Travel photographer shares her campfire recipe
Adventure traveller and talented photographer Heidi Christie regularly cooks over a makeshift fire with limited ingredients. She shares how she does it.
YOU know that recipe that’s a hit with the family? The one that is guaranteed to leave clean plates all round? The one that is simple and fast? Yes, that’s the one we want to share in our newest feature, What’s Cooking with Caxton. In this series, local residents tell us about their favourite recipes, from the easy to the inspiring, all in an effort to make your day delicious. You’ll never run out of great recipe ideas again.
Our second Highway Mail instalment features a delicious mielie bread that intrepid photographer Heidi Christie cooks in wild destinations.
Christie, a Waterfall resident, travels extensively in her trusty olive-green 4×4, fondly named The Toad. Well-equipped for camping in remote and rough places, with no running water or power, Christie cooks up delicious meals on the trot. Recently returned from Kubu Island in Botswana, where she catered for a group of photographers, the bush-chef says that she loves campfire cooking.
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She says, “The feeling of adventure and excitement every time I hit the road, with my flask of hot tea next to me, never gets old. I’m always looking for new places to adventure to, cook delicious food in, and of course, come home from with brilliant images. When I head out into the wild blue yonder with a pantry full of delicious basic ingredients, promises of adventure and good company, you never know who you will meet on the next trip into the wild.”
Christie says her favourite destination is the next one.
“Anywhere wild or remote that I haven’t been before. I do love Botswana in particular, but there is so much to explore in Southern Africa that I couldn’t pin it down to one destination. Namibia and the West Coast are on my list for next year, and the planning will start soon,” she says.
Christie’s pantry essentials include – dhania, parsley, ginger, lemons, garlic, honey, onions, fresh chillies, curry spice, smoked paprika, butternut, macadamia nuts, fresh mielies, feta, cheese, self-raising flour, eggs, tinned sweetcorn, meat when available, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, butter and salt and pepper.
Essential equipment for campfire cooking includes a Cobb, braai grid, wood, gas and charcoal.
Heidi’s Bush Mielie Bread
Chop and caramelise a large onion with 2 tsp garlic in a large glob of butter/olive oil. Season well. For flavour, brown as much as possible, then allow to cool.
Cut the corn off 2 mielies and set aside.
Combine in a bowl: 3 XL eggs, 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ cup milk, 2 tsp salt. Whisk together.
Stir in a can of creamed sweetcorn, the cooked onion, the fresh corn and ½ tsp of ground black pepper.
Add 3 ½ cups self-raising flour and combine well.
Put into a greased, floured tin, sprinkle with smoked paprika and cook in the Cobb for 90 minutes.
All measurements are thumb-sucked – please go with your gut.
