A Rainy Day and Happiness in two Trout Fillets

The day dawns, grey and raw. Outside, the only movement is that of the birds dancing through the bushes free. There isn’t even a breeze; only a static and almost monochrome screen of what is seen through the window with a touch of colour added by the last lemon clinging to the lemon tree. As it is still early and everything sleeps, silence plays a sublime melody which you want to enjoy.

Slowly, and without warning, brick is being painted by drops of water, here and there. The sound of falling rain interrupts the silence and creates that desire for cosiness in the cushions of the sofa, while the rain lines the floor outside, and we get lost in our daydreams. It's Saturday. Could there be more perfect day for this scenario?

Opening the window just to feel that cold autumn that you’re already craving for brings forth the freshness of the day and presents us with the smell of wet earth. And even though it rains, and even with raindrops touching our skin, and even with those litters of autumnal chills, we close our eyes to feel the intensity of that ephemeral moment. It's a balm.

The hours go by. A Saturday like this is synonymous with laziness. What are the side effects of happiness, after all? 

The passage from the sofa to the kitchen countertop looks for inspiration in the oven, in search of that comfort that warms the body and rejoices the stomach while savouring a cup of coffee from A Brasileira do Chiado. The cold, crystal-clear rain that continues to fall draws in the mind a river of fresh, deep water with strong currents and a gravel bed. It emerges from the depths of these waters that trout, with its tender flesh and mild taste, will be the star of the moment. Opening a can of smoked trout with olive oil from Comur to the satisfaction of those who have most of the work done also opens a smile of contentment. 

A clove of garlic peeled and sliced, four Brazil nuts roughly crushed with two crusts of bread and a generous drizzle of olive oil look for the contrast they lack. The window brings the answer: the hardy lemon has met its fate. 

And on the oven paper that the oven so loves, two smoked trout fillets rise in the combination of the crust of Brazil nuts, bread, garlic, olive oil and lemon that overlaps them. A tiny pinch of salt and a speck of black pepper finish off this piece of happiness as the rain continues to fall outside, no longer with the silence of the morning nor the lemon’s touch colour but with an equally delicious melody.
Rainy days offer many charms for those who can see the sun beyond the grey clouds. Have you noticed how everything seems to smile after a shower of cool morning rain?