Dutch Oven-Braised Beef and Summer Vegetables

Recipe Time

Total: 3 Hours

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

• Calories: 442
• Calories from fat: 42%
• Protein: 38g
• Fat: 21g
• Saturated fat: 6.9g
• Carbohydrate: 26g
• Fiber: 5.7g
• Sodium: 582mg
• Cholesterol: 102mg

Ingredients

• 
  Preparation
• 
  
• BEEF
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• About 1 tsp. kosher salt
• About 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 boneless beef chuck roast (about 2 lbs.) 
• VEGETABLES AND COOKING
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, stems removed 
• 2 ears corn, cleaned and cut into thirds 
• 1 onion, cut into 6 wedges 
• 1/2 pound green beans, ends trimmed, cut in half
• 6 baby zucchini (1/2 lb. total), ends trimmed, or regular zucchini cut into chunks 
• 3/4 pound thin-skinned potatoes about 1 in. wide 
• 2 tablespoons butter 
• About 3 cups chicken broth, divided

1. AT HOME
2. 1. Prepare beef: In a bowl, combine garlic, rosemary, oil, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Rub all over beef and pack in a resealable plastic bag. Chill up to 2 days, or freeze.
3. 2. Prepare vegetables: Put tomatoes, corn, and onion in a resealable plastic bag and green beans and zucchini in another; chill up to 2 days. Don't chill potatoes.
4. IN CAMP
5. 3. Set up a fire for top and bottom dutch-oven cooking (see "How to Use a Dutch Oven," below). Put a 4- to 6-qt. cast-iron camp dutch oven in place, add butter, and melt. Add beef; cook until browned on underside, 10 minutes. Turn meat over, add 2 cups broth, cover, and arrange coals on top of pot. Add fuel now and every 30 minutes (see "Start Cooking," below) and cook 1 hour.
6. 4. Turn meat over, add 1 cup broth, vegetables with corn, and the potatoes; cook, covered, 1 hour. Turn meat and corn, add beans and zucchini, and more broth if pot is getting dry; cook, covered, until meat is very tender, 15 to 30 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.
7. How to Use a Dutch Oven
8. 1. Prepare the fire. If you have a campfire going, move any large pieces of still-burning wood to the side and level out your hot coals to fit the size of the dutch oven. If the campground doesn't allow wood fires, burn 50 charcoal briquets till they're mostly gray, 10 to 15 minutes, and spread into an even layer the size of the dutch oven.
9. 2. Set up the oven. For many recipes, you just set the dutch oven on top of the hot coals ("bottom heat cooking"). But there are times when you'll need to heat both the top and bottom of the oven. Just scrape about half the coals to the side and arrange the rest in a circle the size of the dutch oven's outer edge. Set the oven on top of the circle of coals, then pile the rest of the coals on top of the lid.
10. 3. Start cooking. Lift the dutch-oven lid occasionally to check the food and temperature. To decrease the heat, scrape away some fuel. To increase the heat, or to cook longer than 45 minutes, add 6 to 10 new briquets or more wood embers (from that still-burning wood you moved to the side of your firepit) every 30 minutes.
11. 
    

To do Camping Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Hobo Packs:

I like mine a little more detailed.

Cilantro-Lime Shrimp Hobo Packs:

Ingredients:
Fresh garlic
Red and yellow onions
Carrots
Zucchini
Crookneck squash
Sweet potatoes
Pineapple (Chunks in juice)
Sliced fresh chiles
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
Shrimp
2 tbs. olive oil
Fresh limes
1 tsp. salt & pepper
Foil
Hot coals

Chop vegetables roughly in large pieces and store in sealed baggies for easier storage in a cooler. You can do this in large quantities if you are planning several meals for your camping trip.

Peel your shrimp, or carry frozen and peel at the campsite.

Tear off a square of foil approximately 12”x12” for each hobo pack.

Pick out what you want in your individual pack and toss in a bowl with the olive oil, lime juice and spices.

Layer in your ingredients – veggies on the bottom, then shrimp with a sprinkle of cilantro on top. Place one slice of lime in your pack on top of the ingredients.

Wrap it up tight and place veggie-side down, lime-side up onto your hot coals.

Cook for about 15-20 minutes, turning every 10 minutes then check. If everything’s not cooked to your taste, wrap back up and cook 5-10 minutes longer. You’ll really have to gauge this by how hot your coals are, too. If your flames are pretty intense, then most likely you’ll need to keep checking so your dinner doesn’t burn.

camping pizza bread

Pizza bread is another easy camping recipe.  Or non-recipe really.  You may already make this at home and it carries over to camping really well.  Take one loaf of bread and cut crosswise about one inch apart taking care to stop about half an inch before you reach the bottom of the bread--you want the bread to stay together.  Turn bread and do the same cutting lengthwise.  Place two sheets of aluminum foil across each other to form a "t", spray with oil and place loaf in center. Pour pizza sauce into all the crevices you've cut (I found a pre made one that comes in baggies so travels to campsite well). Stuff pepperoni or other toppings into crevices.  Top with mozzarella, roll up foil to seal and place over coals for 10-15 minutes.  

Lil Tangy Lil Spicey Barbecue Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon cayenne peper 
• 1 teaspoon pepper flakes 
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer.  Cook stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes, with the cover on half the time and off half the time. 


Note: I love the idea of doing something fun like labeling the sauce for friends and gifts. Check out this blog post on The Yummy Life

Lebanese Lentils, Rice and Caramelized Onions (Mujadara)

This is a Lebanese dish with lentils, rice and Caramelized onions. 

Ingredients

1 cup brown or green lentils (not lentils du Puy), sorted for debris and rinsed

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon cracked black peppercorns

3 medium red onions, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

3/4 cup basmati rice

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 (1-inch) cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons pine nuts, optional

Squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Greek yogurt, for serving, optional

Directions

Throw the lentils into a medium saucepan. Fill with enough cold water to cover the lentils by about an inch. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then turn down to a simmer and cook until the lentils are tender but not mushy, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, as the lentils cook, grab a large skillet. Pop it over medium-high heat and add the oil. Allow the oil to warm for a minute, then drop in the cumin seeds and cracked peppercorns and cook, shaking the pan once in a while until the cumin seeds darken a touch, about 1 minute.

Add the onions, sprinkle with a dash of salt and cook until they turn dark caramel brown, stirring often. This will take about 15 minutes. Splash the onions with a little water if they stick to the bottom of the pan. You'll know they're done both by their deep chestnut color and by the slight crispiness developing on some of the onions.

Using a slotted spoon or spatula, remove about half of the onions to a paper towel-lined plate; these are for garnish later. Sprinkle in the ground cumin, cayenne and then add the cinnamon stick; saute about 1 minute.

Add the rice and cook, stirring often (but gently so you don't break the rice!) until some rice grains start to brown. Quickly, add the cooked lentils, 3 cups of water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt; bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low so that the pan is at a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes. The water should be completely evaporated and rice should be tender. (If there's still too much water in the bottom, put the lid back on and cook for another 5 minutes.)

Turn off the heat, keep the lid on, and allow the rice to steam undisturbed for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts, if using, in a small skillet over medium-low heat, shaking often, about 5 minutes.

Taste the rice for seasoning. Serve with the reserved caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, if using, and a little squeeze of lemon juice. I also like to serve this with some dollops of Greek yogurt.

Roasted Eggplant Salad (Baingan Bharta)

This is a Lebanese Roasted eggplant salad. You can add the greek yogurt or leave it out. It adds a creamy richness to the dish while still keeping it healthy. This dish has a wonderful amount of light heat that will surprise you.

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
2 tablespoons peanut oil, plus more for eggplant
1 medium white onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small serrano pepper, seeded (if you wish less heat) and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves and soft stems, minced, plus more picked leaves for garnish
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin, plus more for sprinkling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt, beaten until smooth

Directions

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Make 3 slashes in each eggplant, from top to tail, equally distanced around the eggplant. Rub the eggplants with a little peanut oil. Sit them on the baking sheet and roast until soft all the way to the center and the skin is brown, about 45 minutes, rotating the pan and flipping the eggplants halfway through. Remove from the oven and cool.

Once cool, skin the eggplant. Chop the flesh until it's relatively smooth but not mushy.

In a large skillet, warm the peanut oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the onion and saute until it turns golden brown. Add the eggplant flesh, garlic, chile and cilantro leaves. Cook 2 minutes. Add a splash of water if it begins to stick.

Add the turmeric, cumin, and 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir and cook another 5 minutes.

Turn off the heat. Add the yogurt and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning, and garnish with cilantro leaves and a sprinkle of ground cumin. Serve either warm or slightly chilled.

Per serving: Calories 293; Total Fat 19 grams; Saturated Fat 10 grams; Protein 11 grams; Total Carbohydrate 23 grams; Sugar: 10 grams; Fiber 11 grams; Cholesterol 20 milligrams; Sodium 161 milligrams;

Spicy Sesame-Soy Soba & Sliced Steak

This is a great easy dish for folks new to soba noodles. Make sure you have a really big pan because once you add the beef and soba back into the veggies it can be unwieldy to toss and manage. 

Quick note: If your soba noodles are in Japanese and you don't know the cooking time just remember it's FAST and you don't want them mushy. Just taste test after a couple minutes. 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds petite filet or flat-iron steaks
• 12 ounces soba 
• 3 tablespoons high temperature/stir-fry oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon Ancho chili powder
• 1 inch grated ginger
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bunch scallions, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 cup daikon, peeled and cut into matchsticks
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Harissa or chili paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons Tamari
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame or black sesame seeds
• 1 cup shiso leaves or 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Yields: 4

Preparation

Place the steak in freezer for a few minutes to firm it up for thin slicing.

Boil a large pot of water to cook soba or pasta; cook at a rolling boil to package directions to al dente.

Very thinly slice meat against the grain with sharp knife.

In large round-bottomed pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the stir-fry oil over high heat. Add meat, season with chili powder and brown 2-3 minutes; remove to plate. Cook in 2 batches if necessary to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add remaining oil and stir-fry the ginger, garlic, scallions, daikon and stir-fry to tender-crisp, 2 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the pan and stir in chili paste, Worcestershire, Tamari and stock. Add beef back and season with sesame oil. 

Drain soba and add to pan. Toss noodles with beef and sesame seeds, and serve.