E-Mail
Print
tool name
closeThe menu for most hiking and camping trips is a bland and predictable thing: hot dogs, trail mix, freeze-dried potatoes.
But for Pat Kennedy, outreach specialist at the Bellingham REI, the world is a kitchen, and even the highest heights are no excuse for a tasteless meal.
Kennedy, a 36-year-old Kendall resident, will teach a backcountry cooking class at REI later this month. He speaks to The Bellingham Herald about the belly bliss of a good meal on the trails.
-
MAPLE BACON SCONE RECIPE
Forget about freeze-dried foods and hot dogs on the trail. Pat Kennedy shares his recipe for maple bacon scones fresh from the fry pan. Make sure to practice at home before trying out your culinary skills in the woods.
What you'll need:- Original Fisher Scone Mix (usually available at Haggen, Community Food Co-op, or Costco)
- Pre-cooked crumbled bacon
- Maple syrup
- Canola oil
- Water
- 10-inch fry pan
- Spatula
- Aluminum foil
Combine water and scone mix until the consistency is notably thicker than pancakes but not quite as thick as bread dough (the mix should stick to the spoon for a couple seconds when turned upside down).
Stir in bacon and a healthy amount of maple syrup to the scone mix; consider batter thickness when adding syrup.
Coat bottom of pan thoroughly with oil. Heat oil slowly over low heat and carefully add enough scone mix to cover half of the pan. It will expand and rise, so leave enough room in the pan to flip scone with a spatula. Cover with aluminum foil and cook at the lowest possible stove setting. A stove that simmers well is necessary.
Experience will let you know when to flip the scone, usually two to three minutes depending on batch size, pan material and stove type. Watch closely, it is a fine line between done and burnt. Once flipped, only 30 seconds of cooking is needed. Always add more syrup to the scone when done.
Question: What's it like taking your cooking outside?
Answer: I think the food should probably match the setting, and the settings around here are epic. Getting into backpacking, I didn't always eat that good. It was, "Can I get by on eating a bag of gorp for three days?"
If (the food) is just that one thing that's bringing (your trip) down, you might as well bring it up and elevate it so it can be the best it can be.
Q: What's your backcountry eating philosophy?
A: Eat lots.
Q: What are some of your favorite meals on the trails?
A: Outside of the standard freeze-dried food, the creative stuff are varieties of scones: maple bacon scones or blueberry or blackberry. Another favorite is potato cakes, which can consist of a large variety of things: an instant potato mix with wheat flower and powdered-egg mix, bacon, freeze-dried corn. Things like scones and biscuits require a little bit of baking. It's not necessarily saying you've got to revamp your cooking system. Most people have a pot and pan.
Q: What are some of the necessities for backcountry cooking?
A: My philosophy with cooking in the woods is I like to keep it as simple as possible. One pot, one pan and a stove. A spatula is something a bit out of the ordinary for some people, but it would fall into the must-have category for me. For supplies, it can vary depending on the recipe.
As far as the weight is concerned, not including food, the mess kit is always 2 pounds or less. I also like to bring spices. I've kind of minimized it down to one good mix: Johnny's Seasoning Salt, cayenne and a mesquite barbecue rub. It can work on anything from potatoes to fish to vegetables. It's pretty versatile. It's pretty much laziness, not wanting to carry too many things.
Q: How do you balance between bringing enough supplies and having a comfortable pack?
A: That's a personal priority. I tend to fall on the side of, "I want to eat good in the woods." In the Cascades, we have so many spectacular places just to sit down and eat your dinner. I want to eat good in those spectacular settings. I'm probably coming back with more food than I needed, but eating and food are definitely a priority. When I'm camping with friends, a comment I'll get is, "I'm eating better now than I do at home."
Q: What are some extra safety precautions to take when cooking in the backcountry?
A: Never ever, ever sleep with the food, and your kitchen spot needs to be at least 200 feet away from where you sleep. Hang your food. Never have anything inside the tent that remotely smells good. I've had snorting and grunting to where I was fairly certain there was a bear outside the tent. That's only happened once. There was a little bit of chocolate inside a tent.
Q: What are people most surprised about when you teach classes?
A: Usually I think it's the fact that the recipes usually don't require that much work and produce something really, really good. It's not going to take you two hours to make dinner. It's more like something you'd make at home, and it's not really heavier than freeze-dried food. That's one of the cool things about the class.
The first half is getting your mind oriented around cooking and the last half is demonstrating. If not eating well is one of your reasons why you don't go backpacking, let us show you that you can eat well out there.
-
Contracts Assistant, Financial Services
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY -
Fiscal Analyst 1
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY -
Open Positions
SKAGIT VALLEY HOSPITAL -
LPNs and MAs
Interfaith Community Health Center -
Purchasing Agent
McNett Corp.
@Nyx.CommentBody@