Giant in the Woods: Hobo Stew
OK, so Hobo Stew? Doesn't seem quite PC, right? I learned this recipe from my dad growing up. He probably learned it from his dad. I have to think that the term Hobo meant something different 100 years ago. I'm no etymologist, but I have to imagine that there was a time (don't ask me when, maybe the dust bowl) when the word Hobo just referred to itinerant men looking for work.
Anyway, where was I? Right! Camping! So Arianna, my Dad, and I went camping this week. We were at the Mortimer campground on Wilson Creek in North Carolina. It was really beautiful there and I got to play around with cooking on the campfire.
Here's a picture of the creek:
Campfire cooking is really simple when you have plenty of tinfoil. You can pretty much put anything in a tinfoil "envelope", throw it on the coals, and have a great meal in 15 minutes, assuming you already have a campfire going.
For Hobo Stew, you'll want lots of hearty vegetables, and (optionally) some meat. Dice everything up into bite-size pieces and you're good to go. (note: you can do all of the dicing ahead of time, and have it ready in a Tupperware in your cooler.) Take two sheets of foil and lay one on top of the other, making a cross. In the middle of the cross, make a layer of your slowest cooking ingredients (i.e. potatoes and/or meat). On top of this first layer pile up your more delicate ingredients, such as onions, green beans, green peppers, carrots etc. Once you have a healthy-sized pile you're going to want to season vigorously. I used some dried Italian herbs, a bit of chili powder and a good smidgen of salt, but it's really up to you. You could use a fajita seasoning mix, or just salt, pepper and oregano.
After you've seasoned your "stew", you'll want to make a very tight envelope by folding together the opposing sides of foil, making an air-tight seam. Really, you could just make a big ball of it and you'd probably be just fine. This isn't really a science; you're probably going to end up with some burnt food.
The next step is the really difficult part of the process. Take your food envelope and toss it on the fire. At this point, drink a wine juice box. When you have finished your wine (about 15 minutes), your food should be done. Take it off the coals using whatever you have at hand (I used a stick that had split ends, sort of like a divining rod). Open up the tinfoil, being careful not to burn yourself too badly, and check the potatoes. If they are done, you're good to go. If not, close up the foil and toss it back on the coals for another five minutes.
This is definitely rustic dining. You'll have a potato (or two!) that is very crispy, but there is something very rewarding about cooking over a campfire. I know this isn't marshmallows and hot dogs, but with a bit of planning, it's cake.
note: I sliced my fingers up a bit today, so thanks to Arianna for transcribing my dictation.
