要问宁姨最喜爱的夏日美食是什么？那一定是带给她无限乐趣的野餐，特别是烧烤，无论是人人动手的烧锡纸包、令人停不了口的烤“蜘蛛狗” ，还是简单的烤水果甜点，户外美食总令人迫不及待要先尝为快，而美食的炮制过程更是充满乐趣。欢声笑语中，那慢慢变浓的烧烤香味，那亲友相聚的温馨场景，令夏日更精彩！其实，在加拿大，野餐不只是在户外铺上垫布、吃点食物那么简单，它是很多人童年美好的记忆，是一代代承传的饮食文化，是人与自然和谐共处的一个侧影，是各族裔居民共同追崇的生活风尚……
成长岁月中，几乎每年都会跟着军官爸爸调防、迁居到国内不同的军事基地去。那时跟现在一样，军饷并不高, 所以便每年趁暑假，一家人自己开着车搬往新家。每次的搬家都成为一年一度的假期节目，因为每晚在不同的地方扎营，对孩子们来讲是乐趣无穷的（我们那时一个星期才能住上一次汽车旅馆或普通旅店）。
那个年代还没有弹出式的帐篷和自动充气的气垫床，所以，每次露营头两件事就是搭帐篷和把气垫床吹胀。小孩们就负责给床垫充气。安顿下来后，是 这一天里最令人兴奋的重头戏——野炊的开始。尽管我们带了双炉头的露营灶，但直接在火上烤食物就是不一样，何况我和姐妹们都可动手帮忙呢！要问我们的最爱是什么，先数大伙儿都爱的“锡纸包”。这种锡纸包很容易做，将食品直接放在双层锡纸中央，包着来烤，爱吃什么便放什么。切了片的土豆、胡萝卜、豆角、西葫芦、洋葱、蘑菇……反正是手头有的东西，全部都放进锡纸包里便是。蔬菜上放汉堡肉饼、一片鱼肉或者香肠，然后洒几滴橄榄油，挤点柠檬汁，再撒上盐和胡椒粉来调味。把锡纸接口封起来的时候，记得在食物上方留几英寸的空隙，这样锡纸包就大功告成啦！
接着， 把锡纸包放到烤架上烤约40分钟。当然，若直接搁在炭火上烧就更棒了。记得要不时翻动一下锡纸包，别把食物烤糊了。孩子们都特喜欢这种人人参与的烹饪方式，喜欢直接打开锡纸包吃东西的那种感觉。不过记得打开锡纸包时要小心，要先散一下热气喔。
适合户外烧烤的美味食物还有很多， 譬如牛排、排骨、啤酒鸡、开边摊成蝴蝶状的烤鸡、鱼、蔬菜串烧等。
蜘蛛热狗是深得孩子们喜爱的一种既好玩、又好吃的食物。做法是在香肠两端各纵向切一刀，然后将香肠调转一下（90度），再切一刀，这样，香肠的两端就各有四条“腿”了。把烧烤用的棍子或叉子插在肠的中轴上，然后就可以放到火上烤了，连热狗面包也不用呢。这烤好的“蜘蛛狗”可以配上土豆或豆沙拉一起吃，还可以加个烤玉米棒。记得多带些不同口味的热狗肠，普通的、牛肉的、鸡肉的和素的都多带些，这东西真是会吃上隐的，就连大人也不例外喔。
烤水果是简单得很的甜点。西瓜、桃子、杏、蜜瓜都蛮不错的，烤棉花糖也很Q啊。当然你也可以烤传统的棉花糖！
早餐就更容易做了，就来份培根加煎蛋或班戟。兴致来时还可以试一下火烧奄列：先把橙子切两半，用汤匙掏出橙肉（留待稍后再吃），再打一个鸡蛋到橙皮杯里，加点盐和胡椒粉调味，如果有香草，可以洒少许在上面。烤约15分钟，那浓郁的橙香渗进嫩滑的鸡蛋里，让人直咽口水！
我们是走到哪里吃到哪里。每天，我们都会在当地的农民市集、镇里的小店或街边摊档购买新鲜的应季蔬菜。偶尔我们也会去钓鱼，当然，那天的晚餐就是烤鱼啦。
不露营的话，户外野餐一样趣味浓。可以把先在家里准备好的食物，或直接从市场或熟食店买的现成食物带到户外去享用。无论是到附近的公园、海滩，还是去登山旅行，在户外进餐，总是会比在家里吃得更香，更轻松写意！
配酒推介： Calliope Sauvignon Blanc 2013
卑诗省产品，配烤锡纸包哈利拔正好，口感清爽，带有青苹果、杏和青柠的味道，在本省各大葡萄酒店的货架上都可以找到。◇
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Eating in Canada’s Great Outdoors
By Judith Lane 英文原作：宁姨
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.
