COOK WILD: YEAR-ROUND COOKING ON AN OPEN FIRE

COOK WILD: YEAR-ROUND COOKING ON AN OPEN FIRE Everything tastes better in the open air, around a fire. Here are 100 recipes to inspire you to venture outdoors and eat wild all year round. From the simple dishes that sustained our ancestors to feasts fit for modern foodies, the book draws from a rich repertoire of traditional cooking methods and recipes that have been passed down to this day. Whether it's Lebanese flatbread, hot smoked trout, chicken wrapped in clay, or waffles, chocolate bananas and Transylvanian tree cakes, all are simple and don't need special tools. The author has years of experience of cooking outdoors and the recipes, arranged by season, are easy to follow for both beginners and more seasoned campfire chefs.With clear instructions on selecting wood and making a fire, a range of ovens and cooking methods and even suggestions for wild ingredients to forage, this is a book for anyone who wants to enjoy the thrill of cooking outdoors, with woodsmoke, companionship and fresh air to sharpen the appetite.About the Author:Susanne Fischer-Rizzi is a traditional healer, herbal expert and outdoor specialist. She is a lecturer at ARVEN in Sulzberg, Germany, her school for medicinal plants, aromatherapy and wilderness wisdom, and she has also been imparting her knowledge in seminars, workshops and lectures for over 30 years. She is passionate about cooking on an open fire and has honed her skills on the countless wilderness seminars she has headed. Of her twelve published books, three are available in English: The Complete Earth Medicine Book, The Complete Aromatherapy Handbook and The Complete Incense Book. She lives in Sulzberg in Germany.Excerpt: MY VEGETABLE TAGINEA Moroccan-style feastServes 41 tbsp of olive oil1 onion, peeled3 potatoes, peeled3 carrots, peeled1 courgette1 red bell pepper, pitted1 can of chickpeas, rinsedSauce:2 tbsp olive oil2 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped1/2 tsp ground cumin1/2 tsp paprika powder, sweet1 generous pinch turmericabout 600 g (1 1/3 lb) 3 1/2 cupsstrained tomatoessalt, pepper1 bunch flat-leaf parsleySoak the tagine for about 30 minutes and dry.Cut the onions, potatoes, carrots and courgettes into thin slices and the bell pepper into long strips. Grease the bottom of the tagine with oil and cover with onion and potato slices. Layer the carrot and courgette slices on top of that, lay the bell pepper strips on top in a star shape and finally put the chickpeas on top. Press everything down if necessary.For the sauce, heat the oil in a pan and lightly fry the garlic and the ginger. Add the rest of the spices and continue frying. Add the strained tomatoes and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce over the vegetables. Put the lid on the tagine and fill the dent in the top of the lid with water. Put the tagine over the embers on a tripod or place on a tagine oven and cook for 1 hour.Eat directly out of the tagine with flatbread. You can also serve couscous with it (see recipe, page 56 and 57).Alternative: tagine with goulashIn the tagine, fry 1 kg (21/4 lb) 41/2 cups of diced beef or lamb in oil and season with salt and pepper.Then pile up the vegetables on top and cook as in the previous recipe.Cooking utensilsA tagine (about 28 cm/11 inches in diameter), a tripod or a tagine oven, a small pot for the sauceFireA keyhole fireplace or a fire with enough embers or wood charcoalfor a tagine ovenTipsVegetarian dishes and meat, fish or poultry alike can be prepared gently and deliciously in a tajine. Serve with Moroccan tea in glasses, which is easily prepared as follows: mix equal parts of green tea and Moroccan mint (fresh leaves are best, but dried will do), pour boiling water over and leave to steep for a few minutes. Sweeten to taste with rock candy. In Morocco this tea is served very sweet. ISBN: 0-7112-3281-4 publish date: 04/30/2012