THE COOKBOOK TEST #0056: THE TASTE OF THE WILD

INSTALLMENT #0056 (FREE) A FEW WORDS ABOUT WILDERNESS EATING

Dear Readers,

If you pinned me down and made me commit to choosing the best meal of my life - really, honestly, the finest meal I ever ate - I would probably end up telling you the story of the time I helped haul a camp's worth of provisions and cooking supplies over a frozen lake to an island in the Boundary Waters. There, the chef cooked for us in cast iron over a campfire, and on a stovetop that heated our canvas tent as it worked its magic on our food. 

Six courses, maybe 10 or 11 tastes. Cast-iron cooked Buffalo quail, poultry the likes of which I'd never had before or tasted since. Bison braunschweiger, smoked walleye mousse, pemmican, stewed butter beans, spruce tip tea. The chef, J.D. Fratzke, was (and still is) a genius. 

The flavor of the food was a lot of it, but a lot of it was also the company (Becca, J.D., a couple of Arctic explorers, a couple of veteran BWCA guides/outfitters), and a lot of it was also the wilderness we were sharing. I've eaten at three Michelin star joints in New York City and had some wonderful meals in Spain, and New Zealand, and Montreal - this one topped them all, by the alchemy of food plus people plus place.

I'm thinking about that meal this week because as you read this, I'm just wrapping up a four-night stay in the Boundary Waters. I've either had the time of my life, or a miserable time, or a placid time, or an exciting time, a terrifying time, or a spiritual time, or some mix of all of the above. That's the beauty of these trips: You can plan as much as you like, but the weather and the landscape and the social dynamic of your group are going to do what they do, and at some point you just have to exhale, and keep paddling if you want to make it to your next destination, be it a portage, an island campsite, or the way back home.

Because I'm me, and because my friends are my friends, food is always a big part of these trips. It's four times harder to cook in a remote campsite than it is to cook at home, but the meals taste five times better. All you can count upon is a fire pit and a grate; since we're canoe camping and can handle some luggage, I usually bring a big cast iron griddle (see below) to sear meats and make bacon and scramble up eggs.

It's possible that you're more coordinated than I am, but for me, campfire cooking always has an element of chaos: uneven heating, fiery flare ups, the evolving nature of live wood-stoked fire. I've cooked skewers over adjustable grates before, and an inch closer or further from the fire can mean the different between a perfect cook and raw food. Another inch closer can mean a nearly instant flambe. To add to the difficulty, the fire keeps changing: "perfect" a minute ago can turn into "nothing" or "inferno" the second you turn your back.

No cookbook review this week, but I'll leave you with a recipe. This is one I wrote myself, and I've cooked it in the wild a few times now. Unlike a lot of wilderness meals, it's a complete thought: deeply spiced and marinated chicken, a fresh-tasting salad, and a starch (couscous) to tie it together and soak up the flavors.

LAKE MARIA CHICKEN SKEWER FEAST

MARINADE
1 Tbsp Middle Eastern spice mix (ras al hanout, hawajj, etc.)
1-1.5# skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2x1" pieces
1/4 Cup mint leaves, chopped
1/4 Cup cilantro, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cinnamon

SALAD
1 1/2 Cups tomatoes, chopped
1/4 Cup onion, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp lemon juice or flavored vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

SALAD RESERVE
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped
2 Tbsp mint, chopped

COUSCOUS
1 box couscous (I like Near East)
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp Better than Bouillon (optional)

Combine all of your chicken and marinade ingredients in a ready-for-the-trail Ziploc or tightly sealed Tupperware. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 24. Keep them in a cooler bag with ice or ice pack when you hit the trail.

Prep and combine your salad ingredients as close to departure as you can manage, and refrigerate. You could in theory store these overnight as well, if you want. Pack the salad in the cooler bag with the salad reserve (cilantro and mint) stored in a small, separate container.

When you're ready to eat: thread your chicken pieces onto skewers, discarding marinade. Pack the chicken tightly, don't leave space between the pieces. Get your fire grate ripping hot with plenty of hot coals beneath it. When your skewers hit the grate, there should be audible sizzle and char. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until you've got char on all sides. 

Get a burner going to make however much hot water (typically 1 1/2 cups) you need for the couscous. Throw your butter, couscous spice packet, and Better than Bullion into the water as it comes to a boil. Once it hits a boil, dump in your couscous, remove it from the heat, and let it sit covered for five minutes.

Pull the skewers and cut into a piece or temp it - it'll probably not be cooked through. Return skewers to grate. You can optionally wrap them in foil with a little beer or sake (if you have some) or water. Let them cook another 5-10 minutes until cooked through.

Toss the salad with the extra chopped mint and cilantro you've held in reserve.

When the skewers are done, serve in bowls or on plates on a bed of couscous with salad on the side. 

at your service,

James