“Ramen?” everyone groaned when I brought out the packages of instant noodles on a backpacking trip in Point Reyes last weekend. The wavy blocks of cheap dried noodles have become such a culinary clichè in the back country that my companions couldn’t believe the food writer would actually serve them.
“Give me a break,” I replied a bit testily. “David Chang likes ramen. Just wait and see. It’ll be good.” (more…)
As soon as we started planning the camping trip we took to Death Valley last month, I began thinking about flat breads. There aren’t many places to buy fresh supplies in the desert and I’m pretty picky about bread.
I wanted to be able to make my own. But I wanted to keep it simple — no rising, no rolling, no oven. (more…)
Before we left on our recent trip to Alaska, I compiled a collection of recipes that I thought might work for car camping. They had to be simple — based on ingredients we could find at most any grocery store —and require a minimum of pots and pans. One skillet would be ideal.
At the same time, I wanted fresh flavors and appealing textures. Canned goods and pantry items soon lose their charm when you’re traveling for six weeks.
Our favorite quick and easy meal turned out to be an updated version of Joe’s Special, the venerable San Francisco dish made with spinach, eggs, onions and ground meat. Think of it as a deconstructed fritatta. It takes a bit of chopping but it comes together fairly quickly and tastes terrific.
One of the striking ironies of Alaska is how difficult it is to find fresh fish in the ports serving North America’s biggest fishery.
Frozen fish is everywhere, neatly packaged in vacuum-sealed pouches. That’s because all but a small portion of the huge harvest of salmon and halibut is destined for markets elsewhere. The fish are filleted and frozen within hours after they’re pulled from Alaska’s icy oceans.
Alaskans call themselves “sourdoughs” in tribute to the prospectors who settled much of America’s last frontier in the late 19th century.
Among the miners’ most treasured staples in those days before powdered yeast became commonplace was a crock of sourdough starter to leaven their bread, biscuits and pancakes. The starter — a mixture of flour and water allowed to ferment with wild yeast in the air — was so central to their diets that they called anyone who survived a hard winter in the gold fields a “sourdough.”
So it seemed only fitting that I should bring a jar of starter with me on my camping tour of Alaska. What better way to start the day in the shadow of the rugged Alaskan Range than with a stack of sourdough pancakes swimming in maple syrup?
