When you go camping, you don't have to settle for roasting hot dogs on sticks or preparing some kind if freeze-dried astronaut meal. With a little preparation and creativity, you can use your campfire to cook regular meals that taste great and give you the energy you need to enjoy the outdoors.
Setup
First, set up your grill. Find two rocks that are big and level enough to support the grill about 6 inches from the ground. Put rocks under three sides of the grill, and leave one side open so that the fire can breathe. Make sure the grill is solid and level by putting a pot of water on the grill and shifting it around. If the grill is not fairly level, one side will cook much hotter than the other.
Boiling Water
Many dinners start with boiling water. For some meals, like couscous or ramen noodles, you only need to bring the water to a boil. But other meals, like pasta, require a sustained cooking period. In order to keep water boiling for an extended time, separate your firewood into kindling, twigs, sticks as wide as your pinky, and sticks as wide as your thumb. Remove the grill from the rock foundation, and build the fire. Once the fire is ready, put the grill back, put the pot of water on the grill, and continue to feed the fire as the water boils.
Couscous
Couscous is extremely light to carry. The grains swell up many times their size and also retain all the water used for cooking. Couscous alone is very plain, but you can spice it up by adding tomato paste, garlic, onions, basil, chili powder, cheese powder, or anything you can mix in. Complement the dish with corn tortillas heated on the grill.
Pasta with Tomato Sauce
Set up the grill and put on the water. Heat until water is at a rolling boil, and then add the pasta. Corkscrew pasta or penne work best. Boil for half the time suggested on the package, and then remove the pot. Cover the pot, and let sit while the tomato sauce cooks. In a metal cup, heat up oil and saute onions or garlic. Pour in some water from the pasta pot, and add a can of tomato paste for every four people. Season with a tablespoon of basil, sugar, and ½ tablespoon of crushed red peppers. Heat up to a boil and push off to the side or wherever the heat is less severe. Simmer for 10 minutes and add to the strained pasta.
Meats
Precooked meats offer protein as well as a welcome change from mainly vegetarian meals. Summer sausage is a staple for campers, but Spam can work just as well. To cook, first set up the grill using less wood than you use to boil water. Cut the Spam or summer sausage a little less than an inch thick, and put the slices on the grill. Flip them often, so they don't burn. Summer sausage especially has a bad taste when burnt. Meanwhile, cut up a small onion, some garlic, and just about any vegetable you want. Place vegetables on a length of tinfoil, enough to wrap around the vegetables. Drizzle with oil and a tablespoon of basil. Place the foil pouch near or on the coals, and let heat for 10 to 25 minutes. Serve the meat and vegetables with and corn tortillas heated on the grill.
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