Somehow, the summer sun set and a blanket of glittery stars replaced it while we attentively stirred this risotto on the camp stove, and we don’t think we missed a thing. Just look at that great glob!
Now we know its asking a lot to of people to be packing the way we do for a 3-day camping trip. But there’s no excuse on this dish people. It’s easy, compact vegetable grub that can be made on a decent Coleman stove (like we did) or just straight on top of any standard issue campsite fire pit (which is how we reheated to eat the next morning).
Okay, we did make our own vegetable stock out of purple cabbage, onions and pepper tops. But that was actually a mistake. We forgot to pack the vegetable bullion.
(Serves 8-10)
9 cups water
4 Tbs. vegetable bullion
2 Tbs. olive oil
3 summer squash (or zucchini)
2 red peppers
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeño
3 cups Arborio rice
1. Pack two large soup pots: you need them for this dish.
2. In one pot make your broth, by setting it on your fire source, whether it’s the camp fire or a stove. Bring it near a boil and add the veggie boullion. Stir well until it dissolves.
3. Chop your squash, onion and red peppers into rough chunks and set aside. Toss the peel or inedible tip of each veggie into the stockpot rather than discarding. Let broth simmer for 10 minutes or more.
4. Put your other pot on medium heat. Add oil and chopped veggies. Chop your garlic and jalapeño and add that too, stirring for several minutes until squash cooks down and browns slightly.
5. Now pour in the Arborio rice and toast with the veggies for about a minute, still stirring. Using a big spoon, measuring cup or ladle, add about 3 cups of broth and let cook down for several minutes, stirring every 30 seconds or so.
6. Once most of the liquid is gone, start a process of adding 1/4 cup of liquid and stirring attentively while it cooks off until you’ve added most of the broth or the risotto has fluffed (i.e. the rice is soft but not goo). Once the rice seems super sticky and fully cooked, add another 2 Tbs. of olive oil and any other spices you’ve managed to pack.
7. Optional: add grated cheese. If you lugged a cooler with goat’s milk gouda on your camping trip, this is when to add the cheese. If not, cook it an extra minute or two so it is as goopy as possible.
8. Crank The Bowie.
Beverage: De Glazen Toren Jan De Lichte
Soundtrack: David Bowie’s “The Prettiest Star”
