Paca Pantry is Alpaca and More.

Paca Pantry

133 East Center Street (Hwy. 491)

Monticello, UT, 84535

Phone: (435) 419-0750

Email: dpalpaca9@yahoo.com

Website for Ordering and Shipping of Items: alpacasofpetersprings.com, or find Wild Mountain Meats at Overstock.com

Free Wifi is available.

Five years ago, Dorothy Pipkin-Padilla, owner of Peter Springs Alpaca Ranch, had a wild idea.  Doing research, finding resources that suited her needs, Wild Mountain Meats was born.  This new business features Alpaca meat in the forms of burgers, ground summer sausage, chops, and roasts.  Experimenting with dehydration techniques, a line of jerky will be added to the lineup. 

It was no wonder that a shop would open one year later, featuring, what else, Alpaca products.   Made from the fleece (fiber), Paca Pantry features scarves, hats, shawls, sweaters, gloves, head bandanas and yarn.  The bestselling item though are the socks which have dedicated repeat buyers from locals and tourists yearly.  “What is so wonderful about alpaca fleece?” you might be asking.  Each shearing produces roughly five to ten pounds of fleece per animal, per year. This fleece, often compared to cashmere, can be turned into a wide array of products from yarn and apparel to tapestries and blankets.

There are two different types of alpaca fleece.  Huacaya fiber grows and looks similar to sheep wool, causing the alpaca to look fluffy. The second type is Suri and makes up less than 10% of the South American alpaca population.  Suri fiber is similar to natural silk and hangs off the body in locks that have a dreadlock appearance.  At Peter Springs Alpaca Ranch, Huacaya is what you can see; simply ask Dorothy for tour information.  I have visited the ranch, while some of the alpaca can be a bit standoffish; several will gladly come forth to be petted, or simply “vogue” for the camera.  The Ranch and Paca Pantry are associated with Airbnb.com | Vacation Rentals & More (‎www.airbnb.com/‎) which helps to promote both businesses to those planning on visiting Monticello and the surrounding areas.

The alpaca fiber products at Paca Pantry come from the herd at the ranch; the fleece is sheared, carted, woven into skeins, and knitted into wearable and comfortable art.  Looking for something unique to hang over a fireplace?  A lovely, soft, full body alpaca hide can be purchased.

Now every business owner needs a right hand person; Sue Morrell, former award winning “31 Bags” demonstrator, is Dorothy’s.  Besides doing sales and making sure the shop maintains its eye tempting look, Sue helps to promote.  Currently there is a 50% off sale on all remaining “31 Bags” from Sue’s personal stock.  I LOVE the thermal insulated bags that keep items frozen or cold for approximately five hours!  Quilters and other crafters will adore the many pocketed bags made just for this purpose.

That’s right, Paca Pantry is not about alpaca only; expansion of stock is key to keeping a business interesting to the public.  85-90% of items offered for sale are sourced locally; either through consignment, or purchased outright.  The other 10-15% are Utah products; Dorothy and Sue believe in “Shop Local, Shop Utah”.

So, what else can be found to delight any shopper?  Beautifully handcrafted pottery pieces by Tony Wojcik, Otis Wright and Cedar Mesa Pottery.  Unpainted ceramic pieces are a best seller for the at-home crafter.  Essential Oils, postcards, photographs, jewelry, furniture, and I could go on and go, but I will not.  What I will do is ask you to stop in and see for yourself. 

Paca Pantry has a vision, “To provide items that will satisfy locals and tourists alike”.  Dorothy and Sue are community conscious by donating to, and attending, events such as the Parks and Beautification Gala, Rotary Club, San Juan Hospital “First Baby of the New Year”, Holiday Gingerbread House Tour, and the Pioneer Day Treasure Hunt.  Book signings, like local author Eric Niven, are an enjoyable event at the Pantry itself; along with classes on essential oils and alpaca education.  In future, cooking demonstrations will be offered on alpaca meat, so expect to get some nifty recipes for home use.  Also included will be the foods of local cultures such as Native American, Mexican and the Pioneers.

Speaking of food, in the summer, stop in for a childhood favorite, well of mine at least, a rootbeer float; or a cup of gelato which is sourced directly from the Moab Brewery.  If you have not tried their gelato yet, you will be in for a real treat!

Pet owners, do not feel left out, items geared for your furbabies will be offered in the future as well!  Before I forget, book readers; drop off used books for store credit, or come in and see what titles are a “must” purchase.

Winter hours allow for a little time off, Paca Pantry will be open Tuesday and Friday, from 11am-4pm, and Saturday, 10am to 2pm.  With the holidays looming ahead though, there will be extended hours Thanksgiving week, and the week before and during Christmas.  There will be a huge sale period beginning November 15^th; 10% off ALL items in the shop, except for historically based pieces.  Looking for a special gift has now been made easier.

Whether a local or simply passing through Monticello; make a stop at Paca Pantry and shop!

Mary Cokenour

Wild Mountain Meats Serving Up Alpaca.

Wild Mountain Meats, LLC

15 East Peter Springs Road
Monticello, Utah, 84535

Phone: (435) 419-0750

Email: dpad482841@aol.com

Website: http://wildmontainmeats.com

The owner of Peter Springs Alpaca Ranch, LLC, Dorothy Pipkin-Padilla began a new venture in 2014, Wild Mountain Meats, LLC; purveyor of Alpaca meats featuring: burger, steaks, chops, ribs and sausage.  While Alpaca is a staple in South American countries, it is beginning to find a place on the palates of North Americans.  It has become available in, still existing, butcher shops for the residential kitchen; and making its way into gourmet restaurants.

The Alpaca for Wild Mountain Meats comes from Dorothy's ranch, so are locally bred  and raised.  The processing is done by Jerry's Custom Meats, located in Helper, Utah; and is certified safe by the State of Utah.  Nothing from the Alpacas is wasted; the hides are made into leather goods.  On the ranch, the Alpaca are sheared and their wool made into thread for weaving.  In February 2015, Dorothy will be opening a new store on Center Street in Monticello, Utah; "Paca Pantry: Everything Alpaca and More".  If you happen to be in the Monticello area, come visit the store, or call (435) 419-0750 to arrange a tour of the ranch and get to meet the Alpacas; the babies are adorable!


My recipe for today will be a Shepherd's Pie made with Alpaca sausage; though mainly ground Alpaca meat, there is a mixture of pork and spices added in.  The pork absorbs a good amount of the ground black pepper giving it a bit of heat; while the Alpaca maintains its unique sweet flavor.  Traditional Shepherd's Pie is made with ground lamb, but the Alpaca meat maintains the essence of this perfect comfort food.

Alpaca Shepherd’s Pie

 

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground Alpaca meat, or Alpaca/Pork sausage
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 and ½ Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 cups mashed potatoes
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350F; spray a one and one half quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a 10 inch skillet, medium-high heat, brown the meat until no pink is showing; drain any excess oil. If using only Alpaca meat, add half teaspoon of salt plus one quarter teaspoon ground black pepper for seasoning.  While meat is browning, melt butter in another 10 inch skillet, medium heat, and sauté mushrooms for five minutes.

Into a medium bowl, mix together browned meat, mushrooms, peas and Worcestershire sauce.  In another bowl, mix together the mashed potatoes, cheese and garlic powder.

 

 

 

 

Spread out one cup of potatoes on bottom of baking dish and partially up sides.  Spoon meat mixture into bowl; cover completely with remaining two cups of potatoes.

 

 

 

Bake for 35-40 minutes; until potatoes are slightly browned.  Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Makes six servings.

Mary Cokenour

Alpaca, the Next Other Meat?

Recently I received a roast from the owner, Dorothy, of Peter Springs Alpaca Ranch to try my culinary hand at.  Alpaca is a very lean meat, so figuring out how to cook it best would be an experiment, but experimentation was the key reasoning behind it anyway.  Dorothy is considering selling meat from her alpaca, as well as their soft wool, but what recipes would work well?  What I should have done before cooking the roast was some in depth research; my big mistake was thinking that this lean meat would cook up the same as another lean meat, Elk.  I was very wrong, but she and I both learned from the mistake, and as I said before, this is an experimentation process.

First off, I'm going to post some information I found which I should have looked up before.
 
Nutritional Information

Nutrient-100g	Beef	Pork	Lamb	Alpaca
Calories	210	191	156	150
Protein	20.0	29	20	23.1
Fat	15	7.5	7.7	5.7
Cholesterol	12.1	9.1		6.0
Iron	15%	9%		20%
Vitamin A				2%

Approximately 50% of a carcass is used as prime cuts, such as loin cutlets and steaks, which are sold in either the fresh or frozen meat market. Secondary cuts are processed into sausages, hot dogs, ground meat and processed alpaca hams. Alpaca meat should be cooked quickly on a high heat, to retain its natural tenderness.  For the best results, alpaca meat should be served rare or medium and allowed to rest before serving.

Now the last two lines of the above paragraph is definitely where I went very wrong; I ended up slow cooking the meat to the point that it was tough to cut and too chewy to eat.  The roast I received happened to have rib bones and a thin plate of cartilage going through it.   I thought the alpaca meat would separate from the bones and cartilage, but it did the exact opposite.  I also cooked a sirloin tip roast with the alpaca meat to see how the both compared.  

Alpaca Roast in front, Sirloin Tip Roast in back.

I'm going to give you the original recipe which is "Beef and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce"; then I'll tell you what I really should have done in the first place.  Live and learn!

Beef and Mushrooms in Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

6 small white onions, peeled and quartered
3 and 1/2 to 4 lb. sirloin tip roast
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb. portabella mushrooms, sliced
1/4 inch thick 1 cup beef stock
1 and 1/2 cups cabernet sauvignon






Preparation:

Spray inside of a 6 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray. Place onions inside crock pot and place roast on top of onions; the onions will act as a "rack" for the meat.

Mix the black pepper and flour together; sprinkle over the top and sides of the meat. Cover the meat with the mushrooms; mix the stock and wine together and pour over all.





















Set the crock pot on low and cook for 8 hours. Remove roast; with a slotted spoon remove as much of the mushrooms as possible, but leave the onions. To make the sauce, use a hand blender in the crock pot, or pour the onions and liquid into a stand blender; puree till smooth.

Makes 6-8 servings








Now here are photos of how the alpaca meat looked; the meat did absorb the flavorings of the wine sauce, but alas, was too tough and chewy to truly enjoy.  Again, live and learn.

So, here is what I should have done from the get-go: If the Alpaca roast contains bones and connective tissue, it would be best to roast it like a Prime Rib.

Mushrooms

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter; add the mushrooms, toss to coat, reduce heat to low, cover and let mushrooms cook down till softened.  Remove mushrooms from skillet, wipe skillet clean.

 

Wine Sauce

In a large skillet, medium-high heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter; add 3 tablespoons flour and one teaspoon ground black pepper; continue to whisk until all flour is incorporated and turns to a golden color.  Whisk in one cup beef stock plus one and one half cups cabernet sauvignon wine.  Bring to a boil and let cook for 5 minutes; whisk occasionally to make sure it is not becoming too thick.

Options

Serve mushrooms as a side to the meat, or add to the gravy and ladle both over meat.

 

Mary Cokenour