Cooking over primitive, hardwood fires is my new religion... As I write this, I'm still floating on air from my recent evening experimenting with cooking over a primitive, hardwood fire (a campfire). I'm feeling incredibly relaxed as a result, almost like I spent a day at the beach or at some wonderful camping trip.... When I think about it, should be no surprise- I love camping and my favorite part of camping is the campfire. There's something calming, spiritual and therapeutic about it.
A recent Anthony Bourdain show on Argentinean Chef Francis Mallmann's passion for cooking over harwood fires (as well as his recent book "Seven Fires") captured my imagination and basically reset my culinary clock. Tired of waiting for a camping trip, I improvised by layering brick and stone onto a wheelbarrow and began my campfire. I laid a cast iron griddle and nice heavy grill from my barbeque and began my adventure- spring onion and tomato halves basted in olive oil and sprinkled with kosher salt, sweet peppers roasted over the hottest part of the fire then slow cooked over the coolest part till they went perfectly limp, freshly-picked ears of yellow corn roasted over the hottest part. Fra'Mani sausages on the griddle, and rib-eye steaks both on the grill and griddle to see the differences. The results were roll-your-eyes-to-the-back-of-your-head spectacular. Mallmann is onto something. The burnt flavors together with the campfire smokiness strikes at the most primitive parts of our pleasure zones like few things in life can... I won't name those few other things- you know already.
I strongly recommend that everyone reading this posting rush out and by some oak firewood and build themselves a fire pit. Oh and pick up plenty of marshmallows too- the kids are going to love you for it.
