Touring food

[aflook]

This is a great thread. Will increase the variety of my diet no end.
If I buy a bag of rice it lasts too long and I get sick of it. Different pastas work well (especially in Italy!). I generally buy the evening meal as I go along. I get the pasta boiling, set it aside - that tip about a pot cosy is a good one, Mr Benton - whilst I cook onions, lots of garlic and some fresh veg such as mushrooms or courgettes. I add a tin/jar of pasta sauce if I've been able to find a small one, tomatoes if not, and often a tin of anchovies and/or chilli flakes (not a whole tin!). I bring the pasta back to the boil to finish off and voila. When I'm sick of that I eat out. I once managed to tip a whole load of spaghetti out with the water which was frustrating at the end of a long day when my blood sugars were low. Onto dirt. Still gives me nightmares.
Bon apetit, everyone.

[Morzedec]

Whoof, hello again,

Your Grandmother probably had three pasties a day, then!

Happy days,

[leftpoole]

Porridge
Pasta
Sausages
Beans
Occasionally eggs
Southern Comfort
Budweiser
Enjoy yourself and eat what you want, when you want.
I could not eat some of the stuff listed by some others, yuk!
John
All except the drink, cooked al a carte Trangia with Methylated Spirits as a Trangia should be (not Gas!)

[Sweep]

Porridge
Pasta
Sausages
Beans
Occasionally eggs
Southern Comfort
Budweiser
Enjoy yourself and eat what you want, when you want.
I could not eat some of the stuff listed by some others, yuk!
John
All except the drink, cooked al a carte Trangia with Methylated Spirits as a Trangia should be (not Gas!)

all fine stuff apart from the budweiser.

[ultraburner]

Porridge
Pasta
Sausages
Beans
Occasionally eggs
Southern Comfort
Budweiser
Enjoy yourself and eat what you want, when you want.
I could not eat some of the stuff listed by some others, yuk!
John
All except the drink, cooked al a carte Trangia with Methylated Spirits as a Trangia should be (not Gas!)

all fine stuff apart from the budweiser.

And Southern Comfort.

A lowland single malt and an IPA would be my choice.

That's for another thread.

[NickWi]

If you want an idea of what the professionals eat, have a look at the contents of an Army 24hr ration pack for ideas. Yes, there are lots of high carb pasta based meals designed to refuel a tired body, but they also include snacks, sweets and other titbits to eat on the go to keep you going throughout the day, plus a warm drink to make sure you go to bed warm. Some are provided with different calorific content depending on the activity you’re doing, some are provided complete with bog roll!

They don't include a hipflask or the contents thereof, but I agree with the above sentiment, a wee dram of your favourite can lift the spirits no end.

[whoof]

I've just remembered something I have occasionally when touring in France.
It's something that I would never have at home but for some reason the French product taste completely different than the stuff normally sold in the UK which I think comes out of the same factory as wall filler.

Instant Mashed Potato! Especially if you can add some butter.

Someone told me the stuff they sell in Lidl tastes the same but I've never tried it.

[simonineaston]

Simon,
Might you be persuaded to sell your food on the road book?

Sorry, UB - only just seen your Q - wasn't ignoring you. The answer is No - due to the association the book has with Happy Memories
However, I may sweeten that bitter pill by noting that it has far more of an American slant than I remembered. I picked it up the other day and scanned through it... I think I took from it, more concepts and suggestions than actual recipes.
While on the subject of super-fast & tasty camp-friendly recipes, I saw this on one of my favourite YouTube food channels the other day, to wit Fettuccine Alfredo (or posh macNcheese to anyone who isn't a stuck-up foodie, like me...). I tried it, so you don't have to go through the pain of failure & disappointment, and I can tell you, in terms of speed to flavour ratio, this one's a winner!!
You'll all know what Alfredo sauce is - a rich, creamy *, salty, savoury, cheesy, glossy, silky portion of yumminess - difficult & expensive to make, right?! Nope... It's actually easy-peasy, lemon squeasy The claim that you can make the sauce before the pasta's ready is TRUE!! So here's how:
* Put your favourite pasta on to cook (in the context of camping, it really doesn't matter what sort of pasta you use - remember tho' to salt your cooking water...)
* scoop out a cup of the hot pasta water into another container, pop a couple of spoon fulls of butter, or olive oil, or whatever fat you have with you, into the hot water
* Into the water, whisk a generous grating of hard Italian cheese - and you're done!!
* When the pasta's ready, transfer it all into the container of glossy, cheesy sauce. Return to the heat and toss, to make sure all the pasta is coated. To make this into a truly scrumptious gourmet meal, leave to rest while you create a simple salad, then scoff. That's A Bingo!!

* many recipes for Alfredo sauce will include cream - as Carla will tell you, there is absolutley no need to add cream to make this deliciously creamy...

[Jdsk]

All except the drink, cooked al a carte Trangia with Methylated Spirits as a Trangia should be (not Gas!)

For me this comes up more often on long unsupported walks than when cycle touring... but potable spirits work fine as fuel. That reduces the mass carried as the emergency reserve can be available for both purposes...

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

If you want an idea of what the professionals eat, have a look at the contents of an Army 24hr ration pack for ideas.

Always worth looking at what they do... but there are plenty of examples where enthusiasts have had better kit than the military. Boots and rucksacks for the Falklands expedition come to mind.

Jonathan

PS: Lots of good food stories from extreme conditions, including Bonington on Everest learning why you shouldn't label the packages, and Blyth's views on the limited range of food that's needed if you're tough enough.

[Cyril Haearn]

Should NOT label the packages?

[Jdsk]

His team ate all of the favourites while they were still at low altitude!

Jonathan

[simonineaston]

a wee dram of your favourite can lift the spirits no end.

...although probably spoils your aim, a bit!
Gone are the days when Tommy had to be a bit squiffy to think going over the top wasn't such a bad idea... My grandpop would never touch spirits - although he was fond of a drop of wine when out at a restuarant- another habit begun while in northern France during the war. He wouldn't talk much about his experience of the war (WW1) - he served during all four years, but one of the few remarks he did make, was that the taste and smell of spirits reminded him sharply of the stress and trauma of battle, as it was often dished out before engagements.

[Cyril Haearn]

His team ate all of the favourites while they were still at low altitude!

I eat only my favourites, healthy, varied, looks like the planning was wrong

[simonineaston]

There's always something nobody wants...
https://www.iol.co.za/news/us-marines-d ... rms-103881