by Krista | Jun 12, 2014 | Winter
Early morning is my favorite time at our medieval camp. I love stepping out of our Bedouin tent into the misty dawn, pulling my scarf tight around my shoulders against the chill.
My friend Ann is always up early with me and our first order of the day is building a fire and heating water in a big iron pot to make a steaming cuppa. Our friend Stacey made delicious medieval teas for us and my favorite was the chamomile apple tea. Mmm, it smelled so good.
On chilly mornings it is pure bliss to wrap cold fingers around a piping hot mug of something delicious. We get as close as we can to the fire, shuffling around to avoid random gusts of smoke, willing the sun to hurry up and warm our bones.
As the first rays of sunshine flood the camp, we haul out pots and pans and start cooking a hearty breakfast of fried eggs…
…a massive amount of bacon…
…and our new favorite addition – fry bread.
It is deceptively simple with only three ingredients – flour, salt, and yogurt – yet absolutely scrumptious.
Simply mix everything together into a soft dough.
Roll out into thin rounds.
Or any other shape you prefer. We go for free form. 😉
Place in an oiled pan over the fire and cook about 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
They’re great as is or slathered in butter, topped with honey or jam, or folded like a taco and piled high with fried eggs and crispy, smoky bacon.
Do you have a favorite food you like cooked over the fire or BBQ? xo
Campfire Fry Bread
Ingredients:
1 cup plain flour
1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup plain yogurt
oil for frying
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together, kneading to form dough.
- Tear off golf ball size pieces, flatten and roll out thinly.
- Heat oil in pan over campfire. Add fry bread and cook 2-3 minutes until top puffs up. Turn and cook another 3-5 minutes until cooked through.
- Serve warm.
by Krista | Jun 12, 2013 | Bits 'n' Bobs
One of my favorite parts of medieval camping is waking up before sunrise while nearly everyone else is still sleeping.
The grounds are quiet and peaceful, and it’s lovely to get the fire burning, brew a hot cuppa, and sit near the warm campfire to watch the sun come up over the sea of medieval tents.
I love my morning cup of strong Earl Grey tea, and somehow it tastes even better made with smoke-scented hot water served in a medieval pottery mug engraved with my Aussie nickname.
Breakfast is hearty fare: pan-fried shortcut bacon (the good, meaty parts), scrambled eggs tossed with the delish crispy bits of bacon left in the pan, and thick slices of flatbread.
After breakfast there’s time to check out some of the medieval displays near us.
I love the gorgeous honey-scented beeswax candles made by my friend Stacey (see top two photos) and these beautiful medieval Hungarian glory beads made and worn by my friend Ann (see below).
One of my favorite encampments is the featuring Iron Age Vikings.
I especially like their food displays showcasing the foods that were available during their time in history. There were no potatoes then, or bell peppers or tomatoes, but they were able to make hearty stews with turnips, parsnips, and elegant purple carrots.
They made soup with dried peas, fried up eggs, and snacked on all sorts of nuts and dried fruits.
I was intrigued to learn that they would make a healing, nourishing tea by steeping pine needles in boiling water. Pine trees are in short supply in my part of Australia, but as soon as I track some down, I’m determined to try my hand at making Viking Pine Tea.
I love learning about new cultures and the foods they treasured. What food culture is most interesting to you?
by Krista | Jun 11, 2013 | Bits 'n' Bobs
Good morning! I am home again after a jolly weekend of medieval camping with dear friends.
I have heaps of stories and recipes and pictures to share with you over the next week or so, but today I’ll start with my favorite meal of the weekend: fire-roasted venison.
Our friends Greg and Steff are hunters and gave us a beautiful deer for our medieval camping trip. Part of the rules for participating in these gatherings is that everything, from utensils and clothing to recipes and menus, must be authentic to the medieval time period we represent. Since our group is 12th century, that means spit-roasted meats, hearty stews, flat breads, and all sorts of dried fruits and nuts.
At past encampments we’ve roasted goat or pork, so venison was a real treat.
We started by slicing up heaps of garlic, chunks of salty pork fat, and fragrant bundles of fresh rosemary. We made incisions all over the venison and inserted these flavorful little nuggets. Since venison is a wild meat, it can get quite tough, so tucking in bits of pork fat adds much-needed moisture with the added bonus of even more great flavor.
Once Neil got the venison prepared and on the spit, Ann, Stacey, and I set to chopping root veggies for a thick veggie stew. Turnips, parsnips, tubers, carrots – they all went in to a big cast iron pot to simmer over the fire.
Then came the hard bit – turning the spit. The venison takes about four hours to cook through and must be turned continuously to prevent charring or raw bits. No one can crank the spit for four solid hours, so we take turns.
It’s pleasant sort of work, not riveting or difficult, and you fall into a kind of peaceful, dozy trance as you turn, turn, turn. I loved watching the public as their eyes fell on the spit. They were entranced! Especially the little boy below. I don’t know how long he stood there, mesmerized by the roasting deer and the crackling flames.
Needless to say, the slow roasting meat smells AMAZING!! We never can wait until it’s completely finished before we start sneaking over with our medieval knives to slice off a piece of meat.
Oh my.
The roast venison surpassed all our expectations. It was tender, moist, and absolutely bursting with flavor. It was especially good when you bit down into chunks of roasted garlic and crispy rosemary. Yum!!
After the public went home, we gathered round the fire with Aussie beers, shooting the breeze while we waited for the venison to be well and truly done.
Then we gathered around the long wooden table and ate bowl after bowl of savory veggies and tender, smoky venison, washed down with earthenware cups of homemade mead.
Soon darkness fell and the stars came out and one by one we ambled off to our tents to sink into the deep sleep that only comes when you’ve worked hard, eaten well, and are sleeping in the fresh air.
What is your favorite memory from your weekend?
by Krista | Jul 5, 2012 | Fabulous Friday
I’ve been bustling non-stop for the last few days baking loaves of garlicky, Turkish flatbread, mountains of cookies, and a big bucket of chicken curry, all in preparation for three days of medieval camping with my dear friends this weekend.
We’re heading over to beautiful Bribie Island for the annual Abbey Medieval Festival and I am so excited.
Three whole days of camping in our oh-so-cozy Bedouin tent, making cheese and smoking homemade sausages over the campfire, and spending hours talking and laughing with old and new friends.
I can’t wait to taste steaming mugs of my friend Jack’s homemade chai tea cooked in a little cast iron pot – a recipe he’s been perfecting over the last few weeks. It will be so good on these frosty winter mornings before the sun warms us up.
And now I must check my to-do list one more time then head to bed where no doubt I shall sleep like a rock.
What are you looking forward to this weekend?
On chilly mornings it is pure bliss to wrap cold fingers around a piping hot mug of something delicious. We get as close as we can to the fire, shuffling around to avoid random gusts of smoke, willing the sun to hurry up and warm our bones.
As the first rays of sunshine flood the camp, we haul out pots and pans and start cooking a hearty breakfast of fried eggs…
…a massive amount of bacon…
…and our new favorite addition – fry bread.
Roll out into thin rounds.
Or any other shape you prefer. We go for free form. 😉
Place in an oiled pan over the fire and cook about 3-5 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through.
They’re great as is or slathered in butter, topped with honey or jam, or folded like a taco and piled high with fried eggs and crispy, smoky bacon.
Do you have a favorite food you like cooked over the fire or BBQ? xo
