Fr. Matthew Cashmore

Priest in the Church of England. Father, husband, son. Keen biker.

Tag: cooking

Bacon Curry (bacon optional)

June 29, 2011 /

Curry – a basic in most of the world and Britain’s most popular dish – but you can enjoy a great curry on the road without resorting to take-out. Using the most basic of ingredients – tomatoes, celery, bacon (yes bacon), onions & garlic you can create a meal that will leave you full and happy.

Ingredients (4/6 people)

  • 1lb Bacon
  • 2 Large Onions (roughly chopped)
  • 4 Large Tomatoes (chopped)
  • 2 sticks of Celery (chopped)
  • Olive Oil (generous amount)
  • 6 Tsp Cumin Seeds
  • 2 Tsp Chilli Powder (depending on taste)
  • 4 cups Rice (3x cups of water to rice)
  • Courgette (sliced)
  • 6 pieces of Garlic
  • 2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes

Method

Get your rice going and ‘almost’ cooked – take off the stove and leave covered to keep warm. Pour in your olive oil (a good amount) and then on a high heat soften your chopped onions and garlic. Once good and soft (but not brown) add your tomato puree, vegitable stock cubes, cumin and chili powder – this produces a very dry mix with the onions – but don’t worry it’s exactly as you want it. Give it a good mix and let the onions soften a little more. Turn the heat down a little.

Now drop in your chopped tomatoes, celery, and courgette – mix well and turn the heat right down. Cover and let simmer with occasional stirring for around 15 mins if you’re not adding the bacon.

If you are adding bacon – chop your bacon into thin strips and add to the curry – if you’re using other pieces of meat (like chicken or beef) make sure you brown this off in the pot before you start – with bacon you don’t need to do this as it will cook quite happily in the curry from raw. Cover and occasional stir for around 15 mins.

The perfect camp kitchen

April 12, 2011 /

When you’re cooking on the road, other than your cooker, the most important bit of kit you carry is your camp kitchen. There are lots of options out there – from the home-away-from-home sets right down to nothing more than a sharp knife and a spoon.

I carry a commercial Sea to Summit kitchen set that I’ve modified with a few personal luxuries (if you can call a small whisk a luxury). But more than things like knifes, forks, spoons and washing gear the most important part of your camp kitchen are your everyday spices and little extras that mean you can cook properly.

My kitchen contains:

Of course – this is just me – other people have smaller sets and others have larger sets, especially if they’re travelling two up. I recorded a quick video showing my set and my best mate Stace’s.


Watch the video on YouTube.

 

Simple Noodles

April 7, 2011 /

Noodles are pretty much the perfect on-the-road food. Packed with lots of energy giving goodness they’re also incredibly cheap, easy to get hold of and fabulously versatile.  In the past we’ve taken a look at Wokkered Noodles – in this recipe we explore the simplest of noodle options – sausages, packet tomato sauce… that’s it. Thanks very much to Sandered over on Horizons Unlimited for the recipe.


Watch on YouTube.

Ingredients (1 person)

  • Good quality noodles
  • 2 Sausages
  • Single packet of Dolmio Sauce (tomato sauce)

Method

Fast and simple. Boil your noodles according to the instructions – don’t let them boil for too long otherwise they’ll go soggy and starchy.  Take them out of your pot and cut a couple of sausages into small chunks, whack them back in the hot pan and brown them off until they’re cooked. When they’re ready add the noodles back to the pan and pour in your Domio Sauce – bring up to heat and dish up.

As an alternative change the sausages to fish or salami. You could also throw in some onion or some stronger seasoning. For a cheaper alternative just use a tin of tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes and cup of water – you’ll need to cook these down before you cook your noodles.

Wokkered Noodles

January 31, 2011 /

Second in the new series of cooking videos takes a look at another fast and simple recipe. Using the most basic of bases – noodles – we create a meal that’s hot, cheap and simple to make – fast. Staying with the theme of ‘throw anything in’ we’re going to look at two noodle based recipes – the first, below, uses simple fresh ingredients. The recipe was supplied by GSPeter from HorizonsUnlimited.


Watch on youtube.

Ingredients (for 1)

  • Noodles, pay a little more for good quality
  • Nut Oil
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1/2 Carrot, cut into thin rounds
  • 1/2 Onion, thinly sliced
  • 1/3 Red Pepper, cut into thin strips
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and finely chopped
  • Salami, very thinly sliced or chunked

Method

Pop your noodles into a pan of boiling water, add a little salt and allow to boil for around 4 mins. Don’t boil them too long as they’ll get quite starchy quite quickly. Whilst they’re boiling prepare your veg and meat.

Cut your carrot, pepper and onion up into small slivers – the thinner the better – we’re going to be heating these through on a very high heat for a short period of time, the larger the pieces the more difficult it will be for you to heat them right through without burning them. Crush your garlic and prepare your salami, have everything to hand ready to throw in.

Remove the noodles from the pan and place to one side, preferably in something with a lid to keep them warm. Place your pan back onto the heat and turn up, pour in a little of your nut oil and heat until it starts to smoke – throw in the carrot, onions and pepper. Keep the veg moving in the pan and add your garlic. Throw in your salami and heat the veg and meat until the onion starts to go soft and turn a little brown. Take the pan off the heat and add your noodles, turn down the heat a little and place the pan back on the stove. Mix the noodles,veg and meat together until everything is nice and hot.

Remove and eat.

Camp Omelette

January 23, 2011 /

First in a new series of three cooking videos we start with the most basic of good food for the road – the Omelette. Incredibly simple to make, and importantly, still good to eat if you mess it up! The great thing about this recipe is that it’s very easy to add to or change – just grab whatever is nearest and throw in with the eggs. Easy.


Watch this video on YouTube

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 Red Pepper
  • 1 Carrot
  • Half an Onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Salami
  • Nut Oil

Method

Cut up your Red Pepper, Carrot and Spring Onion into very small pieces, crush your garlic and then slice thinly. Slice your salami into chunks, add as much as you fancy. Mix the eggs quickly with a pinch of salt and pepper, perhaps a little spice in a separate pan.  Pour the nut oil into a skillet or pan and heat until it starts to smoke, pour in the eggs and agitate the mixture on the bottom of the pan to give the final omelette some depth. Add the veg as the eggs start to thicken and harden, drop the heat a little at this point.

Keep the eggs from the side of the pan and as soon as you notice the egg starting the bind and lift easily from the pan consider turning it in half – at this point it really doesn’t matter if you break it up – it tastes exactly the same.

If you don’t want your veg to be on the crispy side consider frying them off before adding the eggs until they’re soft and golden brown.

Pots and Pans – What you really need to be a great cook on the road

October 30, 2010 /

We’ve done a lot of videos over the last couple of years that have concentrated on cooking food on the road, but we’ve never taken the time to explain the equipment we use – the mistakes we’ve made – and the best gear we’ve found. In this new series of films we explore Pots & Pans, Cookers, and Simple Kitchen Tools for traveling.

We look at gear for one, for groups and everything from getting water boiled fast, to preparing a full gourmet meal for your traveling group.

Pots & Pans are the most important aspect of travel gadgetry as far as I’m concerned – they’re a real ‘home from home’ gadget, in that when you’ve set up camp and you’re just settling down for the evening the last thing you need is naff gear that isn’t up to the task. If you want a cup of tea in the afternoon you don’t want to spend an hour getting your pots out and ready, at the same time you want to make sure they’re capable of being used in a wide variety of ways. Of course… that’s different for everyone, and whilst Stace and I will never travel anywhere without our kettles / tea pots – others will find this an abhorrent wast of space and additional weight!

So watch the first in the new cooking on the road trilogy below or over on youtube.

Moules Marinières

August 10, 2009 /

We’re onto the fourth video in my cooking on the road series and this week I take a look at mussels. They’re cheap and when you’re near the coast you can’t beat them for a quick and easy meal. An excellent source of Selenium, and vitamin B12, and a good source of Zinc, and folate, they also have a high calorific value – making them the perfect food for on the go.

The really simple recipe for this video comes from Alexlebrit, again on Horizonsunlimited.com


(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-Mg_66ulk4)

Ingredients:

  • 0.8kg/2lb mussels,
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped,
  • 1 shallots (or a small onion), finely chopped,
  • 8g/¼oz butter,
  • Parsley, thyme and bay leaves,
  • 50ml/ 1½fl oz dry white wine or cider,
  • 60ml/2fl oz double cream or crême fraiche,
  • Crusty bread, to serve,

Method:

1. Wash the mussels under plenty of cold, running water. Discard any open ones that won’t close when lightly squeezed.
2. Pull out the tough, fibrous beards protruding from between the tightly closed shells and then knock off any barnacles with a large knife. Give the mussels another quick rinse to remove any little pieces of shell.
3. Soften the garlic and shallots in the butter with the herbs, in a large pan big enough to take all the mussels – it should only be half full.
4. Add the mussels and wine or cider, turn up the heat, then cover and steam them open in their own juices for 3-4 minutes. Give the pan a good shake every now and then.
5. Add the cream and more chopped parsley and remove from the heat.
6. Spoon into two large warmed bowls and serve with lots of crusty bread.

Alex, from Brittany, France.

One Pot Camping Cooking – Salami & Rice

July 27, 2009 /

One of the simplest things to carry when traveling is rice – it’s light, packed full of energy and provides a hot filling meal when you need it most. My favorite traveling recipe is really simple. In this video I show you how to make it.

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2qD0n4a8H0)

Ingredients

  • Rice
  • 3 times as much water as rice
  • cup-a-soup

if available

  • meat (salami works really well)
  • vegetables (my favorite is peas)

Method:

Boil the rice for about 3/4 of the required time before adding your meat, at this stage also add your herbs and spices and your vegetables – mix well before adding the cup-a-soup straight from the packet. Stir in the powder for a few minutes and you’re done – simplicity itself and a hot, filling, energy packed meal in a little over 10 mins.

Your turn

Do you have a one pot recipe you wouldn’t be without on the road? Email me (or leave a comment below) and tell me how you make it and I’ll turn it into a video… credited to you of course.

New video show page

February 3, 2008 /

Given we’re now filming in wide-screen and that it would be nice to watch all the review shows in one place we’ve built a new page to allow you to do just that!

It sounds more exciting than it really is, but bookmark this link

http://journeytorussia.co.uk/watch-the-show

or subscribe to the RSS feed at

http://journeytorussia.blip.tv/rss

Shows in the pipeline include a guide to which tents will serve you best on the road, and the first of what I hope will be many cooking themed shows, with recipes that will keep you healthy using local food and the simplest of tools.

If there’s something you’d like to see us film drop us a note 🙂

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