Cooking for large groups

[Night Phoenix]

So I am on the hunt. On the hunt for good recipes. I will have to cook for a large group of people (18) through the winter months and want to come up with something that is tasty, easy, filling and cheap enough to make. Anyone got any ideas? Or better yet proper recipes with quantities would be good.
I have done the rice, pasta thing but am looking for something more unique
Thanks folks
Kat x

 

[andythecelt]

Easiest way I know to cook for a load is a big soup. Take a massive pot and put in whatever meat, veg, stock and seasonings you want. The advantage is you can use whatever's in season and cheap.

 

[apj1974]

Corned Beef Hash.

Boil Potatoes (or used tinned), chop
Fry up with some corned beef (about 1/4 or 1/3 as much corned beef as potatoes)

you can add whatever else you fancy (try mushrooms) some stick a fried egg on top, i just served with plenty of bread.

It is surprisingly filling and what looks like a small portion is enough

 

[John Fenna]

The book "Potjikos" by Me Natalie has a receipe that should suit you...the main ingrediant is a whole African Elephant and includes amounts for all the veg (500 sacks of spuds) and even includes the numbers and types of potjis (dutch ovens) you will need to cook it in - and a veggie version (3 tons soya)!

I am not joking - this is in a real recipe book (she might be joking though....)
The best Dutch oven book I have ever read the recipes are great (at least the ones I have tried are - Tescos does not do African Elephant...though I did hear roumers that the Brummie super store does Indian Elephant as a special buy sometimes....)

 

[Night Phoenix]

Hahaha that put a smile on my face John, I must check out this book. And cheers for the ideas guys, i am thinking i will do a hearty soup for lunch sometime, and perhaps a veggie version of corned beef hash! Oh better yet cottage pie!!!!

 

[Toddy]

Stovies and doughballs

If you are feeding folks who eat meat, then stovies is made from the left over gravy and meaty bits from the dinner of the night before. Lots of flavour but not enough left for a meal for everyone.
It's an individual thing, some folks add sausages, some add a tin of corned beef or a haggis, lots of chunky seasonal vegetables, and let it stew slowly. About twenty to twenty five minutes before serving add more liquid and doughballs. These are made from seasoned self raising flour with some fat rubbed in or suet stirred through the flour. Cold water is added until the mixture binds enough to mould into walnut sized balls. Put them into the liquid in the pot, put the lid on and simmer for twenty minutes or so. The doughballs swell up as they cook and absorb some of the stewing liquid.
The vegetarian alternative is just to make a seasoned stock add broth mix and chunky vegetables ( I find peanut butter adds a lot to the flavour) and simmer until the broth mix is cooked. Add doughballs as before.

Tasty, filling and surprisingly cheap

cheers,
Toddy

 

[BushcraftBaird112]

The book "Potjikos" by Me Natalie has a receipe that should suit you...the main ingrediant is a whole African Elephant and includes amounts for all the veg (500 sacks of spuds)

The word Potjiekos translates as "food of a small pot". I'm having a bit of a hard time believing a whole elephant and 500 sacks of spuds :Wow::Wow::Wow: will fit in a small pot!

 

[locum76]

Stovies and doughballs

If you are feeding folks who eat meat, then stovies is made from the left over gravy and meaty bits from the dinner of the night before. Lots of flavour but not enough left for a meal for everyone.
It's an individual thing, some folks add sausages, some add a tin of corned beef or a haggis, lots of chunky seasonal vegetables, and let it stew slowly.

Havers!

Stoveis is mutton, tatties and ingins boiled down to mush over a period of days and nothing else!

Pheonix: Depending on your budget, a whole large salmon could do nicely. Easily cooked in fire embers and served with some veg stew from the dutch oven and some fresh bread or bannock. It could easily feed 18 with the extra bits.

 

[Graham_S]

I'm with Toddy on this one.
Her recipe sounds just like the Stovies my Gran used to make.

Very good too.

 

[FGYT]

big shoulder of pork slow roasted in low heat or a couple of lamb shoulders etc makes good gravey with the juices

Soups oks but gets bit wearing if its all winter

ATB

Duncan

 

[dwardo]

"Stew" containing pretty much everything and anything is always a winner.

The last one i made was feasant, bacon, choritzio, carrot, sweed, turnip, potatoe, onion, stock, baby sweet corn, garlic and some other bits i cant remember.

finished off with whisky

If you throw a few quid in each then a suckling pig is just stunning!
You just cant beat pork crackling thats the size of your head!

 

[drewdunnrespect]

dwardo

me amd you think a like but what you call stew (which mine is in reality) we call "shot in a pot". why cos you can ave anything in it and well all you do is chop it up and shot it in and let it cook

lovely
drew

 

[dwardo]

"shot in a pot".

Thats brilliant

The great thing about a stew is you cant overcook it unless it runs dry and people can just keep helping them selves. We marinaded the feasant in garlic and red wine first which made a lot of difference to the taste. A stew can also turn tough meat or lesser cuts into lovely tender meat if left long enough.

 

[drewdunnrespect]

cheers dwardo

and i fully agree with what u said mate about the meet mate

 

[Bushwhacker]

Farikal - A Norwegian dish that basically consists of Lamb, Cabbage and Pepper.

Recipe here - http://www.recipezaar.com/Faringrikaringl-Norwegian-Lamb-and-Cabbage-Stew-189134

One of the tastiest things I know.

 

[John Fenna]

The word Potjiekos translates as "food of a small pot". I'm having a bit of a hard time believing a whole elephant and 500 sacks of spuds :Wow::Wow::Wow: will fit in a small pot!

Ah - the recipe give the number and sizes of the Inkunzi brand Potjies that you will need!

 

[DavidJT]

Depends on the size of your group, but I quite like a whole leg of lamb cooked on the grill. Either:

1: Butterflied leg of lamb
Debone the whole leg (or ask a good butcher to do it) so that you have a huge butterfly shaped lamb steak. Thickness will be from 1/2' on the edges, to about 4" in the middle. Cut a few slashes in the thickest part.
Marinate for as longs as possible (ideally 24hrs) in LOTS of lemon juice, garlic, crushed fresh rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper. Cook fairly slowly on a grill over a good bed of embers, or a BBQ (Webber style work well with the lid left on).
Finished meat will be well done and crispy in the thinner areas, and nice and pink in the thick central part. So should be something to suit everyone.
Serve with Greek Yoghurt with some fresh chopped mint leaves mixed in it, and sprinkle over lots of bright red Pomegranate seeds.

2: Brazilian Style Leg of Lamb:
This is much more camp friendly but if cooking at night have a good light source to check the cooking.
I was served this at a cattle ranch in Brazil, where one of the cattle hands threw a whole leg of lamb onto a really hot BBQ. I naturally thought that it would be completely burnt before it was cooked through, but he whipped it off 10mins later and just carved away and served the perfectly cooked outer layer (Doner Kebab Style). Then it was back on the BBQ for another short blast whilst we drank more wine, and had some salad etc.
Took a couple of hours to eat the whole thing a layer at a time, but it was delicious.

 

[Night Phoenix]

Wow guys thanks for all this help, some of it sounds fantastic (there are vegetarians on the course and i want to be mindfull of them but most things can be altered for vegetarians as well ) I am also going to attempt a nice cottage pie type thing Mmmmmmm
Wonderfull recipes guys, you should get together and write a book (maybe without the elephants)

 

[johnnytheboy]

Cheap and chearful, and very tasty

Butchers sausages about 3 per person
Tinned tomatoes one 400g can per person
Canned mixed beans one tin per person washed
sugar to sweeten tomatoes (onlyif required)
thyme

fry the sausages in the bottom of the pot, then cut into 1" long sections, then chuck in all the rest of the stuff

Chilli con carne is a good recipe as you can also make beef burritos if you take wraps cheese and lettuce

 

[rik_uk3]

Remember, if you can't cook it well at home, you ain't going to cook it well camping so practise. You really don't want 18 hungry peed off people around you.

And please, keep it simple.