May 10, 2017 ​Let's get down to business!

As I was saying, being on the road is such a joyous thing with so much to ogle, but one always looks forward to the food (and wine) breaks - well we do anyway!
Food is never far from my mind, although that's not entirely true, but I do love to create something delish for the sheer pleasure of it and also because I require tasty food to sooth my inner beast.
So let's get down to the bones of the matter and get this conversation started. We're talking about food on the road, not haute cuisine, just simple, yummy stuff. We're all on the same page with that right!?
There's so much you can do if you have a huge larder, big fridge and freezer and a stove with oven, but if you don't have those things or limited/spasmodic access to fresh food - because you are living the life and travelling way away from the pack or you simply want to be completely off the grid, you can live very well on tinned or packet stuff with some extras tossed in to supplement. Mind you I am not advocating that you live like this always. This is just for 'those' times. And you need your fresh fruit and vege OK!? That's the health message over and done with.
I know lots of people prepare and dry meals and other food items prior to departure, but if you're not up to that or can't be bothered (I haven't gone that path - yet, still thinking about it), it's not a bad idea to do a little bit of preparation that will help you spice up simple 'tinned' food. It's all about pleasure!
I dry herbs from my balcony garden as well as leftovers from bunches bought at the supermarket. I preserve lemons and also make up little packets of spices and dried herbs to pack (you can buy great tiny plastic screw top jars from the $2 shop for those). They're unbreakable so are terrific for travelling particularly on rough roads.
Pack in some instant sauces - gravy, cheese sauce. Don't scoff we're talking about the easy life here. Add some onions and you are almost set. I pack small cans of mushrooms, capers, and capsicum too and I am sure you will think of other tasty condiments to add to your larder. Don't forget one or two sauces to spice things up. You can double these up - like using dry mustard or curry powder in say a Worcestershire sauce or simply in mayonnaise or a tiny box of UHT cream. I'll tell you some of my tricks later.
If you have a small fridge, terrific. Pack in cheese (Parmesan keeps well), minced garlic, definitely bacon, if you eat it. Also get a selection of semi dried herbs - parsley, chilli, ginger etc. And a little gem, not for the fridge of course! but a kitchen mate I have just acquired - a kitchen 'blow torch'. Well, that's what I call it. Plug it onto a butane gas cylinder and you can add an extra little je ne sais quoi to a whole lot of things. How about tinned asparagus with melted cheese topping. Of course it's not as good as the fresh stuff! I know that, but hey you're out there in the bush doing other magic things. Or should be!
If you have a large fridge and a good size freezer then you're made but without much challenge!
And don't forget to look for local food to supplement your larder. More on that another time.

Cockle Creek, Tasmania. My Man debearding mussels we collected
at the mouth of the creek. I scrubbed the cockles added a few humongous oyster
and we had a feast. We were completely unplugged - from the world that is!

Chat next time, maybe from Arnhem Land and hopefully with some more pix. Bon appetite!