Cooking over fire is neither difficult nor complicated. You don’t need much in the way of equipment to get started, and the results far exceed the effort required. ‘Pyromaniac Chef’ Kathryn Minchew takes a beautiful outdoorsy lifestyle – it’s not the answer to cooking over fire – it is an invitation to join in the game! Carefully, of course.
Figs with goats’ cheese
This is a lovely quick little dish which is essentially giving people bags of sweet-sour goo to dip their bread into. It isn’t the prettiest of dishes plated up. The best way to eat this is with gloved hands holding individual servings and scooping up the contents with a fresh roll. Serves eight.
Ingredients: 8 figs, 125 g soft goats’ cheese
Method:
· Cut each fig in half and use to sandwich a slice of soft goats’ cheese.
· Wrap in foil and cook on a fire for 15 minutes.
Cook conventionally: Cook at 180 degrees C.
Sticky ginger cake
Baking a cake in a fire is perfectly possible, but you won’t get a perfect Victoria sponge! This is very much a pudding cake to eat with custard or cream, but if desired it can be turned out.
Ingredients: 175 g butter, 100 g golden syrup, 100 g soft brown sugar, 1 tbsp fresh ginger, 1 tsp dried ginger, 3 eggs, 200 g plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp baking powder
Method:
· Liberally grease a cast iron pot with 25 g of the butter. Put a double later of greaseproof paper on the base of the pot.
· Melt the syrup, sugar and butter over a low heat.
· Add the gingers and eggs and beat.
· Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder and add a few tablespoons at a time until you have a thick smooth batter.
· Pour the batter into the pot and cook over a dying fire until the top is golden. If you wish to keep the fire going, use a plank or piece of wood to protect the cake from direct heat.
· Serve with custard.
Cook conventionally at 180 degrees C.
Mushroom parcels
Portabellini mushrooms are a little smaller than Portabello mushrooms. I liked the resulting slightly smaller parcel. Makes four parcels.
Ingredients: 8 Portabellini mushrooms, 40 g butter, 1 tbsp oil, 4 shallots, 4 chestnut mushrooms, 1 tbps mushroom ketchup, quarter tsp truffle oil
Method:
· Rub softened butter on the outside of the Portabellini mushrooms.
· Finely chop the shallot and cook for ten minutes in the oil over a low heat.
· Finely chop the chestnut mushrooms and add to the pan along with the mushroom ketchup and truffle oil. Stir and remove from heat.
· Place a Portabellini mushroom skin side down on a piece of foil. Fill with a quarter of the shallot mixture and top with another Portabellini mushroom. Wrap tightly in foil. Repeat three times.
· Cook the parcels in a fire for 30 minutes.
Cook conventionally: Cook at 180 degrees C.
Pineapple mojito kebabs
This is a have-to-smile food. You cannot be grumpy with a skewer of this golden deliciousness. Makes eight.
Ingredients: 1 pineapple, 10 g mint, 50 ml rum, 100 g golden caster sugar
Method:
· Cut top and bottom off the pineapple, then stand it on its end and strip peel off in long slices using a knife.
· Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise then each half into eight length wise.
· Cut the section of core leaving you with a beautiful slice of fruit. Its as though pineapple evolved in order that we all make this recipe.
· Chop the mint and mix with the rum and sugar. Use this to marinate the pineapple for at least 30 minutes.
· When ready to cook, skewer the pineapple and place on a grill over a fire. Baste with the marinade and turn regularly until caramelised all over.
Cook conventionally: Cook in a dry pan on the hob.
Pomegranate halloumi
This recipe came about in my restaurant. I had a booking with a vegetarian and wanted this meal to be really special. There are a great many menus where the vegetarian option appears to be an afterthought and while halloumi has arguably replaced the ubiquitous goat’s cheese. I succeeded in presenting my customer with a combination he hadn’t encountered before. Makes 4 kebabs.
Ingredients: 225 g halloumi, 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
Method:
· Cube the halloumi and drizzle with the pomegranate molasses. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
· Skewer the cheese and cook on a griddle over a fire. It is possible to cook the skewers directly over the fire but as the cheese melts you run the risk of a few causalities to the flames.
Marshmallow martini
Make the Marshmallow vodka in advance. It takes less time if you chop up the marshmallows first, but this is horribly sticky! Makes one martini.
Vodka Ingredients: 100 g Marshmallows, 300 ml Vodka
Martini Ingredients: Juice of 1 lemon (approx. 50 ml), 50 ml marshmallow vodka, marshmallows
Method:
· Make the marshmallow vodka by shaking the marshmallows and vodka together until the marshmallows disappear.
· Skewer marshmallows and toast lightly.
· Shake equal parts of vodka and lemon juice with ice and strain into a glass.
· Serve with toasted marshmallow.
Baked apples
These are a great dish to make in advance and have ready to throw on the fire later in the evening when you’re ready for something sweet. I server them with custard cold from the fridge. You need the balance of hot apple and cold custard. Serves 4.
Ingredients: 4 apples, 40g dried fruit, 20g flaked almonds, 40g butter, 1 tbsp Cointreau, ½ tsp cinnamon
Method:
1) Place an apple on a chopping board and cut downwards four times with a sharp knife. Use your fingers to put out the squared column containing the core. Repeat for the other apples.
2) Mix other ingredients together and divide into four. Use to stuff the apples.
3) Wrap apples in foil and cook around a fire for half an hour or until baked.
Spiced apple juice
This is a great warming drink as an alternative to mulled wine and no alcohol! The cinnamon stick and star anise can be used a few times. Serves one.
Ingredients: 200ml cloudy apply juice, 1-2tbp soft dark sugar, cinnamon stick, start anise, few scrapings of nutmeg.
Method:
1) Place all apple juice, sugar, cinnamon and star anise in a pan over a fire and heat.
2) Pour into a mug and scrape over some fresh nutmeg.
3) Easy!
Recipes taken from The Pyromaniac Chef Cook Book, by Kathryn Minchew, pyromaniacchef.com
