You don't know it yet, but you probably love anchovies. Chances are you've already enjoyed their umami, salty flavor in various dishes without realizing. I love anchovy pasta because it feels like a fancy meal, even though I'm in the backcountry. I like to use chickpea pasta because it has the fastest cook time of all gluten-free pastas, and it also packs protein to help recover your muscles after a long day in the alpine. I bring a 2oz baby Nalgene of extra virgin olive oil on every trip; it’s weight to calorie ratio is worthy and you can put it in almost everything. Another star ingredient in this recipe is a hunk of parmesan, which carries well on a multi-day trip and adds hearty calories.
The chicken curry is one of my favorite one pot meals. Between the bouillon cube, curry, and garlic its super flavorful and salty. You get protein and carbs, and it’s a hearty portion after a long day. Make sure to pack white rice, as brown rice has a longer cook time.
1 small can of anchovies
1 box chickpea spaghetti
1 or 2 cloves garlic (or more if you are sleeping alone)
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
crushed red pepper and black pepper
pinch of dried parsley
Before your trip
Break spaghetti in half. Put spaghetti, garlic, and parsley in a ziplock. A small baggie each of crushed red pepper and black pepper can live in your food bag to season other things. I like to compartmentalize, so I’d put the pasta/garlic bag in a quart sized ziplock with the anchovies, but you might be better at saving the planet/less neurotic than I am.
Cooking
Sauté garlic over the lowest heat your stove can manage - you’re not trying to brown it, but just soften. Put in the anchovies including the oil - these are super salty, half a can is really ideal but I don’t like to waste - you choose. Stir in with the garlic and sauté for another minute. Put aside in your bowl. Add pasta to the pot and fill with water to 1 or 2 inches above. Boil until your desired firmness. Pour off water and add your garlic anchovy sauce back to the pot. Stir to incorporate. Carve flakes of parm off with your pocket knife and season with red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste.
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 small can chicken
3/4 cup white rice (brown would take forever to cook)
1 or 2 cloves garlic
little baggie of curry powder
Before your trip
I put all these things in one quart sized ziplock.
Cooking
Put 8oz of water in a pot and put in everything else. Don’t drain the water off the chicken or peel the garlic. The chicken water holds some delicious fats, and cooking the garlic with the boil makes it soft and sweet and it will flavor everything in the pot just by existing. Boil until rice has absorbed water and is nearly soft (time will depend on the rice and the elevation you’re at). Turn off the flame and let it sit for 5 minutes.
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