Moonlit foraging, Esky-scrap salads, emergency espresso and bush paella. DANI VALENT recounts her familys love of camping out.
At this distance – clothed, computered, a city ceiling above me – my camping memories are all aglow. The sun sets beyond banksias, kookaburras crack their final jokes for the evening, goannas tuck themselves into crooks of gum trees, and all the sand and salt of the day is sluiced off under bush showers. There’s that gleaming, spacious feeling.
It also feels like dinnertime, which must be why there’s a gin and tonic in my hand, a tomahawk grilling over coals and a full deck of salads ready to go. We’ve steamed green beans and tossed them with salted ricotta and currants. The tomatoes that were ripening in the trailer for a week have been chopped, salted, peppered and olive-oiled. Waxy potatoes are tumbled with red onion, cornichons, and a retro sour cream and mayo swirl. Someone’s pulled out a special bottle of red, with another waiting in the wings. A couple of blokes pour wine into Duralex glasses, swirling it like proper toffs.
It could be any summer, any year. Our rollicking multi-family gaggle – give or take divorce, death or drama – pack trailers, Eskies, sunscreen, kids, boogie boards and way too many bottles of booze. We find our spot and pitch ourselves in tents, trailers and swags, a campsite-cum-commune ready to switch off, surf up and chow down.
Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
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Denne historien er fra October 2018-utgaven av Gourmet Traveller.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
From personal experience
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Not a vegetable but rather a flower bud that rises on a thistle, the artichoke is a complex delight. Its rewards are hard won; first you must get past the armour of petals and remove the hairy choke. Those who step up are rewarded with sweet and savoury creaminess and the elusive flavour of spring. Many of the recipes here begin with the same Provençal braise. Others call on the nuttiness of artichokes in their raw form. The results make pasta lighter and chicken brighter or can be fried to become a vessel for bold flavours all of which capture the levity of the season.