Chapter 84: Tedious Tasks
To cool down, I prepared candied rose petals.
In this world, it feels like the level of medicine oscillates between fantastical healing potions and mere superstition. If healing potions are effective, could this also work? Is the spirit juice the key?
“First, could you separate this like this? Right at the boundary with the white part,” I said, demonstrating with my knife as I sliced through.
The underground stems and roots of the Gold Coin Grass were pale, and since the extraction methods for the colored parts and the desired components differ, separating them is necessary. It’s a hassle, though. While I could still gather a decent amount without separating them, it would be less than a quarter of what I could get otherwise.
“Understood.”
“That’s quite a lot, isn’t it…?”
“Indeed, this is certainly tough for one person.”
The butler seemed taken aback, likely because he knew the price of the Gold Coin Grass, but I decided to let it slide.
“It becomes harder to cut when it wilts, but don’t worry about it wilting itself. Also, there are some snacks in that cabinet, so feel free to help yourself.”
Next to the usual table on the first floor, there were two baskets: one filled with Gold Coin Grass and the other empty. On the table, I had laid out a knife, a hand towel, and some tea. The fireplace was bubbling with hot water.
Ash and the butler began their work in silence. Hey, butler! Slow down! Don’t forget the purpose here! When I shot him a pointed look, he slowed down. They continued the task of cutting and separating the grass into the baskets.
My job was to shove the separated leaves into the distiller. The structure was such that heating from below caused the components to rise with the steam, cool at the top, and drip into a bottle, so I just had to make sure the fire didn’t go out.
Taking advantage of the cobblestone floor, I laid down a thin stone slab and arranged some bricks to create a small furnace for my work. Climbing up to the third floor was just too much trouble.
When I tried to join in the separating task, I was gently turned down since it was a request. So, I decided to check on the distiller while preparing snacks and lunch. I could read a book, but I felt a bit guilty about it.
Since I had beef yesterday, maybe I should go for fish today. For now, I kneaded some dough in the kitchen while pondering the menu. Even if I thought of a menu, sometimes the ingredients aren’t available, so I figured I’d go shopping while the dough rested.
Well, even if they weren’t available, I had some stock, so I could manage lunch for a while.
“I’m going to buy some lunch ingredients.”
“Ah.”
“Have a good trip.”
I called out to Ash and the butler while checking the fire in the distiller.
Ash was completely focused, not taking his eyes off his work. He looked scary, really scary.
“Hey, you two should take a break. There’s still more to do, and if you push too hard, you’ll get tired, you know?”
I could feel tension building in my shoulders.
“Let me make some tea.”
The butler stood up, wiping his hands with a cloth, and I stepped outside.
The market has more goods in the early morning, but it wasn’t completely sold out. Early mornings are when people who don’t cook at home grab breakfast from the stalls, and some vendors start selling as they switch shifts.
You’d see people eating breakfast here and then lining up to sell the fish they caught or rabbits they hunted. Now, where’s the fish I’m after—
“I’ll take three of these trout.”
The dark trout and the speckled rainbow trout were lined up. There were also salted and smoked options at other stalls, but today, I decided to make a meunière with these. They were still alive!
Carp, eel, catfish, crayfish. They’re a bit different from the eels back home, but the appraisal results showed that kabayaki was a popular dish, so maybe I should try making that? Though it might be a bit off without white rice…
Now, how about the vegetables?
As usual, there were turnips and root vegetables, and cabbage. The cabbages here come in round heads, but there are also some that are a bit crinkled and dark that don’t form heads. Both types of cabbage can be eaten from November until now, making them a staple during winter.
I decided to buy two heads of cabbage. No, let’s get five and make some sauerkraut. The season for it is ending soon, so I should do it while I can.
For the trout meunière, I could make a soup with bacon and cabbage. I’ll skip the black cabbage this time since it would ruin the soup’s color. Maybe I’ll make stuffed cabbage tomorrow—no, I’ll use the leftover bean soup for today.
I grabbed some assorted vegetables and mushrooms, finishing my shopping.
“I’m back!”
“Welcome back!”
“Welcome home.”
Ash was still focused, wearing a serious expression.
“You don’t need to be that strict.”
Seriously, it’s really okay if a little bit of the white part sticks to the leaves, you know?
“Understood.”
Ash replied with a half-hearted response.
I carried the groceries to the kitchen, then checked the distiller and added more firewood. The liquid dripping from the distiller separates into water and oil, so I’ll need to separate it once it collects enough, but it seemed like it still had a ways to go. I wondered if a structure that could cool it down more effectively would be better… Also, I could really use a separating funnel.
The firewood here was too large, so I used a hand axe to chop it down to size for the distiller. I made double what I used, finishing that task.
Returning to the kitchen, I washed my hands and started cooking. First, I added some salted pork to the bean soup I had prepared earlier and set it in the fireplace to warm.
For the meunière, fish is usually left to rest a bit after being killed before cooking. If you cook it right after catching it, the flesh tightens too much and can burst during cooking. But since this is truly fresh, I decided to use it as is.
I removed the gills and soaked the fish in milk to eliminate any odor. For now, I’d let it sit.
In the meantime, I divided the risen dough into portions, rolled them, and placed them in the oven. I moved some coals from the neighboring fireplace to adjust the heat. I added new firewood to the fireplace.
Back in the kitchen, I took out the trout, wiped off the milk, and seasoned it with salt and pepper. I dusted it lightly with flour and cooked it in plenty of butter for the meunière. Just kidding, I mixed in a bit of olive oil to keep it from being too rich. A squeeze of lemon to adjust the flavor.
By the way, lemons are a luxury here. It’s hard to cultivate them unless you’re in a warmer country like mine. Lemons and citrus fruits are symbols of wealth, often grown in private greenhouses by the rich and nobility.
In Narua Dhir, they grow wild, and people can’t even eat them all. It’s clear that the time it takes for goods to circulate has a significant impact on how climate affects food culture.
As a side dish, I prepared sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. I might have overcooked them a bit, so they didn’t look their best.
“Lunch is ready!”
The bread had also baked to perfection.
“The weather is nice, so let’s open up.”
The butler opened the large door, letting in the wind and light.
The room, which had been a bit pungent from cutting the Gold Coin Grass, felt refreshed, filled with the delightful aroma of freshly baked bread and the nutty scent of the trout meunière.