The One-Pan Van Life Cookbook: Simple Recipes for Life on the Road, Without an Oven.

By Ginger Wilding

REVISED AND EXPANDED WITH 10 NEW RECIPES! (Nov 23)
 

Whether you're a seasoned road warrior or dreaming of van life adventures, this cookbook is your passport to a world of simple, fuss-free, and delicious one-pan cooking.

 

Inside this book, you will find:

Over 50 One- Pan Recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert. From Skillet Bread, to Stovetop Lasagne, and Pan Baked Chocolate Cake.
Plus 10 Bonus No-Pan Campfire Recipes using only aluminium foil.

 

Master the art of single-pan (and no-pan) cooking and enjoy hearty, vanmade dishes, made with everyday ingredients and without the need for an oven.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ginger Wilding
• Release date: Nov 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223398837

Ginger Wilding

Just a free spirited, red-headed vanlifer who enjoys creating unusual but simple recipes.

Book preview

Which pan?

Whilst the heart of this cookbook is all about simplifying your culinary adventures with minimal equipment, it's essential to understand which pan best suits your cooking needs. Each pan brings its own unique qualities to the table, enhancing the flavours and textures of your creations. Let's take a moment to explore the marvellous world of cooking vessels...

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The Classic Skillet: The skillet is your everyday kitchen warrior, perfect for searing, frying, sautéing, and everything in between. Whether you're whipping up a savoury breakfast scramble or  stovetop baking a cake, the skillet is your go-to choice.

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The Deep-Dish Cast Iron: A cast iron skillet with high sides is a true workhorse. Its even heating and exceptional heat retention make it ideal for dishes that require slow cooking, like hearty stews. Cast iron pans are also known to improve with age.

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The Sauce Pan: For recipes that call for sauces, gravies, or reductions, reach for a sauce pan. Its curved sides make whisking and pouring a breeze, ensuring you achieve the perfect consistency without the mess.

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The Non-Stick: When simplicity and quick clean- up are your priorities, the non-stick pan shines. It's perfect for dishes like pancakes, frittatas, or anything that tends to stick. Just a dab of oil, and your creations slide effortlessly onto the plate.

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The Dutch Oven: When slow-cooking and braising are on the menu, a Dutch oven is your trusty sidekick. It's perfect for hearty soups, stews, dishes that need to simmer for hours, and even bread. Its thick walls and tight-fitting lid lock in both moisture and flavour.

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My pan of choice is a large, heavy-bottom skillet with deep sides, for pretty much everything. Which you will find is what a majority of the recipes in this book call for. And a for living on the road full time, I would recommend investing in one large heavy-bottomed skillet or frying pan and one medium - large saucepan. Remember: you can cook a small amount of food in a large pan, but only a small amount of food in a small pan. For saving space, I find collapsible camping saucepans are especially brilliant!

Skillet Bread

This is not a typical sandwich loaf. But due to it's golden crust and fluffy interior, this bread is the perfect companion to butter, stews, soups, and curries. It can also be adapted by adding extras during mixing, like cheese, rosemary, olives, or even dried fruit and a some sugar, for a sweet bread.

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Ingredients:

- 280g Plain flour

- 250ml Lukewarm water

- 1 tsp Instant yeast

- 1 tsp Salt

- 1 tbsp Olive oil

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Method:

In a large bowl mix the flour, yeast and salt.

Add the lukewarm water and mix until loosely combined in a big sticky clump. Cover the bowl with cling film or a plate and leave to rise for 1 hour.

Once the dough has risen, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to your frying pan, making sure to fully grease the base and around the sides.

Remove the covering from your dough and roll it around inside the bowl with a spatula to degas. No need to knead! Sprinkle in some extra flour to stop it sticking and roll around a few times until it forms a smooth dough ball.

Transfer it to your pan and push it out to fit the pan base size.

Cover with a lid and let the dough rise again for 30 minutes.

Whilst still covered, begin to cook the bread on a low heat for 20 – 25 minutes.

Then remove the lid, flip the bread and cook for a further 5 minutes uncovered, or until the underside is golden.

Remove from the pan, and serve warm with lashings of butter.

Bubble Buns

All of the hard work for this bread is in the prep, waiting for the dough to rise. But the final result is 100% worth it, if you love soft and squishy bread! Tear it into separate buns that you can stuff with your favourite sandwich fillings.

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Ingredients:

- 300g Plain flour

- 200ml Milk

- 30g Unsalted butter

- 1 tsp Instant yeast

- ½ tsp Sea salt

- 1 tbsp Olive oil

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Method:

In a large bowl, add the milk and yeast and mix them together.

Next, add the flour and salt, and slowly combine to form a sticky dough ball. Cover the bowl with cling film or a plate and leave the dough to rest for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has risen, remove the dough from the bowl and lay it on a clean, flat surface with enough space to do some kneading. Place the unsalted butter on top of the dough and fold in each corner of the dough until the butter is encased in the middle. Now knead the dough for a few minutes until the butter is fully combined,