Trail Biscuits

Nine Mile Canyon Trail Biscuits - yummmmmm. Nothing better after a day of hiking than a big bowl of stew and a hearty biscuit. Especially if it's easy to put together. This is more of a process than a specific recipe, as you can use Bisquick or any favorite biscuit recipe.

I used the good ol' basic Bisquick recipe:
21/4 c. Bisquick
2/3 c. milk

In addition, you'll need:
1/3-1/2 c. grated cheddar cheese
1/2 c. cornmeal
vegetable oil or bacon drippings

Method
I substituted 1/3 c. sour cream blended with 1/2 c. milk for the original milk measurement.

Combine the liquid with half the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly, then blend in the second half of the dry ingredients along with a handful of grated cheddar cheese.


Sprinkle cornmeal on your breadboard and lightly knead the dough about 10 times, picking up a little cornmeal each time you turn and fold the dough. (If it's sticky add a little more Bisquick, or flour, until it's no longer sticky.)

Pat the dough out 1/2 inch thick, again on a board with a light sprinkle of cornmeal. Cut with a 3 inch biscuit cutter (I use an empty vegetable can).

Place the biscuits in a Dutch oven that has a little oil or melted bacon drippings in the bottom. As you lay each biscuit in, place it on the oil and then turn it over so the top has a little "basting" on it.

Allow the biscuits to stand at least 10 minutes before baking.

For Dutch oven baking, put 8-10 coals on the bottom and about 12 on the top, turning the pot one way and the lid the other every five minutes for 10 minutes. Then pull the bottom coals out to the extreme edge of the pot, check for color inside, and possibly add more coals to the top (depending on the temperature and altitude.) It took 15-20 minutes for these to bake at 7,000 feet.

If you want to use a regular oven, bake at 450 degrees  for 10-12 minutes.

Pringle Falls Potatoes

We came up with this recipe while camping at Pringle Falls, in Oregon. Served with smoked pork loin it made a might satisfying meal. The recipe is easily expanded for a larger group, using a larger Dutch oven, and can be cooked without any major changes in a household oven.
Ingredients:

• 2 slices smoked bacon
• 4-5 medium size potatoes sliced thin
• 1/2 large white onion sliced thin
• 1/2 large bell pepper, diced
• 1 c. diced carrot
• 2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
• 3/4 c. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• salt, pepper, garlic powder

Slice 2 strips of smoked bacon into 1/2 inch pieces, brown in a 10 or 12 inch Dutch oven, then lift out the bacon bits, drain off and save most of the fat.
Layer half of each of the above vegetables and cheeses, add the seasonings, drizzle a little of the bacon fat and sprinkle a few of the bacon bits over the mix, then repeat the layers, ending with the cheeses and bacon bits.
Pour 3/4 c. water or broth over the mixture.

Using 14 top coals and 14 bottom coals, cook for about 30 minutes, then pull most of the bottom coals out to the outer edges of the pot. Turn pot and lid every 10 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and before finishing to be sure the potatoes aren't sticking to the bottom. If they start to stick add a little more liquid and pull away the rest of the bottom coals, placing them on the top.

Serves 4-6 depending on how large the potatoes were.

Dutch Oven Bread

I've made bread completely by hand, using a KitchenAid mixer, and using a bread machine. I've never had bread come out as well as this simple recipe, baked in a Dutch oven.

Ingredients:
Step 1
1/3 c. warm water
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 T. sugar
1 pkt. Red Star Quick Rising Yeast
Mix together in a medium size bowl, cover and let stand one hour at room temperature.
When the mixture has set for an hour it should be bubbly.

Step 2
Beat together:
1 egg
2 T. vegetable oil
1/3 c. water or milk (room temperature)
Add this mixture to the yeast and allow to stand, covered, in a fairly warm place until the mixture is frothy. 

Step 3
Combine the dry ingredients so the salt is evenly distributed
1 t. salt
2 c. white flour
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
(can also substitute 1/2 c. cornmeal for part of the white flour)

Add the special flours and salt to the wet ingredients and beat until it appears a bit stretchy. Then gradually stir in the remaining flour 1/2 c. at a time until you have a nice elastic ball that isn't too sticky.

Turn out on to a lightly floured board and knead until no longer sticky.
Shape dough into a ball and place into an oiled bowl, oil the top of the dough. Cover and let rise until double in size.

When doubled, turn out again onto a lightly floured board, knead until all the air is worked out, shape into a flat ball and place into an oiled 10 (or 12) inch Dutch oven (or loaf pan). (If the air is cold warm the oven slightly.) Allow dough to rise about 20 minutes, more if the weather is cold. It should nearly double before baking.


Use 12 (16) top coals and  9 (12) bottom coals. Keep the top coals toward the outside edge of the lid. After 12 minutes pull the bottom coals out to the edge of the kettle and continue baking with only top coals. Bake 20 - 25 minutes. (Numbers of coals and time are pure suggestions. So much depends on wind and temperature, you'll need to adjust to fit the situation.) [Bake 20 minutes at 375 F in a regular oven]

Serves 4 - 6. Don't count on serving more than four if you bring out the blackberry jam!

Shepherd's Pie

Shepherd's Pie is an English dish, traditionally made with finely chopped lamb or mutton. Americans typically make Shepherd's Pie with ground beef. The English (and Australians and New Zealanders) call the beef dish a "cottage pie".
This recipe serves four.

• 2 pounds potatoes (3 large ones) peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons sour cream or softened cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup cream, for a lighter version substitute broth 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 3/4 pounds ground beef or ground lamb
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire, eyeball it
• 1-2 cups frozen peas, carrots (diced) and corn

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potatoes and pour them into a bowl. Combine sour cream, egg yolk, cheddar cheese and cream. Add the cream mixture into potatoes and mash until potatoes are almost smooth. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.

While potatoes boil, preheat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add oil to hot pan with beef or lamb. Season meat with salt, pepper and garlic. Brown and crumble meat for 3 or 4 minutes. If you are using lamb and the pan is fatty, spoon away some of the drippings. Add chopped carrot and onion to the meat. Cook with meat 5 minutes, stirring frequently. In another skillet cook butter and flour together 2 minutes. Whisk in broth and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer gravy about 1 minute, add gravy meat and vegetables. Stir in peas and corn.

Preheat broiler to high. Fill a small rectangular casserole with meat and vegetable mixture. Spoon potatoes over meat evenly. Top potatoes with paprika and broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat until potatoes are evenly browned.


This recipe is easily adapted for use with the Dutch oven process. Cook the meat, veggies and gravy in the Dutch oven over coals, and cook the potatoes in another pan. When the mashed potatoes are prepared, spoon them over the hot meat mixture, put about a dozen coals on the oven lid and cook until the potatoes are browned.

Serve with a salad, hot rolls and butter.

Pete's Pot roast (A.K.A. Never-sweat stew)

We worked up this dutch oven recipe while camping at Eagle Lake, in Lassen County, CA. (Named for pioneer Pete Lassen) Once known as Nataqua Territory, there's a lot of rich pioneer history here, centered around both Honey Lake and Susanville. Living off the soil was so easy here that the townsfolk soon acquired an undeserved reputation of indolence. The name "Never-Sweats" was applied to the settlers and the name stuck into well into the 1860's and beyond.... hence the name of the stew.

It is easy, and a great recipe to use when you want to just relax in camp, but know you'll have a satisfying dinner when the coals die down. If you're feeling ambitious sourdough biscuits are a great accompaniment. See the slide show at the bottom of this recipe for all the steps.

This recipe serves four:

Using a charcoal starter or pile in a heap in a fire ring – start off about 4 lb. Charcoal. (amount will vary depending on outdoor temperature, wind, etc.) Coals need to burn about 10-15 minutes for all to become fully lit. OR Rev up a nice hot campfire using hard wood and wait for coals to develop.

Put your Dutch oven on the coals and add about 4 T. vegetable oil. Allow to heat until it starts to pop.

Prep while the coals and oil are heating: 1½ pound round steak or London broil, about 1½” thick, sliced in pieces approximately 4x5. Sprinkle both sides liberally with Rudy’s Rub (or similar spicy BBQ rub). Pound with meat tenderizer or edge of saucer until meat is about ¾ “ thick and the spices have been worked in. Mix a little salt and pepper with about ½ c. flour, coat both sides of each slice of meat, working the flower into the meat. Lay on a plate and cover, let rest for about 30 minutes.

Vegetables: quarter and slice a couple of large potatoes and an onion, slice up a couple of carrots into 1" pieces. Dice ¼ bell pepper and a clove of garlic. Place all the vegetables and an individual size can of whole kernel corn (or substitute abut ½ c. frozen, or fresh cut from two ears) in a bowl with a bottle of beer. Allow the vegetables to marinate at room temperature while you prep and brown the meat.

Coat the meat again with flour and work it in to any areas where the previous flour looks moist from the meat juices. Brown the meat on both sides in the hot oil.

Remove the Dutch oven from the coals. Remove meat, place cast iron trivet in the bottom of the Dutch oven (not essential but it helps prevent the meat from scorching) replace meat, pour in a bottle of your favorite cooking beer. Pull some of the coals to the side and lift a shovel-full (about 15 coals) for the lid. Put the kettle in the middle of the ring of coals, replace the lid and add the shovel-full of coals on the lid. Let the meat simmer for about 20 minutes, then check the liquid level. If it’s getting dry add a couple of cups of water.

Check as often as you think necessary. The outside temperature will have a lot of impact on how many coals you need. Simmer for about an hour. Then pour in the vegetables along with the beer they've been marinating in. Snuggle up the coals around the kettle, maybe put another coal or two on the lid, depending on how hot the contents were. Allow to simmer another hour, keeping an eye on the liquid. If it’s not quite time for supper you can just let it sit, as the heat from the coals will gradually taper off but the contents of the kettle will stay hot for quite awhile.

This recipe also works well in a crock pot.

Hays County Stew

Over the years I've accumulated three really interesting recipes for stew. Being a Libra, I can never decide which is my favorite, so I put them all together. The result is Hays County Stew.

My earliest favorite stew recipe is from "Manna:Foods of the Frontier" (Harris 1972) Son-of-a-bitch Stew (sometimes referred to as hunter's stew) is made with buffalo, deer, moose, bear, elk, and perhaps a beaver tail. Organ meats were included too, hot peppers if available, a pint of rum might be added but no other water or vegetables. After several hours of simmering a gravy was made if flour was available, and maybe dumplings on the top. Sturdy stuff for sturdy men! Although I never made this recipe as it appears in the book (I do like vegetables in mine!) I took the idea of multiple meats and have incorporated that into this recipe.

Inspiration for the name of this recipe came from Hopkins County Stew, from a book entitled "A Taste of Texas" (McDuff 1949). This stew is made with chicken (including giblets), bacon, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, turnips if you like them, and corn. The corn is the deciding feature. The basic stew is cooked seven hours, then the corn is added toward the end, so that only the kernels of corn retain their individual identity. This recipe contributes the basic cooking procedures and variety of vegetables as well as the corn.

My newest favorite stew recipe came from a country music magazine article on the Bellamy Brothers. Their recipe for Chili Stew (which I'll make another entry for) calls for the typical beef, potatoes and onions, with the addition of green and Serrano chilies, chopped cilantro, fresh kernel corn, and is served with cheese on top. I can't quite to the Serrano chilies, but the other south-of-the border seasonings appealed to me.

So, here's the process, and suggested measurements. As with all good stews, you adjust to suit yourself as you are cooking. If you are interested in dutch oven cooking this is a good recipe to try. Cook the meat over a fairly hot fire in the early morning, add the other items, cover and bury in coals and pull it out in the evening. Add the corn and reheat before serving.


*Hays County Stew
Calculate the basic ingredients - for every 5 people use
3 slices bacon
2 pounds of meats cut in 1 inch cubes
You must use at least three different types of meats. Beef steak, chicken, pork, game meats of any type, and meats that are spiced like brats or other cased sausages are great. Just slice them in roughly the same size as the other meats. The best batch of this stew we ever made had about six different types of meat.
4 potatoes
1 pound tomatoes
2 onions, chopped in small chunks
fresh garlic
preferred spices (thyme, basil, sage, bay, leaf etc.)
1 small can diced green chilies (more if you like, or use diced fresh and any type of chili you like)
4 ears of fresh corn (slice off the kernels), or one can whole kernel corn
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup of grated jack or cheddar cheese

Chop up the bacon and frizzle till the grease is all cooked out. Remove the brown bits and add the chopped meats. Brown, pulling of extra liquid as it cooks.
Save the liquid and chill it so the fat can be skimmed off, then return the liquid to the stew later.

Once the meat is brown add the onions and cook them until they start to become translucent, the add the potatoes, tomatoes and chilies. Add back in the liquid you saved (after skimming the fat) and the bacon bits. Reduce heat and simmer for several hours (5-6). If the pot becomes dry add a can of beer or additional water. Cover with coals if cooking this dutch oven style and let it simmer along without opening for at least 2 hours, then check to see if it needs more liquid.

As serving time approaches open up the kettle and stir in the cilantro and the corn (drain the liquid if using canned). Get the stew good and hot again, and top with the grated cheese when serving.

A salad and corn bread or baking powder biscuits complete the meal.

*Hays County, our place of residence in Texas, is named for John "Jack" Coffee Hays, famous Texas Ranger.