Dutch Oven Recipes

Life has its cycles and in a routine reshuffle of my camping gear I came across an old Dutch oven. I can't remember where I acquired it but I suspect that it belonged to my elderly mother (now 90 years old) who taught me the basics of camping, which is not just about 'survival' but living well in a bush setting. The great thing about a Dutch Oven is its versatility, and as the camping recipes below will show they can be used to fry, bake, boil or roast on an open fire. My experience is that they are best suited to long slow cooking, are very adaptable and durable and there are many great tasting Dutch Oven recipes available. The one draw-back is that they are heavy, so it is best suited to those trips where we park the car, set up camp and do day walks.

My mother could cook anything in a Dutch oven, maybe because she grew up in the bush, in outback Australia. She could make a mouth-watering stew, crusty bread or a lamb roast and vegetables with this one item and a good campfire. The key is in making the right fire and managing it properly. My mother's opinion was "bigger the fire, bigger the fool", so a good fire was a small well controlled one. Where possible it should be built in a pit big enough for the oven and an area around it to hold a good supply of hot coals. Then when you have got a good supply of coals (don't get impatient) take a shovel full (or two) of the hot coals, place the Dutch oven in the pit and then cover with the coals you just removed, then sit back and wait! This is an art-form, how long it takes will depend on a wide range of factors, from the size of the oven and how much is in it, to how good your fire was and what type of timber you were using for firewood! The recipe books give some ball park figures, you just need to experiment and find what works for you.

Wikipedia gives a good outline of the history and suggests that they have been used a s cooking pots for hundreds of years. The French call them "cocottes", the Japanese "tetsunabe", while in the Balkans they are "sac" and in South Africa they are "potjie". Most of the western world calls them Dutch ovens because in Britain before the 1700's they were all imported from the Netherlands. In 1704 an Englishman named Abraham Darby after researching their methods of manufacture, took out the first British patent and began production in England, yet they were still called "dutch ovens". With the colonial expansion in America, and the need for durable, versatile cooking equipment they were an ideal solution, and so became part of American culture. In Australia they were also popular and as in other countries were improved to suit the local needs. Thus the Australian variant is called a "Bedourie oven" (after a town of that name in outback Queensland) which is made of steel rather than cast iron and is therefore more robust but essentially it is just another Dutch oven.

Just writing about Dutch ovens makes my mouth water. I can't wait to blow off the dust and oil up my Dutch oven and cook something. My wife won't led me dig holes in the lawn and build fires there so I will have to plan another camping trip just to make sure it still works. If you have never been camping or used a Dutch oven, try it out, it will be an experience you will never forget.

One of the easiest things to make while camping is Damper. The mixture can be moulded to the end of a stick and poked in the fire coals to cook, or can be placed in your Dutch oven. This is a basic bread used in the Australian outback, and however you cook it, you will end up with a fantastic tasting damper.

2 cups SR flour
1/2 cup powered milk
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 dessert spoon margarine
1 1/2 cups water

Mix dry ingredients together.
Add margarine and mix through.
Then make a well in the centre of mixture and add water.
Mix well.

If you are cooking damper on a stick, grab a handful of mixture and mould it to the end of a 1metre long stick and then hold in the fire coals. If cooking in a Dutch over grease the Dutch Oven, place mixture inside, put lid on and cook in fire coals for approx 30 minutes.

You can tell when it's cooked by tapping on it lightly, it should sound hollow. You can add margarine, golden syrup, honey or jam for a great, fun way to eat scrumptous Damper. All that's left, is to enjoy!