Happy Glamping

 
We weren't exactly roughing it when we set out with our friends for a day of paddling, and a night of camping at the far north end of Georgian Bay, Killarney.  As we piled all our gear as well as appetizers,the fixings for  3 delicious meals, wine, beer, tea, coffee, ice water (really!) and all the condiments from sea salt to maple syrup into our 3 canoes and 1 kayak, there was some concern about whether or not there was room for paddlers.   We have our friend Bev to thank for her amazing organizational skills:  she pulled together the menu and every last piece of equipment and food needed for our Glamping Trip. 

Geoffrey, Nora, Charlie, Samantha, Lindsay and Dan

For dinner Bev's husband, Tim suggested she make a combination of to two recipes: smoked vegetable chilli (from Pan Chancho) and 10^th anniversary chili (from Chez Piggy). Both restaurants that inspired the recipe are in Kingston near Kris' cottage. The smoked vegetables take advantage of the season and it is really easy to do.  This combination is particularly significant for Bev and Tim: many many years ago they took a canoe trip with Zal Yanofsky before he started Chez Piggy. Going on a canoe trip this year with chili that is so evocative of summer, Zal and Zal’s daughter Zoe (owner of Pan Chancho) was a bit of a sentimental journey for them.  Served with basmati rice cooked over the fire, this was an outstanding hearty meal enjoyed by all.

 Smoked Vegetable and Beef Chili

Wood chips

1 basket roma tomatoes

Olive oil

½ cup red wine

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

2 tbsp oregano

2 tbsp rosemary

7 cloves garlic

1 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 3-inch sticks of cinnamon

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 diced red peppers

2 diced green peppers

2 diced onions

2 diced zucchini

1 very big eggplant, diced

1 lb ground beef

1 lb spicy Italian sausage

2 lb cubed stewing beef

 

Soak wood chips. Heat the BBQ on lowest setting and add the wood chips

Spread a whole bunch of roma tomatoes in a roasting pan. Add olive oil, red wine, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, garlic, chipotle pepper, 2 pinches of cocoa powder, cinnamon sticks, smoked paprika and cumin.

Smoke for a while on the BBQ until they are nicely caramelized, then set aside.

In another pan, toss chopped red and green peppers with olive oil and some salt and pepper. Place the roasting pan on the BBQ and smoke for about 20 minutes. Add chopped onion, diced zucchini, diced eggplant to the peppers and smoke some more… until the vegetables are tender.

On the side burner, in a large skillet,  brown ground beef, pork sausage and cubed beef.

Mix all the vegetables and meat together in a very large pot and let it simmer on low until all the meat is very tender. 

Dessert that night was a new treat:  roasted rice cripsie squares!  Bev had made some particularly gooey and delicious squares, and they were just begging to be browned over the campfire.  Even better than s'mores.

                    

 

After a night in our tents on the rocks it seemed we only had a few hours of sleep before we started a sunrise campfire in preparation for breakfast!  We had all the fixings for orange slices, pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, and tea and coffee.   But Ted and Tim had an additional plan for something they called Huevos Georginaros:  they reheated the leftover chili and rice together in a skillet, made 4 little depressions into which they cracked eggs, and they poached/baked them in this way.  Yum!  

We're thinking this may have to become an annual event, but next year we'll share the work load with Bev.