people, not just one.

 

[jaxtonsgram]

Bulk spices-food. The Amish in mi and  and probably elsewhere have some bulk food stores. You can buy as much or as little as you need. Nora

 

[John61CT]

Great site for creative cheap eats

https://www.budgetbytes.com

 

[Dingfelder]

John, I love cooking from scratch and at home had a two door cabinet for nothing but spices. Out here I have a little box dedicated to basic spices and it is over flowing. I miss the spices, my stand mixer, my choppers, blender, pressure cookers. etc. I just do not have the room for it all.

I know the feeling.  I really miss my bread maker and huge slow cooker.  

Re spices, I put mine in lightweight round magnetic tins I stick to the top of the microwave.  Above that row of tins is only wood, so no steel to stick more tins on, but I can just stack a second row of jars on top of the first and let gravity and friction keep them in place.  It was a good use of unused space.  Spice jars etc take up too much space on countertops and are too clumsy in cabinets for my situation these days.

I got some cheap steel cookie sheets that I will probably use velcro or strong magnets on to stick them to an outer cabinet wall, and use that as a dedicated spice jar place.  I need to cut the sheets to size first.  I checked the magnetism of the sheets and spice jars before buying them, so it should work.

 

[Dingfelder]

It sucks and I have a big ass trailer and a SUV to hold it all too. I remind myself that stand mixers and big pots are for cooking for lots of people, not just one.

Most bread recipes seem to launch right into telling you what to do with your stand mixer, or maybe that's just what it seems like to me because I don't have one!  I've always wanted one though ... what a time-saver and arm-saver.

 

[highdesertranger]

here's my go to bread recipe for a Dutch oven,

https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/no-knead-dutch-oven-bread-recipe-zmaz07djzgoe

don't knead no stinking blender. see what I did there. highdesertranger

 

[John61CT]

Wow, Mother Earth News, now that's a blast from the past.

The Last Whole Earth Catalog changed my life back in the day, when you had to wait for "the internet" to arrive in your mailbox.

Often old ways are the best, as with bread, but not in getting research and learning done. Well books and face to face learning are still great, just not when they're the only way