He's considered a dinky-di Ozzy character who walks his talk. With no dull moments, Ranger Nick's colloquial language and unique sense of humor have earned him the reputation of the entertaining bush cook, keeping heritage and traditions alive. He combines educational information, yarns, poetry, and ballads during his camp oven cooking demonstrations without any further ado, welcome Ranger Nick.

Ranger Nick
Top of the morning to you, brother. How you going, mate I am on top of the world. What about you? I am unreal as always, Well that's good Now. Let's do a little bit of a quick catch-up. We're into 2021. And things are sort of getting back to what we think might be a new normal. What have you been up to? And what shows and events have you been at so far this year? Whoo, mate her tell you what the last? What is it now 16- 18 months has been a real slog. I mean, here everyone's had concerns, and all the rest of them no Robinson Caruso. We've certainly hit the ground running. But in that time, when we had nothing on no events to attend, and things like we were pretty well-grounded. I thought, gee, Wizz better do something about income. And I think I'm too grumpy to work for someone else. So

we started looking at other things to what we could do. So we did a bit of live streaming and stuff like that with animal Action Day and so forth.

We've launched a new product currykits.com.au. If you love your curries, it's good for your immune system get into this stuff. It's absolutely beautiful restaurant quality, easy cooking, do it at home, or on the road in your camp ovens and all that absolutely fantastic flavors you very good, very good. Very, very good.

So and released the book. So over the last five to six years, I've done a session on the radio every Saturday morning with Danny P Hoyland. And yeah, we I thought, well, what am I gonna do with all these recipes? Let's chuck them into a book though. He published a new book radio recipes, which is the book that we're sponsoring the show with. So that's about the thick and thin of it. And now we've hit the ground running and hooly dooly, we've done Capella Mildura, six days of Brisbane Nimbodah, camp oven festival. Gosh, I'm sure I missed a couple in amongst that but we're about to head up the Cairns tomorrow. We'll be at the Cairns show

what's going on. lots going on. He's very busy for the rest of the year. So keep a lookout around the place because I'm likely to show up on your doorstep. But do you ever sleep?

yeah mate sleep like a baby no guilty conscience?

Work hard play hard sleep well at night, Shane, that sounds like a good recipe to me. Now talking of recipes. Let's talk about this new book of yours. So you mentioned that it's a combination of all the recipes you've put on air during your radio program. Is that right? Yes, yes. Maybe not all there's probably a few that are on bits of paper because we were up the paddock or whatever and got misplaced and not used.

Probably a good place for some of them. But

mate Look, just just every Saturday morning we get together have a bit of a chat about the camp oven cooking, on West Bremmer radio now, an online radio site. So if you're interested in seeing what's going on some great stuff on me.

But I'll do that every Saturday morning is free recipe comes up and shared on Facebook. And you can get added to the through the theme club on the website.

Shane
Excellent. All right now, I've got a copy of your, your book here. And I've been having a little bit of a browse. And there's a couple of things I want to bring up for us to chat about.

First of all, in sort of the the introduction to the book you you talk about

first of all, why you sort of started this anniversary edition and then and then you go through some camp oven basics, which I think is really good. And I noticed that you've got

three links there

on how to light your charcoal briquettes. How many charcoal briquettes to use and cooking with timber calls. They're the the links that you can copy out from the book put into your computer and browser and you go to YouTube. And obviously, there's a demonstration with you explaining all this, which I think is a great idea. So I think the information to start with at the beginning of the book is really good but then I turned over the page

And I've got the index.

And this is where the problem started Ranger Nick. Oh, right, we have an issue, we have an issue, my mouth has a stop watering.

Where a bib mate the saliva gets one of those ones with a little scoop in the bottom. I'm just kidding. You know there is this full page pages to this index. And the recipes just go on and on from from entrees to main meals to desserts. Now, there was a dessert, like loving this. There's lots of in this. It's not just one dessert, but there's one that caught my eye when I read it in the index. I had a quick look at it. And I thought what a top idea for dessert. And I thought we might have a quick chat about it. And that is

camp, have an ice cream cake are my year. Look, I gotta say it. There's so many things that happened in your life. There's a story to that where I'm essentially a story to everything you mentioned about links through to YouTube, on how to timber cows, all that sort of stuff you'll find right throughout the book. There's icons at the bottom of the page. And if the recipe The recipe is on YouTube, you're able to Yeah, it'll be lit you're now on the page. So there's links there so you can see how to make it so yeah, there's a bit of that through the book but

Ranger Nick
yeah, look wonderful, wonderful, wonderful desserts or forgotten which one it was I got off on a tangent there. Well which one are we talking about? Oh,

Shane
I'll bring you back on track. Yep, the camp have an ice cream

Ranger Nick
ice cream cake Of course. So there's a story to it. That's what I was saying. And I don't follow running to where at Claremont or somewhere like that. He's a real owl bushy and I look like a saddle bag with always. And he said to me, you know, Hey, get out camping and you'll get some clams. This is and this is more in the days that where we relied on eskies and not the refrigerators that we have near the freezers and everything we can take with us. He said you always get some sort of clown shows up trying to bring ice cream to camp and it always melts every time every always a failure. And I said yeah, I have seen it dried and then really good. And he said well rather than tip it out because you can't it's all sloppy and doesn't look good once it's melted Melbourne so he said just mix a bit of flour with it so it comes walking cake he said and then bake it in the camp and he said you got to camp out of an ice cream cake nice sweet vanilla chocolate me a poly in which whichever strikes you flavor, but yeah, absolutely wonderful cake and a great way to use up leftovers or waste.

Shane
I absolutely loved the sound of that. And I mean, it caught my eye because I thought Hang on a minute. An ice cream cake in a campervan. what's what's the econo they are but I totally agree after reading the recipe I can well imagine. And I look forward very much to getting into that one. Now. What I like about you and your recipes, Ranger Nick is that you can basically turn in anything into a delicious dish. And you're also a very creative and you're bringing, shall we say a level of sophistication

Ranger Nick
to a recipe. A level of sophistication Crikey. I never thought it or anything like that. My

Shane
well this this other one I looked at it very right. Like this one I saw on the index and again I had to look it up. And it's your hot dip can be

Ranger Nick
the hot dip in there. Yes, actually. Absolutely. That's a great one on Jesus been a long time since a whack that together. Writers for a bit of cheese dress up a bit of cannon beer cheese with some of your favorite Herbes from area garden with a chili or capsicum or whichever. And yeah, give that a bit of the heat in the oven and it comes up really good and it's quick, simple on dry or appetizers. before meals and things like that when everyone's sitting around having the during happy hour makes it really easy.

Shane
Yeah. The first thing that popped into my mind was happy hour when I saw that one.

Ranger Nick
Yeah, rather than muck around with cutlery cutting it off and stick to the knife everyone the tech fight with Matt just just ate it up through nice and sloppy. Just get into it.

Shane
You know, I was just thinking a slight variance you could do on that as well. That I really liked because I love my bacon. Oh right. Okay. Yes, yes. So if you threw a couple of strips of bacon in there with it, they get nice and crispy. And then you could just break them up and put it on top.

Ranger Nick
Mike this is the this is the stuff I like about what you said about the recipes and things you like about This is what I like about my recipe It seems they seem to inspire people to play with their food. Now I don't know how many times I got cracked across the knuckles as a kid with the back of dads nice for playing with me food but are encouraged people play with your food if you like the taste of it put it in there exactly what you just come up with this flat a bit of bacon art What a great ID I love my bike in my way. Bacon's everything's better with bacon, some say with a toy down a lot of it. I think I've got spoiled as a kid being from a big family and not having a copious amount of money to luxuries we get quite simple food. And part of that, of course was butchering and slaughtering and butchering our own animals. So Oh, look, I tell you some dry things now. And I just go here now that doesn't taste like bacon. Yeah, yeah, we won't get the real stuff. from people at home. You know, from my hometown, things that are nice. still smoke it and all that. Just wonderful flavors. Just amazing stuff. And it doesn't seem that fit my Tammy. Yes. I'm very sensitive, shy.

Shane
Oh, look, I know you're a sensitive guy. Nick. I've realized that from the moment we've had the numerous chats we've had at the various caravan shows. I know you're a very sensitive fellow.

Ranger Nick
Absolutely. Very much. So. Never judge a book by its cover. You can't Yeah, as my mother told me, St. Nicholas.

Shane
Mike, there was another recipe that caught my eye. And that's, and I love the name of it. Scrap bucket log.

Ranger Nick
To be honest, this story is a story to say many things. You know, it really got a story they say this is coming from my uncle Bruce. Now this is a meatloaf. Okay. And there's some things that uncle Bruce reckons you just shouldn't put in the cake or you shouldn't put into make life obviously, because the mail come out lovely, made large. And he's looked at it looks like because I said, Hey, I have that ankle brace. Is that good? He says looks like you put the scrap market into it. So we've always called the scrap bucket lug instead of a mate life ever since but basically, that's all it is.

Shane
Yeah, but I'll tell you what. Looking at the picture of it. It looks absolutely delicious.

Ranger Nick
Oh, absolutely. Listen, fantastic meet loads out there. Everyone has an exhibit like a shoe. You'll never make the same one twice. Now

Shane
it's hard to pick recipes to talk about. Because if if we talked about all the good recipes that are in this book, we'd be here for hours talking about them, I reckon.

Ranger Nick
Oh, yeah, I like the sannomiya invoice.

Shane
I was thinking that I was just talking about the food. Might Is there a recipe that's in this book that springs to mind with you that you go back? That's what I've done. That's all I'm having. I feel like heaven

Ranger Nick
might end the simple stuff. The simple stuff always comes back to the simple stuff. So if you know the history, chickens, stovies, stovies was a meal, which they had through Europe, Scotland, I think, where the poor was or poor people suddenly had scraped together with a bit of bully beef and potato and onion. So basically, Chicken stovies is something that I've come up with as the, as you said, elaborate and had a bit of a play with the food so I made it with chicken potato and use the time and butter a little bit of salt and pepper. So very cheap meal. Very easy. I have the time in my garden. So it was beautiful. What an amazing flavor. One thing I will say. Chicken in time pace. so damn good together wonderful flavors. Very simple and cheap.

Shane
All right. Now there's another one here then it'll be flicking through the days that make me hang. This is always a problem when you and I talk every every time like we hang up for talking. I come out of the office out of the studio and I go outside and inside of the wife. Quick, quick result non staffing. I'll be talking to Ranger Nick. Loading right from the clothesline. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Might loaded zucchini.

Ranger Nick
They seem to like that. They always get excited. Yes.

Shane
So you loaded zucchini looks pretty darn good.

Ranger Nick
I love the cainy. I'm trying to think of which one that actually was was is that is that the one with the carry.

Shane
Now this is the one with kasenyi carry yet, but this probably could be well, let's just put it in anyway. curried lentils.

Ranger Nick
I baked one with curried lentils where we didn't that blow me mine. Okay. loaded with caning I'm trying to think of which that is. You may have to jog my memory on that one to make all jog your memory is over 170 recipes in

Shane
the mall every day. You've done well so far. I'm quite impressed. So the loaded zucchini is. You've got one large zucchini. I reckon you need more than one. But anyway, I will go with one. One large zucchini. 500 grams of savory mints and a handful of grated cheese.

Ranger Nick
Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yes, absolutely. And pour, pour as well. Replace it with zucchini report pour. You get the fantastic flavors with pour, pour. They don't even like pour, pour but make it but if you roast it with a bit of fishy chili mints and a bit of lemon juice in your score, cut in half score it scoop out the seed kind of as you would What do you call a mango? Mango to turn it inside out? Yep, yeah, yeah, we'll just call it like that too. It opens up a bit and drizzle a bit of lemon juice into there and shove some some pretty cool. Chili chili mints. Yeah tea I'd hate to be hot but just a little bit of chili in there. It's absolutely beautiful. And put parmesan on top of it and rice that absolutely beautiful. And the same thing with is a cane. Absolutely beautiful. Now, as I said with a ginger jointed lentil curry, which is part of the curry kids.com.au and I had some leftover, which I stuffed into this lucania nice garden zucchini that I find is hiding in the garden. I must have missed it for a couple of days.

Shane
Well, that's interesting. That little bit we've just chatted about because like you I hate

vorpal on high to very strong word this like. Alright, alright. Yeah. Okay. I dislike it a lot, then. I can accept that. But that. That sounds interesting. Oh, I like that recipe. Now. Just let's just quickly, a quick recap on what to do. So you scoot the seeds out. You sort of turn it inside out, score it a bit and then yet drizzle. A little bit of lemon juice a little bit of lemon juice. Yep. And then some chili flavor remains.

Ranger Nick

I remain to a chili mint. Or even if you like the vegetarian side of things. Your non carnivorous. Yep. Just use some. What do you call? It's lappish couscous. Oh yeah, couscous. Yeah, Costco. So rice. Yep. Yeah.

Shane
Hang on a minute. I'm having to wipe the machine on. I'm starting to see

Ranger Nick
a lot of people have a chop at me sometimes because they say oh, you are like me meat or like meat. I said, Well, you are like me, too. However, if there's good tasting food on the table in front of me saddle up. Give me a fork and knife. Yay. Three pardon the pun shine. Yes.

Shane
Oh, pardon the pun. Now, I'm just flicking through. As I said, as we're chatting here. We're flicking through and I've come across another one that I like to say and have faith in this story to this one.

Ranger Nick
balls and all balled and all I remember, I had so much fun playing with this one. like God help me feel good or you can't blame. Again, you got the job. We mean we all remember this one. It was a rip. But what did we do with that? It was quite an unusual one. Okay,

Shane
I'll run through the ingredients for you. We've got two tablespoons of oil. We've got a tin of kidney beans, a tin of butter beans. a tin of diced tomatoes, three onions, two cloves of garlic. Finely chopped. Simple. Half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a handful of freshly chopped oregano. Salt and pepper. 500 grams means one egg, a slice of bread, and one onion diced.

Ranger Nick
Yes, yes. Yes. So yeah. Basically a nice little recycle and you're gonna fry it up a bit and then do it in in a tomato sauce or in the source. So you have meatballs, but it's got everything in there. Beans bit everything. Those balls and all.

Shane
Yeah, absolutely. Sounds really great. Now, there's one other thing I think of marked here in the book that I just wanted to touch on. Uncle Ted's bread.

Ranger Nick
Might and again if you have a look at the bottom there, you'll see there's a link to YouTube crusty white bread. Yep. Uncle Ted. What amazing chap. He is on the last man standing of third thing in the family 13 or 15. I can't remember there. But he had bakeries for well over 50 years from St. George to Bell, Ghana. Damn and Nicola, all over the place, he had quite a few bakeries my uncle paid. So I called him one day with him. And I said, Listen, I'll follow up, you reckon you got on the show me here to make bread. So we got to and he gives me the recipe of the years for 50 years. And I'll tell you something about the recipe, you do know why your bakery is baked every day, don't you? Because everybody loves the bread. And always it was always been a filler but, but the bread would style quite quickly. Within two or three days you had to make putting them out of it and things like that I got sick eating bread and butter pudding, I can tell you, and bread and butter, custard and bread and viola, but it was always a good belly filler bread. So uncle Ted's bread in the center, that is a very old school recipe. And it needs to be eaten fresh. Yeah, so once it cools is lovely to cut, absolutely beautiful, chewy crust on the outside. I love it. And as I said, there's a link there to YouTube step by step on how to do a nice braid.

Shane
Yeah, and that's why I sort of picked this particular one because it was one of the ones I spotted that had had the link on it. And I thought that's really great that you've, you've given a recipe book that people can work with and play with. And, and, and, you know, tweak it a little bit here and there. But you've also added links so that people can have a look at how to do it when perhaps, for example, not everybody's had the joy of making their own bread, and have been perhaps a bit frightened to give it a go. But then they can watch the video and you know, why? why they go they start making bread

Ranger Nick
pretty much and in due respect, it's that straightforward. It's really not a hard path to make bread, it's a very simple process, you just need to put those couple of hours aside to allow the yeast to activate and work so that you get the rise. And it's as easy as that. It's as easy as that it takes 20 minutes to cook through in due respect you're only handling or hands-on with that with make bread for probably 25 to 30 minutes. And that's the real prep time the rest of the time is waiting for the yeast to do its thing.

Shane
And I like what you said about leaving the bread cool. You don't want to let it cool too much because when you put a bit of butter on you want the butter the mill Dean right

Ranger Nick 
oh look very it's a bit hard to cut straight off it seems to sticker because it isn't all the moisture of the stream and what have you inside it sticks to the blade a bit that's a bit out of the cut. You can make a mess of it. But traditionally I think or by the good Lord in the book who you should bake the bread terrific. The bits and blob butter on it while it's hot. It's beautiful. Get into it, you hit the table.

Shane 
And of course, you guys got to put on a bit of treacle or golden syrup.

Ranger Nick 
Oh yeah, fly bogs always good, isn't it? Yeah. Always a favorite or even a bit of honey. Honey is probably a better option actually because I tried to steer away from the sugar although you wouldn't know it in some of my dessert recipes, it would be void sometimes. And the good ol fly box I use on and versatile isn't it? As it is mate we're gonna run out of time again. Well,

Shane
I always enjoy our chat. as always, Nick, it's been great chatting with you. And I hope to run into you again in the not too distant future. Another show somewhere that we quite often have a quick yarn app. We encourage people to go to your website and have a look at all your great recipes, your various books, you've got there. Your range of carries and spices. And of course, yeah, your latest book, the radio recipe collection. They are we're fortunate enough folks that range Nick's going to give us one to give away Is that right?

Ranger Nick
Absolutely made I'll get one to you. You work at a little competition. All the liaise with you here we can set it up. I'll get the border control onto it, the PA in the office there and she's quite good at designing all that stuff. So we're working on a little competition and we'll get in touch with you about that. Hmm,

Shane
That sounds like a great idea. All right. Great to chat with you, Ranger Nick. Take care. My pleasure Shane. We'll see you on the road. Horroo.

All right.

Thanks for listening to the Adventures On The Road podcast and Ranger Nick for giving us a copy of his recipe book to give away. The codeword is ice cream. So use the link in our show notes or go to our website to enter adventures on the road.com.au. a winner will be randomly selected based on your entry number. Until next time, I'm Shane. Have a safe journey, everyone.