CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

Carrot and peanut butter soup

Serves 4 

• 1 large onion — peeled and chopped

• 5 large carrots — peeled and diced

• 2 Tbsp butter

• salt and pepper

• 4 tsp chicken or vege stock

• ½ cup medium sherry

• 2 heaped dessertspoons peanut butter

• juice of half a lemon

◗ Melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan.

◗ Add the onions and carrots.

◗ Cook for 5 mins.

◗ Sprinkle in stock, pepper and salt. Add sufficient water to cover the veges.

◗ Bring soup to the boil, cover, and simmer till veges are soft. 

◗ Blend veges and return to pot.

◗ Stir in sherry.

◗ Boil gently, add in peanut butter, stirring until dissolved.

◗ Watch the soup doesn’t burn at this stage.

◗ Stir in lemon juice and serve. ◑

Seafood chowder

Serves 4

• 750g seafood, such as fresh fish and/or mussels, frozen shrimps and/or squid

• 1 large onion — chopped

• 3 Tbsp butter

• 2 Tbsp flour

• 2½ cup chicken or vege stock

• dash of each: salt, pepper, cayenne, dill seed, fennel seed, nutmeg

• ½ cup milk (can use plant-based milk) or cream (for a richer soup)

• lemon juice 

• chopped parsley

◗ Cook onions gently in butter until soft and golden.

◗ Stir in flour, cook slightly and add stock.

◗ Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, nutmeg, dill seed and fennel seed.

◗ Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

◗ Just before serving add chopped seafood, milk and parsley.

◗ Bring gently to simmer and add lemon juice and adjust pepper. ◑

Self-saucing chocolate pudding 

Serves 6

FOR PUDDING

• 1 cup flour

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1 Tbsp cocoa

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 2 Tbsp butter

• ½ cup milk

• ½ tsp vanilla

FOR SAUCE

• ½ cup sugar

• 2 Tbsp cocoa

• 1¾ cup hot water (if cooking in oven) or 1 cup (if using microwave or steam pudding bowl)

◗ Sift the dry ingredients for the pudding together in a medium-sized bowl.

◗ In a smaller bowl, melt butter and add milk and vanilla.

◗ Pour into dry ingredients and mix together until smooth.

Oven/microwave:

◗ Pour mixture into a well-greased casserole dish.

◗ Mix together sugar and cocoa for sauce. Sprinkle this over the pudding mixture. Cover with the hot water. Bake at 180°C for 45 mins, or for 10 mins on high in a microwave. 

If using a steam pudding bowl

◗ Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour into the bottom of the steam pudding bowl.

◗ Then spoon the pudding mixture on top. 

◗ Close the lid on the steam pudding bowl and place in a pot of simmering water with a lid on top of the pot.

◗ Cook for 1 hour. 

◗ Then carefully open the lid of the steam pudding bowl.

◗ Check if pudding is cooked by inserting a fork or skewer. If this comes out clean, then the pudding is cooked. If it doesn’t then replace the lid and cook a bit longer. ◑

Self-saucing ginger toffee pudding 

I found this recipe on the Chelsea sugar website — chelsea.co.nz/recipes. It is very similar to the chocolate pudding recipe. The online recipe was written specifically for cooking in an oven, but I have adapted it to use in a steam pudding bowl. It’s a great recipe if you enjoy the flavour of ginger. Adjust the amount of ginger to suit your tastes.

Serves 6

FOR PUDDING

• 1 cup flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1–2 tsp ground ginger

• ¼ cup white sugar

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• 50g butter

• 1 Tbsp golden syrup

• ½ cup milk

FOR SAUCE

• ⅓ cup white sugar (slightly less than the online recipe)

• ⅓ cup brown sugar (slightly less than the online recipe)

• 1 Tbsp golden syrup

• 1–2 tsp ground ginger

• 2 cups boiling hot water (if cooking in oven) or 1 cup (if using microwave or steam pudding bowl)

◗ Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Melt butter with golden syrup.

◗ Pour into dry ingredients along with the milk and mix all the pudding ingredients together. 

Oven/microwave:

◗ Place in a greased over-proof dish that is quite deep.

◗ Put the sauce ingredients in a bowl.

◗ Add the boiling water and stir until ingredients are mostly dissolved and then pour over the batter mixture.

◗ Bake for 45 mins at 180°C or for 10 mins on high in a microwave.

If you are using a steam pudding bowl Use the same cooking instructions as for the chocolate pudding (left). ◑