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Bush Cooking
Bush Cooking on the Road
Caravan World
BUSH COOKING
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Camp ovens and cast-iron pots are a sure-fire winner on the road and can cook just about anything, especially these simple Australian recipes
PRAWN POTS
By Jo Clews (recipe from Camp Oven Cooking, RRP $34.99, by Boiling Billy Publications)
You will need one cast-iron prawn pot per person. Pots are available at camping and barbecue stores. This recipe makes a great starter, or can be part of a main course. Honey, sweet chilli sauce and finely chopped mango are fantastic alternative ingredients to add to the pots. Scallops and other small pieces of seafood cook to perfection in the pots as well.
TOTAL TIME: 40-50 minutes SERVES: 1 person
INGREDIENTS
• 1 tsp butter per pot
• ¼ tsp crushed garlic per pot
• 1 pinch fresh or dried chives per pot
• Generous grinding of pepper per pot
• 8-12 raw prawns per person
METHOD
Preheat camp oven to at least 200C. Place required number of pots in the oven and heat for 30 minutes or more, if you have the time. Very carefully remove pots and place on a heatproof surface.
Remove the lids and place butter, garlic, chives and pepper in pots. Add the prawns and give a quick stir to coat with butter. Replace the lids and allow to stand for 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the lids and your prawns will be cooked.
Recipes on the road: PRAWN POTS
Caravan World
BAKED KANGAROO TAIL IN SPICY PLUM SAUCE
By Jo Clews (recipe from Camp Oven Cooking, RRP $34.99, by Boiling Billy Publications)
For about 18 months in the late 1980s I lived with my partner and eldest daughter on a station called Rawlinna, which is about 400km east of Kalgoorlie on the Trans-Australian Railway Line in Western Australia. As distasteful as it may be to some, our job was to control bourgeoning kangaroo numbers. The station’s environment is unique, in that the whole four million acres is surrounded with 2m-high dog-proof fencing to keep wild dogs out. However the fence trapped a large kangaroo population inside with the sheep. Permanent water meant the kangaroos didn’t have to rely on seasonal groundwater to survive anymore: they would drink from the troughs provided for the sheep. As their numbers were always high, kangaroo became a cheap, readily available source of meat for the time we were there.
These days I have to go to a butcher for kangaroo, and have found that most will be able to source the product if they don’t stock it all the time. In most dishes it is hard to distinguish from beef or mutton. This is my favourite kangaroo recipe and over the years has been responsible for changing the minds of many sceptical people who had never tasted kangaroo before. I hope you like it too.
TOTAL TIME: 2-4 hours SERVES: 4
INGREDIENTS
• 1L water
• 800g can of whole plums, de-seeded
• ½ cup sweet chilli sauce
Method
As the cooking time for this recipe can be more than 3 hours, you will need to place your camp oven in a protected spot. Have a ready supply of fresh coals to replace the dying ones, to keep the cooking temperature even. Put a small cast-iron camp oven on a sturdy rack, over the top of 4-6 lumps of charcoal, heat beads or a small amount of fire coals. Add the same amount of heat on the lid. Place jointed tails into the camp oven with half the water, then put the lid on and allow to cook for 1 hour.
Check on their progress and top up with a little water if needed, then cook for a further 45 minutes. You'll know when the tails are nearing completion as the meat starts to fall from the bone. Add the plums, juice and chilli sauce and simmer without the lid over a moderate heat until the sauce has thickened.
Quick Tip: The best way to eat kangaroo tail is to pick up a joint between thumb and finger and eat as if you are eating an apple. If cooked properly and for long enough there will be no evidence of the sinew, as it will have all broken down to help make the plum sauce thick and sticky.
Baked Kangaroo Tail in Spicy Plum Sauce on the Fire
Caravan World
ANZAC BISCUITS
By Cathy Savage (recipe from Australian Bush Cooking, RRP $34.99, by Boiling Billy Publications)
TOTAL TIME: 5-10 minutes MAKES: About 20 biscuits
INGREDIENTS
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 cup plain flour
• ½ cup white sugar
• 125g butter
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3 tbsp boiling water
METHODS
In a large bowl mix well the rolled oats, coconut, flour and sugar. In a small saucepan heat the butter and golden syrup. Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water, then add to the butter and golden syrup. Pour the liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well. Drop dessert-spoon mounds onto a greased tray, place on trivet in hot camp oven and bake with moderate coals on the base and lid until golden brown. Once these are golden brown, they will still be slightly soft — allow them to cool on the tray for a few minutes then lift them off onto a trivet or cake cooler to cool down.
Quick Tip: Keep an eye on these biscuits as they can burn very quickly.
ANZAC Biscuits on the Road
Caravan World
