要問寧姨最喜愛的夏日美食是什麼？那一定是帶給她無限樂趣的野餐，特別是燒烤，無論是人人動手的燒錫紙包、令人停不了口的烤「蜘蛛狗」 ，還是簡單的烤水果甜點，戶外美食總令人迫不及待要先嚐為快，而美食的炮製過程更是充滿樂趣。歡聲笑語中，那慢慢變濃的燒烤香味，那親友相聚的溫馨場景，令夏日更精彩！其實，在加拿大，野餐不只是在戶外鋪上墊布、吃點食物那麼簡單，它是很多人童年美好的記憶，是一代代承傳的飲食文化，是人與自然和諧共處的一個側影，是各族裔居民共同追崇的生活風尚……
成長歲月中，幾乎每年都會跟著軍官爸爸調防、遷居到國內不同的軍事基地去。那時跟現在一樣，軍餉並不高, 所以便每年趁暑假，一家人自己開著車搬往新家。每次的搬家都成為一年一度的假期節目，因為每晚在不同的地方紮營，對孩子們來講是樂趣無窮的（我們那時一個星期才能住上一次汽車旅館或普通旅店）。
那個年代還沒有彈出式的帳篷和自動充氣的氣墊床，所以，每次露營頭兩件事就是搭帳篷和把氣墊床吹脹。小孩們就負責給床墊充氣。安頓下來後，是 這一天裡最令人興奮的重頭戲——野炊的開始。儘管我們帶了雙爐頭的露營灶，但直接在火上烤食物就是不一樣，何況我和姐妹們都可動手幫忙呢！要問我們的最愛是什麼，先數大夥兒都愛的「錫紙包」。這種錫紙包很容易做，將食品直接放在雙層錫紙中央，包著來烤，愛吃什麼便放什麼。切了片的土豆、胡蘿蔔、豆角、西葫蘆、洋蔥、蘑菇……反正是手頭有的東西，全部都放進錫紙包裡便是。蔬菜上放漢堡肉餅、一片魚肉或者香腸，然後灑幾滴橄欖油，擠點檸檬汁，再撒上鹽和胡椒粉來調味。把錫紙接口封起來的時候，記得在食物上方留幾英吋的空隙，這樣錫紙包就大功告成啦！
接著， 把錫紙包放到烤架上烤約40分鐘。當然，若直接擱在炭火上燒就更棒了。記得要不時翻動一下錫紙包，別把食物烤糊了。孩子們都特喜歡這種人人參與的烹飪方式，喜歡直接打開錫紙包吃東西的那種感覺。不過記得打開錫紙包時要小心，要先散一下熱氣喔。
適合戶外燒烤的美味食物還有很多， 譬如牛排、排骨、啤酒雞、開邊攤成蝴蝶狀的烤雞、魚、蔬菜串燒等。
蜘蛛熱狗是深得孩子們喜愛的一種既好玩、又好吃的食物。做法是在香腸兩端各縱向切一刀，然後將香腸調轉一下（90度），再切一刀，這樣，香腸的兩端就各有四條「腿」了。把燒烤用的棍子或叉子插在腸的中軸上，然後就可以放到火上烤了，連熱狗麵包也不用呢。這烤好的「蜘蛛狗」可以配上土豆或豆沙拉一起吃，還可以加個烤玉米棒。記得多帶些不同口味的熱狗腸，普通的、牛肉的、雞肉的和素的都多帶些，這東西真是會吃上隱的，就連大人也不例外喔。
烤水果是簡單得很的甜點。西瓜、桃子、杏、蜜瓜都蠻不錯的，烤棉花糖也很Q啊。當然你也可以烤傳統的棉花糖！
早餐就更容易做了，就來份培根加煎蛋或班戟。興緻來時還可以試一下火燒奄列：先把橙子切兩半，用湯匙掏出橙肉（留待稍後再吃），再打一個雞蛋到橙皮杯裡，加點鹽和胡椒粉調味，如果有香草，可以灑少許在上面。烤約15分鐘，那濃郁的橙香滲進嫩滑的雞蛋裡，讓人直嚥口水！
我們是走到哪裏吃到哪裏。每天，我們都會在當地的農民市集、鎮裡的小店或街邊攤檔購買新鮮的應季蔬菜。偶爾我們也會去釣魚，當然，那天的晚餐就是烤魚啦。
不露營的話，戶外野餐一樣趣味濃。可以把先在家裏準備好的食物，或直接從市場或熟食店買的現成食物帶到戶外去享用。無論是到附近的公園、海灘，還是去登山旅行，在戶外進餐，總是會比在家裏吃得更香，更輕鬆寫意！
配酒推介： Calliope Sauvignon Blanc 2013
卑詩省產品，配烤錫紙包哈利拔正好，口感清爽，帶有青蘋果、杏和青檸的味道，在本省各大葡萄酒店的貨架上都可以找到。◇
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Eating in Canada’s Great Outdoors
By Judith Lane 英文原作：寧姨
When I was growing up, my army officer father would be posted to another military base in Canada which involved moving across the country almost every year. Then as now, the military didn’t pay particularly high wages. As a result, we would drive to our new home during summer when school was out and this was our annual holiday. We camped in a different place every night and a motel or hotel stay was a weekly treat.
Without pop-up tents or self-inflating air mattresses, camping then wasn’t as easy as it is now. Setting up the tent was simple enough. The kids were in charge of blowing up the air mattresses and this was guaranteed to make us light-headed.
But then the fun started – cooking! While we had a two-burner camp stove, cooking over a fire was much more fun and my sisters and I got to pitch in. Our hands-down (and hands-on) favourite was cooking dinner in foil packets because we could each make our own using ingredients we wanted. They’re dead easy to make. Simply use a double layer of heavy-duty tinfoil for each serving and put the ingredients in the centre. Into our packets went sliced potatoes, carrots, beans, zucchini, onions, mushrooms, whatever was at hand. Top with a hamburger patty, piece of fish or sausages, add a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, and season with salt and pepper. Seal the packets by folding the ends together, leaving a couple of inches of space over the ingredients, and you’re good to go. Placed on top of the grill or better yet, nestled amongst live coals for about 40 minutes. Be sure to rotate the packets so they don’t burn. Kids love cooking this way and eating right from the foil packet. Remember to open carefully so that the steam can escape.
Other great outdoor grilled dishes include steaks and chops, beer can chicken, spatchcocked (butterflied) chicken, fish and veggie skewers.
Spider dogs – pure fun and tasty – are another wildly popular kid favourite. To make, split both ends of a hot dog lengthwise leaving a space in the middle to spear with a roasting stick or fork. Next, cut a second split in each length leaving space for the stick. You’ll have four ‘legs’ at each end. Poke your stick in the middle and cook over the fire – no buns needed. Serve with potato or bean salad and grilled corn on the cob. Bring lots of hot dogs–regular, all beef, chicken, veggie, etc., because everyone including adults will want seconds!
Grill fruit for an easy dessert. Use watermelon, peaches, apricots and melon or toast marshmallows or make old-time favourite s’mores.
Breakfasts are simply and easy. Bacon and eggs or pancakes are a cinch or try a campfire omelet. Cut an orange in half and scoop out the flesh (save to eat later). Crack an egg into the orange peel shell and add salt and pepper to taste, chopped herbs if you have them and cook on the grill for about 15 minutes. Delicious!
What we ate depended on where we were. We shopped daily at farmers’ markets, small town shops, and roadside stands. Occasionally we fished and grilled our catch for dinner.
If camping isn’t in the cards then a picnic certainly is. Prepare food at home to cook outdoors or gather picnic fixings from a market or deli. Whether you visit a nearby park, head to the beach or into the hills for a hike, you’ll agree that food always tastes better outdoors.
Wine pairing: Calliope Sauvignon Blanc 2013
This BC sauvignon blanc is a great with our halibut foil packet dinner. It’s easy drinking, crisp and fresh with green apple, apricot and citrus flavours. Find it at BC VQA wine stores.
