Whats for tea?

I dont believe it , someone else besides me actually calls the evening meal , tea , not dinner .

I use a variety of marinades, remove the frozen meat after breakfast, place in plastic-bag, pop in the marinade of choice + place in day cooler, @ end of day its ready for cooking. Acidic marinades help to tenderise the cheaper cuts eg stews, casseroles

eng

This is a meal we do once in a while, when the meat/fish has run out and there's only canned muck left.............LOL

Salmon Patties

Deb Potato made up. ( I know it's rank but you can improve the taste a little)
1 Tin Pink or Red Salmon drained
1-3 cloves of Garlic
1 small Onion
Salt & Black Pepper
Quick shake of Mixed Herbs

Mix together, roll into pattie size and cover with bread crumbs.
Lightly fry till golden brown..... serve with vegies or a Pkt of Continental Pasta.

Let's start with deserts . Brush up on you damper recipes [ scone recipe ] and plan to roll the damper flat , spread with fillings such as ; dried fruit , diced fresh fruit , jam , conserves , or sweet bush tucker , and roll up like a jam roll . Serve slices with cream or condensed milk , or make a sugar and fruit based topping . Slices can also be served dry with tea [ the drink ] .

If the troops complain about being hungry , remember the old Army trick , serve a heavy pudding .

The damper as desert should be pretty well disguised so don't hesitate to use damper in some main meals . With a meat roast , remove cooked roast and keep warm . Cook a damper in the juices in the camp oven , and serve on the plate with the roast , with plenty of gravy . These dampers can be made into 'herb bread ' by mixing in a heaped tablespoon of rosemary or steak herbs , and garlic .

Individual packets of frozen mince can be well varied as curry , taco , or with beans and vegies . Mince curry can be served as soon as cooked , it doesn't need to be rested overnight .Sausages can be parboiled , sliced and curried .

Lebanese chook is easy and is good as a big change . Stuff a large chook with uncooked rice and pine nuts but delete the usual diced cooked pork . Sew up the openings [ or scewer ] . Boil covered for almost two hours in a camp oven . To serve , discard skin , break all flesh off the bones and circle stuffing with the flesh on one large platter . Eat with the fingers , picking up chook and stuffing with flat bread pieces that have been drizzled with garlic and oil .

Packet soups - boil sliced or diced fresh vegies for , then add the packet soup

Desert ..hmmmmmmmmm Maderia cake mix one or two cans of cooked apples depends on how many people, saltanas if you like.

Small metal dish (pie) pour apples in and add saltana what ever you feel happy with, make up half or 1/4 of the cake mix enough to cover the dish. The dish i use is only about 150mm long and 125mm wide about 40 mm deep

Put in camp oven 20 mins apple pie :) ......... Small packet of cream the little dollop ones are just right for this :)

Brian

Working with fresh foods is a real art form in the bush. Knowing what you can keep in your fridge and for how long it keeps is half the secret.

First the meats. Try to get all meat devided in to meal portions and get it cryovac'd, we have kept it refrigerated for up to 5 weeks. Minces and any chopped up meats (lots of surface area) tend to go off faster than whole pieces.
You will be in the land of fresh fish. Fillet and skin any fillets and place them in individual bags asap after being caught and keep them chilled to frozen. Due to the heat up north, fish will go off really quickly if not kept on ice after catching.

Noodles & rice are great carbohydrates and less bulky than potatoes (which can also go off).

If you catch any Spanish Mackeral they cut easily into cutlets and are a great BBQ (but do not overcook and do them gently). If you cut off some fillet & skin them and cut into 1" cubes and cook into a curry or similar, it's the best fish for this but only cook for 5 minutes.

In your local friendly big supermarket check the asian section for sauces in packets. "Trident" do a brilliant Green / Red Curry Paste, read the instructions for the extras like coconut milk you will also need.

You can buy packet dry bread mixes to make your own wholemeal etc but will need a camp oven & warm place to allow the yeast to work and rise. Have a bread tin to put into the c/oven.

I just did a barra trip with a couple of mates & fed them like kings. Took fresh lettuce and still had some left nice & crisp after 2 weeks away. Keep the soft veges cool at the top of the fridge, beer and meat/milk on the bottom & everything else in between.

Trial cooking before you take off to test your bushlike skills helps heaps. 200 k can be a long way to the corner store if you forget something.

BTW, stir fries can be a simple way to cook up most of the dinner in 1 or 2 pots.

not my recipe, but a freinds...damper and a can of braised steak and onions plus a can of creamed corn.

Sounds awfull now, but wait till you are out there doin it !!!

I say tea mostly as well, often get hauled over the coals for my lack of class, ROFL.

Remember that damper can be savoury with olives, parmesan cheese, herbs etc as well as the sweet variety with mixed fruit.

I find the potatoe mixes much better than they used to be to add bulk to meals, make fish cakes etc. Also small potatoes come in cans and can be fried to add flavour.

Look up some mexican recipes using beans or buy commercial sauces and make nachos.

Also flat breads have a long life ( or you could make your own base from flour and yeast) and make good pizzas especially if you have a cobb. You could make them with very little perishable fillings. Ham, olives, anchovies, parmesan cheese, tomatoe paste or pizza sauce all come in jars or packets. If you were out of decent melting cheese, you could use cream cheese which also comes in packets or jars.

I guess seek out a large food store and look carefully you might be surprised just how much does come in cans and with added sauces and spices make an enjoyable tea/dinner.

Also Paddy Pallin have a range of freeze dried meals that only need water added, as I havent tried these I am not sure what they would taste like.

Carolyn

We found some tinned hot dogs in the supermarket that were okay ( no worse than tinned stews any way) and that was one less thing that needed to go in the fridge.

Cous cous is another alternative to take too, great forsoaking up the juices from a stew or stir fry. Just add boiling water and it doubles in size in a matter of minutes.

Mrs S

Pumpernickel is a wonderful, tasty, healthy alternative to ordinary bread. It keeps for about six months in the packet. It tastes great with just about anything on it.

That bland old Kraft Cheddar in the blue packet keeps without refrigeration and isn't too bad on dry biscuits with a bit of pickle or gherkin spread.

Smoked oysters, canned Salmon, mix it up with a packet pasta, add a little of this and that and you'll not go hungry.

Dried Bacon pieces are available in the spice section of the supermarket, they can transform many dishes. Try a can of ham, chopped and fried with some dried garlic, bacon pieces, chuck in some dried mushies, simmer with some long life milk, dried chives and then add a "Continental" (or similar) pasta mix and cook till done, adding fluid as necessary.

A little imagination and some of the dried tucker available will go a long way.

Cheers,

Jim.