2ozreservedcooked venison trotter meat and tissue, finely minced (optional)
Dried ingredients
4ozdried venison / Bapa / Papa
1.5ozDried squash
.5 oz dried onionsleeks or ramp leaves, crumbled
4ozdried hominy
3ozdried timpsilaabout 22 small timpsila
Kosher salt and pepper
Instructions
Soak the hominy and timpsila
Combine the hominy and timpsila in a bowl and cover with boiling water by ½ inch and leave overnight. The next day, cut the timpsila into ½ rounds or bite sized pieces. Reserve the hominy and timpsila in the water.
Soak the squash and dried meat
Put the squash and dried meat in a bowl and add an inch of boiling water (you don’t need to cover them as they won’t take a lot to rehydrate.
Cut the squash and dried venison into bite-sized pieces, then cut the timpsila into ½ inch slices.
Put the timpsila and corn into a soup pot, along with the dried onions, add the venison trotter broth, along with the rehydrating liquids, bring the mixture to a simmer, cover, and bake at 250 F for 3 hours, you can also simmer it covered on the lowest heat.
Add the meat and squash
Next, add the dried meat and squash and cook for 30 minutes more along with the minced hoof fat and leg meat, cooking until the dried meat is tender and tastes good to you.
Finally, add the chopped hoof fat and leg meat. Double check the seasoning for salt and pepper, adjust as needed, and serve.
It’s great with a splash of lemon juice to lift it, as it’s a very rich soup.
Notes
This is a basic version of the stew using some dried ingredients that are a traditional combination. To keep true to tradition, I recommend using all ingredients that you've dried yourself (except the hominy) like Luke and Linda do.