When you’re paddling you need to fuel your fun. Campfire dinners don’t need to be an impossibly orange blob of dehydrated mac and cheese or a gloopy “just add water” mystery dinner. Enjoy these delicious campfire meals that make memories and taste so much better when enjoyed with friends.
Campfire Dinners For Hungry Paddlers
Easy Peasy Pizza
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 1 pepperoni (sliced)
- 4 cups cheese (grated)
- 4 tsp dried oregano
- Aluminum foil
Set aside about 2 tbsp of the flour. Then mix the remaining flour, baking powder, salt and olive oil with enough water to form a stiff dough.
Sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of flour on the outside of the dough and your hands so that you can knead it. After kneading, divide the dough in two and flatten it onto the foil.
Spread the pasta sauce over the dough. Add chopped onion and sliced pepperoni and top with grated cheese and oregano. Fold the foil up and tent it over the pizza so that the cheese doesn’t stick to it.
Bake on the coals for 15–20 minutes or until cheese is melted.
Easy Peasy Pizza Tips
- Omit the pepperoni for a vegetarian option and add mushrooms, peppers, capers or any other vegetable you like on pizza.
- You can substitute the tomato pasta sauce for sliced tomatoes or a pesto sauce.
- If you are making pizza after day two on your trip, omit the cheese.
- Don’t feel like making dough? Use flatbreads instead.
- I put the pizza on a grill if I have it and put a pot over the top to get a crispy crust and melted cheese.
Sticky Pork Chops
- 6 pork chops
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup olive oil
- 2 tsp chopped rosemary
- 3 tsp honey
- 3 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp chutney
Combine ingredients in a sealable plastic bag and leave for a couple of hours. Place chops on the grill and cook over hot coals. Leave the marinade in the bag and drizzle it over the meat while it cooks.
Sticky Pork Chop Tips
- Use dried rosemary if you don’t have fresh.
- Substitute apricot jam or maple syrup for the chutney.
Navajo Fry Bread
Fry bread is a different way to cook bannock that gives you, our intrepid happy camper, the perfect vehicle for just about anything. Fill them with leftovers or use them to make tacos, breakfast burritos, burgers or hot dogs. You can even eat them as dessert with a little cinnamon and sugar.
Mix the dry ingredients and keep it in a sealable bag. Just add the oil and water when you are ready for a campfire dinner feast.
- 4 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp oil
- 1 cup warm water
- Oil for frying
Mix dry ingredients. Add oil and enough water to form a firm dough that doesn’t stick to the hands. Leave to rest for 30 minutes.
Divide into six portions and flatten with the palm of your hand to form discs. Poke a hole in the center to allow the oil to bubble through.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium fire. Drop the fry bread in and cook for 2 minutes or until the edges turn brown. Turn over and fry for another two minutes.
Save yourself from dehydrated dinners with these fun and easy campfire recipes. | Feature photo: Nikki Fotheringham
