Color Contrasts Bento
I love the colors here, something about it is very striking. I bought a pan to try and master that rolled omelet.
Tamagoyaki
Peppers stuffed with …. cheese mixture?
Greens
Rice with Grape Tomato
Teeny Grapes
Maple Ice Cream with Bacon Bark
Maple Ice Cream with Bacon Bark
For the Maple Ice Cream:
2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons skim milk powder
1â…“ C. whole milk
¾ cup grade B maple syrup
2 C. heavy cream
3 egg yolks
For the Bacon Bark:
Butter for the baking sheet
1 pound bacon
14 tablespoons unsalted butter
2¼ C. organic cane sugar
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2½ teaspoons vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking soda
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
Make the maple ice cream: Prepare an ice bath in the sink or in a large heatproof bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, skim milk powder, and milk. Stir with a hand mixer or whisk until smooth. Make sure the skim milk powder is wholly dissolved into the mixture and that no lumps remain (any remaining sugar granules will dissolve over the heat). Stir in the maple syrup and cream. Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often with a rubber spatula and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking and burning, until the mixture reaches 110ºF (45ºC), 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. While whisking, slowly pour ½ cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Continue to whisk slowly until the mixture is an even color and consistency, then whisk the egg-yolk mixture back into the remaining milk mixture. Return the pan to the stovetop over medium heat and continue cooking the mixture, stirring often, until it reaches 165ºF, 5 to 10 minutes more. Transfer the pan to the prepared ice bath and let cool for 15 to20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour the ice cream base through a wire-mesh strainer into a storage container and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours, or until completely cool. Make the bacon bark: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Butter two 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. On one baking sheet, lay out the bacon strips in a single layer. Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup of the bacon grease from the pan and discard the rest or reserve it for another use. Let cool, then break the bacon into small pieces and set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, cane sugar, brown sugar, salt, reserved bacon grease, and ¼ cup water. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan and set the pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until just combined, then continue to cook without stirring until the mixture reaches 305ºF. Be very careful—the toffee will bubble up as it boils. It is very hot and will cause serious burns if it spatters on you. Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the heat, remove the thermometer, and add the vanilla. The vanilla might spatter when it hits the hot toffee, so be careful. Add the baking soda and whisk vigorously for a few seconds to combine. Then add the bacon pieces and fold into the toffee. Pour the toffee evenly onto the prepared baking sheet. Before the toffee cools, sprinkle the chocolate across the top. Wait a minute or two, then use a spatula to spread the now melted chocolate across the top of the toffee. Let cool completely, then refrigerate for 1 hour, until the toffee has hardened. Chop the toffee into bite-size pieces and set aside.  Transfer the cooled base to an ice cream maker and churn it according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container, folding in the pieces of bacon bark as you do.
Use as much of the bacon bark as you want; you won’t necessarily need the whole batch. Serve
immediately or harden in your freezer for 8 to 12 hours for a more scoopable ice cream.
Homemade Trail Bars
Homemade Trail Bars
1/4 lb. of seedless raisins
1/4 lb. dry figs
1/4 lb. dried apricots
1/4 lb. roasted and chopped peanuts or almonds
1 tsp lemon juice
honey (enough to give the right consistency)
This recipe can be made at home and stored for use on the trail. Grind the fruits in a food processor. Place fruit in large bowl and mix in lemon juice and nuts. Add enough honey to make a stiff dough. Form into bar-sized chunks. Wrap each chunk in aluminum foil.
Pizzetta for all Seasons
A pizzetta is a small pizza that can range in size as a finger food at around three inches in diameter to that of a small personal-sized pizza
Smoked Pork Loin with Blackberry Chutney
Smoked Pork Loin with Blackberry Chutney
Blackberry Chutney
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 jalapeños, finely diced (seeds removed for a milder chutney)
1 pound fresh blackberries
â…“ cup sugar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Pork Loin
1 (3 to 4-pound) boneless pork loin
3 tablespoons Grill Seasoning
2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
To make the chutney, heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion, ginger, and garlic and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the jalapeño and blackberries and cook for 4 minutes. Add the sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil, then decrease the heat and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll serve it hot here, but it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week and reheated for serving. Prepare a smoker to cook at 250°F with cherry wood. Rinse the pork loin and trim off the silverskin and excess fat. Sprinkle with the Grill Seasoning, slather with the mustard, and massage it into the loin. Place the loin in the smoker and cook for 2 hours or until the internal temperature registers 150°F on a meat thermometer. Remove from the smoker, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, slice into 1-inch chops and top each with a tablespoon of hot chutney.
Stuffed Green Peppers
When cooking with foil, make sure that the seams and folds you make are as airtight as possible so as to retain heat. This allows the food inside to cook faster in the same way a pressure cooker operates.
Stuffed Green Peppers
1/2 pound of hamburger
Salt and pepper
One egg
1/3 of cup of diced onion
4 green peppers
shredded cheese, optional
Scrape out the green peppers and wash thoroughly. Mix together the other ingredients and add salt and pepper (to taste). Stuff the mixture into the peppers and wrap each pepper in foil — again remembering to make good seals on the seams of the foil, where you have folded. Place the peppers on a bed of hot coals, and cook on each side for 12-15 minutes. open, top with cheese, if using, and close quickly and let sit a minute or two to melt cheese.
Note that you can change the filling, but if you use ground turkey, it might dry out before the peppers are tender. You can add cooked rice or beans, if available, to make more filling to serve a larger crowd.
Charro Beans
Charro Beans
2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed, approx. 4 C.) – ( home cooked beans are better but take a lot longer)
1/2 lb. bacon (approx. 7-8 slices)
4-5 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
3 chipotles in adobo (1 for my family! Or use jalapeno)
2 cloves garlic
2 C. stock (or water)
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
freshly cracked black pepper
Cilantro for garnish
Give the tomatoes a good rinse and roast them in the oven at 400F for approximately 20 minutes or until you need them.  Chop up the bacon into small pieces. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned (approx. 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the bacon pieces). Chop up a 1/2 onion and add it the bacon. I usually reduce heat to mediumish after the bacon is cooked. Let the onion cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Add 2 minced cloves of garlic and cook briefly, 30-60 seconds.  Add the roasted tomatoes to the pan (roughly chopping them up in the pan is fine). Also add: 2 cans pinto beans (drained and rinsed), 3 minced chipotles in adobo, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano (optional), 1/2 teaspoon salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and 2 C. of stock (or water).  Combine well and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced down a bit. Salt to taste. I added another generous pinch to this batch (so that is approx. 1 teaspoon total).  You can also add more heat at this point if you want a more fiery batch with adobo or jalapeno.  Serve immediately. Note that these beans are best served in some of the broth.  Alternatively, you can use part of the batch to make a bean puree. Simply add them to a blender or food processor and combine into a puree.  Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Sandwich Ideas
Horchata
Horchata
1 1/3 C. uncooked white long-grain rice
2 whole cinnamon sticks
4 C. water
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Ice
Ground cinnamon, for garnish
Combine the rice, cinnamon sticks, and 2 C. of the water in a blender. Blend until the rice and cinnamon sticks are roughly ground up (1 to 2 minutes). Add the 2 remaining C. of water and blend again. Let the rice mixture soak at room temperature at least 8 hours, or overnight.  Once the rice mixture has soaked for at least 8 hours, pour through a fine mesh strainer into a pitcher. Discard the rice and cinnamon stick solids and rinse the strainer well. Strain the mixture again one more time, just to make sure the horchata isn’t gritty.  Stir in the milk, vanilla, and sugar, then chill ready to serve. Serve over plenty of ice with a sprinkle of ground cinnamon on top.
Campfire Cooking Ideas
Many foods can be cooked without using traditional cooking utensils such as pots, pans, or Dutch ovens. Novelty cooking methods include cooking directly on coals or rocks, cooking food inside of food, cooking using green sticks, and cooking using only aluminum foil.
Possibilities include the use of an orange as your “potâ€. Slice an orange in half so that the stem end is not in the middle of your cooking vessel. Remove the orange sections and eat them immediately! Place a ball of ground meat in the middle of the shell to which you have added a bit of onion, perhaps some green pepper, and some salt and pepper. Place the filled orange shell directly on the coals, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
If you were eating breakfast, you could use the orange peel as an egg-cooking device. Crack one egg into each half of the orange shell, and place each shell directly on the coals. The eggs should be ready to eat in approximately 10-12 minutes.
A whole onion could be used to cook the above two foods instead of the orange. Cut the onion in half, and remove enough of the onion’s middle so that you have a shell which is about 3/8†to 1/2†thick. Place the foods in the half and cook just as before. The time required to cook your mini-meatloaf or eggs should be about the same as with using the orange peels.
How about some corn on the cob cooked right on the coals? Peel the corn shucks (the green outer layer) about halfway down the ear of corn. Remove the silk, which is the stringy threadlike stuff right next to the corn kernels. Moisten the corn with a little bit of water and replace the shucks. Place the ear of corn on some coals and cook for 5 minutes. Rotate the ear of corn one half of a turn and cook for 5 additional minutes. A little bit of butter or margarine, and a touch of salt, and you are ready to go!
Cooking with nothing but a paper bag? Sure, and here is how! Get a lunch sack sized paper bag and a pointed stick. Place a strip of bacon or two in the bottom of the paper bag. Break an egg in the bag over the bacon strips. Begin rolling the bag from the top down with 1†folds until halfway down. Push the pointed stick through the rolled end of the bag and hold the bag over the coals. Grease from the bacon will coat the bottom of the bag. The egg should be done in about 10-12 minutes. Keep the bag from getting too close to the fire as the grease is quite flammable. When ready, you can eat right out of the sack!
If you want to try an easy dessert, try this one. Cut a wedge-shaped section out of the length of one banana. Place marshmallows and chocolate chips into the cavity of the banana. Wrap the banana in foil and heat over coals for 4-6 minutes. Unwrap and put some pineapple pieces, cherries, or chopped nuts over the banana and you have the trail version of a banana split.
In terms of supported or suspended cooking methods, why don’t you try one of these options. Make yourself a batch of biscuit dough just as instructed per the Bisquick box or similar product. Find a green tree limb maybe 1 to 1 1/2†in diameter. Clean the bark off of the limb, and carve a couple of grooves around the limb to make the surface somewhat rough. After mixing the dough , roll or pat the dough into a strip 12-18†in length, 2†wide, and about 1/4†to 3/8†thick. Moisten the stick (spit), and begin wrapping the dough in a diagonal pattern around the spit leaving a slight space between the wraps of dough. Press the dough gently as you wrap so that it will stick to the spit. Suspend the spit over a bed of coals and cook until golden brown. Keep rotating the spit as you cook so that the bread will cook evenly.
If you like shish-kabobs, you can use a sharpened stick as your skewer. Find a green stick, perhaps 18†to 24†in length and remove the bark. Use a hardwood like oak, hickory, or ash if available as it will likely not leave an aftertaste with the food. Wood from cedar, pine, or other evergreens may leave an undesirable aftertaste due to the high levels of resins and pitch in these particular woods. Cut pieces of beef from skirt steak, or other such cuts, into 1†square chunks. Cut an onion into quarters and a green pepper
into wedges. If you want a little different flavor, also gather about 16 good sized chunks of pineapple. Begin threading these different items onto the green stick in an alternating pattern, such as beef, pepper, onion, pineapple, etc. Repeat this pattern until you and/or your other members use up your ingredients. Cook over hot coals, and rotate the stick regularly so that the food cooks evenly. The kabob should be ready in 15-20 minutes if you regulate the heat appropriately.
If you have a sweet tooth, try this recipe. Select a good cooking apple such as a Jonathan or a Rome. Use a sharpened stick by pushing the stick into the apple until secure. Place the apple 2-3 inches over the coals, and roast the apple until the apple skin is easily removed. Remove the skin (be careful, it’s hot!), and then roll the apple in a small bowl filled with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon. Begin roasting the apple again until the sugar melts and forms a glaze or coating over the apple. Remove the apple from the stick and
eat your “apple pie on a stickâ€!
Caipirinha
Caipirinha
Caipirinha is Brazil’s national cocktail, made with cachaça, sugar and lime. Cachaça, also known as caninha, or any one of a multitude of traditional names, is Brazil’s most common distilled alcoholic beverage.
8 oz Cachaça.
4 Large seedless limes, halved
½ cup Sugar, refined
Crushed ice as needed
4 Lime wedges
OPTIONAL (Instead of limes, use any of the following):
1 C. Passion fruit pulp, with seeds
1 C. Pineapple, skin removed, roughly diced
1 C. Kiwi, skin removed, roughly diced
1 C. Cashew fruit pulp, roughly diced
1 C. Strawberries, stems removed, diced
½ cup Lemon grass, green leaves, finely diced
Using a knife, remove the pithy midsection from the limes and quarter. Divide the limes and sugar between 4 cocktail glasses. Using a wooden muller, mull the sugar and limes until the sugar dissolves. Add 2 ounces of cachaça to each glass. Fill each glass with ice and top with a cocktail shaker. Vigorously shake each cocktail individually for several seconds and return to the glasses. 5. Garnish with a lime wedge and serve immediately.
Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)
Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken Croquettes)
1.5lbs chicken
2 medium onions, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 T. poultry seasoning
½ cup chopped parsley
1 package of cream cheese (room temperature)Â (catupiry cheese would be traditional but finding it?)
3 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large potato
2.5 C. of the chicken broth
1 cube of chicken bouillon
2 T. salted butter
2.5 C. of all purpose flour
Breadcrumbs
Bowl of almost freezing water
Vegetable oil for frying
Cook the chicken and the potato in 8 C. of water and 1 cube of chicken bouillon. Once the potato and the chicken are fork tender, take them out and reserve 2.5 C. of the broth for the dough. Mash the potato and reserve. In a food processor, shred the chicken. Reserve. Bring the broth back to the pot and add the mashed potatoes and the butter. When it boils, add the flour a little at a time, stirring constantly, until it forms a dough. Knead the dough while it’s still warm, until silky and smooth. To make the filling, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and the add the chicken, poultry seasoning and the parsley. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese is melted and everything is incorporated. To make your coxinhas, take a little piece of the dough and form a ping pong sized ball. Flatten it into a disc, hollowing up the middle for the filling. Spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the middle of dough.
Press the dough closed around the filling, shaping it like a teardrop. Continue until you run out of dough. To coat your coxinhas with breadcrumbs, first wet one of your hands with cold water and pass it on the coxinha. Then, coat the coxinha with breadcrumbs. Set it aside in a baking sheet and continue to coat all your coxinhas. Fill a saucepan with enough vegetable oil to cover the coxinhas.
Heat the oil and fry your coxinhas in batches, until they’re golden brown. Place the fried coxinhas on a plate covered with paper towels so the paper towels absorb the excess of oil. Serve your coxinhas warm with some hot sauce, accompanied by some ice cold beer. NOTES – You can use catupiry cheese instead of the cream cheese, if you can find it.
Campfire Quick Dessert
Quick Dessert
Biscuit mix
Milk or water
Honey
Follow the directions on the biscuit box, using a little less water than called for. Twist the dough around the end of a green stick. Hold and slowly rotate over hot coals until cooked. Dip into honey and enjoy. Honey can be substituted with butter and jam or other favorite topping.
Bolinhos de Chuva (Brazilian Cinnamon Raindrop Doughnuts)
Bolinhos de Chuva (Brazilian Cinnamon Raindrop Doughnuts)
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 to 1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Vegetable oil for frying
In a deep fryer or skillet, heat several inches of vegetable oil to 360 degrees (F). In a small bowl, stir the cinnamon into the 1/2 cup sugar and set aside. Mix the flour, salt and 3 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Stir in the eggs and 1/2 cup buttermilk with a wooden spoon. Add more buttermilk, slowly, until mixture has the consistency of a very thick cake batter. Stir in the baking powder. Using 2 teaspoons (or a small cookie scoop), scoop a generous teaspoon of batter and carefully drop it into the oil, using the second spoon to help scrape the dough off the first one. Repeat with several more teaspoons, but do not overcrowd the doughnuts or they will stick together. Cook the doughnuts, turning occasionally, until golden brown on all sides. Remove doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon, and drain briefly on paper towels. Roll the doughnuts in the cinnamon sugar while still hot. Cook the rest of the doughnuts in batches. Doughnuts are best served warm and can be reheated or kept warm in the oven.
Romeu e Julieta (Brazilian Romeo and Juliet)
Romeu e Julieta (Brazilian Romeo and Juliet)
1block guava paste
1block  queijo minas or queijo mineiro (queso fresco or canastra may be substituted)
Slice guava paste and cheese in thin, even slices. Layer 2-4 per toothpick, alternating colors. Serve chilled or room temperature.
Easy Campfire Beef & Noodles
2 Packages instant ramen noodles-oriental flavor
2 cups water
1 pound lean ground beef
1 bunch scallions
16 oz frozen oriental / stir fry vegetables
1-tablespoon soy sauce
Optional:Â Garlic, Ginger, Mirin
Break the Ramen noodles into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with just one seasoning packet. Cover with two cups of boiling water and allow to sit while you prepare the remaining ingredients. In a large skillet or wok, brown ground beef over medium heat until cooked. Drain. Add the scallions and sprinkle with the contents of remaining seasoning packet. Cook for an additional minute. Add the noodles and the water in which they were soaking, frozen vegetables, and the soy sauce. Cover and bring to simmer. Cook until the frozen vegetables are tender, about five minutes.
Car Ride Bento
Cherry tomatoes turned into balloon and cherries with the picks
grapes
Broccoli
Sandwich Car, sausage, cheese, nori, and perhaps ham
One True Perfect Tomato Sandwich?
Campfire Hearty Chili
Campfire Hearty Chili
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 medium can chili beans with seasoning
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 packet chili seasoning
Place a 12†Dutch oven over 10 hot coals arranged in a circle. Add 1 T. vegetable oil. Sauté diced onion until translucent. Add all remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover with flat lid and add 8 hot coals. Simmer for 60 minutes, adding additional hot coals as needed. Serve hot with corn bread or corn chips. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.
Can also pour over individual sized frito bags.
Smiling Egg Bento
In perusing bentos, I have noticed a lot of eggs in this or similar state. I have never contemplated sending a sunny side up egg in a lunch box. Not even sure it felt/feels safe. But it is an adorable little sunny face with its nori smile and crab stick cheeks! Mushroom looks easy enough with cheese and cold cut like salami. I also see some mushrooms, crab sticks, a dumpling, and what is that vegetable? I thought it was okra, but now I am not sure, and I’m not sure how its cooked in that coating.
Fougasse (Provençal Bread with Olive and Herbs)
Fougasse (Provençal Bread with Olive and Herbs)
1 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
4 1â„2 cups flour
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing loaves
1 tsp. kosher salt
Cornmeal, for dusting
1â„2 cup minced kalamata olives
1â„4 cup minced green olives
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
2 tbsp. minced fresh thyme
1 tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
Sea salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
In a large bowl, stir together yeast, sugar, and 1 1â„3 cups water heated to 115°; let sit until foamy, 10 minutes. Stir in flour, oil, and salt and mix until a dough forms. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead for 6 minutes. Cover with a damp towel; let sit until doubled in size, 1 1â„2 hours.
Heat oven to 500°. Divide dough into 5 equal pieces. Working with one dough piece at a time, roll into a rough 8″ x 5″ triangle. Transfer rectangle to a cornmeal-dusted, parchment paper–lined baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, cut three lengthwise parallel slashes in middle of dough and one small slash below and parallel to middle large slash. Spread slashes apart with your fingers. Cover with a damp towel; let rest until puffed, about 30 minutes. Combine olives and herbs in a bowl. Lightly brush each dough piece with oil; sprinkle with olive mixture and season with salt and pepper. Bake, one at a time, until golden brown, about 15 minutes each.
Campfire Burgers in Foil “Hobo Dinner”
Burgers in Foil
1 Package 1 ½ lb ground beef
4 16-inch squares aluminum foil
4 Carrots, sliced
1 Can potatoes 16 oz, sliced
2 Green bell pepper, chopped, optional
Dehydrated onion flakes or sliced onions
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Separate meat onto four portions. Place each in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Top with equal portions of chopped carrots, potatoes and peppers. Season with dehydrated onions, Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Seal foil, checking for leaks. Place on hot coals for 10 to 15 minutes per side.
Pancake Sandwich Bento
Ricotta & Jam Pancake Sandwiches
Orange Wedges
Mixed Roasted Nuts
Great British Fry-Up Breakfast
Great British Fry-Up Breakfast
8 pork and leek sausages
2 tomatoes – cut in half
1 tin of baked beans
8 rashers smoked dry-cured back bacon
4 field mushrooms
6 eggs, cracked into a bowl
Thick sliced bread for toasting
A knob of butter for toast
Freshly ground black pepper and Maldon sea salt
Preheat grill to high, set the oven to 100°C (212F)  and put in 4 plates. Using a nice large tray put the sausages, tomatoes (cut side up) and mushrooms under the grill, about 5cm from the heat and cook for around 15 mins, turning the sausages once or twice. After this time add to the tray the bacon and black pudding and leave until the bacon is cooked and crispy. Put the baked beans in a saucepan and warm gently. Put a non-stick frying pan on a low heat. Add a knob of butter and the eggs with some salt and pepper and stir gently until just scrambled and cooked. Put the bread down in the toaster, arrange the eggs, sausages, tomatoes and beans with the bacon and mushrooms on the plates and when the toast pops up, serve with tomato ketchup, HP sauce and a pot of tea
Campfire Slow Roasted Root Vegetables
Campfire Slow Roasted Root Vegetables
1 bag baby carrots
2 onions peeled and cut in wedges
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into thick slices
1 lb. baby red potatoes, washed (or sweet potatoes, cut into smaller chunks)
6 cloves whole garlic, peeled
3 T. olive oil
½ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
¼ tsp. dried rosemary
In a 12†cast iron Dutch oven with feet, combine vegetables and garlic cloves. Drizzle with olive oil and mix to coat evenly. Add salt, pepper and rosemary. Gently mix together. Arrange 4 hot coals in a circle and place Dutch oven over coals. Cover with flat lid and top with 6 more hot coals. Let roast for 75-90 minutes, adding fresh coals as needed. Serve hot.
Tonkatsu Bento
Tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet). You can buy tonkatsu sauce or make an approximation with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, oyster sauce and sugar.
Rice
Salad, Broccoli, Yellow Tomato, Cherry Tomato, Radish
Dressing
Toad in the Hole
Toad in the Hole
8 large good-quality sausages
4 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 large red onions, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely sliced
2 knobs of butter
Sunflower oil
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 level tablespoon good-quality vegetable stock powder or 1 vegetable stock cube
¾ C. Milk
¾ C. Flour
A pinch of salt
3 eggs
Mix the batter ingredients together and put to one side. I like the batter to go huge, so the key thing is to have an appropriately sized baking tin, the thinner the better, as we need to get the oil smoking hot. Put 1cm of sunflower oil into a baking tin, and then place this on the middle shelf of your oven at its highest setting (240-250ºC/475ºF/gas 9). Place a larger tray underneath it to catch any oil that overflows from the tin while cooking. When the oil is very hot, add your sausages. Keep your eye on them and allow them to color until lightly golden. At this point, take the tin out of the oven, being very careful, and pour your batter over the sausages. Throw a couple of sprigs of rosemary into the batter. It will bubble and possibly even spit a little, so carefully put the tin back in the oven, and close the door. Don’t open it for at least 20 minutes, as Yorkshire puddings can be a bit temperamental when rising. Remove from the oven when golden and crisp. For the onion gravy, simply fry off your onions and garlic in the oil.
Savory Ham & Cheese Palmiers
Savory Ham & Cheese Palmiers
1 sheet (about 9 ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Fresh Thyme
4 ounces very thinly sliced good-quality baked ham, such as Black Forest
1 cup (2 ounce) freshly and finely grated Parmesan cheese
Roll pastry into 12-inch square then brush with mustard. Mince 2 teaspoons thyme and sprinkle over top. Lay ham evenly over top to edge of pastry and sprinkle with Parmesan. Roll up both sides of dough until they meet in the middle. Wrap log of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim ends of log, then slice into 1/3-inch-thick pieces with sharp knife. Lay on prepared sheet, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Transfer palmiers to wire rack and let cool completely before serving.
Strawberry Sandwiches Bento
Jam Sandwiches, with strawberry insert using desert bread, lettuce, sesame seeds
Tamagoyaki (rolled omelet)
Berries
Moroccan Beef Kefta Briouat
Moroccan Beef Kefta Briouat
10 spring roll pastry sheets or brick pastry sheets
270 gms – 10 oz. beef mince
2 tsp Ras el Hanout
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp cumin powder
1 pinch chili powder
1 onion chopped
1 tbsp pine nuts
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Coriander or parsley leaves
Salt to taste
Sauté the chopped onion in the extra virgin olive oil until translucent. Add the spices and cook them off for a minute. Add the beef mince and brown it. Cook it for 10 minutes. Add the salt, pine nuts and coriander/parsley leaves and put the fire off. Let it cool down. Cut the spring roll dough sheets in half. Brush some melted butter on the bottom two-thirds. Add a large spoonful of filling about 2.5 cm – 1 inch from the bottom of the dough. Fold up the bottom edge of the dough to enclose the filling. Fold the bottom left corner of the dough upwards and to the right, until it meets the right edge of the dough. Use your fingers to mold the dough around the filling to keep it enclosed as you fold. Now you have your first “triangle.” Hold the top right top corner of the triangle in place to keep the filling inside, and flip the bottom right corner up and to the left, until the triangle is aligned with the left edge of the strip of dough. Now you should have a nice triangle. Continue folding the triangle, right and then left, until you reach the end of the dough. When you reach the end, trim the end of the dough to make a flap. Fold it and tuck it into the “pocket” formed by the open edge of dough. Deep fry the briouat in vegetable oil at 170°C – 340°F until golden brown on all sides. Drain the excess oil onto some kitchen paper and serve warm.
Campfire Chicken in Foil
Chicken in foil
1 sm Green pepper, chopped
½ sm Red pepper, chopped
10 Mushrooms, chopped
4 lg Chicken breasts
1 cans Pineapple slices (8oz)
Non-stick cooking spray or 1 tsp butter
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
4 Squares heavy-duty foil (16×16 inches)
Divide the bell peppers and mushrooms into 4 equal parts. Coat a small area in the center of the foil with cooking spray or a small amount of butter. Place a portion of peppers and mushrooms on the greased area of the foil. Top with a chicken breast and a pineapple slice. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper to your taste. Fold the foil securely and check for leaks. Place on the coals for 10 to 15 minutes per side
Tuna Cakes
Tuna Cakes
Roasted Red Pepper Dressing (enclose if container isn’t air /water tight)
Celery, Carrots, Tomato Chunks
Rosemary Raisin Crisps
Vietnamese-Style Skirt Steak with Herb and Noodle Salad
Vietnamese-Style Skirt Steak with Herb and Noodle Salad
1/2 C. Asian fish sauce
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 limes
3 T. fresh orange or tangerine juice
3 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
1 T. dark brown sugar
1 jalapeno or serrano chile, seeded and minced
1 1/2 to 2 pounds skirt steak
8 ounces dried rice noodles (any shape), cooked according to the package directions
1 1/2 C. thinly sliced Persian, Asian, or Kirby cucumbers
1 1/2 C. thinly sliced radishes
1 C. torn fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish (optional)
1/2 C. unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped
In a measuring C., mix together the fish sauce, lime zest and juice, orange juice, garlic, brown sugar, and chile. Set aside half of this mixture to dress the noodles. Place the steak in a shallow bowl or in a heavy-duty sealable plastic bag, pour the remaining marinade over it, and seal the bag or cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 12 hours. Heat a grill or broiler to high. Remove the steak from the marinade, wipe off the excess marinade, and grill over direct heat or under the broiler until the steak reaches the desired doneness, 2 to 4 minutes per side for rare (the broiler might take a few minutes longer). Let the steak rest, lightly covered with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, toss the noodles, cucumbers, radishes, mint leaves, and peanuts with the reserved marinade. Slice the steak very thin. Slice the steak very thin. Divide the noodle mixture among individual serving plates, and top each portion with slices of steak. Garnish with additional mint leaves if desired.
Campfire Corn Pudding
Campfire Corn Pudding
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
4 T. butter melted
1 can creamed corn
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 box corn muffin mix
¼ cup sugar
8 oz. sour cream
2 eggs
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour into a lightly greased 12†cast iron Dutch oven with feet. Arrange 8 hot coals in a circle and place Dutch oven on coals. Cover with flat lid and top with 10 more hot coals. Bake for 60 minutes, adding fresh coals after 30 minutes.
Sleeping Lion Bento
Grapes
Checkered Apple (It needs some acidulated water!)
Sandwich (ham slice, cheese, food markers, turkey slice)
Yummy Apple Cake
Yummy Apple Cake
1 3/4 C. sugar, divided
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 C. butter, softened
1 to 2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 1/2 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Braeburn apples, peeled and chopped
1 C. chopped pecans
Powdered sugar
Combine cream cheese, butter, 1 1/2 C. sugar in a bowl and beat with electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to blend. Add to sugar mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a sifter and shake into bowl. Sprinkle 2 tsp. over the chopped apples and toss to coat. Stir apples and pecans into batter. Spoon batter into lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve.
Campfire Hash
Campfire Hash
4 cups Shredded dried hash brown potatoes
2 pk Onion soup mix
1 ½ lb Ground meat or sausage
Assorted seasonings to taste
6 oz Water
Brown the meat in the bottom of the pan. Break up the meat as it assuring that all the meat is cooked. Stir in the water and soup mix thoroughly. Heat to boiling and simmer a few minutes. Add the dry potatoes and stir to mix. Cover the pot and move to the edge of the fire for about ten minutes and allow the potatoes to absorb all the liquid. Move the pot back on the heat and stir while cooking the potatoes, cook five to ten minutes. Serve hot.
Layered Sandwich Bento
Fried Ham (spam) sandwich
Quail Egg Chicks (carrot, sesame seed, heart pick)
Sesame Mushrooms, Okra, Broccoli, Peppers
Mojo Flat Iron Steak
Mojo Flat Iron Steak
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
¼ cup fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons grated lime rind
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon ground chipotle chile powder
1 (1-pound) flat iron steak, trimmed
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup finely chopped peeled seeded cucumber
3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
Combine orange rind, orange juice, lime rind, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, and next 4 ingredients (through chipotle) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add steak, turning to coat. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature, turning occasionally. Heat a grill pan over high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle steak with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add steak to pan; grill 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare or to desired degree of doneness. Place steak on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Slice steak across the grain. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, remaining 1 tablespoon oil, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Serve with steak.
Campfire Cowboy Beans
Campfire Cowboy Beans
½ lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 lb. bacon, sliced, browned and drained, optional
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans pork and beans
½ cup chopped onion
1 can chopped chiles
½ cup barbecue sauce
Arrange 8 hot coals in a circle. Place a Dutch oven with feet over hot coals. Sauté chopped onion in oven with 1 T. vegetable oil until translucent. Add remaining ingredients and cover with flat lid. Place 8-10 hot coals around perimeter of lid. Simmer for 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add new coals after the first 30 minutes. Serve hot with cornbread or corn pudding.