It is always good to have a menu and plan when heading out into the great outdoors and Australian social media sensation “Outback Tom” and his grandad have just the guide in Gone Bush.
“Outback Tom” is journalist and presenter Tom Forrest, who was raised in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia.
With his grandad Steve, who is passionate about people understanding where their food comes from, Forrest showcases life in the bush, outback living and cooking.
He and his grandfather have put it all together in a recipe book with plenty of tips and tricks to cooking over fire from a bush oven or stove and eating in the outdoors, although most can be made using a camping stove, barbecue or home oven as well.
“You’ll notice a lot of the recipes in this book are new spins on old classics - and that’s the way we like it. When you’re in the outback, the sun is going down and you’re getting hungry after a big day, you want to make food that is quick and easy, not to mention tasty.”
Bush cooking means using the materials and ingredients that you have to hand, as well as initiative, a dash of ingenuity and the ability to read the land and everything it provides us with, Forrest says.
“And the results are pretty delicious. There are no rules here.”
THE BOOK
This is an edited extract from Gone Bush by Outback Tom and Grandad, published by Pantera Press. Photography by Landi Bradshaw, T.W. Baker and Tom Forrest.
Brekky in a can
This dish really sums up what bush cooking is all about using what you have (in this case, a couple of empty cans) to make something delicious and easy.
It is particularly good with home-grown tomatoes at their warm-weather peak.
Leave out the chilli if you don’t like things too spicy.
SERVES: 2
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
1 capsicum, roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbsp plain flour
1 Tbsp milk
1 egg
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper
2 rashers bacon, chopped
Method
Collect two empty cans and make sure they’re clean. Use a can opener to remove the bottom of the cans as well, so that the cans are open on both ends, but keep the removed pieces.
Set a pan over a camping or bush stove or over medium-high heat. Or you can make this on a grill plate over a fire or a barbecue.
Put the chopped veges in a bowl, then add the flour, milk and egg, season with a splash of Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper, and give it all a good mix to combine.
Place your two open cans on the heated pan, and divide the bacon pieces across the cans, so they start frying for a minute or so.
Next, divide the vege mixture between the cans, pouring it in carefully to fill each can.
Place the removed bottoms of the cans back on over the mixture, to help keep the heat in. Then leave to cook for about 10 minutes, until the veges are soft.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the cans to cool for a moment, then carefully lift them off and reveal your brekky ready to eat straight from the pan.
Brown-sugar chicken
SERVES: 4
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
This glaze has a great sweet and savoury balance. Basting during the roasting process helps make everything sticky and caramelised.
The marinade is flexible - add a bit more of something, omit something else, it will still be delicious.
Serve with mash.
1 chicken, halved (or you can use 4 thigh pieces)
Brown-sugar marinade
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra, for greasing
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper
Method
Set up a bush or camping oven, or pre-heat a conventional oven to 200°C. Grease the base of your oven or a baking pan or tray with a bit of extra oil.
Place the chicken on the base or pan, skin-side up.
Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside a small portion of the glaze to use as a baste during cooking. Then use the rest to brush the chicken all over, ensuring it’s well coated.
Place the chicken in the pre-heated oven. Roast for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Baste the chicken with the reserved glaze every 15-20 minutes. If the skin starts to brown too quickly, cover the chicken loosely with foil.
The chicken is done when the juices run clear when you pierce it. The skin should be golden and crispy from the glaze. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before carving.
Sticky cinnamon scrolls
Some people like salty. Some people like sweet. Luckily, we’ve got them both covered.
These scrolls fancy up the two-ingredient naan dough to include either a sticky cinnamon or savoury cheese and Vegemite flavour.
MAKES: about 8-10
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
2 cups self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
1½ cups Greek yoghurt
Pinch of salt
Toppings
100g butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Icing
1 cup icing sugar
2 Tbsp milk
Method
Mix and knead together the flour, yoghurt and salt for a few minutes, until it forms a dough-like consistency. Let the dough sit for 10 minutes.
Set up a bush or camping oven, or pre-heat a conventional oven to 175°C. Line the bush oven base or a baking dish with baking paper or grease it with some extra butter.
Put the dough on a floured surface and roll it out into a rectangular shape, about 2.5cm thick.
Combine your toppings into a paste, and use a spoon or spatula to spread it across the entire surface of the dough.
Roll the dough from the long end to create a log, then cut into about 8-10 lengths.
Place the scrolls reasonably tightly packed into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until golden and risen. Remove from the oven to cool for a bit.
Make the icing by mixing the sugar with 1 tablespoon of the milk, then adding the next tablespoon a bit at a time until you get a nice, smooth consistency. Then drizzle over the warm scrolls and tuck in.
Variation - cheese and vegemite scrolls
Instead of sweet cinnamon, switch your scroll toppings to 100g of softened butter mixed with 1 Tbsp of good old Vegemite and ¾ cup of grated cheese.
Make the scrolls in the same way, just sprinkle some extra cheese on top before you put them into the oven the more cheese, the better.
And no need to make an icing in this case, so they’ll be ready to eat straight out of the oven!
