Wednesday 24 April 2013

Camping Recipes


The sun is finally shining over the UK, even treating the grey sky of Birmingham to a glimpse of summer.

Any self respecting camper will already be planning a trip this weekend, as its not very often this weather lasts in the UK.

We’ll certainly be kidding ourselves that the weather is a lot nice then it actually is, enduring the cool breeze on our bare legs simply because the sun is out, so we’re sure you’ll be too.

If you’ve already started packing your best shorts and Hawaiian shirts for a long weekend in Kings Lynn, then you may want to start thinking about summery foods to add an extra element to your experience.

Salads get a bit of bad press amongst campers, many families opting for bacon sandwiches over a freshly tossed plate of crunchy salad.

There really is no need to abolish salad from your holiday diet. It’s cheap, easy, only requires a fridge or cool box to store it and it’s also the perfect compliment to the total meat festival you often encounter on campsites, especially if somebody’s brought along a BBQ.

As a keen camper, you’ve probably got a hob and sink combi or some form of stove equivalent, so we’ve got a robust salad that will sit as a stand alone meal and certainly fill you and your family up as well as being tasty and healthy.

The beauty of owning a hob in your camper is that it allows you add the most filling components of a good salad, such as pasta, rice and cooked meat; so here goes…


Beef Salad

2 sirloin steaks

300g fusili pasta

5 tbsp of red wine

1 shallot

Olive oil

Sugar

1 tbsp of chopped parsley

Large bag of mixed salad leaves (we recommend bistro salad)

1 pack of cherry tomatoes

Marinated olives

Balsamic vinegar

Bag of fresh spinach leaves

Parmesan cheese shavings


First up, you need to marinade the beef. This can take between 1 and 2 hours, so try and remember to do this early on in the day.

Simply add the 2 sirloin steaks to a dish and add half a chopped shallot, the red wine, parsley, 6 tablespoons of olive oil and finish with a sprinkle of black pepper.

Next, boil the  fusili pasta until al dente. It’s times like these you will really start to appreciate your hob and sink combi, allowing to use the hob to cook the pasta and sink to drain. Once ready, simply leave to cool.

Grab a large bowl and add the mixed salad, spinach, olives, pasta and cherry tomatoes (we recommend you chop both the olives and tomatoes in two).

Last boring part. Finally chop the remaining half shallot and mix with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of sugar. 

Now for the fun bit. Heat a pan until smoking hot, remove the steaks from the marinade and place in the pan. Cook the meat to your liking unless you like it well done, in that case please stop reading this blog and become a vegetarian!

Finally, it’s time to add the all the elements together. Arrange the medley of mixed leaves, spinach, pasta, tomatoes and olives on plates, finely chop the steaks, pour over the dressing and sprinkle over parmesan.

As the salty olives, dressing, piping hot steaks and cheese infuse together and the smell engulfs your camper, we’re sure you’ll soon become a fan of salad: we certainly are! 


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