La Piccina Cucina: Camping Edition #2

Every two years or so, Joef and I grab a few innocent and unsuspecting souls and drag them out to the Boundary Waters between Minnesota and Canada. This summer was my third trip and Joef's fifth, and it did not disappoint. It's some of the most beautiful, pristine wilderness I've ever seen, and I'll go back again and again. I mean, what's not to love about canoeing 20 miles a day with portages in between?

Last trip out, I posted about our handpicked blueberry compote. We were a little too early in the season this year for berries, but we did make a point of getting creative with cooking this time around. 

There was the usual fresh-caught fish (bass), fried:

But we also got experimental, with things like modified hummus (chickpeas, garlic, olive oil, sesame seeds, lemon, salt, and zatar are all easy to pack): 

 

Enjoy them with tortilla chips (cut tortillas into triangles and fry them up):

And we even made pasta, with pesto (paste) and sundried tomatoes:

The coup de grâce was cake baked in an orange peel. Now, it should be noted that the final outcome, taste-wise, could probably, er, be improved upon. But the concept is sound! Next time, we'd only fill the oranges halfway, and would either put them on top of the grill, or further from the fire. There was a bit of an ashtray effect. But we MADE CAKE IN THE WILDERNESS! With sparkly frosting!

Choose a batter that doesn't require eggs. Slice just the top off an orange, and scoop out the insides. Mix your batter, and spoon it into the orange.

Secure the top of the orange with toothpicks.

Place the batter-filled orange(s) near the fire. Rotate now and then to heat all sides. Cook for...um...20 minutes? Eyeball it.

Remove the oranges from the fire. Allow to cool, then remove the tops.

Spoon out the cake and dab with frosting!

It was an amazing trip with amazing people. Plus, no injuries! Here we are, just after getting off the water:

Hummus!

Aaaaaaand we're back! Back means we successfully navigated the Boundary Waters and have now moved into our new place in New Haven, CT. First-time east-coasters, are we. The best part so far is our ability to WALK to anything and everything. Like for ice cream, after dinner. Fantastic.

Of course, we're still Midwesterners at heart. So consider this hummus, which I confess to making when I was still in Madison, a tribute to our true home.

This was not as good as my Aunt Wendy's hummus, but it's a good start, and not too tough to make. I suggest starting with the below and modifying it to taste and texture as you go.

2 cups (aka two cans) chick peas/garbanzos
1/2 cup tahini, technically, but in this case - 1 oz sesame seeds and 1-2 tbsp sesame oil
3 cloves garlic
juice from 1 lemon
Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste

Start by making a paste with mortar and pestle of the sesame seeds and sesame oil to imitate the tahini. Then combine the ingredients (minus the paprika, salt, pepper) in a food processor and blend, adding more (regular) olive oil and/or water if it gets too thick. Add salt and pepper to taste

Finish with paprika sprinkled over the top. Again, taste and modify with lemon juice and oil (sesame or olive) to adjust the taste/consistency. Serve, of course, with pita.