It’s been a while since the idea of sleeping under the stars lost its allure for me. But I do have several rugged family members who I suspect would love to have Chris Nuttall-Smith’s “Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors” (Potter, $29.99) for planning their next kayaking or backpacking adventure.
Now that I’ve perused my copy cover to cover, though, I may want to keep it for myself.
Canned beans, instant soup, and freeze-dried meals barely figure into the rations in these pages. This is a guide for outdoorsy types who want to maintain their high gustatory standards no matter how far they are from civilization.
Nuttall-Smith has had lots of practice. The Toronto-based food journalist and “Top Chef Canada” resident judge is a seasoned outdoorsman who regularly pitches tents with friends and family who relish the challenge of packing restaurant-worthy moveable feasts for any type of trip — whether it involves a canoe, a bicycle, or a decked-out RV. Think (Tinned) Fish and Chips, Gin Caesar Slushies, Long Haul Lentil Dal, Sizzling Cumin Lamb Kebabs, or Fire-Baked Sticky Buns.
The trick is in the advance planning and packing, and it’s in these sections that I find boatloads of smart tips for streamlining all types of meal situations. For our next family beach trip, I can see loading up a cooler with things I’ve made ahead and frozen to save kitchen time, like chimichurri for grilled flank steaks, ginger-spiked shrimp patties for burgers, pre-made Negronis, or Beer and Bacon Collard Greens. Or I might fill a backpack with homemade granola, seasoned chickpea flour for savory flapjacks, Crunchy Rosemary Butter Nuts, or Sichuan peanut topping for Dan Dan Noodles of Backcountry Dreams.
I did not need an outing to motivate me to make his aptly named Simplest High-Summer Cherry Tomato Pasta, which requires only five ingredients and tasted amazing even with store-bought tomatoes.
That said, Nuttall-Smith does make the idea of eating around a campfire sound so delicious and fun I’m almost tempted to give roughing it another try — so long as I won’t have to follow his instructions for hanging a bear bag.
Susan Puckett is a cookbook author and former food editor of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow her at susanpuckett.com.
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