Tight lines and squash vines
BY LEIGHA BENFORD
For Wild Northerner
There is something so delicious about the fall. I love turning on the oven after the last of the summer heat has drifted away and dusting off the canning jars for another round of preserves and pickles.
By the end of August, we’re usually fortunate enough to have a strong supply of trout and zucchini. Versatile and nutritious, I could probably cook for weeks with just the two.
One early August morning, the Lumberjack in my life got up to put a batch of trout in the smoker. The filets had been soaking in brine overnight, and were ready to sit in a spa of hickory smoke. We were both looking forward to this, and had saved all of the summer’s catch for that morning.
From where I was having my first cup tea, I could see some commotion in the garage. Something was definitely wrong with the smoker. The first indication was the exasperated look on his face as he opened and closed the door and pushed the buttons. The second hint was his vigorous shaking of the device. Finally, the screwdriver came out, and I knew it was game over.
After a few minutes of taking things apart, unsuccessfully pushing buttons one more time, a final shake and some choice words, the patio door flew open and the pot of fish was on the table next to my tea cup. He shot me a “please deal with this” look, and stomped off to work.
After a few seconds of bewilderment, I recalled an old family recipe. Each fall, my dad would make moose and venison jerky. He never used a dehydrator, only the oven. Now, staring at the soaking fish, I thought I might as well give it a shot. I turned the oven on way down low, placed the fish directly on the racks, and waited. With a bit of patience (and some divine intervention from past kitchen pioneers!), it worked. It worked very, very well. The final product was a flaky, tender trout saturated with flavour. After letting it cool, I vacuum-sealed each filet and put it in the fridge.
Drying trout is a bit time consuming, but after the initial work it’s so simple to pull a filet out of the fridge (or freezer) and pair with a super simple side dish. One of the best companions I’ve found so far is the zucchini pancake. So light, so easy, and so incredibly good. I’m not sure if they know it, but these two dishes were made for busy, back to routine fall evenings.
BY LEIGHA BENFORD