(ARA) - When you think of cooking on the road in an RV, what comes to mind? Hamburgers and hot dogs on a portable grill? Canned soup warmed up on the RV stove? How about Crab Cocktail with Avocado-Wasabi Mousse or Florentine Pot Roast with Red Wine, Mushrooms and Tomatoes?
"RV galleys have come a long way, and so has RV cooking," says Joe Daquino, Vice President and Group Publisher for Affinity Group, Inc. Many RVs boast kitchens that home cooks would envy, complete with roomy refrigerators, ample cabinet space, conventional and microwave ovens and multi-burner stoves. Even RVers with smaller kitchens have the ability to turn out fresh, tasty meals.
"There's no reason RVers have to sacrifice flavor or nutrition on the road," says Daquino. Two useful guides for putting together spectacular meals on the road are "Best Ever RV Recipes," published by Trailer Life Books, featuring favorite recipes of members of the Good Sam Club, a group devoted to making RVing safer and more enjoyable, and to saving members money through Club-endorsed benefits and services; and the newly published "Cooking on the Road with Celebrity Chefs," from Woodall Publications Corporation, publishers of Woodall's Campground Directory and other camping and RVing titles, which features recipes by talented chefs who also share a passion for RVing.
All of the ingredients for the recipes in both books are readily available in most major supermarkets. Many also make use of fresh, seasonal produce you can pick up at roadside stands as you travel. The recipes take into account the limited number of pots and pans as well as lack of fancy equipment RV cooks have at hand, and are tailored accordingly.
In addition to creative recipes, "Cooking on the Road" is full of celebrity tips and helpful hints for cooking well on the road. Here are a few good ideas from the book:
* Chef Jamie Rorabeck, Chef/instructor at Connecticut Culinary Institute, advises doing all your prep work before you start cooking. "Every ingredient has to be cut, peeled and ready to go," he says.
* Use the power of the Internet. You can find new recipes to try, sources for hard-to-find ingredients and track down local farmers' markets.
* To save space, repackage spices and other staples into smaller containers.
* Quality ingredients are the answer to pleasurable, easy dining, according to Molly Chappellet, co-owner of Chappellet Winery in Napa Valley. When they hit the road, she and her husband carry artisanal cheeses, a selection of nuts and dried fruits for snacks or impromptu salads, fruits and vegetables from their garden, assorted condiments such as local olive oils, capers and mustards, smoked salmon, and of course, wine.
Is your mouth watering yet? Here's the Crab Cocktail recipe, for a preview of the flavors you can explore with these two books.
Crab Cocktail with Avocado-Wasabi Mousse (from "Best Ever RV Recipes")
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups cooked crabmeat
1/8 cup rice vinegar
1/8 cup thinly sliced chives
5 avocados, diced (2-1/2 pounds or 5 cups)
1 tablespoon wasabi paste, or to taste
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (or to taste)
½ tablespoon salt
3/4 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups salsa fresca (from the grocery store)
Garnish:
12 deep-fried taro chips
6 green onions, cut into 2-inch lengths
Cilantro sprigs
Diced avocado
Directions:
Combine crab, vinegar and chives, reserve. Just before serving, make the mousse: puree avocados until smooth with wasabi paste, hot pepper sauce and salt. Whip 3/4 cream; fold into reserved avocado mixture. Scoot 1/4 cup avocado-wasabi mousse into each of 6 martini glasses. Top each with 1/4 cup salsa fresca. Scoop 1/4 cup reserved crab mixture on top of salsa. Garnish with taro chips, green onions, cilantro and avocado. Makes six servings.
For more information on the RV lifestyle, visit www.thegoodsamclub.com. You can find "Cooking on the Road with Celebrity Chefs" at www.woodalls.com; "Best Ever RV Recipes" is available at www.TrailerLifeDirectory.com or by calling (800) 766-1674.
