Every 5th November, people in the UK stand outside in the cold and dark, watching bonfires and fireworks. So here are some delicious, budget-friendly suggestions that are warming, filling and easy to eat with your hands or from a bowl. Think jacket potatoes, sausages, toffee apples and a big pot of chilli. The good news is, everything is easy to buy here in Germany.
For me, there's nothing better than cooking outside on a cold November evening. You've got the glow and the warmth of the fire, along with the smell of the woodsmoke. Add a few sparklers, some festoon lights and a family feast.
Bonfire Night is all about warming food you can eat with your hands, wrapped up in a thick blanket. Think of a pot of smoky chilli bubbling away, jacket potatoes finished in the embers and a mug of rich hot chocolate (with a little something in it for the grown-ups). Use the fire to cook, heat or just keep everything warm, whatever works for you.
If you're having fireworks, please think about the environment and any animals nearby. Sparklers and a good fire are often all you need.
And with Halloween only a few days behind us, why not finish the evening by telling ghost stories around the fire? Gather everyone close, grab a bowl of something hot and enjoy one of the cosiest evenings of the year.
Here are some recipe ideas
I'm a big believer in not being stuck in the kitchen all evening. If you're feeding a crowd, you want to be out there chatting and having fun. Even on a cosy night for two, you'd rather be by the fire than over the hob.
So these recipes are quick, easy and budget-friendly. They use store cupboard staples, and lots of the ingredients work across several dishes, so one shop goes a long way. Pick a few favourites, get them ready ahead of time and go and enjoy yourself.
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Serves 4. Blitzed mushrooms make a cheaper, healthier, vegetarian mince. Or use 5% reduced-fat beef mince. Secret ingredients: smoked paprika and chipotle flakes.
Ingredients
500 g mushrooms, or 500 g 5% beef mince
1 tbsp oil
Frozen chopped onion (about 1 onion's worth) – saves time
Frozen chopped garlic (about 2 cloves' worth)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle chilli flakes (more or less to taste)
1 tbsp tomato purée
A glass of red wine (about 150 ml)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans, drained (optional)
Salt and pepper
Method
If using mushrooms, blitz them in a blender until they look like mince.
Fry the frozen onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes.
Add the mushrooms (or mince) and cook until browned and the liquid has gone.
Stir in the smoked paprika, chipotle flakes and tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and beans. Simmer for about 20–30 minutes.
Season and serve with rice or in a jacket potato.
Vegetarian / vegan tip: standard Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies. Use a vegan Worcestershire sauce or a dash of soy sauce instead, and check the wine is vegan too.
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Serves 4. Store-cupboard tins, no meat needed. The baked beans are the British twist.
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
Frozen chopped onion and garlic
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chipotle chilli flakes
1 tbsp tomato purée
A glass of red wine (optional)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (vegan version or soy sauce for vegans)
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin kidney beans, drained
1 tin chickpeas, drained
1 tin black-eyed beans, drained
1 tin baked beans (very British)
Salt and pepper
Method
Fry the frozen onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes.
Stir in the paprika, chipotle flakes and tomato purée. Cook for 1 minute.
Add the wine, if using, and let it bubble for 2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce and all the beans, including the baked beans with their sauce.
Simmer for 20–25 minutes until thick.
Season and serve with rice, a jacket potato or crusty bread.
Warming soups
A flask of hot soup is perfect for standing round the bonfire.
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Serves 2. Ready in about 15 minutes, for when you're short on time.
1 tsp oil
Frozen chopped onion and garlic (a handful)
1 tbsp tomato purée
1 tin chopped tomatoes
300 ml hot water with a stock cube or powder – beef, or vegetable for vegetarians and vegans
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (vegan version or soy sauce for vegans)
1 tsp dried basil, or a handful of fresh basil
A pinch of sugar
A splash of red wine (optional)
A swirl of cream or quark to finish
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for 2–3 minutes.
Stir in the tomato purée. Add the wine, if using, and let it bubble for a minute.
Add the tomatoes, stock, Worcestershire sauce, basil and sugar. Simmer for 10 minutes.
Blitz until smooth, season, and finish with a swirl of cream or quark.
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Serves 2–3. Roasting brings out a deep, sweet flavour.
600 g cherry tomatoes (or normal tomatoes), cut in half
1 onion, quartered, and 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1–2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
400 ml vegetable or beef stock
Fresh or dried basil
Heat the oven to 200 °C.
Spread the tomatoes, onion and garlic on a tray. Drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar, and season.
Roast for 30–40 minutes until soft and slightly charred.
Squeeze the garlic out of its skin. Tip everything into a pan with the stock and basil, and heat through.
Blitz until smooth. No need to peel the tomatoes – for a silky soup, push it through a sieve.
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Serves 4. A great way to use the pumpkin after Halloween. Carving pumpkins can be watery, so a Hokkaido pumpkin (easy to find in Germany) gives more flavour. With Hokkaido you don't need to peel it – the skin goes soft when cooked. For a smoky kick, add a pinch of chipotle chilli flakes.
1 kg pumpkin flesh, cubed
1 tbsp oil
Frozen chopped onion and garlic (a handful)
1 tsp smoked paprika or a pinch of nutmeg
1 litre vegetable stock
A splash of cream, or quark for a lighter version
Salt and pepper
Toasted pumpkin seeds to serve (optional)
Fry the onion and garlic in the oil for 2–3 minutes.
Add the pumpkin and spice, and stir for a minute.
Pour in the stock and simmer for 20 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.
Blitz until smooth, season, and stir in the cream or quark.
Top with a dollop of sour cream or quark and some toasted pumpkin seeds.
Sweet treats and drinks
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Slit a banana lengthways through the skin, without cutting all the way through.
Push chocolate buttons into the gap. In Germany, baking chocolate drops (Schokotropfen) or a chopped chocolate bar work well.
Wrap it in foil and put it in the embers of the fire for 5–10 minutes.
Unwrap and eat with a spoon – the banana goes soft and the chocolate melts.
Try these fillings instead: slices of Mars bar, Snickers for a nutty one, or a dark chocolate Bounty for a tropical twist. Supermarket own-brand versions work just as well.
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Toast a marshmallow on a stick over the fire, then squash it between two biscuits with a square of chocolate. Instead of American graham crackers, go British: dark chocolate digestives, or even better, chocolate Hobnobs – you can buy them in Germany too. Butter biscuits (Butterkekse) work in a pinch. For extra indulgence, try Lindt’s chilli dark chocolate for a kick, or any chocolate you like.
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Cut a pineapple into thick slices, rings or wedges.
Put them on a grate over the fire, or on skewers, and grill for 2–4 minutes until caramelised.
While they're still hot, press chocolate buttons or chips into the fruit so they melt into the grooves. Or dip the slices into a small tin of chocolate melted by the fire.
Finish with a pinch of cinnamon – or a pinch of chilli for a sweet and spicy kick, especially with dark chocolate.
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Make a good hot chocolate and stir in some grated dark chocolate for a richer flavour.
For a Mayan-style kick, add a pinch of chilli – or melt in some chilli dark chocolate, such as Lindt's.
For the adults: a splash of cherry liqueur (Kirschlikör or Kirschwasser), then top with whipped cream and a little grated dark chocolate – just like a Black Forest gâteau.
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Rice
Nachos or tortilla chips for dipping
Tortillas, as wraps or toasted
Crispy jacket potatoes – the Bonfire Night favourite
Toppings: grated mature cheddar (Simon's favourite), cheese with chilli flakes for extra kick (shop-bought or mix your own), sour cream, quark as a lighter option, guacamole, or butter if you like it
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In Germany, potatoes are often cooked in foil, so the skin goes soft. For a crispy skin, skip the foil.
Prick the potatoes all over with a fork. This lets the steam escape so they don't burst.
Rub the skins with a little oil.
Sprinkle with sea salt.
Bake in a hot oven until soft inside, about 1 hour at 200 °C.
For Bonfire Night, finish them off in the embers of the fire for a smoky flavour.
Split open and pile on the chilli.
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Bake the potatoes as above, then cut them in half and scoop out most of the soft middle (save it for mash or the soup).
Brush the skins with a little oil and bake again at 200 °C for 10 minutes until crisp.
Fill with leftover chilli and top with grated cheddar – or chilli cheese for extra kick.
Bake for another 5–10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling.
Serve with a dollop of sour cream or quark.
Stay safe
Keep a bucket of water close by, and hand out gloves to anyone holding a sparkler, especially children. Have a bucket of sand ready as well, so you can push spent sparklers in hot end first. That keeps them away from little hands and curious cats and dogs.
Before you light your fire, check it for hedgehogs, because they love to curl up in piles of wood and leaves. Ideally build your bonfire on the day. If it's been standing for a while, gently lift the bottom with a broom handle and have a look before you light it.
Make an evening of it
If you've got a projector, hang up an old white sheet and have an outdoor film night by the fire. You could even put up some old family photos and have a laugh going through the memories together. You don't need fireworks or anything fancy. In the end, it's all about the simple things. Good food, good company and a crackling fire, and the rest takes care of itself.
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A small range of ingredients covers every recipe here.
Fresh
500 g mushrooms (or 5% beef mince)
600 g cherry tomatoes
1 Hokkaido pumpkin
Baking potatoes
Bananas
1 pineapple
Onion and garlic (or frozen chopped)
Tins and jars
Chopped tomatoes (4–5 tins)
Kidney beans, chickpeas, black-eyed beans
Baked beans
Tomato purée
Stock cubes or powder (beef or vegetable)
Worcestershire sauce (or vegan version / soy sauce)
Balsamic vinegar, oil
Spices
Smoked paprika
Chipotle chilli flakes
Basil, cinnamon, salt and pepper
Dairy
Mature cheddar
Sour cream and/or quark
Cream (for soup and hot chocolate)
Sweet things
Marshmallows
Dark chocolate digestives or chocolate Hobnobs
Chocolate buttons or Schokotropfen
Dark chocolate, plain or chilli (e.g. Lindt)
Hot chocolate powder or milk
Extras
Rice, tortillas or nachos
Red wine
Cherry liqueur (for the adults)
Where to shop in Germany: 5% mince and frozen chopped onion and garlic are easy to find, even at the discounters like Aldi and Lidl. Smoked paprika (geräuchertes Paprikapulver) and chipotle chilli flakes are harder. Try bigger supermarkets like Edeka, Rewe or Kaufland, or order them online.
Image credits:
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