Cooking in Your Caravan: March 2020 Edition

Whether you’re an old pro at cooking in your caravan or a new caravan owner, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming thinking of what to cook after a full day of fun and adventures! With this in mind, we’re bringing you a monthly menu, packed with simple but tasty dishes, seasonal produce and fresh ideas.

In our first edition, we’re bringing you recipes for mouth-wateringly easy dishes to satisfy the whole family during an early Spring caravan adventure. Read on to learn more!

Starter – Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus

When you’ve had a busy day of adventuring, sightseeing or relaxing, the last thing you want to do is prepare a time consuming and fiddly meal! This fresh and delicious recipe takes minutes to prepare and cook, leaving you plenty of time to relax and eat! Asparagus is coming into season in March, making it the perfect for cooking in your caravan on early Spring breaks!

Ingredients:

• 170g sliced prosciutto, halved horizontally
• 450g pound asparagus, trimmed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions:

1. Working one at a time, wrap halved prosciutto slice on each asparagus spear at an angle, covering the entire length of the spear.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat or lightly oil the wrapped asparagus spears and place on your BBQ grill.
3. Add in the asparagus spears and cook until prosciutto is crisp and asparagus is tender – usually about 2-3 minutes.
4. Serve immediately and enjoy!

If you’re feeling fancy, you could make a delicious aioli to dip the asparagus into. It’s super easy, just whisk together an egg yolk, a cup of extra virgin olive oil, a pinch of seasoning and a teaspoon of crushed garlic.

Main – Cheesy Broccoli Pasta 

Simple and easy to prepare but hearty and delicious, this pasta dish is a brilliant ‘go-to’ dinner for cooking in your caravan! Broccoli is coming into season in March, though you can replace it with other seasonal greens like artichokes, spring greens or leeks if you prefer.

Ingredients:

• 280g dried pasta
• 280g broccoli
• 25g butter
• 25g plain flour
• 300ml milk
• 140g mature cheddar, grated
• 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
• pinch of nutmeg

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta, as per the instructions on the packet
2. Add the broccoli to the pasta for the final 4-5 mins of cooking and when tender, drain well.
3. For the sauce heat the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook for a minute, then gradually add the milk, stirring well between each addition.
4. Bring the sauce to the boil, stirring, then simmer for 2 minutes, before stirring in the mustard, the nutmeg, half the cheese and seasoning.
5. Mix the pasta and broccoli into the sauce and spoon into an ovenproof dish.
6. Scatter over the remaining cheese and place under a hot grill or on a closed BBQ for 3-4 minutes until golden and bubbling.
7. Dish up and serve with a crisp green salad or garlic bread for a meal the whole family will enjoy!

If you fancy spicing this recipe up, you could also try adding a couple of these delicious extras:

• Chicken and mushrooms– Sprinkle mushrooms with salt and pepper and pan-fry in olive oil until golden. Next, break up some little chunks of cooked chicken onto the top of the pasta bake and add the mushrooms, before you put the cheese on and then grill it until heated through.
• Diced chorizo, peppers and onions – Simply pan fry diced chorizo with red peppers and red onions to add a burst of Spanish flavour to your dinner. Sprinkle the diced chorizo and veg onto the top of the pasta bake, before you put the cheese on and then grill it until heated through.
• Tomatoes and basil – Slice cherry tomatoes and place onto the top of the pasta bake, before adding fresh basil and cheese and then grilling until heated through.

Dessert – Fresh Peach Ice Cream

The perfect end to any meal, this beautiful peach ice cream recipe is a great ‘make-ahead’ recipe. At first glance, you may not immediately think of making ice cream when cooking in your caravan, but trust us, this is a super easy recipe!

Ingredients:

• 500ml double cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 400ml (1 can) sweetened condensed milk
• 3-4 large ripe peaches, peeled and roughly chopped (you can use canned peaches in their own juices if fresh peaches are unavailable)

Instructions:

1. Add chopped peaches to a saucepan and turn the heat to medium.
2. Cook peaches for just a few minutes or until they become soft.
3. Remove from heat and let cool.
4. Mix the double cream and vanilla in a large bowl.
5. Now whip the mixture for a few minutes until stiff peaks form.
6. Add in the sweetened condensed milk and whisk until combined.
7. Stir in peaches.
8. Spoon mixture into a loaf pan.
9. Freeze for several hours or overnight until frozen.

This is such a simple, but effective recipe and you could definitely make it your own by adding your favourite fruits into the mixture in place of the peaches. One of our favourite tweaks is to make a strawberry ice cream and pair it up with a hot, gooey brownie!

Get in Touch!

If you’ve tried any of our recipes on your adventures, we’d love to hear from you! Connect with us via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram to share photos of your dishes or to tell us what kind of recipes you’d like to see next! Make sure you use the hashtag #CaravanCookingWithTCC!