National Outdoor Leadership School - Index

National Outdoor Leadership School - Summer2008 - Index

14
THE
Leader
RECIPE BOX
Fresh Trout WIZNUT
Submitted by Mike Poutiatine (SSR ’81)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked brown rice
1 cup diced mixed veggies (re-hydrated ok)
½ cup reconstituted potato flakes
¼ cup thunder flakes (onion flakes re-hydrated)
¼ cup milk (powdered is fine)
¼ cup butter
Spice to taste
~1 lb. cheddar cheese, sliced thin
2 Cutthroat Trout—10-12” each, preferably
swimming 20 minutes before cooking
GEAR ROOM
Get Dehydrated:
Making Your Food Last
BY LAUREN WETHERBEE, NOLS ALUMNI INTERN
With the summer growing season in full swing,
you might be wondering what to do with all
the produce piling up in your kitchen. We got an
email from NOLS alum Josh Goodman looking for
more information on food dehydrators. To get the inside
scoop, we talked to Jaret Slipp, NOLS Yukon director
and dehydrating guru, and
Claudia Pearson, fearless RM
rations manager. With their
input and some good oldfashioned
research, we’ve got
answers to Josh’s questions.
PREPARATION
1) Grease a large fry pan with a thin layer of butter.
2) Fry the trout in the pan with spice of choice until
meat comes off the bones.
3) Collect small dead twigs—enough to sustain a small
fire on top of the pan for at least 30 minutes.
4) Remove fish from pan and de-bone.
5) Mix all ingredients EXCEPT THE TROUT AND CHEESE,
in a cook pot.
6) Line the bottom and sides of the fry pan with one
layer of cheese (should stick to the remaining
butter and trout bits left from cooking the fish).
7) Add ½ the rice mix in a layer over the cheese.
8) Add the trout in a layer over the rice mix.
9) Add the remaining rice mix over the trout.
10) Finish with the remaining cheese on top.
11) Seal it tight with the fry pan lid.
COOKING
Set the stove on a low, low simmer. Construct a small twig fire on top of the pan lid. Rotate the pan and keep
the twig fire burning for 20-60 minutes until the WizNut is golden brown and bubbling.
RECIPE TEST BY WILLY CUNNINGHAM, NOLS ALUMNI
PLANNING COORDINATOR
Originally created by instructor John Whisnant
in the ‘60s, the WizNut can take many forms,
but the key, original element is inclusion of a layer
of fried cheese on the bottom of the pan. While
admittedly fat-heavy by today’s dietary standards,
the original WizNut delighted decades of calorie
hungry NOLS students with its crunchy, crispy
layer of fried goodness.
I substituted a single rainbow trout for the suggested
native Cutthroat. I felt good about this substitution
because I used a 3-weight rod and pinched-barb March
Hare fly to catch this wily, non-native fish.
To cut back on the fat, I deleted the butter as
there was ample grease with the cheese.
Technique-wise, I used a stone the same height as
the stove to offset the burner flame and aid in rotating
the pan while baking.
The Outcome
Our staff thought this beautiful and aromatic dish was
very good and could be supplemented with a variety of
extra spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, etc.) to personalize
taste. As one delighted taste-tester said, “I'd eat it
in the frontcountry!"
Got a great backcountry recipe? Send it to leader@
nols.edu along with your name, NOLS course, and
where the recipe was created. If your recipe is chosen,
you’ll get a copy of the NOLS Cookery!
I’ve been considering purchasing a food dehydrator. Do
these things really work?
Definitely. They blow warm air over food, slowly drying
it out. The same idea can be achieved in an oven or even
in a solar food dehydrator. Remember that dehydrating
is not a speedy activity—what takes several minutes
to re-hydrate might take several hours to dehydrate,
so patience (and a good timer) is essential.
Does it make more sense just to buy dehydrated food and
jerky and avoid the trouble?
Claudia stresses that it really depends on what and
how much you want to dehydrate. Some easily found
dried items (like apricots or cranberries) may be worth
the extra cost to avoid time spent making them yourself.
But if you’ve got the time and the interest, dehydrating
at home is a great, inexpensive way to make
your own backcountry snacks.
“The WIZNUT appeared
in 1966 as a miracle answer
to our desperate pleas for
cheesy crunch."
Step 5: Mix all ingredients
(except the trout and
cheese!) in a cook pot.
Step 6: Line the fry pan
with a layer of cheese.
–FORMER INSTRUCTOR JOHN WHISNANT
(INVENTOR OF THE ORIGINAL WIZNUT)
Step 7: Layer cheese, rice
mix, and trout, filling the
fry pan and finishing with
cheese on top.
Recipe Box recipe tester Willy Cunningham cooks his
WizNut on a low simmer combined with a twiggy fire.
Cook until the WizNut is golden and bubbling.
Got any tips on what to look for when purchasing
a dehydrator?
Both Jaret and Claudia agree that the number of trays
is key. For personal use, Jaret says that 5-6 trays are
sufficient and he recommends you check out Nesco,
Ronco, and Excalibur brands (all available online).
Feeling adventurous? Search for a solar food dehydrator
on www.appropedia.org—Chris’ Solar Food Dehydrator
page has tons of great info on making your own
solar dehydrator.
Go forth, dehydrate, and enjoy the abundance of your
summer garden all year and in the backcountry.
Got a great new piece of gear that you’d like to tell
other NOLS alumni about? Write to leader@nols.edu
and share your gear thoughts, questions and opinions.
If it ends up in print, we’ll hook you up with a spiffy
NOLS t-shirt or hat.