Hobo dinner pictures... what fun!

Lovely ladies, eh?

  

 

Hobo Appetizers

Delicious introductions to the evening... didn't get a picture of the Four-Cheese Crab Dip for the crackers, but it was good! As were the Bocconcini Canapes on the right. We also enjoyed Rob's favourite... Gazpacho! Great for a hot summer day, but still tasty on a cool, wet evening. Tomato based and full of flavour.

FOUR-CHEESE CRAB DIP
Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
1 cup crab meat
½ cup seafood or chicken broth, sodium reduced
1 tbsp corn starch
1 cup mild cheddar, rated
½ cup gouda, grated
¼ cup feta, crumbled
½ cup provolone, grated
1 tbsp lemon juice
1-2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Pepper
Preparation and cooking:
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Use large square of aluminum foil with a square of parchment paper on top to keep food from sticking.
In bowl, mix all ingredients together and place in centre of parchment paper.
Fold up ends of aluminum foil, fold sides of foil over the food, then fold foil onto itself & press firmly
Tightly seal packs at the ends. Be careful not to tear the foil while handling.
Cook on grill for 7-10 minutes.
Open up packs, stir thoroughly and serve with crackers or grilled pita and crudités
(cheese alternatives are swiss or mozzarella)

BOCCONCINI CANAPES
5 oz (150g) bocconcini cut into small cubes with a knife or use an egg slicer
3 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto or tapenade
Freshly ground pepper
-- Serve on bread croutons, crackers or on cucumber slices, or stuffed inside cherry tomatoes

Hobo Dinner

 The table was set with nothing that matched, wild flowers, a bedsheet (??) for a tablecloth

Beer can chicken, barbequed corn on the cob, potatoes, yummy brown beans with bacon, fried mushrooms & onions, venison burgers (thanks Phil!), and a fresh salad with tomatoes, strawberries and bocochini.  More recipes coming soon!

GAZPACHO

Ingredients:

6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped (or 3 tomatoes and tin of crushed tomatoes)

1 purple onion, finely chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

2 sweet bell peppers, red and green, seeded and chopped (may blacken on bbq first)

2 stalks celery

1-2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

1 clove garlic, minced (may fry in olive oil first)

¼ cup red wine vinegar (or 1/8 cup)

¼ cup olive oil

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tsp sugar

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

6 or more drops of Tabasco sauce to taste (3 tsp)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

4 cups tomato juice (may use some V8 juice)

-- Combine all ingredients. Blend slightly to desired consistency. Place in non-metal, non-reactive storage container, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight allowing flavours to blend.

Serves 8.

BOCCONCINI, TOMATO AND STRAWBERRY SALAD

7 oz (200g) bocconcini sliced with a knife or an egg slicer

2 tomatoes, sliced

1 container strawberries, sliced

2-3 tbsp chpped fresh basit

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper

VENISON BURGERS

   2 lbs ground venison
   bacon fat (1 fried bacon and added approx. 3 tablespoons)
   20 grams dried morel mushrooms (used 1 large fresh morel, chopped fine)
   2 teaspoons salt
   1 tablespoon dried thyme
   ½ teaspoon celery seed
Mix together first 6 ingredients. Don’t over-mix, makes meat tough. Crumbly burgers are better. Form patties. Press small indentation in centre of patty.
   12 ounces fresh mushrooms  
   1 medium onion, sliced into half moons
   2 tablespoons olive oil
In large sauce pan, hot over heat, add mushrooms. Shake pan frequently so they don’t’ stick and cook mushrooms until they release their water, approx. 2-4 minutes. As soon as water has almost bubbled away, add olive oil and sliced onion and sauté until everything is nicely browned, about 6-8 minutes. Turn off heat, set aside.
   6 slices Provolone or Swiss cheese
Grill burgers over mid-high heat for 6-8 minutes per side. For the second side, cook halfway and then add a cheese slice. Close grill lid to let cheese melt.
Serve on hamburger buns, mustard (optional)

Hobo Desserts

Baked Apples in a Can (per can)

1 apple, sliced thin
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp flour
1 tbsp butter or margarine
1/2 lemon to squeeze
2-3 tbsp golden raisins
1. First, slice up the apples real thin.
2. Mix brown sugar, flour, and butter.
3. In a larger can (16 oz), alternate layers of apple and the sugar mixture.
4. When finished, squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top.
5. Finish off with a sprinkle of golden raisins.
Bake 375F for 35 minutes or until apples are tender.

Hobo Packs

Wrap chunks of juicy fruit in foil with flavourings and toss the packs on to the grill. The ultimate result, warm and unbelievably easy dessert.

Each pack requires 1 12 inch square sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil. Place 1/4 tablespoon butter in middle of foil, and then add fruit. After adding fruit, bring two sides of foil up over fruit and fold to form a seam across the top. Fold the remaining two side to seal the packs. Grill the hobo packs over moderate heat in the barbeque, over a fire or in the owen until the fruit is sizzling, about 10 minutes.

1. Strawberry-Blueberry Hobo Packs (4 packs)

1/2 pound strawberries, havled or quartered

1/2 pound blueberries

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon cornstartch

2. Nectarine-Gingersnap Hobo Packs (4 packs)

1 pound nectarines diced, unpeeled 

3 tablespoon sugar

1/3 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps

3. Pineapple-Caramel Hobo Packs (4 packs)

12 ounces fresh pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/4 cuup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon rum (option rum  or brandy flavouring)

8 chewy caramel candies, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

4. Honey-Vanilla-Apricot Hobo Packs (4 packs)

1 pound apricots, cut into eights

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (I couldn't find a vanilla bean so I used 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)

1/4 cup sugar

Options for serving:

Pour fruit on top of pound cake (to grill pound cake, butter sides and grill both sides until just toasted), or pour fruit on top of Hobo Bread.

Also works well with ice cream, yogurt, or whipped cream.

Hobo Bread

3 cups of dried fruit (raisins, currants, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, pineapple, mango...)

3 cups boiling water

3 teaspoons baking powder

Place dried fruit in bowl. Disolve baking soda in boiling water and pour over fruit. Let satnd overnight without stirring.

Next day, grease tin cans (I just spray inside with cooking spray). Number of tin cans depends on the size. For example, 10 soup cans or 6 pasta sauce cans.

In large bowl, stir together dried ingredients and set aside:

4 cups flour (can be whole wheat and/or white)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

In another bowl, mix wet ingredients:

2 eggs,

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup of liquid. Depending on choice of dried fruit, could be orange juice, fruit juice and/or water.

Stir in fruit mixture with its juices

Options: add 1 teaspoon orange peel or orange flavouring or vanilla extract

Option: add 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts (example pecans)

Batter should be thick.

Preheat oven to 350. Fill greased cans about half full with mixture. Place cans on baking sheet and slide into over for 50 to 60 minutes for pasta-sized cans, shorter time for smaller cans. Check for doneness with toothpick that comes out clean. Remove from oven, place cans on their sides on cooling rack and let cool. When cool, run knife carefully around sides of bread and gently shake the bread out of the can.

Bread stores well on counter wrapped in cloth. Becomes wet and sticky in plastic. Freezes well.

Enjoy!!