On The Road Cooking
when I was in my early twenties, –
before I had truly embarked on adult adventures, I dreamed of life on the road. This was a time when I was starting out at a little cold water surf company on the shopfloor in Seven Dials, and was just discovering the pull of the wild. I was watching surf films where it wasn’t just the dancing on waves or serenity of lulls in the line-up or the freedom of paddling out which enticed me; it was the white lines on roads, the constant movement and ever-changing environments that tugged at my sense of wonder.
These were the first steps in this peripatetic lifestyle I had dreamed of. Since then, I have ebbed and flowed between new coastlines and cities, blindly chasing a feeling of belonging, carving new facets of my identity and exploring the edges of my emotional and mental limits. Obviously I idealise and romanticise these experiences. There were many times where I craved the stability of home, financial security and partnership. I longed to be this Kerouacian character, although deep down there was always a conflict between the wild and the pedestrian – one which I’ve tried to balance since returning to a more traditional way of living.
Yet food has always maintained this balance. Inherently, food eaten on the road, in the wild and out in nature must be fuss-free. It requires simplicity.
When on road trips in California, all I needed were soft corn tortillas, full, round and fleshy homegrown avocados, a bottle of Cholula hot sauce, a tin of Jacobsen sea salt and a sharp pocket knife to sate my appetite.
I remember taking a week long trip from London through Devon and into Cornwall, where I snacked on tins of Portuguese sardines on Ryvita crispbreads.
In the Basque country, we’d buy hunks of white baguettes, creamy soft cheese and chunks of salty ham, sitting on hidden driftwood beaches as we watched the Atlantic tumble.
When I spent the day by the Helford River during South Coast summers, I would pack fresh sourdough, homemade hummus and sweet peaches, best eaten when fresh out of the sea, the salt rolling down your skin.
On an unseasonably warm Oregon hike, we brought a mason jar of iced coffee, crunchy cold apples and picked wild sage along the Deschutes river, its heady fragrance a precursor to the aromatics of it fried in butter for a risotto or pasta.
I’ve tried to take this minimalist food philosophy into my everyday cooking. I find a sense of occasion in the simplest of meals. Crunchy toast, sweet jam, hot coffee; tossed salad leaves in acid-spiked dressing mopped up with fresh bread; fish, scallops and prawns thrown over hot coals and drenched in butter.
Earlier this week, I escaped to the coast for the first time since January. We bought oysters, scallops and king prawns to the beach. We had no seasoning (except a bottle of homemade sweet chilli sauce I bought from a local store), and only a chimney starter with an iron grill to cook on. Sun-drenched, salt-soaked (and a bottle of chilled, pale rose consumed) we feasted, dipping the sweet scallops and crunchy prawns (head and shells on for me) in chilli sauce, grinning out to sea.
At a time when we aren’t able to head out to restaurants (however much I miss them) or gather friends for big, elaborate dinner parties – here’s to the simple meals that can be eaten on the road.
Cat x
dressed beets and whipped ricotta.
While I wouldn't usually be carrying a tupperware of dressed beets and whipped ricotta when on the road, I'd fully vouch for making this the night before and bringing it to a barbecue, the beach or on a road trip. You'll get top points for aesthetics and you'll definitely upstage the guy who brought hot dog buns and Frankfurters from Nisa off the A2 (we see you, Gareth).
Ingredients wise, you'll need one whole beetroot (just double/triple if you're cooking for multiple people); 1 tbsp neutral oil; 1 tsp apple cider vinegar; 2 tsp honey; a few sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano; salt and pepper; a tub of ricotta; 1/2 lemon (juice and zest); chopped hazelnuts (toasted); 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil.
Pre-heat the oven to 190ºc. Prep the beets by cutting of the tops and then scrubbing them to get all the dirt off. Keep the skin on, but rub the neutral oil (rapeseed/sunflower) all over and then season with a generous pinch of sea salt crystals. Place in a baking tray and add about 2cm of water to the bottom. Cover tightly with tin foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until you can poke a knife through without resistance. The combination of water and being covered helps the beets steam and keeps their fullness.
Once cooked, remove the foil and leave to cool for 20 minutes. Once it's cooled down, peel the skins off and cut the beets into quarters or smaller. Mix 1tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and fresh thyme then dress the beets. Place in a container and leave overnight in the fridge.
For the whipped ricotta, simply whip the ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice and the other tbsp of extra-v olive oil, folding in the fresh oregano. Place in a small container (a jam jar is usually best). Put the toasted hazelnuts in a separate container.
Because I care deeply about the beauty of laying out food, I usually bring a wooden plate (this one from Heather Scott), and spread the whipped ricotta on the bottom, then add the beetroot on top, drizzling the residual dressing on top. Sprinkle the hazelnuts and sprinkle more fresh herbs (you can pop these in a ziplock with a little water inside to keep them fresh for the journey, ideally in a cool bag).
food stories.
- This piece by food writer Nicole Taylor for The New York Times: "Black Employees, Don't Sign Away Your Right To Speak Out."
– I'm not a baker and am a huge advocate of supporting local bakeries (never been on that sourdough starter train) – New Yorker writer Hannah Goldfield agrees.
– The Atlantic's Matt Goulder poses the question, what is the fate of restaurants post Covid-19?
a few leftovers.
– Will be buying lamb mince and making this kheema matar immediately
– Let's all appreciate Anthony Bourdain cooking in his apartment in 1997
– Everything looks great on Kana ceramics (particularly orange-hued yolks)
– Montana-based chef Ranga's recipe for paratha is BOMB
– Not one to make desserts, but this summer tart looks pretty enticing
– A perfect, simple summer lunch is tomato and mayo bread: I need this card
– Watch comedian Ziwe Fumudoh interview Alison Roman about race.
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