For the last 2 months, I had been waiting for the perfect weather conditions to go on my very first ski-touring camping trip. But first the non-stop rains, and then the steep increase in temperatures effectively cancelled spring and forced me to retire my new skis.
So when the last weekend rolled around, I fully embraced summer and set off on the first backcountry camping trip of the season.
My blog had been inactive the last many months, but not me: I’d been dreaming up recipe ideas, just waiting for the chance to field test them!
Started the season strong with a secret campsite
The recipe is inspired by this 10-Ingredient Lentil Bolognese from one of my favourite vegan recipe creators. I make RainbowPlantLife’s version pretty regularly in my home kitchen, and the simplicity of the ingredients makes it well suited to a camp kitchen.
The backpacker version of it includes a few key changes
100g lentils: This pasta dish packs a protein-heavy punch, at 25g of protein, or 12.5g per person
30g walnuts: Adds another 5g of protein
Tomato paste and sundried tomatoes in oil: Tomato paste is a key component of the original recipe and adds depth of flavour and umami to the dish. We kept this the way it is, but substituted the crushed tomatoes with the sundried kind. This is a lighter weight option – it doesn’t serve exactly the same function, but adds a nice tang to the bites when chopped up.
Small pasta, like macaroni: I opted for a smaller pasta size to make it easier to pack and faster to cook.
Finally, I describe two ways to prepare this: one with a pre-soak step for ultimate fuel savings, and one without it, for when you make camp late and need something in your belly 5 mins ago (like us).
Cooking in the dark does not lead to glamorous food pics …
Recipe
Serves: 2 Ideal for: Backcountry trip Type: Dinner Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients 180g small pasta, for eg. macaroni
100g red lentils
30g walnuts, chopped
1.5 tsp kosher salt*
1 tbsp dried sliced onions
1 tsp dried minced garlic, or garlic powder
½ tsp ground pepper
¼ tsp dried thyme**
¼ tsp dried oregano**
1 tbsp veggie broth powder or 1 buillon cube
1½ tbsp tomato paste
1½ tbsp sundried tomatoes in oil***, chopped up to the desired size
small pinch of chilli flakes
Drys and wets in respective packaging
At Home If using the time-optimised version, put the wet ingredients and dried herbs together in one watertight container, and the dry ingredients together in a Ziplock bag. If using the fuel-optimised version, it doesn’t matter how you store it, as long as the liquids from the wet ingredients do not leak.
At Camp: Time Optimised Version
Put the wet ingredients in the pot first. Add a touch of water to the container it was in, to wash out all the hard-to-get bits, and pour that into the pan.
Cook down the tomato paste in the the sundried tomato oil (along with the herbs and the sundried tomatoes) until it’s a darker red. Say approximately for 30 seconds. Keep stirring to make sure nothing burns. Cooking the tomato paste first adds a depth of flavour to the dish.
Cooking down the tomato paste
Add the dry ingredients and about 2.5 cups of water. Bring to boil, cover and cook until pasta is done. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. You may need to add more water, depending on your desired consistency, the size of your pot and salt content (see footnote *).
At Camp: Fuel Optimised Version
Start by cold-soaking the dry ingredients while you set up tent, wash up or do other camp chores. This will help reduce cook time. Pour water till about 1-2 cms above the level of the food and soak for at least 30 mins, but preferably up to 2 hours if you have the time.
Pre-soaking while we set up our tent and washed up
When you’re ready to cook, combine everything into the pot. Make sure to not throw away the water used for cold soaking, as it would have all the salt and spices. Bring to boil, cover and cook until the pasta is al dente. Stir occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Take it off the heat and let it sit covered for around 10 mins for the pasta to fully soften. You may need to add more water, depending on your desired consistency, the size of your pot and salt content (see footnote *).
Recipe Notes
*We found this amount of salt to be sufficient, since the broth powder also contains some salt. If you tend to prefer more or less salt, I’d recommend carrying the salt separately so you can add as needed. Another way to regulate the amount of salt would be to add more water if too salty, or cook off a little, if not salty enough.
**Use any combination of dried herbs you like, doesn’t have to be these exactly.
***Include some of the oil too, it will be the base in which we cook the tomato paste.
