Three Square

Three camp-ready meals for the golden-orange bounty of autumn

Issue 26

Megan McDuffie & Michael Van Vliet

Recipes and Photos by Megan McDuffie and Michael Van Vliet

Autumn is a spectacular season to be outdoors, a time of bright days and crisp evenings, of long leaf-shuffling hikes and warm campfire meals. It’s the harvest season of good things that take their sweet time, a golden-orange bounty that gives fall a culinary charm all its own, exemplified in these three camp-ready meals.

Pumpkin French Toast

It can’t really be autumn without the taste of pumpkin, right? It’s the quintessential flavor that marks the start of the new season. And while the seasonal pumpkinification of foods can be taken to excess, if done tastefully a touch of pumpkin can add a delightful autumnal twist. Case in point: pumpkin French toast. French toast is a great camping breakfast: It’s easy to make and uses only a handful of simple ingredients. It’s also a blank canvas in terms of flavor. Usually, maple syrup is the star of the show, but adding a little pumpkin creates a satisfying flavor dynamic. This recipe calls for a pumpkin trifecta: pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, and pumpkin butter. These layers allow you to dial up (or down) the pumpkin intensity to match your level of enthusiasm for the great gourd.

Makes 12 slices | Total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

4 eggs
⅔ cup whole milk
½ cup pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon sea salt
12 slices thick-cut bread
3 tablespoons butter, divided
Pumpkin butter (optional)

Directions

Beat the eggs in a bowl large enough to accommodate a slice of bread. Then add milk, pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice, sugar, and salt. Mix thoroughly.
Heat a tablespoon of butter in a skillet over medium heat.
Dip a slice of bread in the batter and let it soak for about 10 seconds on each side. Let the excess drip off, then place it in the skillet to fry until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.
Repeat with the rest of the bread, adding butter to the skillet as needed.
Serve with maple syrup, pumpkin butter (optional), and hot coffee.

Carrot and scallion fritters in a cast-iron skillet

Carrot and Scallion Fritters with Curry Yogurt

Cheese and crackers might be all the lunch we crave during the heat of summer, but in the cooler days of fall we find ourselves looking forward to hot lunches again—something warm and filling but not so complicated that we dread the idea of preparing it. These crispy veggie fritters hit all the right notes for a fall camping lunch. The list of ingredients is short, just carrots, scallions, eggs, flour, and a few spices. We like to serve them with a bright and savory dipping sauce of Greek yogurt that has a bit of curry powder mixed in, but they would pair well with any aioli-style sauce. Best of all, these crispy fritters can be made in less than 20 minutes.

Makes 4 large fritters | Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups shredded carrots
½ cup scallions
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg, beaten
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup oil (for frying)
Curry Yogurt Sauce
⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

On your camp stove, heat a thin layer of oil in a cast-iron skillet over a medium flame.
While the oil comes up to temperature, shred your carrots using the large holes on a box grater and chop the scallions. Mix the veggies with the beaten egg, flour, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
Using a fork, place dollops of about ¼ cup each into the hot oil and press to flatten. Cook on one side until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and brown the other side for 2 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining batter.
To make the yogurt sauce, mix the Greek yogurt, curry powder, and salt in a small bowl.
Serve hot out of the skillet, with a dollop of yogurt sauce and more sliced scallions to garnish.

Fennel and Sausage Flatbread

We won’t debate whether this delightful campfire meal is properly called a flatbread or a pizza. We have no idea. What we do know is these flame-crisped crusts, anointed in homemade fennel pesto and covered with melty four-cheese blend, sausage, and sautéed fennel root, make one of our all-time favorite fall camping dinners. The magic starts with a bright, creamy pesto made with the green ends of fennel instead of basil. The sauce is best prepared ahead of time, allowing you to use a food processor for quick prep and giving the flavors time to meld. As for the crust, we recommend you start with store-bought pizza dough. While it’s certainly possible to make dough from scratch in camp, managing a proper yeast rise in the great outdoors is the kind of high-stakes camping excitement we try to avoid. Besides, grilling a flatbread slathered in homemade pesto and piled high with savory fennel and sausage, sweet onion, and cheese is thrill enough for a cool fall evening. Buon appetito!

Makes 2 flatbreads | Total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound prepared pizza dough
Flour, for rolling the dough
½ pound Impossible brand vegan ground sausage
1 large fennel bulb, fronds and thin tender stems reserved
1 cup Italian shredded cheese blend
¼ red onion, very thinly sliced
Fennel Pesto
¼ cup raw cashews
1 clove garlic
½ lemon, juiced
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions

At home: Prepare your pesto. Roughly chop the fennel fronds and any tender stems (aiming for about a cup), saving the bulb. Add the fennel to a food processor with the cashews, garlic, lemon juice, and salt. Pulse to chop, then add the olive oil with the blade running until you achieve a consistency that resembles pizza sauce. Store in your fridge or cooler.
In camp: Prepare a campfire for cooking or heat your grill to 400° Fahrenheit. Quarter and slice the fennel bulb and sauté with a bit of olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once the fennel begins to soften, add the sausage and cook until browned. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Divide the dough into two pieces. Working on a lightly floured cutting board, roll or stretch the dough into two 10-inch rounds. Brush a bit of olive oil over the top of each round.
Place the dough directly on the grill grate, oiled side down. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes. When the bottom is browned, remove and place it on a large plate or cutting board. Brush the uncooked side with oil, then flip so the cooked side faces up. Spread the pesto on each round, then divide the cheese, fennel, sausage, and red onions between the two.
Return the pizzas to the grill for another 3 to 4 minutes until the undersides are cooked and golden brown and the cheese is melted. Remove from the heat, slice, and enjoy.