Velochef: Easy Recipes for Bikepacking Adventures
Three essential recipes and the equipment you need to cook them, with expert chef and bikepacker Henrik Orre
Photography Patrik Engstrom
Henrik Orre is a chef with a penchant for cycling. Coming from a road riding background, and working as in-house chef at Team Sky, his recipes have been enjoyed by riders of the professional peloton and national cycling teams alike. But over recent months, Henrik has been fitting his bike with Packs to carry a small mobile kitchen, and started to venture away from the road. Naturally, his recipes of choice have also been adapted to follow suit.
‘I’d dedicated the last few years to cooking food for some of the world’s best cyclists,’ says the opening chapter of Henrik’s new book, Outside is Free. ‘But I wanted to do something new, so I gathered a bunch of friends and set off to the country where I was born and bred: Norway. The steep mountain flanks have small winding roads that are amazing to ride on. The views, the mountains and unsullied nature – incredibly beautiful.’
‘I spent a lot of time thinking about the right combination of ingredients and techniques to save time and reduce gear weight,’ he says. ‘It’s all so important if you’re only bringing a small camping stove. A good outdoor meal often feels like a wonderful reward after a long day’s ride, and food somehow just tastes better outside. The food I cook is based on simplicity, and these are recipes that anyone can handle.’
Three meals to keep the wheels turning with taste
Breakfast: Blueberry Porridge
300 g oats
2 tbsp powdered milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp freeze-dried blueberries
400-500 ml water
Fresh blueberries as a topping, if desired
Ziplock bag
1. Mix the oatmeal, powdered milk, salt, brown sugar and freeze-dried blueberries in a ziplock bag.
2. Pour the bag’s contents into a saucepan and turn on the water.
3. Simmer at medium heat for 4-5 minutes.
4. Serve with some fresh blueberries on top.
On-the-Go: Mushroom Risotto with Spruce Tips
50 g dried chanterelles (or equivalent amount of fresh chanterelles)
100 g arborio rice
2 shallots
400-500 ml water
1 cube of chicken stock
1 tbsp butter
50 g grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil for frying
Salt and black pepper
Fresh spruce tips
1. Soak the mushrooms for 15-20 minutes.
2. Pour off the water and gently squeeze the moisture out of the mushrooms.
3. Finely chop the onions and mushrooms, then fry them in olive oil in a saucepan.
4. Pour in the water and crumble in the stock cube.
5. Boil until the rice is soft and just thick enough.
6. Mix in the butter and Parmesan. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
7. Top the risotto with the freshly-picked spruce tips.
Base camp meal: Risoni with Fresh Salsiccia
1 shallot
200 g risoni
1 cube of chicken stock
400-500 ml water
50 g grated Parmesan cheese (+ more for topping)
1 tbsp butter
The juice of 1 lemon
200 g fresh ground salsiccia (sausage without the skin)
2 tbsp chopped spring onions as topping
Olive oil for frying
Salt and black pepper
1. Chop the onion and fry in olive oil.
2. Add the rice and carefully add water. At the same time, crumble the stock cube so that it boils with the other ingredients from the start.
3. Boil until the pasta feels soft; 10-11 minutes.
4. Stir in the Parmesan and butter. Season with salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste.
5. Cut the sausage meat into small pieces and fry in a pan until the pieces are slightly crispy. Place the fried sausage on the pasta. Sprinkle with chopped spring onions and freshly grated Parmesan.
Essential Equipment
Everything you need for your own bikepacking kitchen
Clockwise spiral, from left: Spork; Folding knife with can opener; Lighter; Spatula; Windscreen for stove; Small saucepan; Small stove, with gas; Frying pan; Grater.