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

[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.

[cellio]

Thanks! Good ideas; I'd forgotten about smoked fish. Tell me more about pomegranate molasses? I've never heard of that. Where might I find it?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Pomegranate molasses is boiled-down pomegranate juice, I believe; I've found it here in Middle Eastern food stores, and in funky co-op type groceries.

[loxian.livejournal.com]

Sorry, lj was down for about 8000 years. I use pomegranate molasses because yotam ottolenghi tells me to - I get most of my veggie recipes from him, because he does the recipe page in the paper I read at the weekends. Google him, he has lush recipes.

As far as I know, it's just down boiled down/concentrated pomegranate syrup. Often used in middle eastern food. I get mine from a halal butcher/grocery store round the corner.