Saucy sliders: a make-ahead camping recipe with a spicy twist | Canada Voices

When temperatures finally rise high enough, Canadians like to take food outside – onto patios, back porches, parks, beaches. Not just the eating, but the cooking.

What we eat on summer holidays, what we associate with eating together around an open fire, tends to be nostalgic. Camp cooking might mean going back to basics: hot dogs roasted on sticks and banana boats wrapped in foil, bags of chips and mini boxes of cereal.

Or, the challenge of cooking outdoors might inspire more intricate meals, such as filets of salmon planked over bundles of fresh herbs, or caciocavallo – an Italian bundle-shaped cow’s milk cheese – suspended over the fire to melt on the bottom and scrape off, raclette-style, over crusty bread and steamed new potatoes.

If the goal is somewhere in between – a bit beyond the usual but not so elaborate – there are plenty of meals to get a head start on at home and finish at the campsite. Saucy dishes such as stews, chilis, curries and braises such as pulled pork freeze well and are perfect for tucking into your cooler. Items that contain more liquid will take longer to thaw and reheat more easily without drying out, maintaining their original texture.

Turning any saucy plant or protein into sliders is great for a group. With meatball sliders, there’s the option to streamline the process with a bag of frozen precooked meat or plant balls tossed in the cooler, or made at home and transported in plenty of marinara.

I like to make marinara in the style of Marcella Hazan, which is fast, delicious and so much more inexpensive than bottled sauce. Combine a can of tomatoes – I like San Marzano-style whole plum tomatoes in puree, but they can be in any form – in a saucepan with half a small peeled onion and a chunk (2-4 tbsp.) of butter. Simmer for 20 minutes or so, then whiz with a hand-held immersion blender. (Hazan removes the onion, but I just blend it in.) You could add a few sprigs of fresh basil or for a spicy twist, add some gochujang and even a big spoonful of kimchi.

Meatball Sliders in Marinara

These sliders could be as streamlined or homemade as you like. For a quick and classic version, use store-bought meatballs and marinara, and a bag of pre-grated mozza. Or kick it up with homemade meatballs seasoned with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and/or finely chopped green onions to pair with gochujang or kimchi-spiked sauce, cheese optional.

Serves about 6.

Marinara

• 1 28 oz. (796 ml) can tomatoes – whole, diced, stewed (I like San Marzano-style)
• ½ small onion, peeled
• 2-4 tbsp. butter
• pinch of salt
• a few basil leaves (optional)
• 1-2 tbsp. gochujang and/or ¼ cup chopped kimchi (optional)

Sliders

• 1 package of pull-apart dinner rolls or Hawaiian rolls
• 1 lb. (or as many as you want to eat) frozen meatballs or plant balls (or cooked homemade meatballs)
• grated mozzarella cheese 
• fresh basil or chopped green onion (optional)

To make the marinara, combine the tomatoes, onion, butter and salt in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat and cook for at least 20 minutes, until slightly reduced and the onion is very soft. Add a few basil leaves or some gochujang, if you like. Remove from the heat and once it cools slightly, blend it right in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender. This sauce keeps well in the fridge and is perfect to freeze and keep your cooler cold.

Slice the entire sheet of rolls, still joined together, crosswise in half. If you like, butter or spread each half with mayo and toast over an open fire. (Alternatively, slice each row vertically, making a slit through the top of each bun you can open and fill like a taco.)

Warm your meatballs and sauce in a saucepan or skillet and ladle over the bottom half of your dinner rolls. Top with grated cheese and if you like, some fresh basil or green onion, and top with the top rolls. Serve warm, for everyone to pull apart and serve themselves.