Beyond S'mores
Four top chefs share the secrets of great campfire cuisine.
By Mike Thelin
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Cathy Whims, Nostrana
A 2010 James Beard Award finalist, Cathy Whims has earned green, white, and red stripes as the city’s first lady of regional Italian cuisine. But among her inner circle of foodie friends, Whims is equally renowned for a formidable backyard paella that’s easily adaptable to summertime road-trip feasts.
At Home
Prep everything at home. “Chopping and cutting with limited water access is challenging and messy,” Whims notes.
At the Campground
Pat chicken with paper towels and season well with salt and pepper. On a metal grate over campfire coals, heat oil in a 15-inch metal paella pan. When oil is hot, fry chicken until golden on all sides. Once juices are clear, move to a plate. Add sausage pieces to pan and brown. Remove to the plate with the chicken. Add green pepper, onion, and garlic, and sauté until onion starts to turn gold, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomato and cook for 10 minutes more. Add paprika and saffron, stir well, then add rice. Stir to coat rice well with oil. Add white wine, let bubble for 1 minute, then add hot chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange chicken pieces on top of rice. Simmer until rice is no longer soupy, but not dry: about 8–10 minutes. Cover paella pan tightly with foil and let cook over medium heat until all liquid is absorbed, but rice is still firm. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Other Camp Essentials
Farm eggs, fresh tomatoes, and canned tuna for capponada—the Ligurian version of salade Niçoise.
Published: June 2010
OK, so I wanted to try this lamb shank recipe this weekend. But I feel like there must be a mistake in this recipe. Chard takes 3 minutes to cook. Dried beans? More like an hour. Why would you add them in at the same time as the chard? Could this be an error, or we really supposed to cook the chard for an hour?
I’ve made the paella recipe three times now. Twice while camping (pre-chopping is highly recommended) and once tonight at home. While camping we used a cast iron skillet, but tonight we are using a dutch oven on the stove and it’s so much easier! The paella is awesome, my only beef is with the recipe itself. There is no mention of when to add the piquillo peppers, and no mention of when to add the chorizo back in. You kind of have to wing it – I’ve been putting the peppers in with the tomatoes and the chorizo in right before I cover it. It’s a super good cold evening dish – whether camping out or staying in!