Markus Sämmer

Volume - for a Reason

The Bavarian extreme athlete, Markus isn’t just into lonely trails and days outdoors, he’s also a trained chef who used to work in Munich’s high class restaurants. He always used to take time off for traveling around the world and one day he decided to combine his two major passions in life – cooking and adventure. Now he publishes books on gourmet outdoor cuisine.

It’s still early morning when I head down to the lake just close to our house. There are no clouds, the sun is already hot and some time on the boat will be a refreshing start to the day. I want to cook something special for my wife tonight and my plan is to catch some fresh trout. I’m lucky living close to nature and getting some my-time on the lake gives me a peaceful mind that will last for days. Once back home there will be shade underneath the trees and plenty of wild ramson that I will flavor the fish with. I really love this time of the year when my lawn is full of tasty ingredients, I might even add some daisies and dandelion to the salad as well.

I’m never really content with a simple meal when I’m outdoors and I like to treat myself and the people around me with healthy, homemade food, no matter where we are. It’s not always easy to prepare a three coarse menu on top of a mountain, but by finding the essentials in recipes it’s easy to recreate them in a simplified version. Like creating a tiramisu just by dipping espresso steeped biscuits in mascarpone. Yum. Tonight I will use what I’ve learned in the restaurants and hot smoke the trout on my Kuchoma Grill. The best thing with that stove is the volume, which really seals in the flavor. By using the right equipment, fresh ingredients and tips and tricks from along the way, anyone can make wonders when cooking outside.

Markus Sämmer
Chef & extreme athlete
Germany

@thegreatoutdoorsbook