Beyond S'mores
Four top chefs share the secrets of great campfire cuisine.
By Mike Thelin
Cathy Whims’s chicken and chorizo paella simmers over the campfire.
View Slideshow »Jenn Louis serving up a piping hot bowl of her Seafood Stew.
View Slideshow »Jason French preparing to chop up the arugula for his pasta.
View Slideshow »Adding clams to Jenn Louis’ Seafood Stew.
View Slideshow »Gabriel Rucker’s BBQ Lamb Shanks and Beans boiling over a roaring campfire.
YEARS BEFORE answering the clarion call of the kitchen, chef Jason French heard the howl of the wild. As a child, French roamed freely over his family’s 20 acres in rural Connecticut, blazing new trails through the forest with his brother, chopping wood, and igniting magical melty s’mores over the roaring flame of an open campfire at night. After a decade spent in some of Portland’s seminal kitchens—from Paley’s Place to Clarklewis preferred method still involves cooking with fire. At his own Northeast Portland restaurant, Ned Ludd, nearly everything passes through the 650-degree wood-fired oven—from braised Cattail Creek lamb and all manner of roasted veggies to that ever-present nod to his childhood, s’mores.
Of course, French isn’t the only chef in town with a streak of the frontiersman. Portland’s convenient proximity to nature inspires a rucksack of culinary tricks easily deployed beyond the kitchen limits, whether you’re high in the Cascades or at a beachside bonfire pit. In fact, as these recipes from some of the city’s star cooks prove, all gourmet camp cooking really requires is a little at-home prep. The results will forever change your definition of dining alfresco.
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!