Smithy

The wind died after we'd decided not to have a campfire, so we simply sat outside and watched the stars, and counted more than a dozen satellites. Dinner afterward was our "Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad": boiled eggs, cut and boiled potatoes, a box of Greenland Egyptian feta cheese, freshly ground cumin. Mix, and serve hot. When my darling was researching the Eastern Egyptian Desert and documenting Pharoanic inscriptions, he was often accompanied only by a driver and a guide, two Bedouins from the Red Sea side of the area. It was the driver's job to drive them all to a designated wadi, set up camp, take care of meals, and break camp; the guide, a lovely old man with a wealth of knowledge, kept them on track from one location to the next. They often stayed in one location for a couple of days while DH walked and surveyed and documented, then they'd break camp and move to the next location. Some days got to be entirely too long from the crew's point of view. My darling finally made the connection: if, at the end of the day, dinner was tea, boiled eggs, boiled potatoes (always peeled but never cut, so they were raw in the interior) and Egyptian feta cheese, he'd worked the crew too hard. Nonetheless this is a smashingly good flavor combination, particularly if the potatoes are cut into smaller chunks so they cook evenly. There's no need to peel. We like to mix the lot together, serve with freshly ground cumin, and accompany it with some beverage other than tea. In honor of drivers Selim and his occasional replacement Hussein, and guide Haj Tofiiq (bless his memory and soul), we call it Bedouin Fatigue Potato Salad. (Don't look at the wine glass, rotuts. )

I'm using insider information here, of course, but here are the things I'd list: 1. The essays. This isn't just a series of recipes; it also has thoughtful essays and funny stories. It's a good read. 2. The accessibility of the recipes. There are some recipes that I may never try - for instance, I love the idea of Modernist cookery but haven't taken any steps toward trying spherification myself - but there are many, many recipes that look like something I'd enjoy making and eating. Furthermore, the steps are spelled out clearly enough that anyone should be able to understand them. I've never tried confection making, but if I wished to I believe your instructions could get me started. 3. The interesting combination of new ingredients with familiar techniques and familiar ingredients with new techniques. I haven't tried salt-curing yolks yet, but it's on my list for this year. 4. It's going to be pretty. Full disclosure here: I do not have a financial interest in this book or this conversation! However, after seeing the manuscript I very much want to see it published.

There's a watering hole within a mile of here, and we have a running discussion about whether the tracks we're seeing are from deer or javelina. Both are around in scarce numbers, but in the soft sand it can be difficult to distinguish their tracks. Since neither of us has the patience to sit for hours or days and watch the spot, we'll probably have to agree to disagree. I remember those Golden Nature guides; in fact, my first bird book - still in use at home - is a Golden Guide.

Another venerable piece of camping gear that I inherited is Papa's Pan. Papa's Pan hung in my grandparents' kitchen for decades, and I grew up hearing it called an omelet pan although I don't recall seeing it put to use. My father inherited it, and only later did I learn that it had been part of his family's camping gear - both when he was a child and the family camped together, and later when he and his father ("Papa" to me) camped on hunting or fishing trips. Fish, potatoes, eggs all were cooked in that pan over a fire if they didn't have a stove along, and I now put it to the same use. Instead of continuing to call it "Nana's omelet pan", I dubbed it "Papa's Pan". Dad enjoyed knowing that it was back in action for a third generation. Last night was my first attempt at something along the lines of Potatoes Anna over a campfire in Papa's Pan. The idea was to get a good browned crust on one side, flip the pan and get a good browned crust on the other. Along with Potatoes Papa (should I call them Papas Papa?) were brussels sprouts in the skillet and - not shown over the fire - two salmon fillets in the grill basket. The salmon had been brushed with a sauce I made of boiled-down minneola juice, honey, and butter; the brushed salmon was seasoned with mesquite flour and a touch of white pepper. The remaining sauce was reserved for serving. Results: the Papas Papa didn't hold together properly, perhaps because I had 2 layers of potatoes, perhaps because I had the wrong ratio of cream and butter to potatoes, perhaps because I flipped it too soon. The flavor was excellent, however, and this was the perfect serving for 2 people. The fish was tasty - I'll do that sauce again as long as I still have citrus - but overdone by too much time over the fire. I was sorry to dry out some of that lovely salmon given to us from our friends' Alaskan fishing trip. Back to Papa's Pan for one more story: Dad told me that after one particular fishing and camping trip that he and his father had been on, they arrived back home. Nana promptly took over the cooking gear and, thinking she was doing them a favor, cleaned it all. She proudly showed Papa the newly-cleaned pan: "Look!" she said, "It's good as new!" Papa was furious: all that time building up a good coat of soot, and she'd ruined it!

I mentioned earlier that our breakfast is usually the same every day. I've been doing a slight change-up lately: Over on the eG Cook-off: Citrus Fruits topic I described making citrus gelatin and using it to help preserve fruit salad. It works for me, but my darling insists on keeping some fruit salad out of the mix for his breakfast. His cereal bounces otherwise.

My parents began our camping career with a two-burner model. I don't remember whether they upgraded to a 3-burner model because the old one was stolen, or they decided they needed a bigger one, but the above-pictured Coleman stove is that one. My sister took it when our parents began downsizing, and later gave it to me. I highly recommend that you fish that stove out, gfweb. Ours has done yeoman's duty, not only on camping trips but when our kitchen was being remodeled. Neither my sister nor I took the old Coleman lantern when our parents downsized. I rather regret that decision now. At the time, she didn't think she needed it and my darling didn't want to mess with those mantles. We suffered along with a rechargeable electric version for several years, until I finally decided I'd had enough of impossibly dim light. Our new lantern is a Coleman propane-fired two-mantle lantern. It puts out plenty of light and seems only to sip at fuel: we're still on the original 1-lb propane bottle after 2 years. I'm happy to report, rotuts, that Coleman now makes easy-on mantles with clips to maneuver them in place instead of those little string ties. This new version has a slight hiss - reminiscent of the long-gone original, but not so loud. I remember during my teen years staying up far late into the night after others had gone to bed, reading to that hissing and fizzing. The wind came up in the night and promises to be blowing for several days. Looks like I'll be cooking inside tonight.

It's too darned hot to cook inside the trailer now, and the camp stove has been set up. Last night it was a "must-go" stir fry of shrimp, brussels sprouts, broccoli and peppers over rice. Bacon ends and pieces provided much of the fat. The sauce was a bottled "Classic Stir Fry Sauce" from Stonewall Kitchens. (I've used up another item from the pantry! ) I know it isn't difficult to make stir fry sauce, but sometimes I'm so busy fumbling around that the sauce takes as much time as the stir fry itself. I've kept the ingredient list so I'll have something to try to replicate.

In our younger and more energetic days, my friends and I set aside one long weekend in January or February for a winter camping expedition into the back woods of northeastern Minnesota. We'd use my house as a base camp from which to launch - up to 18 people in the group - and some would have come earlier in the week so we could get in some river skiing. Come launch day, we'd drive about 2 hours to the parking area, then ski or snowshoe 3 miles or so into our intended camping area. The culinary experimentation in camp was marvelous, but the most memorable weekend was the year that we first had heard of deep-frying a turkey. One person skiied in towing a sled with a turkey fryer, 5 gallons of oil and a turkey - seasoned and trussed in chicken wire at my house. (His buddy carried their camping gear.) The next night, after a good long day of cross-country skiing up one hill and down another, the fryer and oil were set up at a respectable distance from the bonfire, and the cooking began. That meal stands out as one of the best of my life. The turkey was moist on the inside - all of it - no dried-out breast meat - and crackly on the outside. No doubt the exercise, fresh air and extreme cold contributed to our appreciation. When all was done - and there were no leftovers - the oil heated our bonfire with an impressive flame that helped us all go to bed warm. Those are happy memories, but I'm just as glad now to be doing my outdoor cooking when the temperature is above zero (C and F).

In addition to being quick, that looks like a good hot-weather meal, Anna. Not that 'hot weather' applies in your area at the moment, but it'll come in handy later.

dcarch, what sort of citrus did you use as garnish? They don't look like kumquats but they seem to be about the same size...unless those wings are from condor-sized chickens.

That's one of my favorite salads. Thanks, David.

I'd help you with those rejects if I were close enough. In fact, I might insist that your standards were too low and you needed to define them all as rejects.

I'd never heard of chicken karaage before, Anna. Now that I've seen your photo and looked it up, I think I'll have to try it.

Last night featured a glorious howlelujah chorus, if you will: the coyotes greeted the moon (and perhaps, later, my music) with yips and singing. They couldn't have been more than half a mile away. We spent part of the day trying to find their hangout, to no avail, although our nearest trailer neighbors are convinced they were close by. Afterward, we trekked to town to replenish on water, propane and groceries. Our preferred grocery store in Yuma carries excellent local produce as well as the more standard remote stuff. Once again my optimism overcame my good sense, and we came home with more food than we should have. The result? Campfire grilled chicken-and-vegetable salad. My darling is fond of one-pot meals. I can point to tonight's wreckage and note, with pride, that this is a one-pot meal...even though it involved 10 prep containers. If anyone's interested, here's a photo of our staging table: No howlelujah chorus tonight, but the stars were bright until the moon rose and the fire was lit; after that, the night was still delicious.

Please add my condolences to the others'. It's good that she could have the company of loving friends and family to the end, and comforting that those friends and family could share cheer with her.

Welcome, Tea-Lover. Tell us more about yourself?

While much of the country is experiencing blizzards and severe cold, we've been enjoying sunshine - and, finally, evenings warm enough to cook over a campfire. After a few fits and starts, we've got the setup tuned: a campfire ring big enough for a healthy fire, small enough to support a cooking grate. We forgot to pack our usual grate for this trip. However, since we had to scrap our oven/stove at the beginning of the year, we kept its stovetop grate and oven rack. The stovetop grate is perfect for our purposes. The oven rack is too big to fit in our new oven! The fire ring has a break in front for adding wood as needed. Our usual view while we're cooking: Using the flash illuminates a little of the pot's contents: We're still working out how much oil, how hot a fire, how frequently to turn potatoes or fish to get them just right. One of us is pleased with the results because There Is No Such Thing As Bad Fried Food. The other is more put out when it isn't gotten right, but grateful that the smell and spatter stay outside. A few of our campfire meals: There's also a grill basket that can be used to hold burgers or, a couple of nights ago, chicken thighs. We're still using the stove and oven inside, for baking bread and cooking vegetables: We have a camp stove and will probably break it out before too long for the stovetop items. I suspect the vegetables could also be done over the campfire, but wish to get one technique "dialed in" at a time. Two nights ago we were treated to this: ...and, turning around, we had this:

I flinched when I saw it was on a Yahoo! site and had a title that began with "57 things..." So many of those articles turn into clickbait slide shows, and I just don't have that much patience. This article, from Epicurious, was succinct and short. I think it has a lot of good tips, although there are bound to be disagreements about some of them. For instance, I *like* my salad spinner, thankyouverymuch. :-)

I look at the beautiful desserts and gorgeously-done dinners, and then I look at my photos. Some of you may think this is going from the sublime to the ridiculous: Citrus and fruit-salad gelatin! Ingredients: 1 box (4 envelopes) of Knox gelatin, 1-1/2 c Minneola tangelo juice to be brought to the boil; 1/2 c Navel orange juice to be kept cool; fruit salad of raspberries, strawberries, Navel orange slices, Mandarin orange slices, grapes, pomegranate seeds and one lonely persimmon. Bring the tangelo juice to the boil, and allow it to cool slightly. Sprinkle the gelatin over the orange juice and allow it to bloom for 2 minutes. Pour the tangelo juice into the gelatin/orange juice mixture and stir until the gelatin dissolves, add the fruit salad, mix, and pour into a mold to set. In this case the mold was a simple 6-cup Gladware plastic container. I put plastic wrap on the surface to keep the fruit submerged until the gelatin set. This is a very flexible treatment, and a good way to keep delicate fruits like raspberries longer than they would normally keep in the refrigerator. The only items that can't go into the fruit salad are fruits that interfere with the gelling process: raw pineapple, for instance. As for the juice: any juice can be used, but I get the best results if I minimize heat to the orange juice. Navel orange juice has an enzyme that turns it bitter fairly quickly if allowed to sit out, and I've had it turn bitter with heating. Harold McGee says that the enzyme is deactivated with heat, but I haven't found the temperature. (This is, incidentally, a reason that most orange juice comes from Valencia oranges, which do not contain the enzyme.) The juice can be thinned with water, or not. It could, of course, be dolled up with a prettier mold, a precise arrangement of the fruit, perhaps even a garnish. Right now, I'm taking the low road.

Thanks, Okanagancook, for that post. (What you consider a crappy photo is something I'd be proud to manage. :-D) I love chermoula, and with lamb loin that sounds like a great combination. I'm behind on my magazines, but I'll be sure to look into this issue.

I don't like frying things in canola oil, because it invariably develops (to my senses) a fishy note...maybe not so bad with fish, but definitely off with red meat or with chicken. Others here have noted the same thing, whereas other people don't notice a change. Try using a different oil...safflower or sunflower, or grapeseed if you can get it. They're all neutral oils with high smoke points.

Welcome, georgetollman! You're sure to get good advice from people like jmacnaughton, above, and he's right that you'll get better guidance if you tell people what you already know you like. You may also find this eGullet Culinary Institute (eGCI) course on Evaluating Wine useful. I did.

That looks tasty, ElsieD. Please tell more about it?

Those are funny. I didn't guess a single title, but I liked them. Planet of the Aprons, indeed!

Minneola tangelo (Scroll about 2/3 of the way down the page.) Jim, that looks and sounds wonderful! You should post more information on the Citrus cook-off topic. :-)