Rick Windham’s
Outdoor University
Dutch Oven Cooking
Cowboy Caviar
The name of this dish will turn a few heads, but don’t give away the surprise. Just cook it up see how long it takes people to try it. This recipe make a great side dish or, because cooks up very quickly, it can be used as a hors d’oeuvres while folks are waiting for the main dish to get done.
Ingredients:
2
Cans (15 oz) of black-eyed peas
2Cans (15 oz) of diced tomatoes
1Bottle (12 oz) of red wine vinegar
1 Large onion
2Large bags of Fritos Scoops or tortilla chips
Directions:
Dice up the onion and pace in your Dutch oven.
Drain and add the black-eyed peas.
Add the diced tomatoes and pour on about four ounces of vinegar.
Stir everything together and place on the fire.
Heat the mix for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve by having folks dip the mixture out of the Dutch oven with chips.
Dutch Oven Reuben
This is so simple, but has such a great taste. Your camping partners will believe you either worked all day over the fire to create this meal, or you performed some kind of magic in camp.
Ingredients:
3Cans (15 oz) of corn beef
2Cans (15 oz) of Bavarian style sauerkraut
1Pound of shredded Swiss cheese
1 Large bottle of Thousand Island dressing
1Large loaf of rye bread
Directions:
Place the corned beef in your Dutch oven.
Add the sauerkraut.
Spread the cheese evenly over the sauerkraut.
Pour on the Thousand Island dressing.
Place on the fire with 10-12 coals under the oven, 10-12 coals on top. Cook for 15-20 minutes. Serve by spooning up a large helping and placing it on a thick slice of rye bread.
High Camp Casserole
This is one of those dishes that will surprise people when they see it made in camp. It is difficult for some people to believe that something this good can come out of a pot on the ground.
Ingredients:
3Cans (15 oz) of cut green beans
1Bottle (20 oz) of Dorothy Lynch Dressing
1Large onion
1Pound of bacon bits
1Pound of shredded Swiss cheese
1Small (2 lb) bag of tater tots
Directions:
Dice up the onion and cook in your Dutch oven until tender.
Drain the green beans and mix in with onions.
Pour on the Dorothy Lynch dressing and stir together.
Spread the bacon bits over the top of the mix.
Spread the cheese over the bacon bits.
Spread the tatter tots on top of the cheese.
Place your Dutch oven on the fire with 10-12 coals under the oven and 10-12 coals on the lid. Cook for 20-25 minutes.
Raspberry/Mandarin Orange Cobbler
Cobblers are always welcome in camp. Most camp cooks never bother with desserts, so this is normally viewed and an unexpected treat. The basic cobbler recipe stays the same; you just switch the fruit you use. Experiment with this recipe and have fun with it.
Ingredients:
3Cans (15 oz) of Mandarin oranges
1Pound of frozen raspberries
2Boxes of yellow cake mix
2Sticks of butter
1Small bottle of vanilla
1Small bottle of cinnamon
Directions:
Pour all the fruit into your Dutch oven.
Add just enough water to cover the fruit (if needed).
Spread the cake mix evenly across the fruit.
Cut up the butter into ¼ inch pats and spread randomly around the top of the cake mix.
Pour on about four ounces of vanilla.
Shake on about two tablespoons of cinnamon
Place on the fire with 10-12 coals under the oven, 10-12 coals on top. Cook for 30-35 minutes, turning the Dutch oven about 45 degrees about every 10 minutes.
If you wnt an extra treat, top off the cobbler with coconut and bake it a few more minutes until the coconut is toasted.
This is great by itself, but if you can get vanilla ice cream in your camp….EXCELLENT!
Sakana (No, It’s Not Sushi)
It is a variation of a Japanese fish dish, but it is not sushi! I look at sushi and I see cut bait. I have a firm rule in my camps, “I don’t eat bait!”
This is so simple; you may want to hide your activities from your camp partners so that they fully respect your culinary talents. This will definitely surprise your family and friends. And, if you serve this with Japanese style campfire grilled veggies, it will be a truly different kind of camp meal.
Ingredients:
4-8 Fish fillets
1Cup of teriyaki sauce
1Roll of aluminum foil
Directions:
Lay each fillet on its own sheet of foil and turn up the edges so that it creates a bowl shape. Pour on about two tablespoons of teriyaki on each fillet. Wrap fish in individual foil packets and lay it on the coals for about two minutes and then flip to other side.
This technique steam cooks the fish and infuses the teriyaki into the fish. Watch the seams of the foil. When you see steam venting from the foil, the fish is done.
Serve with Japanese style campfire grilled veggies for a very unique camp meal.
Shore Lunch Grilled Trout
If you have ever been on a Canadian fishing trip, you know what shore lunch is all about. This is very simple to make, yet the tastes that blend and combine while things are cooking makes this a special recipe to keep handy in your next camp.
Ingredients:
4Whole trout
2Large onions
2Large sweet green peppers
2Large sweet red peppers
2Large sweet yellow peppers
2Sticks of butter
1Large lemons
1Bottle of lemon/pepper seasoning
1Roll of aluminum foil
Directions:
Slice the lemons, onions and peppers ½ inch thick, and then cut into half rings.
Pull out and tear off four sheet of foil, roughly 16 x 16 inches.
Field dress/gut the trout (you can leave the heads of, or cut them off).
Wash out the body cavity with clean water.
Sprinkle cavity with lemon-pepper season.
Stuff cavity with lemons, onions, peppers and two or hree ¼ inch pats of butter.
Wrap fish in foil and lay on the coals for about two minutes and then flip to other side. Watch the seams of the foil. When you see steam venting from the foil, the fish is done.
Serve in an open face fashion.
Campfire Grilled Veggies
This is a very easy camp recipe. It is a great way to get kids involved in camp cooking, too. The end results look and taste great!
Ingredients:
2Large onions
2Large potatoes
2Large sweet green peppers
2Large sweet red peppers
2Large sweet yellow peppers
1Small bag of baby carrots
2Sticks of butter
1Roll of aluminum foil
Your favorite seasons
Directions:
Roll out and tear off two large sheets of foil, probably about two feet long.
Slice up all the veggies into large chunks and lay on one sheet of foil.
Cut the butter into pats and place on the veggies.
Season with your favorite salt, spices, etc.
Lay the second sheet of foil over the veggies and match the edges.
Flat fold the sheets of foil at the edges (about ½ inch folds).
Lay on the grill or directly on the coals.
Cook about four minutes on a side, and then flip over.
Repeat this process until both sides have been over the fire at least twice.
Carefully peel back the foil at a corner and check the potatoes.
Place back on the fire until the potatoes are soft.
