This weekend I went camping with my friends in the forest of the city Nemours. It was so much fun, reminded me of La”g ba’Omer celebrated every year with my friends in high school. We arrived Friday night and as soon as we got there, people started building the Bonfire which stayed on for the entire weekend!
Why am I writing about it in my food blog? Because it was a constant eating and drinking fest! We started eating as soon as the fire was built ’till the very end, nonstop! I love cooking over fire, it’s so much better than over electrical stove. Fire will add the amazing smokey flavor and you can practically put everything on a stick over the fire and it will taste better!
Of course many times food was dropped on the ground and we ate some sand, but it only adds some character and “texture” and no harm is done. My best memories of outdoors adventures are cooking in the wild.
I took many pictures of us cooking, eating and drinking. Hope it will give you the urge to go camping yourself.
Friday night
The bonfire, I’m not sure how they managed to lit it up during total darkness and so fast!
Some people carried grills and the first thing as always are the sausages. We brought chipolatas, marguez and tolouse sausages, all the basics. No crappy processed chicken hotdogs!
Nacho begun with heating his Mexican Mole chocolate spiced sauce, so we’ll have something to dip the meat in. After a while Nacho said: it’s better to dip pieces of meat and not sausages because they are too seasoned and overwhelming for the mole. I think he had a point.
Best thing about the sausages, you jest go around the camp, find a branch and stick it and there you go! There’s also the can system as shown in the photo.
Working on the sausages, in total darkness. Thanks Arnel for the picture.
Creating a mini fire for cooking beside the big fire. Better results cooking slower with less flames.
And another secondary fire for cooking in the entertainment area
There was a whole chicken cooking there as well as parts of other chickens. Chicken on the fire, when taken out on time, is amazingly tasty and moist. Excellent with the Mole.
Arnel brought pasta with bechamel sauce, champignons and lardons and invited special guests for tastings in his tent.
I put some onions in the fire and everyone ate them straight out of the fire when they were soft and cooked (a little burnt).
Thanks Arnel for the picture
Playing with fire!
Saturday morning:
A banana on the fire, someone was working on this banana for hours before eating.
Breakfast: Nacho brought Vietnamese drip coffee maker and instant noodles to eat with the sriracha sauce I just happened to bring with me (hot chinese sauce)
My coffee dripping slowly
Breakfast time. Thanks Phil for the picture
The day can start now.
Eating the instant spicy noodles
Another hot chilly pepper sauce, Mexican Chile Habanero
Not the best way to start the day, Absinth.
The happy campers feeding the fire at noon
We just finished breakfast but immediately start cooking lunch
Marguez hot sausage in a “milk bun”: sweet, brioche like bread.
Gummy candy, would it be tastier on the fire?
Oh yeah!
Spicy chicken and meat, everything that was left from the night is going on the grill now.
Omnomnom
Constantly playing with the fire, moving around the grill until everyone’s happy
Danny grilled some veggies brochettes for a grilled vegetables salad
Pork chops marinated in soy sauce and spices
Eat!!
Danny suggesting tastings of his grilled vegetables salad after marinated ten minutes with olive oil, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.
His secret: pieces of half melted Swiss cheese
Me, in the middle of the camp. Thanks Phil for the picture
Going to see the crater while drinking beer. Thanks Arnel for the picture
Was a cool and sandy walk in nature.
After finishing the two hour walk, going back to the camp with more wood for the fire
Saturday Afternoon
Going shopping in the city (or should I say village?)
Arnel favorite bread is Büche – sour dough bread. Looks amazing, I trusted him it’s the best.
The bakery in the back
The bread is priced by the kilo. Each cost about 4 euro.
I saw the flan and couldn’t resist buying a piece for the next morning breakfast!
Proud daddy of the Büche bread
In the supermarket, finding the cheapest wine carton: 5 liters for 7,3 euro!
Wine, beer, meat, did we miss anything?
Coming back to the camp with the shopping, we were suggested some more coffee, from the Italian makineta this time.
I will not say no!
Afternoon snack: a chipolatas in a grilled baguette with mustard
Nice snack.
Some other people enjoying the nature little gastronomical pleasures like this leech. Later on they hunted a leech and actually cooked it on a stick and ate it.
Drinking wine out of a Pringles box, classy!
This is what happens to me, after drinking and eating all day long.
Melon as a pallet cleanser
Waiting for dinner snacks: Cherry tomatoes, red and yellow, are of course better on the fire.
Saturday night (it’s light outside because the sun sets around 22:00 now..):
Marinating the meat before grilling
Adding some spices
The special Büche is revealed. Amazing texture and flavor, so fresh soft and sour inside, so crunchy outside.
Another sausage, this time in the Büche bread
Roasting also poitrine (a fat slice of bacon)
My poitrine with beer
Pork chop on the grill
This is hard to see but there’s a marshmallow on a stick. Or in French: Chamellow!
Sunday morning:
The flan I got from the bakery was amazing! Best Flan yet to be tasted. It was creamy and delicious.
Perfect Sunday breakfast for me and Marie-Aimée, my tent mate.
Before leaving the camp we had a small lunch with all the meat that was left, all the gummy bears we had, and of course, the right time for some Leffe beer.
Wow that was a lot of food and so much fun! Can’t wait for next time.
