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Saturday, August 3, 2013

Michigan Campfire Mac & Cheese

 A shot taken from the western most lookout point behind our campsite.

I love macaroni and cheese and have several very good, but very complicated recipes for it. During a recent camping trip, I decided to make it as simple and interesting as possible. Here's what I did.

Basic ingredients for 4 servings (this was enough for two guys):

Two cups dried pasta
Four cups of mixed shredded cheese (I like to use two 2-cups bags--one Italian blend and one cheddar)
1/4 stick of butter (I like Land O Lakes with olive oil and sea salt)
Enough spreadable butter for four slices of bread
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Whole milk (about 1/4-1/2 cup)
Rye bread (I like Jewish deli rye)
A perfectly ripe tomato that is cored and thinly sliced
Pam cooking spray

The key to great campfire cooking is having easy access to all your cooking needs. For this recipe you need a hot wood fire that has left you with some hot glowing embers. You then need your kitchen set up:

  1. A sturdy table with a table top two-burner stove and a griddle
  2. A pot (with a lid) for boiling the pasta
  3. A Dutch oven big enough to hold the mac and cheese and that you can put into hot embers (I used a Le Creuset from home, which took a lot of clean up and was not appreciated by my non-camping partner...so think through your choice carefully!)
  4. A small prep area, big enough to place a Dutch oven and all your food ingredients side by side
  5. A butter knife, a Teflon spatula, a large wooden or plastic spoon or spatula for mixing the mac and cheese
  6. A small cutting board
  7. A clean up basin large enough to hold the water from the pasta pot

First, I want no leftovers when I'm camping. The goals is to bring only food that will be eaten and bring back only jarred or packaged staples (like olives, cherries, salt & pepper, etc). So, pack as much dried pasta (I used penne) as you need servings. For two of us, I took four servings or about 2 cups.

Using the two-burner stove, boil the pasta according to package directions. Typically, you need about 9 minutes of solid boiling time for basic pasta. Add salt to the water, but not oil (that is a myth--you want the water to be in contact with the pasta--so skip the oil or butter in water).

While the pasta is boiling, prep the cheese mixture.

But first, prep the Dutch oven (there are a lot of variations on this, but in general it needs to be dry, the interior rubbed with vegetable oil and then sprayed with Pam).

In the prepped Dutch oven, mix the shredded cheeses, add salt and pepper to taste (I advise heavy pepper with light salt, since the cheese will add plenty of punch), a generous dash of nutmeg, and about 1/4 cup of milk. Remember, you can add a little more, so don't make it too soupy from the beginning. Mix all that together evenly.

Check your embers and make a level spot in the fire to set the Dutch oven.

On a hot griddle, place four slices of buttered-on-both-sides Jewish rye bread. You are making croutons, by first making toast. Toast each slice on both sides, using the Teflon spatula to flip. Once the toast is ready, use the cutting board to cube the stacked slices.

Drain the pasta, but hold back some of the starchy water.

Add the cooked pasta to the cheese mixture, stirring to combine evenly.

Check for texture...add a little more milk or some of the hot starchy pasta water depending on what you like. There is no right or wrong way...just make it look like you think it should!

Top the mac and cheese with the rye croutons and then the sliced tomatoes. I add a little salt and pepper on top.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven and set the whole thing on the coals.

Let it bake (this is a great time to make a Manhattan and sip it...you and your camping partner/sous chef have earned it!).

The mac and cheese will bake nicely in about 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your embers are.

Dish it up and enjoy!






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