Stocking Up For Our Trip To Zimbabwe - Camping lists and Recipe Moroccan Tagine

In December, all roads lead to Cape Town, Hermanus and Plettenberg Bay. But in July, we take revenge, and as soon as the school bags slam shut, we flip our lids and head north to warmer climes, crossing the Orange River in droves as we migrate.

Planning and packing the Engel (camping fridge) becomes much more manageable with a clear menu. I have a few ideas, practised and almost perfected, that help streamline the process and ensure nothing essential is forgotten.

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1. Make tick lists
2. Save and update lists for next time; remove excess, unwanted, and unnecessary items. When you return, add what you should've taken.
3. Have lists of groceries and utensils you’ll need. Stick to the minimum. Take two very good, sharp utility knives; they can double up as steak knives. I love my Victorinox round tip knives, and I can't go anywhere without them.  Use an identifying colour.
4. Make a list of basic store cupboard groceries, e.g. tea, coffee, sugar. Take ONLY what you need.  No need to take 200 tea bags for 10 days.
5. Have a menu/meal plan for each main meal/day
6. Less is more
7. Standardise meals, e.g. breakfast: have a staple, e.g. yoghurt, dried fruit, cereal or muesli. To make my compote, I used: Prunes, 1x Rooibos tea bag, 1x ginger tea, 1x lemon and mint tea, covered with boiling water and left to soak overnight—Refrigerate and store in an airtight plastic container. I left home with one compote of prunes and the ingredients for another one.
8. Portions must be rationed. E.g. work out how much beskuit (a traditional South African biscuit (biscotti) dunked in coffee) you need per person. E.g. husband has 2 each morning; only take 20 for 10 days.
9. Do not think you’re going to eat more than you need; you’ll waste and bring it all home.
10. Do not take things you don’t normally eat.
11. Keep treats to a minimum, unless you have space
12. Remember you’re not going away forever; there are shops in all towns and fresh produce can be bought along the way.
13. Support local industry, organic farmers' markets, and roadside farm stalls; further up in Africa, subsistence farmers sell their produce along the roads.
14. Don't support the guys selling fruit along the N1 (going through De Doorns)  that's all stolen fruit.
15. Find out what you’re allowed to take across a border, e.g. fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit.
16. Don’t think you can take a chance with an official; they’re cleverer than you, have seen it all and know all the hiding places. I’ve learnt from experience. I felt awful for lying. I had to dispose of my delicious rack of lamb on the side of the road.
17. Remember left-overs make good fillings for sandwiches, wraps, pancake fillings and brunch.
18. Do your shopping according to the list and do not get tempted.
19. Freeze ready-made dishes in compact, durable, airtight containers.
20. Remember square and oblong containers use less space than round containers.
21. Do not over-burden fridges and deep freezers
22. Only take the spices you’ll need and in small quantities
23. To bake your own bread or pancakes, measure out the dry ingredients beforehand; take only what you’ll need. Prepacked bread mixtures are commercially available. Beer bread works well, as you’ll only need an extra beer, which we always have in stock.
24. Don't bother if you NEVER eat bread!  Wraps freeze like a charm.
25. I took fresh saladings for 4 days; the rest I bought en-route.
26. Packed only 2 extra salads, e.g. beetroot salad and 3 bean salad; I bought ready-made and one tin of vacuum-packed peas. 
27. Buy interesting homemade goodies along the road.
28. Bought vegetables with a long shelf life, e.g. butternut, cabbage, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob. Portioned for specific meals and none to waste.
29. wrapped scrubbed veggies in tin foil, splashed with a generous amount of olive oil, seasoned with Ina Paarman salt and pepper mix, and baked them in the coals.
30. Instead of taking chutney, I made small sambals and salsas to complement the Chicken curry, cold meat, etc.
31. Less of what you don’t need is more space to pack what you do need.

I had to prepare and serve 9 meals. Because we were crossing several borders, Botswana and Zimbabwe, we decided to prepare meals beforehand. I prepared 6 meals. All casseroles. This eased my shopping list tremendously as I only packed a few condiments and basics like rice, couscous, quinoa and pasta. I measured portions exactly and bought pre-packed portions of rice, couscous, and quinoa. The only spices I took were Ina Paarman seasoned sea salt, black pepper, barbeque spice (Montreal Steak spice – our favourite), and a Piri-Piri rub.

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Invest in a good cast-iron flat-bottomed pot or Dutch oven; we have a medium- to large-sized one that goes everywhere with us and is perfect for heating suppers, baking bread, making a Spanish omelette, or a 'potjiekos' on the fire.  After washing, I wipe the entire pot with unscented Vaseline to prevent rust. This non-toxic, odourless coating helps maintain the pot's condition, and I store it with smaller pots and bowls inside, secured in an old pillowcase to prevent rattling and damage.

My prepared frozen dishes were:

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Ideas for meals

1.  Yoghurt, Prunes with ginger and lemon peel, stewed, served with mixed nuts and seeds (most days)
2. Spanish Omelette using left-over vegetables, bacon, cheese and a few Roma tomatoes
3. French toast with Camembert, Figs and bacon
4. English Breakfast (1x)
5. Mince in a wrap
6. Cold Shoulder of Lamb wrapped in Butter lettuce (leftovers) 
7. Leftover sausage, chicken, and steak we'd have cold as a salad.

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Snacks and Condiments: (frozen in one meal portions)

1. Chicken liver pate
2. Smoked snoek pate (fish patè)
3. Gremolata
4. Biltong and Droëwors
5. Red Bell Pepper and chickpea hummus
6. Selection of Cheese (Brie, Camembert, blue cheese, cream cheese, strong cheddar)
7. Nuts and Olives (we used our breakfast nuts; add crispy fried bacon bits, salt and freshly ground pepper or the piri-piri rub)

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Other bits and bobs

1. Fried onion, mushrooms, garlic for sauces and to add to egg dishes; once frozen, it’s easy to break up and use as you wish.
2. Peeled a 1,5kg bag of large Roma tomatoes, chopped and frozen for later use in a Ratatouille (which keeps well) and for breakfasts.
3. Chopped and sautéed in butter 4 large onions, kept frozen in a small zip-lock bag.
4. Bought applesauce in a disposable squeeze tube.

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Fresh Meat:

We decided to have only three barbecues (braais) as we weren’t sure about the state of meat allowances in Botswana. We’d heard there was a foot-and-mouth ban in certain areas, so we played it safe. We ordered our desired cuts and portions of meat from Trevor Beckett of Midlands Meat in Gweru, Zimbabwe. Trevor packed and vacuum-packed all our meat, biltong, and Droëwors. The quality couldn’t have been better; we ordered Boerewors (sausage), Pork Belly, rack of lamb (ribbetjie), lamb loin chops, steaks–well-matured, biltong, and droëwors. This time my Precious got it right when he ordered and requested the chops and steaks to be 2” thick.

On our arrival in Gweru, we found it a very busy town with little parking for vehicles towing trailers and caravans.  We were in a rush, too. Trevor was ready and waiting with our order. Trevor makes traditional droëwors and chilli droëwors. This was particularly tasty, with a good bite. We re-ordered to collect on our return journey. The pork belly was crispy, and the lamb rib fell off the bone. But I must confess that was all my Precious Peach’s doing, and thanks to the excellent Mopani wood we bought at reception.

Thank you, Trevor, for the excellent quality product you provided us with. We couldn’t have wished for better. Next time we’re in your neck of the woods, we’re sure to place another order and have a beer or two!

MIDLANDS MEAT

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Pick ‘n Pay in Gweru was a bustling supermarket, stocking everything on our lists. Although it was expensive, we were impressed by the service, quality, and freshness of our perishables, as well as the store's cleanliness. On my list was sliced bread for a braai broodjie - cheese and tomato toasties, a South African favourite.

We kept all our provisions securely packed in ammunition boxes inside the trailer, which was closed when we weren’t around. No fruit is allowed into Mana Pools, which is brutal, but that’s for the sake of the monkeys and baboons. Non-perishable vegetables are kept in a wicker picnic basket, with good ventilation.

All our dry goods were comfortably stowed in 2 ammo boxes, our frozen foods fitted perfectly into one Engel. We have a very efficient, large, cool box filled with ice blocks, which we replace when we can; this did the trick.

Most of these recipes are old favourites; some are from my previous blogs (e.g., Oxtail, Pork Belly, Chicken curry), but you probably have your own. I’ll include my tagine recipe.

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MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

METHOD:

1. Dust the meat with salt and pepper, then brown in a saucepan in olive oil until sealed and lightly browned.
2. Remove from the pan using a slotted spoon and keep to the side.
3. Add a little oil if necessary and sauté the onion.
4. Add the chopped garlic and fresh ginger, and sauté again for a minute or two.
5. Add the remaining spices and stir-fry before returning the meat.
6. The ingredients can now be transferred to a tagine or casserole dish. Cover before placing in the oven.
7. Add the raisins, apricots and carrots.
8. Cover with the stock.
9. Cook in a preheated oven at 160°C for 90 minutes until the meat falls off the bone.
10. 30 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the sweet potato and butternut.

Cook’s note: I didn’t add the sweet potato and butternut until I reheated the dish on our trip.  The vegetables can be cooked separately too and served on the side.  Probably better.
Serve with couscous, which I flavoured with the same spices as the meat dish. Added boiling water, left to stand and just fluffed up with a fork before serving.

SERVE TAGINE with a sprinkling of slivered almonds and Gremolata

Gremolata

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I’m pleased to say our “rations” were perfect; we returned with hardly any leftovers, making the trailer so much lighter and very little hassle at the border post; we had nothing to declare!

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Sharing duties and having a day off in between worked like a charm. Marie suggested that the couple on "duty" each day (we had one main meal a day) would do all the prepping, cooking, serving, laying the table, and cleaning up afterwards.  Such an excellent plan; on my off days I relaxed, read, napped and didn't give food a thought- what bliss. Having the luxury of not having to plan or prepare a meal was a holiday, and I wallowed in it.

Fabulous, lovingly prepared food always brings back fond memories of past meals with friends, and these comfort-food dishes will, in the future, remind me of my travels to Zimbabwe with wonderful friends, around a campfire along the Zambezi.