Adventures with anrkst.

Discussion in 'Adventure, Hiking, Backpacking and Travel' started by anrkst6973, Jun 17, 2018.

  1. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Thanks Strig. "Doin what I can, with what I got." Burt Gummer. ;)

    Thanks Bushie. Learning learning learning, it's the only way to go. Hope you made it to the barrier! :)
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2019
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  2. Hawkeye5

    Hawkeye5 Member

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    That one is over the top! Good eating.
     
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  3. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Thank you Hawkeye, I really do like heating up the pot. I've started trying to write down some of my better recipes...my eldest is showing some interest in eating something besides MRE's. ;) The next fire is already burning in my mind and I'll try to show more of the process next time. It's going to be a doozie.
     
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  4. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Here's one for you. Afrikaaner Fish Stew. This honors those brave intrepid souls who left a settled Europe in the 16th and 17th century's , to go halfway around the globe to a continent they hardly knew the vastness of. A place with many harsh and unforgiving climates, large beasts that had not roamed Europe since the ice ages, man eating reptiles, venomous snakes, and multiple top tier predators.
    I picked this recipe up from a couple on the Internet who carry their potjie around in a Land Rover and were cooking over wood in a ring of stones next to the ocean. She in flip flops, adding, stirring, spicing, and giving running times and commentary. He could have just walked out of a WWII infographic brought bowls of ingredients, more firewood and fresh beers they drank the whole time. It was fun to watch. I hope y'all like this one. Feel free to borrow it for your next beer 30. :)
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
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  5. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    It seems most of my recipes start like this. The only way to cook.

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    I had to play with the spice mix. I didn't have or couldn't identify, some of the things that my video cooks had.
    ( the pics a little blurry, apologies. :( old phone don't like close ups in poor light.). We got ( from l-r) Rosemary, hot curry powder, salt, sage, thyme, white sesame seed, poppy seed, nutmeg, black pepper, basil, ginger, (back down and right) oregano, smoked paprika, turmeric.

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    I made an oil blend. 2 tablespoons of the garlic evoo, 1 each of sesame oil and chili oil. When I started cooking I used pats of butter when I felt more oil was in order. ( it wasn't much, 4 pats total maybe? 2-3 for the fish and 1 in the potjie.)
     
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  6. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    I like fish. Just not fried fish. That's almost a sin down here in the "Sutheren states" This is wild caught pollock but I think any firm white fish would do. Crappie, perch, bass, I might try salmon at some point... This has been frozen in a savory herb blend ( like Mrs Dash with added salt), white vinegar, and a shot of plain vegetable oil for about a month.

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    Fish before. I sprinkled it with the seasoning mix seen before.

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    Fish during...I want y'all to know I am in LOVE with my Lodge carbon steel skillets. :D

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    Fish after. You don't want to overcook here, just done and firm to the touch. ( I think next time I will dust lightly with a spice blend/ flour mix, get a tiny bit of "crispy" on it. ;) )
     
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  7. Hawkeye5

    Hawkeye5 Member

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    Thats some cool fish. Where I come from we fry ! :)
     
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  8. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    ( the fish took about 5-7 minutes to cook. Make sure you get your pan good and hot to alleviate sticking)

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    Tweeeet! Foul! Cooking outside hazard in flight. ;

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    Time to bring out the big guns. .:D
    I first scraped the carbon steel pan with the metal spatula, get all that crispity goodness into the potjie, added more of the oil blend, a pat of butter and wait 2-3 minutes for it to start to smoke. Then potatoes! I like reds but whatever you got is fine. Cut em up smallish, 1/2" chunks, fast n furious cooking, get in there with a steel spatula or spoon, as Brother Bushman says, "Bang around. Make some racket!" Cook em to about halfway done...( more seasoning blend went in here)

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    When the potatoes are about halfway, add the rest of your veg mix. This is corn, carrots, celery, asparagus,broccoli, green beans, green peas, and some red bell peppers too. ( you could have green onion,garlic, leeks, turnip..almost anything. I was cooking for someone with a dietary restriction...no onion or garlic. Sorry Bushman.)
     
  9. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Again, let your veg cook 15 minutes or so, till the asparagus is in the halfway range. I'm still sprinkling the spice mix at every add too.

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    Here we add about 1 qt/ liter of chicken stock and a 15 oz can of tomatoe purée. Fresh purée would have been better. 3-4 big fat garden tomatoes, squirt of olive oil, and some of the spice blend, and a blender. Oh well, we can work with this...

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    First the chicken stock. Let it come up to a good simmer..

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    Then the purée, stir it in and let the cast iron do its thing...
     
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  10. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Now in the video they used whole cream. But I gotta work within my loves dietary needs, so I used this. Its roughly half a container or app 16 oz.

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    Pour it in there, don't be scared. ;) letting it come back to a good simmer...about 10 minutes.

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    When you've got a good high simmer put your fish back in. I kinda chunked mine up into 1/4ths but however you want is fine...put the lid on and let her go for about 12-15 minutes.
     
  11. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    I was liking the smell coming out of this pot, did a taste test and opted for about 1/8th teaspoon of coarse kosher salt. A quick stir and its eatin time ( before she eats me! Grouchy Hangry! :D )

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    I cook it, I serve it. ( I should've wiped the bowl edge! 40 lashes! ;) ). It was drool worthy delicious. My skinny one ate 3 bowls in short order. This is definitely on the "do again" list. Hope y'all enjoyed the trip as much as me.....
     
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  12. Hawkeye5

    Hawkeye5 Member

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    another good one.thanks for taking the time to do this one.
     
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  13. Bushman5

    Bushman5 Member

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    EPIC! just epic man......I can taste it from here........

    I know of the two folks you talked about.......what an adventure they are having. Thats living right there.
     
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  14. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Glad you liked it. When I was little and Daddy was the camp cook we a LOT of fried catfish that were swimming just an hour before. Just can't get the taste of fresh and his cornmeal spice blend from a sit down place.

    The sand, the wind blowing, sounds of the ocean...like a symphony to me. :) They are for sure livin good. Watching cooking videos is what I do in my down time, This operation WILL get off the patio and onto the dirt at some point I swear! :D
     
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  15. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    I just had to try out the "Portable Fire Pit" I posted in the DIY forum.

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    This was my set up. I had planned to use a 12" Carbon steel skillet but decoded it was an unnecessary step. Someone asked about the rocks, that's the whole amount I have, about a 2 gallon bucket full, 12-15 lbs at a guess.

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    I decided to use this cardboard box and some trimmed bushes to simulate the ground and growth beyond the edge of the patio. It should clearly show any scorching or burning if my idea sucks.

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    I filled the wheel with stones thru the center, set the aluminum fire pan in, started an oak fire, and put a 10"/4qt Dutch oven on to preheat...
     
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  16. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    When the DO started to smoke I dropped in about a 1/4 lb of beef chunks, some homemade sausage, tomatoes, onion, garlic, potatoes,celery, carrot, and bell pepper.

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    When potatoes are 3/4 done I added 1 cup of mixed beans and jambalaya rice, a good amount of bold hot seasoning blend, and about a qt/liter of water.

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    An hour of cooking gave me this. I did lift the pot out one time to add 3 more chunks of split oak.
     
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  17. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    I used my Leatherman to lift the fire pan out and the the poker to move the wheel. I found I could move the stones by hand. They were hot but not so hot they would burn you.

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    Blowing the grey ash away I did find some tiny burn holes. The greenery was somewhat dried but not burnt or crispy. Result- I'd say this was 99% successful at what I wanted it to do. A portable, reusable, durable fire pit. On to the next step....:)
     
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  18. Se7eN

    Se7eN Member

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  19. anrkst6973

    anrkst6973 Member

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    Thank you Se7en, If it can be killed, caught, dug up, or chopped up small enough to fit in a pot I will have a go at cooking it. ;). In the words of ole Bob Barker.."Come onnnnn down!!!! :D
     
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  20. Hawkeye5

    Hawkeye5 Member

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    yes , what he said!
     
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