NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
Catherine was as puzzled as the slaughterhouse workers when she saw the meat that Karem and Mary brought back after going out.
“Pork…belly? Of all things, that’s what we got when there’s so little meat?”
“I’ll bet you, the belly is the tastiest part of the pig!”
“Hmm, I can’t quite piece it together… Ah. Are you planning to make that bacon we talked about last time?”
The chowder that was made with a generous amount of fish and shellfish was already delicious on its own to Catherine.
But Karem had said that it would be even tastier if crispy, crumbled bacon made from pork belly was sprinkled on top.
And before Karem could object, Catherine shook her head.
“No way, even you would take forever to make bacon.”
“If you’re so curious, you could come and… well, maybe not.”
Karem looked at Catherine’s hands.
Wasn’t it said that the flower orbs used for the festival needed to be processed one by one with magic to lessen the damage?
It seemed like she had been tinkering with them all night for several days.
Karem looked at Catherine, as if asking, “Still?”
She was engraving metaphysical shapes on the flower orbs with her hands, adorned with white gloves imbued with protection magic, shaking her head as if incredulous.
“Do you know how much of this 5-crown rubbish is needed for one firework show?”
“Uh, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never… seen fireworks.”
In that instant, she almost blurted out that she had seen them in a past life, but perhaps Catherine interpreted it differently as she nodded.
“True, even ordinary nobles spend heaps on fireworks. And repetitive tasks are painfully boring.”
“Pardon?”
“Since it’s boring, I’ll just watch what you’re preparing.”
“Uh… Fireworks are dangerous materials if they get too close to fire, right?”
“Don’t worry about a thing.”
As glowing shapes floated around, attaching to and falling off the flower orbs, Catherine immediately grabbed one.
“The stabilization work before the explosion has been completed ages ago, and now it’s the post-explosion stabilization phase. So hurry up and entertain me.”
“I’m feeling uneasy…”
“Oh, how outrageous! Not trusting your employer. What a rude young lady.”
At that moment, Mary interjected.
“Karem, junior.”
“Yes?”
“So how long do I have to keep holding this chunk of meat?”
“Oh. Let’s hurry to the kitchen.”
*
*
*
In the end, Catherine followed them right to the kitchen.
She occupied a whole corner where Karem was working, curious about what he was doing, with the flower orbs in tow.
She often peeked into the kitchen during her spare time, but today, perhaps because of the items in her hands, Karem found himself more perturbed by her presence.
The more he tried to ignore her, the more she waved her hand, telling him not to pay attention.
But that wasn’t possible.
Karem made an effort to overlook her and lit the fire in the oven, then focused on the pork belly.
The belly had less fat than the pork belly Karem was used to.
Thanks to that, he didn’t need to remove excess fat.
The skin felt slick and well-prepared, as if the butchers had thoroughly removed all the hair.
Moreover, it seemed that due to the cold and dry weather prior to its handling, the meat had lost just the right amount of moisture, making it perfectly suited for processing and cooking.
Porchetta.
It was a dish where seasoned pork belly is rolled up with stuffing and roasted until the skin is crispy—a sort of variant on roasting whole.
Though smaller in size compared to a whole roast, the smaller scale made it very challenging to ensure that the inside cooked well while the outside was crispy.
If it was roasted for too long, the outside would burn entirely.
If the roasting time was reduced, the inside would be undercooked.
In modern times, slightly undercooked pork wouldn’t cause any issues.
People commonly said it had to be thoroughly cooked due to parasites, but that was a tale from the past.
With modern livestock being raised on feed.
But here, it was a different story.
Who knew what the pigs might have eaten?
To safeguard against any unexpected situations, it had to be thoroughly cooked.
“So, when are you starting?”
“Could you keep it down? I’m trying to concentrate here.”
“What do you think I came here for? Hurry up and entertain me.”
“I’m actually just about to start.”
Karem reviewed the recipe lodged in his mind and cut the pork belly into usable portions.
He quickly made shallow cuts in the skin and sliced it wide.
Seeing him seemingly separating fat from meat, Mary inquired,
“Karem, junior.”
“Yes?”
“After all this trouble to bring the belly, are you just using the fat?”
“No, I’ll be stuffing it before rolling it up.”
At those words, Catherine finally grasped what Karem intended to cook.
A dish stuffed and roasted.
Karem had a variety of rolls from ancient times to modern, using not just pork, but also rabbit, poultry, fish, and an array of meats.
In the Kingdom of Seophone, stuffing was usually done with pies and whole roasts, but looking to other countries, there were similar dishes, though not as common.
Catherine frowned, faint memories of the past surfacing.
“Right, I think I’ve had something similar in Servianus.”
“Are you saying it was like what you’re doing with pork now?”
“Exactly. Rabbit or monster meat. They had pork, too. Back then, it was fillets they used. This will be my first time using pork belly.”
“I’ll bet this will taste better.”
After finishing the preparation for the pork, Karem immediately started crushing and chopping the ingredients for the stuffing.
In his past life, he had added bread to bulking up the filling.
But in this environment, he didn’t need to worry about the ingredients.
He just needed to ensure the pig’s smell was well taken care of.
He chopped a hefty portion of fresh parsley, pepper, salt, and an astonishing amount of garlic that would shock even a Korean.
Dozens of garlic cloves were crushed simultaneously.
As the pungent, spicy aroma invaded the kitchen, Catherine was caught off guard.
“Ugh! No, wait a minute. You’re putting that much garlic in?”
“Yeah? This is how you ensure the smell is completely eliminated.”
“Still, isn’t this a bit excessive? It’s pungent even here!”
“Ah, it will be fine when it’s fried in pork fat and soaked in juicy goodness while roasting in the oven. Probably?”
“Ugh, ‘probably’?! You’re not even sure!”
“Anyway, this way is the best for controlling the smell.”
With Karem’s impudent response mixed with the sharp, pungent garlic scent filling the kitchen, Catherine absentmindedly dropped her magic and pressed a handkerchief Mary handed her against her nose.
Magic requires focus; it’s a delicate craft.
If the smell disrupted her concentration, it could lead to disastrous consequences, which was unavoidable.
Throughout the ruckus, Karem treated spices like ordinary vegetables…
But with garlic, Karem couldn’t afford to compromise.
This was an instinct that continued from his past life.
Moreover, unlike modern pigs, medieval pigs could have eaten anything.
The strong smell was only natural, and he needed this amount to deal with it.
As the mixture began to incorporate, the garlic aroma intensified even further.
Catherine and Mary felt their heads spin.
All this time, Karem had often added heaps of garlic in his cooking.
But the amount and scent before him were on a different level.
Yet whether or not the two could empathize with a vampire didn’t concern Karem; he focused on the pork in front of him.
He spread the pork belly skin-side up and placed the stuffing evenly on top.
Carefully rolled it up, fixing its shape with unbleached thread.
Finally, with a generous amount of salt applied to dry out the moisture, the fresh porchetta went straight into the scorching hot oven.
*
*
*
Time flew by, and before he knew it, it was lunchtime.
Over the course of several hours, Karem had crouched, not taking his eyes off the oven.
Catherine yawned, struggling to stay awake at that monotonous sight.
“Mary. How much time has passed?”
“Feels like we’ve gone past two or three hours. Contractor. Lunchtime is soon.”
“When will this be done? I swear, if the result is disappointing…”
Catherine muttered.
Karem hadn’t stayed completely still for those long hours.
With his head practically buried in the oven, Karem moved frantically.
He would flip the porchetta to check its status, adjust its position, coat it with the grease and juices that had dripped onto the tray underneath, and keep replenishing moisture by basting it with the juices before returning it to the oven.
He repeated that same process at regular intervals.
Thanks to that, he didn’t have time to prepare snacks for Catherine.
If only there were a timer to count the seconds.
Failing at temperature control could immediately mean undercooked inside or burnt outside, so he had no choice.
The intensity of his focus painted a picture vivid enough to remind one of watching a dwarven blacksmith wielding weapons in the heat of a forge.
And finally, after opening the oven once more, Karem stood at last.
“Phew. Feels like my eyes are going to fall out.”
“Kid. Is it finally over?”
“Yep. This is the best I can do right now.”
The result was on a tray held in both hands.
The skin surrounding the porchetta looked crispier, featuring a rich brown color speckled with bubbles, even more so than a well-roasted pig.
As he pulled out the skewer that had held the porchetta together, juices trickled out, wafting the savory aroma of pork fat through the air.
As Mary said, lunchtime was nearing.
Karem immediately went to cut a piece of porchetta and set it down in front of Catherine, who had already taken a seat at the table.
As Catherine pushed aside the flower orbs basket, Mary hastily fetched tableware.
[CRACK!]
A crispy sensation rang out from the knife against his hands and arms, echoing in his head.
Mary trembled for an instant.
A momentary smile appeared on her usually expressionless face.
But Mary quickly regained her composure.
One couldn’t afford to show such behavior in front of the contractor.
Of course, she had already known it too well, but dismissing the small details, Mary quickly brought a small piece of porchetta to Catherine’s mouth.
Catherine hesitated for a moment due to the overwhelming amount of garlic mixed into the stuffing earlier.
Fortunately, as the garlic odor was faint, she relaxed and took a bite.
[CRUNCH!]
Even in her mouth, the delectable crunch resounded throughout the kitchen!
With dozens of garlic cloves in it, the dish had none of that piggy smell.
The savory, juicy, oily aromas typical of pork filled her senses.
What could have been overly rich was balanced perfectly by the parsley, garlic, and pepper that had gone into the stuffing, allowing her to enjoy the laden meat.
[CRACK! CRUNCH! CRUNCH! CRUNCH!]
Above all, the overwhelming crunch continued though she chewed, bringing joy to her teeth and ears.
Catherine’s previous grumpy demeanor vanished completely.
When she had emptied half her plate, Karem suddenly realized.
“I forgot the sauce.”
“What? Sauce?”
“Yeah, I was thinking of two options, actually.”
Karem tapped the tray that had been under the porchetta.
“One is a savory gravy made from this juice and fat base, and the other is a sweet and sour sauce based on apple jam and balsamic vinegar—”
“Can’t you bring it out right now?!”