- Quick facts
- Total days on the road: 586
- Currently in: USA
- Miles Driven: 36821
- Countries Visited: 17
- Days Camping: 389
- Days Indoors: 202
- Get Updates via Email
Cooking
It seems all we do is talk about food, what we are eating and when. When people first meet us they quickly come to realize we eat a lot and we eat well.
We thought it is high time we share some of our culinary shenanigans with food lovers alike. If you have any recipes you would like us to add, let us know and we will get right on it.
Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway
{jcomments lock}It's our pleasure to finally introduce our latest work, Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway. A cookbook that has been 25,000 miles in the making.
What's Inside?
- 85 full-color recipes, all of which can be made in a minimalist camp kitchen.
- Comfort breakfasts, quick & easy lunch ideas and dinner recipes sure to make fellow campers jealous.
- Instructions for how to bake, braise, roast and smoke using charcoal.
In the unfortunate event that we've never had the privilege of cooking you a meal, here are a few recipes from the book that should give you an idea what we're all about. Click to enlarge.
Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway
{jcomments lock}It's our pleasure to finally introduce our latest work, Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway. A cookbook that has been 25,000 miles in the making.
What's Inside?
- 85 full-color recipes, all made with ingredients available throughout Latin America.
- Comfort breakfasts, quick & easy lunch ideas and dinner recipes that will remind your travel mates why they brought you along.
- Instructions for how to bake, braise, roast and smoke using charcoal.
In the unfortunate event that we've never had the privilege of cooking you a meal, here are a few recipes from the book that should give you an idea what we're all about. Click to enlarge.
Forks in the Road: The Making Of
{jcomments lock}A mere three days away from the release of our soon-to-be critically-acclaimed cookbook, Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway, we feel it's our duty to provide you with a glimpse of the trials, tribulations, tantrums and alcohol-fueled late-night sessions that brought it into being.
What's the best way to test the relationship of the ones you love? Long-term travel. What's the best way to ensure you never want to see each other again? Travel long-term while simultaneously attempting to write, photograph and publish a cookbook.
We drove 25,000 miles through 13 countries while taking 2,780 pictures and writing more than 90 recipes spanning 210 pages and 45,000 words to make this happen. It was quite possibly the most difficult, delicious and time-consuming thing we did on this trip. And it was totally worth it. We hope you enjoy our efforts and a laugh at our expense.
Coming Soon: A Cookbook from Life Remotely
{jcomments lock}Ladies and Gentleman, it's announcement time again. Don't lie. I know you love announcement time. Coming oh-so-very soon to a computer, kitchen, amazon.com, and Overland Expo "near" you:
Forks in the Road: Recipes from Overlanding the Pan-American Highway
To be released online and in print at Overland Expo 2013 on May 17th.*
*Assuming Jared finishes writing the words, Jessica gets the back cover designed and the book is finally sent to the printer this week.
What's inside:
- 85 full-color recipes all made with ingredients available in Latin America
- Quick & easy ideas for every meal of the day
- Baking over charcoal explained with easy-to-follow diagrams
- Latin American-inspired recipes to match an overlanding lifestyle
- How-to guide for roasting an entire lamb or 25-pound beef rib rack
Each recipe was cooked, written, photographed and published while driving the Pan-American Highway. Care has been taken to point out hard-to-find ingredients, offer readily available substitutions and give advice for keeping meals simple and flexible. Breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, drinks, sauces, spice mixes, and side dishes are all included.
And because we know you might not have a permanent address at the moment, we are offering two versions:
Ebook (PDF): $14.99
Print book: $29.99
The Breakfast Bomb - Recipe
- Serves: 6 {jcomments lock}
- Prep time: 30 minutes
- Cook time: 1 to 1.5 hours
- Estimated cost: Less than $10
Quiche is good, the breakfast bomb, well it's The Bomb. The recipe originated in South Africa and was discovered by us in Argentina. It could easily be a lunch or a dinner. One thing is for sure, it is a great way to start the day.
We have been using store bought pie crusts since they are so easy to find here in South America. The fillings depend on personal preference and what leftovers you happen to have in the fridge. We like to use slices of salami, ham, grilled steak or chorizo. For the veggies we go with bell peppers, onions, chives broccoli or potatoes.
Stuffed Apples - Recipe
Serves: 4 {jcomments lock}
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Cost: Less than $5
This is a very simple desert that can be made while grilling or making a poitjie on a charcoal fire. The apples are perfect for a cold camping night. They dissolve in your mouth in what can only be called a flavor explosion.
The Ingredients
- ¼ cup honey or maple syrup
- ¼ cup brown sugar
Argentinian Mud Chicken - Recipe
Serves: 4 to 5
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 2 to 2.5 hours
Estimated cost: Less than $10 {jcomments lock}
Mud Chicken? Yup, chicken baked in mud. This recipe originates from an old-school Argentinian cookbook that covers recipes that gauchos and indigenous people prepare.
When I first heard of this method I said to myself, "that is never going to work." It wasn't until Lucy Pickering from Chasetherace.net dumped a steaming brick of mud out of her Dutch oven that I reconsidered.
Beef, Bacon & Beer Potjie: Not Your Grandma’s Stew - Recipe
Serves: 6-8 {jcomments lock}
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Estimated Cost: $10
This is a spin on a classic South African recipe. Stews are normally a bunch of ingredients that are thrown into the pot and stirred from time to time, the end result is all your ingredients having the same consistency, mush.
On the other hand, a potjie is never stirred. All the ingredients retain their texture and shape but still mix flavors with their neighbors. This meal is hearty and perfect for a cold night, especially when accompanied by a few beers.
Don’t be afraid to change up the ingredients, especially the veggies. A potjie is very forgiving and turns out scrumptious every time.
Baking Mouthwatering, Moist Dutch Oven Bread - Recipe
Makes: 1 loaf {jcomments lock}
Prep time: 30 minutes
Dough rising time: 2 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes to one hour
Estimated cost: $2
Yes, you can bake in a Dutch oven. In fact it is one of the most rewarding parts of owning one. This recipe is a simple and can be altered to make herb bread or smaller rolls.
The trick is to give the dough plenty of time to rise.
All Glory to the Dutch Oven!
{jcomments lock}In South Africa the Dutch oven or potjie (pronounced poy-key) is usually associated with social gatherings and special events. While overlanding it’s that and much more. Our Dutch oven forms a vital part of our kitchen arsenal. It allows us to make ridiculously cheap and good meals with little effort. Not to mention that it makes us popular around dinner time as fellow travelers flock to our side to contribute to the evening festivities.
The Dutch oven allows us to make a wide variety of delicious comfort food without needing an actual oven. After being on the road for a year, we can emphatically say that a little bit of home goes along way.
What is a Dutch Oven?
Simply put, a Dutch oven is a cooking pot made from heavy cast iron. If you take care of it, it will last forever. They are typically black and pre-seasoned but can be found with enamel coatings that come in all shapes and sizes. Cast iron pots are not practical for backpacking because of their weight and size, although lighter aluminum varieties are available, they are definitely the the same.
Kobus’ Faux Roast Chicken - Recipe
Serves: 6 {jcomments lock}
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1.5 to 2 hours
Estimated Cost: Under $10
The first time I made this chicken it was a winner and we immediately added it to the "cook it again list". This method of cooking the chicken creates a tender, juicy, fall-of-the-bone meal that is straight out of flavor crystal heaven. It is easy to make and takes very little culinary skill, after all I am just the driver.
It's not technically roast chicken since it's partially cooked in liquid, hence the "faux". It's semi-roasted, the legs and thighs are cooked in liquid while the white meat and most of the veggies, being above the liquid, are roasted to perfection. You get fall-off-the-bone dark meat and juicy roasted white meat, best of both worlds.
Tips for the Traveling Camp Chef
{jcomments lock}Cooking while you travel is a great way to experience the culture and exotic food ingredients of other countries. Nothing beats shopping at an open-air market, mingling with locals and returning to camp to cook an awesome meal with fresh ingredients that cost pennies. To me, this is the essence of travel. Good people, good food and the feeling that you’re connecting with your surroundings in ways most other visitors will never get to experience.
On the other hand, camp cooking can be a real pain in the ass. You have limited resources, you’re dealing with strange ingredients, exhausted from a long day -- and then it starts pouring down rain. As the resident chef of Team Life Remotely, I’m here to offer my advice for dealing with the bad situations and to help you get the most out of cooking while you travel.
Baking on a Campfire
{jcomments lock}When you’re traveling long ways and camping for months at a time, the grind of canned food and grilled meat can get old. A good way to shake it up is to learn how to bake. Yes, it is time consuming, but it can be very tasty and fun.
Ingredients you need
Flour. Water. Yeast. Sugar. Butter or oil.
Not kidding. That’s all you need to bake. Now, if you want to make something good, you’ll need a few more things. But that depends on what you feel like and/or what is available.
Gear you Need
- A charcoal fire or camp stove.
- Bricks or rocks to lift the pan off the heat.
- A sturdy frying pan with a tight fitting lid. A pot can work, but takes more practice. It can’t have any plastic parts that can melt. The best I know of is made by NOLS.
- A pair of pliers or decent hot pads. A thick towel will do, just make sure it isn’t synthetic. Polyester will melt.