Easy to prepare, easy to transport and easy to taste (it's so good!), this soup will delight the taste buds of trekkers of all stripes.
Elena, author of the book, "Food Trek", shares with us one of her delicious long-life recipes!
"A classic, foolproof and infinitely variable recipe!
After a long day of walking, when you've pitched your bivouac and you're starting to feel cold and hungry, the right way to remedy the situation is to have a good soup! More precisely, a soup that is very high in energy and taste and contains seasonal vegetables and your favourite spices.
Given that it's autumn, I propose a mushroom and buckwheat cream soup, with seasonal flavours!"
Difficulty: Super easy
Estimated storage time: 1 year
Weight: About 140g
Calories: 438
INGREDIENTS FOR 1 PERSON:
- 30g of potato starch
- 30g of buckwheat cream
- 30g of fine textured soy protein*
- 10g of arrowroot
- 1 handful of dehydrated button mushrooms
- 5g of thinly sliced dried garlic
- ½ cube of miso
- The topping: 1 pinch of kasha (toasted buckwheat seed) and dried seaweed to sprinkle
* Textured soy protein is a great source of protein, especially when you're a vegetarian or vegan. Of course, you can do without it if you don't like it or don't have it at home.
PREPARATION
At home
1/ Mix the following ingredients in the most airtight container you have: potato starch, buckwheat cream, soy protein, miso and arrowroot. These ingredients are very stable and can be kept mixed for a very long time as long as they are not exposed to moisture.
2/ The mushrooms and garlic (but also some aromatic herbs, if you have some) should be dehydrated and kept separate. If you have a vacuum device, now is the time to use it!
How to dehydrate your food:
- Cut them into thin and regular slices.
- Place them on the drying screens of your dehydrator or on a sheet of baking paper in your oven at minimum heat (which can go down to 30°C in a dehydrator).
- You will have to wait for about 10 hours for the mushrooms to be quite dry.
Examples of approximate dehydration times:
> Radish, carrot, kale, potato, courgette, sweet pepper: 6 hours
> Apple, rhubarb, kiwi, mango, tomato, mushroom: 10 hours
> Cherry, pineapple, banana: 15 hours
> Grape, apricot: 25 hours
3/Keep the "toppings" separate, in another airtight bag.
At the bivouac
It's very easy and quick, which is not a luxury when you're hungry, it's cold or even raining and its starting to get dark!
You will need a pot and a stove or a wood fire to cook it all:
- In the pot, mix 1 part of the preparation with 3 parts of cold water.
- Heat the water until it boils, stirring very regularly.
- Then cook on a low heat for 5 minutes, while stirring.
- Sprinkle with your toppings to add a little crunch thanks to the kasha just before serving.
My recommendation:
View this recipe like a painter's canvas, a guide that should only be used to inspire you and make you want to customise it according to your taste and according to the vegetables and spices you have available. Everything is possible, the idea is to make it as much of a treat as possible (after all, at the end of a day's walking, you will have earned it!).
When preparing meals well in advance for future treks, take into account the stability of the food and preferably keep the more fragile ingredients separate. This recipe has been tailored for long-term storage: Make the most of your spare time in winter to prepare your summer bivouac meals!
For example, I advise you never to put dehydrated vegetables in the mixture. Rather, keep them separate because, if they are not perfectly preserved (away from moisture and, ideally, kept in a vacuum), they may absorb the surrounding moisture, soften and spoil. It is the absence of water which guarantees a long preservation time!
Similarly, be careful with ingredients that keep well but contain a lot of fat (seeds, oilseeds, etc.) because some varieties tend to go rancid easily or ooze depending on the temperature, which would spoil the mixture.
If you are not yet used to dehydration, take the time to experiment with your oven or dehydrator. Depending on the type of fruit/vegetable or the way you are going to cut them up, dehydration times will vary and nothing can beat some practice to learn what you are doing!
In a word: have fun, test and taste!
If you want to follow Elena in her sporting and culinary exploits, subscribe to her instagram account or order her cookbook!
