camp cooking

[cellio]

Dear LJ brain trust, help me figure out what to feed my camp-mates at Pennsic. :-)

We take turns cooking dinner for everybody, where "everybody" is around 25 people, give or take. Cooking facilities are propane-fueled stoves and grills; it's camping, so no electricity, and our camp doesn't build a firepit (especially this year when we'll probably be packed like sardines). We do also have a small propane oven, big enough to bake a dozen muffins, but I'm not sure what role it could play in dinner for twice that many people.

My night is late this year and I don't like to leave site once I'm there, so my usual of grilled fish (and/or grilled meat) doesn't work (I wouldn't trust either in a cooler for the better part of a week). We tend to be a meat-heavy camp, more than I'm used to eating, so I personally lean toward vegetarian (or fish, if that worked). We have a couple people in camp who are lactose-intolerant.

Dry goods (or canned) can obviously be stored for the week with no problem and there is a vegetable stand on site.

I prefer to make food that is period or plausible as opposed to modern.

Any suggestions? I'm currently thinking that something with chickpeas could provide protein, and I could have rice and grilled veggies, but can I improve on this?

Comments

[tsjafo.livejournal.com]

Rock soup. It's easy, it's delicious, it's nutritious, it can be stretched for more hungry people, and, of course, it's easy. Start with a big pot of water then add what you have. I like beef, if I have it, potatoes, carrots, celery, anything I have. And whatever spices I have to add some flavor. Flour if necessary to thicken the broth. Drat, now I'm hungry. Brb

[zevabe.livejournal.com]

My wife and I will be at war this year. Having been before, I now have a better idea of what to ask such that I might find you. What block are you in? With whom do you camp? I'll make a greater effort this year to make my way over to that somewhere at some point during War Week, unless we want to make more specific plans.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

As a soup base, I use a veg broth and add chick pea flour as a thickener, flavor, and protein. It's too heavy for many nights.
Stir fry, meat added separately?
Spinach and feta dish, mushroom and fava dish, or lentil dish, with a whole grain and seasoning, served with a salad?

[loxian.livejournal.com]

Chickpea soup, with harissa, to spice it up a bit. Serve with flatbread. Aubergine/eggplant/moutabal. More flatbread. Cauliflower with tahini and pomegranate molasses - steam the cauliflower, and then mix it up with the tahini and seasonings, dribble with molasses. Cous cous.

Or, pasta, with smoked fish and/or tomato sauce. Can't go wrong with pasta.

I think you'd just need big pots and a stove to make all these things. But I'm not sure what period requirements entail, so disregard if none of this fits the bill.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Possibly something tagine-ish with nuts and dried fruit, with a couscous/rice/bulghur base and the chickpeas, plus black pepper and some sauteed onions?

Also, theoretically something like jerky or aged salami could last fairly well.

How about 'fridge' pickles, that should last well enough with cooler levels of coolification? They could be made at home, so you wouldn't have much to do on site.

Potato salad with other boiled root veggies (carrots, beets, etc), maybe hb eggs?

[rani23.livejournal.com]

Vegetarian, lactose-intolerant AND camping. Don't make this easy on us. :)

Here's a slightly crazy idea -- breakfast for dinner.

Waffles are period. (This requires a camping waffle iron but that may not be too hard to find.) Maple syrup isn't period but powdered sugar is. Strawberries and sugar make a nice syrup too.

Pancakes are period too, if waffles are too difficult.

Eggs are period. (I am pretty sure you can get eggs at the store.) You could easily scramble these.

Frumenty is basically hot wheat/barley cereal in almond milk. You could add some fruit to this as well.

Just an idea. :)

[risiko.livejournal.com]

Cheese and mushroom pies. If you make the pie shells on site, you know what's in them.

[vonstrassburg.livejournal.com]

http://cunnan.sca.org.au/upload/1/18/Pyes_de_pares.pdf