Refuel

LIQUID LUNCH

Nothing takes your summer barbie to the next level like an out-of-this-world marinade.

RECIPES CATHERINE PROCTOR

A self-described “huge fan of getting out into the Australian outdoors”, writer, cookery educator and professional caterer Catherine Proctor knows her way around the tightest of kitchens.

Published just before COVID-19 fired a cannonball through most Australians’ international travel plans for the foreseeable future, her Caravan & Campervan Cookbook was a rare spot of joy in an otherwise sedentary time.

Perfectly tailored to a travel-hungry nation’s domestic focus, the book forced Catherine to get creative, adapting “all of her favourite recipes to situations with minimal equipment and in a very confined space”.

“These recipes have certainly been more than triple-tested in a variety of cooking conditions and have remained tried and true favourites,” she says.

Nothing is better than a marinade to create next-level feasts on the fly. For these recipes, she says, “simply combine all ingredients in a screwtop jar or a small bowl and then pour over your chosen meat, chicken or fish”. As a general rule with marinades, red meat and chicken can be marinated for several hours—even overnight—but because fish is much more delicate, be careful not to marinate it for more than 30 minutes. And don’t get stressed about painstakingly measuring out ingredients. “You just need a balance of colour and flavour, oil and acid, sweet and sour, soft and crunchy, so you can substitute a lot of the ingredients for what you have on hand in your van,” she says.

“Most herbs can be switched out for other herbs, lemons and limes are interchangeable, and to a certain extent so are the sour ingredients: vinegar, fish sauce, lime and lemon juice.”

Never marinate fish for more than 30 minutes.

Thai lime and coconut marinade

“One of my all-time favourite marinades, the coconut cream keeps the chicken breast moist and tender,” says Catherine. “Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients... you simply need to throw them all into your stick mixer bowl and combine.”

Ingredients:

• 6 spring onions, finely chopped • 3 green chillies, seeded and chopped • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped • 2 tsp grated ginger • ½ bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stalk • 1 lime, zested and juiced • ½ tsp ground cumin • ½ tsp ground turmeric • 1 tsp ground coriander • Salt and pepper • 1 tbsp fish sauce • ½ cup coconut cream (or coconut milk)

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in the bowl of a stick mixer and pulse to combine. Pour over chicken and marinade for at least 30 minutes.

Perfect for lamb, but also delicious for pork and chicken. • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil • ½ cup fresh lemon juice • 2 garlic cloves, crushed • 1 tbsp dried oregano or rosemary leaves • 2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Teriyaki marinade

You can use this Japanese-inspired marinade with beef, chicken or fish. • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped • ¹/3 cup dark soy sauce • 1 tbsp mirin or vinegar • 1 tbsp caster sugar

Smoky barbecue marinade

The addition of the smoked paprika gives this marinade its rich smoky flavour. • ¹/3 cup barbecue sauce • ¹/3 cup maple syrup • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar • 2 tsp smoked paprika • 2 garlic cloves, crushed

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The Caravan & Campervan Cookbook, RRP $39.99. Save 20% at woodslane.com.au using the promo code ‘isuzu’.