9
Eat, smile, travel!
15
How to find the best camper van spots
17
Ready-to-go camper van checklist
38
Hüttenkäse with strawberries and granola
41
Vegetable broth with crêpes
42
Salad with fried maultasche
45
Flammkuchen
46
Lentil stew with Black Forest ham
49
Barbecued trout with lemon, herbs and fennel
50
Jacket potato with smoked trout and horseradish
53
Annette’s German potato salad
54
Bratwurst stew with white beans
82
Scrambled tofu with spinach and cheddar
83
Miso oat porridge
84
Shakshuka with white beans, black pudding and smoked paprika
87
Pasta carbonara with stilton
88
Chickpea curry
93
Fire-baked veggies with yoghurt en mint
94
Lamb stew with carrots, potatoes and mint sauce
97
Jacket potatoes with pumpkin, lentils and clotted cream
98
Happy Campers
120
Cevapi with tomato, cheese and grilled vegetables
123
Shopska salata: tomato salad with cheese and onions
124
Garlic and mint flatbreads
127
Stuffed bell peppers and courgette
128
Garlic peppers
129
Grilled fruit and feta
130
Happy Campers
152
Smørrebrød
153
Red cabbage salad
154
Pea and dill soup
157
Hot smoked salmon on the grill
160
Mussels and razor clams with sage butter
162
Planked fish
163
Cinnamon twist
167
Pickled carrots and cucumber
188
Chocolate and peanut butter oatmeal
191
Kale soup with brisket
192
Rookworst on toast with celeriac
195
Cheese fondue with bacon and crudites
196
Peanut butter dahl
199
Meat croquette dip
200
Barbecued oysters
203
Chilli sin carne with black beans and bread
204
Happy Campers
222
Banana pancakes with cinnamon
223
French toast with sour cream and apple butter
224
Buttermilk mashed potatoes and shrimp
227
Mashed potatoes with peas, parmesan and parsley
228
Barbecued hispi cabbage
231
Ghent-style beef stew
232
Chicken vol-au-vent
235
Hutsepot
236
Rabbit with prunes and endive salad
239
Thanks
Campers and their van. They really can seem like
camper van travelling certainly is one of the things
quite an enigmatic breed sometimes. How did
our friendship is based upon, so it doesn’t come
these people end up travelling everywhere in
as a surprise that Bram’s photos turned out to be
a van? And more importantly: why? In this book
perfect for this book.
you’ll get to know a few specimen of this species, but let’s start by introducing ourselves, the
The nice, preferably unpolished and unspoilt sites
makers of Camper Food & Stories.
we both love the most, as well as the pure, simple and tasty dishes our work is all about: Bram knows
I’m Els. Happy camper, food stylist, chef and
how to capture all of this and how to show every
recipe writer. Together with my husband and kids
scene the way we both imagine it in our minds.
I chose the camper van life more than 15 years ago. Yes, that means living together in a small
My hippie soul first came to life when I fell in love
space, without any privacy, comfort or certain
with a blonde surfer. I loved watching him catch
ties. However, camper van travelling does come
the waves from our van on the beach, and ever
with the priceless feeling of being totally free
since then I’ve been hooked on both the surfer
and ready for every adventure waiting around
and the van. Our first trips together were in that
the corner.
same van, to which we later added a tent to have enough space for our kids. We ended up opting
This book is an ode to that particular feeling.
for the comfort of a fully equipped camper van.
It’s meant to spark your sense of adventure, to make you feel like stepping into a camper van
The way we travel and spend time however,
and to cook your meals in there too, nice and
hasn’t changed that much. We started out by
relaxed, with whatever products you have at
keeping things simple. No shower, no toilet –
hand, and with all the time in the world. Anything
at first this scared me, and I used to ask myself
goes: that’s exactly the beauty of camper van life,
at least once a day whether or not it’s okay to go
and the same goes for camper van cooking.
without showering, and if a swim in the sea counts as a wash. Where can we use the bathroom? Is
The love of freedom and real, good food: those
there a shop somewhere? How will we manage
are two of the things Bram, the photographer
without fridge in summer?
of this book, and I have in common. We met on the job, and we liked working together so much
Step by step we figured things out. We got our
that many more food projects followed and
selves an electric cooler and a while later we
we became friends. The fact that we both love
even got a portable toilet to set up behind the 9
Introduction
Sjællands Odde
134
Camper Food & Stories
Long stretches of beach, tidal flats and islands, fjords and cliffs … And of course cities with lots of green and open space and lots of bikers, attractive to young families with children because of the high quality of life. These are some of the stereotypes about Scandinavia, and if you’re travelling in Denmark you’ll learn that they’re actually true. Denmark was always high on our list of top camper van holiday destinations, and when we finally got there, it exceeded our expectations. The beaches especially: they’re absolutely splendid and camping is permitted. We spent most of our road trip time at the coast, driving towards Klitmøller, also known as ‘Cold Hawaii’: it’s a true paradise for kitesurfers. Good food, interesting urban cultural scenes, beautiful architecture, endless landscapes and beauty all around: Denmark has everything one could wish for on vacation.
135
Denmark
Camper Food & Stories Composition, texts and recipes Els Sirejacob Photography Bram Debaenst and Els Sirejacob p. 8 (top) and back cover: Stephanie Laitem Graphic design Sarah Schrauwen Editing Hadewijch Ceulemans Translation Hadewijch Ceulemans and Sandy Logan (recipes) (Original title: Camperfood & fijne plekken)
D/2021/12.005/3 ISBN 9789460582691 NUR 500, 440 © 2021 Luster Publishing, Antwerp lusterweb.com All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the publisher. An exception is made for short excerpts which may be cited for the sole purpose of reviews.