Nothing beats fresh vegetables when camping, except maybe homemade pesto. (OK, a tray of hot homemade lasagna would be fantastic, but let's be realistic.) There are some vegetables that travel well and do not take a very long time to cook. Onions, zucchini, summer squash, and green beans keep well and are not easily smashed. Root vegetables fit into this category as well, but take an awful long time to cook on a camp stove.
Now for the homemade pesto part. Whip up a batch of pesto at home before you leave for your trip. You might even try freezing it in an ice cube tray and putting the cubes in a plastic zip-loc bag in your cooler, which will serve to keep everything else cool while adding to the life of the pesto.
Despite what many people think, pesto is very easy to make, and much cheaper and more delicious than store-bought pesto, no matter how fresh it claims to be. Plus, when you make it at home, you can make it just the way you like.
If you live in Portland, a stop at Micucci's is a necessity. There you can pick up huge bunches of basil for around $1.50, enough pine nuts to get the job done, and a variety of parmesan, reggianos, and other hard cheeses. If you do not have enough olive oil at home, you can get some here as well (please, use only the good stuff, it's not worth it t.o skimp on olive oil. Extra virgin only.) Heck, while you're here, you might as well take advantage of some of the best wine prices in town (two good extremely affordable, AKA cheap, wines that I love are Mommesin's Baton de Reglisse Syrah, which is about 4.99, and La Vielle Ferme, which is about 6.50 there compared to 7.50 or 8 bucks at Wild Oats.) Oh, and in case you haven't heard, the baker from Sophia's is there now. I have not been fortunate enough to actually get there in time to get some of his bread, but Sophia's had some of the best bread in town. One last Micucci's recommendation: their deli cheese is incredible, especially for the price. Whenever I pick up a half pound of mozzarella slices, only a quarter pound makes it home.
So, you get home with the Micucci's loot, get out your belnder (a food processor works even better) and get to work. You might want to put some Pavarotti on the CD player and pour yourself a glass of that wine. Wash the basil (my $5 Ikea salad spinner is great for this) and remove the stems. (Put those in the broth bag in the freezer that you will start after reading a future blog about homemade soups.) Put the basil in your blender, about halfway full, then pour in some olive oil. Toast about 1/4 cup of pine nuts on medium-low heat on the stove or in the microwave for about 45 seconds. Then dump these on top. You can start blending any time. Making pesto in a blender takes patience and is a bit messier than a food processor, but who can afford one of those?
Shred about 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese (or reggiano, or whatever you bought in that realm of cheeses). Dump that in the blender, top with some salt, pepper, and a small sprinkling of crushed red pepper. You will probably need to keep adding more olive oil so it will blend. Also, helping things along with a spatula will be necessary, if you have a $2 yard sale blender like mine.
When things are all saucy, you're done. A hint: my pesto almost always needs more salt. I just taste it with a spoon until it's to my liking. When it is to my liking, I will want to eat it with a spoon.
And voila! You are done.
Now, for the camp meal:
can of white beans
some leftover whole-wheat (much more flavorful than white) couscous from the night before
some sauteed zucchini and onions
pesto
Cook this all up together, serve it to your buddy with a glass of that red (white wine doesn't stay cold when camping), and watch the sun set. Marvel at how life is good to you.
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