Campfire Cooking

By Adrienne
Recipe: Goat Cheese Polenta

I’m a city girl. I can’t imagine living in a cookie-cutter development in a generic suburb. I loathe the idea of driving to work. But as every New Yorker will tell you, there’s nothing better than escaping the crowds, congestion, and cement heat that is Manhattan during the summer.

This Memorial Day I decided to go camping.

My coworkers laughed when I informed them I would spend my weekend sleeping in the great outdoors. Sure, I enjoy my creature comforts like a duvet and feather pillows—but I’m not prissy.

My friends laughed when I told them I was camping near Katonah, an upscale town known for antiquing rather than hiking trails. What can I say? I like to be near a supermarket, liquor store, and civilization—even if I’m roughing it.

I had signed up to handle dinner Saturday night. Now, I could have opted for something simple: hot dogs, hamburgers, or the usual camping fare. But that wouldn’t sit well with my inner Martha Stewart. (It’s the same domestic demon that makes me obsess over table settings and dishware.) Not surprisingly, I opted for something more complicated. Frankly, anything is more complicated when you have to cook for 10 people on a grill and a portable stove—and refrigeration is limited to a cooler with some ice. Luckily, I appreciate a good challenge.

The Menu
Honey-brined chicken thighs
Flank steak in lemon, soy, and garlic marinade
Goat cheese polenta with mushroom, spinach, and onions

The Wine
Tapena Tempranillo
…and the grab bag collection of wine, beer, and liquor at the campsite


The night before heading up to the campsite, I soaked the chicken thighs in honey salt water bath and marinated flank steak in soy, garlic, and lemon juice. I also chopped up the onion for the mushrooms and spinach. I even bought pre-chopped mushrooms, since I was in a rush. The key to quick and easy cooking in the wilderness: preparation. You want to do as little as possible at the campsite, especially if you don’t know what sort of utensils and cooking apparatus you’ll have to use. Try stirring boiling polenta with a spatula. It makes it amusing to keep it from becoming lumpy. The day of my meal, I grilled up the chicken and flank steak—and whipped up the polenta with veggies with the help of my sous chef Claire.

Goat Cheese Polenta with Mushrooms, Spinach, and Onions
1 24 oz. bag Bob’s Red Mill Organic Corn Grits (Polenta)
1 32 oz. carton of chicken stock
6 oz. goat cheese
24 oz. baby spinach (3 to 4 bags of prewashed spinach)
2-8 oz. package of cremini mushrooms, pre-chopped
2-8 oz. package of shitake mushrooms, pre-chopped
1 large Spanish onion
Salt and pepper to taste

In large pot, bring 20 oz. of water and chicken stock to a boil. Add entire bag of polenta and lower the heat. (If you’re cooking a grill, just keep stirring.) Continue to cook the polenta until the liquid is evaporated—continue to stir as the polenta continues took. Add goat cheese. Stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute onions in pan until translucent. Add mushrooms. Saute until the mixture is brown and caramelized. Add spinach and cook until wilted. Salt and pepper to taste.

The timing on this can be a little nutty. If you only have a grill and not enough space for both a pot and a pan, cook the spinach mixture first and set aside while cooking the polenta. Then reheat for a minute or two as soon as the polenta is done.

Serve together right away.