Hilton Creek recipes (creation of good eating is all part of the fun)

Spicy HiltonCreek green-chili avocado sauce

1 pour              olive oil

1                      onion chopped into quarters

4                      serrano peppers

2                      poblano peppers (or ancho, Anaheim, etc, just no bell peppers)

3-4                   tomatillos

1/2 head           garlic

1/2 bunch         cilantro

4-6                   small limes

2                      avocados

2-4 cups           Hilton Creek purified water (your local source will do just fine!)

salt                   to taste            

Directions:  Pour a suitable amount of olive oil into a large pan.  Add ½ the onion, all the peppers, tomatillos, and half the garlic.  Cook well.

Meanwhile as the veggies get their crisp on, fill a blender halfway with water, and add ½ of the chopped onion (raw), ½ of the left over garlic cloves (raw), the avocados, cilantro, squeezed in juice from limes, and a couple good dashes of salt.  This is your base, don’t blend it yet.

After a half hour or so, add in the slightly blackened contents of the fry pan.  Before blending the water level on the blender should be an inch or two from the top.  Add more water if needed. 

Blend and eat immediately with chips – at this point too you can add more salt or lime juice and re-blend.  You can also refrigerate to cool, this green chili guac will not lose color, ever.

Variations: omit the avocados and substitute a can of chipotle peppers (minus the sauce) for a red chili dip.  Pan roasted using no olive oil, more or less raw garlic, green tomatoes instead of tomatillos, addition of a green apple, a habanero, fresh farmer’s market produce instead of supermarket, etc!  We usually double the recipe to include a full blender of red and green sauces.

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Sweet HiltonCreek garlic chipotle BBQ sauce

1 stick              butter (or olive oil, or mixture of both)

24 oz.               Ketchup

1 bottle leftover BBQ sauce, any variety, any amount

1                      onion chopped

1                      bell pepper chopped or other green variety

1-3 heads         garlic – pressed, use it all and discard nothing but skins

1 TBS              mustard

1/3 cup             Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp.                Paprika

3 TBS.             Brown sugar

¼ cup               molasses

1 tsp.                Black pepper

¼ cup               vinegar

2 TBS.             Chili powder

1 tsp.                Allspice

¼ tsp.               Red pepper

1 can                beer (I generally sample the beer at the same time)

1 can                pineapple (chopped in own juice)

1 can                chipotle peppers minced

Directions:  Melt butter in large pan.  Add onion and green pepper and cook.  Mix in garlic and cook for a few minutes longer.  Add remaining ingredients and simmer about 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring often.  Sauce is then ready to use but it will be chunky.  Add more beer to thin down, if desired.

When cooled blend up for a non-chunky but grainy version, if preferred.  Although no Hilton Creek water was harmed in the making of this sauce, it's still aptly named as we often fire up the BBQ for some high altitude grilling.

Double or triple recipe and bottle for gifts.

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Shack Stew – created on the crusty shoreline of the Owens dry Lake during a stage two PM-10 dust event.

1 pour              olive oil

2-3 onions        sliced or chopped        

1-2 peppers     chopped

2-5 potatoes     cubed

bunch cilantro whole or chopped, stems and all

garlic                fresh, granulated, any amounts

meats               pound beef, pork, ground, cubed, or leftover

sausages           full rope, sliced, diced, salami, bacon, etc.

can stew           small or large can

can beans         small or large, or omit

can corn           minus the water, creamed works too

can tomatoes    large can (any style)

hot sauce          to taste

soy sauce         to taste (salt and pepper work too)

extra liquid        beer, wine, spirits, juice or water

Directions:  Pour a suitable amount of olive oil into a very large cast iron pan or spaghetti pot.  Add all of the fresh vegetables (chopped, quartered, whole, whatever just vary the shapes).  Cook until suitable, potatoes take a while but can be finished off during the simmer process.

Next add meats, anything in a pinch.  Leftovers, fresh, cured, and cook.

Next create add in the base that ties all the ingredients together.  Can of stew, can of Bushes beans, can of stewed tomatoes, can of anything you like – like some beer.  Round off with a few dashes of hot sauce and soy sauce, plus good conversation of the day’s events.

After a half hour or so, turn down the heat to simmer – simmer for at least another half hour or longer depending on quality of appetizers and camp cocktails available.

Dish it up and let the kids/guests know this is shack stew!  Or other names like camp stew, trailer stew, Panamint porridge, or take-it-or-leave-it (for the picky eaters)

Variations: endless (you’ll never eat shack stew the same way twice), vege-style, yams, squash, apples versus potatoes, on top of rice, canned enchilada sauce, garnishes of sour cream, fresh chopped onion and serranos, cilantro, shredded cheese, etc.

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