Food tastes better on the river…
Enjoying food has as much to do with the company you are keeping and the environment you are in, as it does with top notch ingredients and perfect preparation. Meals that stick in my memory as some of the best are, more often than not, spent with friends in an situation that is conducive to being in the moment. We are not rushed or trying to impress, conversation is flowing and the comfort level is high. That can be anywhere - in a restaurant, at home, on a tailgate or on the bank of a river.
For 3 years I worked as a guide for a large white water rafting company in northern California that prided itself on it’s grand and well-prepared meals. We utilized the dutch oven almost every meal turning out lasagna, pineapple upside down cake, quiches and pies. Although my days of banging my shins on dutch ovens are over, beautiful, tasty food is still a priority for myself and my friends on our, now private, rafting trips.
Below are a few tried and true recipes with hints as to how to keep them at their best on hot raft trips in wet coolers.
Dinner: Linguine con Vongole with a classic Caesar Salad
Make ahead at home:
Vongole Sauce - make ahead and freeze
Caesar dressing - make ahead and refirgerate
Caesar croutons - make ahead and store in a paper bag or box (Ziploks will make them soggy and chewy)
Vongole Sauce (8 servings)
3 large shallots, diced
8 garlic gloves, diced
1/8 cup good olive oil
6 Tbls butter
1 tsp red pepper flakes (more to taste)
1 cup dry white wine
2 tbls corn startch
20 ounces canned chopped clams*
10 ounces canned whole clams*
8 oz clam juice**
1 large bunch Italian parsley, chopped
2 Tbls lemon
Heat the oil and butter on medium and add the shallots. Cook, stirring until just starting to turn transparent.
Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cook another minute.
Add the dry white wine and cook down to 1/2.
Add the canned clams and their juices (if using canned clams not packed in clam juice, drain clams before adding and add clam juice)
Add lemon juice
Heat through, add chopped parsely and serve over fresh cooked linguine
Caesar Salad Dressing (8 servings)
2 fresh egg yolks
3 anchovy fillets or 1 Tbls of anchovy paste
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 small or 1 large garlic clove
1/4 - 1/3 lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Put the egg yolks, anchovy, mustard, garlic and lemon juice in a tall container for an immersion blender or in a blender.
Blend with a few pulses.
As the blender is blending, add the olive oil SLOWLY in a very thin stream. The mix should emulsify into a thickish and creamy.
Ceasar Salad Croutons
Crusty European type bread (baguette, ciabatta, etc)
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 teas Garlic powder
Pinch of Salt
Cut the bread up into 1” x 1” cubes
Put cubes is a large bowl
Sprinkle about 1/3 of the olive oil over the cubes and stir
Repeat until all oil is absorbed by bread
Sprinkle, while stirring, the garlic powder and salt on the bread
Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet - the cubes should not be touching one another
Put under a preheated broiler for 2 mins
Check and remove when golden brown.
Turn croutons and return to broiler for another 2 mins
Continue until all sides are toasted
Let cool and store in paper bag (plastic bag will make them soggy)
Caesar Salad: Cut or tear 4 hearts of romaine into a large bowl, add croutons, grated parmesan and toss with dressing.
Storing
The linguini and croutons can be stored in the dry food storage. Store croutons in a paper bag (plastic bag will make them soggy)
The clam sauce can be frozen and packed in cooler.
The dressing, lettuce and parm need to be in a cooler but it you have dry ice or lots of frozen food, pack the lettuce and dressing in a cooler that will not accidentally or partially freeze them. The parm will not be effected.
