LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8
The time for a normal breakfast had passed, and it was now the perfect time for an early lunch in the forest.
The three of them were staring at the pot and frying pan filled with food, despite not fully digesting their breakfast yet.
The completed meatballs were still sizzling in the pot, barely avoiding burning, and were sticking to the bottom.
Next to the pot, the fried apples were caramelizing in butter over high heat, taking on a rich brown color from the sugar released by the apples themselves.
Though they had just had breakfast, Gordon wasted no time and began spearing the fried apples with his fork, then dipping it into the meatballs as if he hadn’t just eaten.
“Oh, the outside is crunchy. The texture when I poke it is definitely soft.”
“It looked low in fat, so I minced it, but I had to add more fat.”
Karem, who hadn’t tried it yet, nodded in agreement, satisfied with the obvious reaction.
Before cooking, the taste of the pure moss boar meat reminded Karem of the boar meat he had tasted in his past life, with its common traits of firm texture and low fat content typical of animals that move a lot.
Fortunately, the moss boar that Gordon had hunted had already started winter preparations, with yellow and white fat, even though it wasn’t autumn yet. Otherwise, they would have had to scrape fat from the skin with a knife.
In any case, Karem lost interest in Gordon, who was munching happily without any need for further explanation.
He could no longer bear the piercing gaze of Catherine, who was radiating hunger beside him.
With Gordon voraciously attacking the fried apples and meatballs, Karem quickly scooped some of their portions into a bowl. Even if his stomach was full, he had to at least taste it.
As the fried apples were added next to the still-steaming meatballs, Catherine’s sharp gaze softened with anticipation.
“Thank you for waiting, Sir Atanitas.”
“Ha, kiddo. If I had known this would happen, I might have skipped breakfast.”
“If I had this, I could have made something even tastier,” Karem sighed, having made cabbage rolls with salted ham due to lack of ingredients, which was merely a substitute and didn’t taste as good as he hoped.
“For now, I want to try just the pure meatballs.”
“Sure thing!”
No, if he’s going to complain about the substitutes, then what about the missing tomatoes? Groaning internally, Karem leaned toward Catherine with the meatballs.
And unable to hold back, Catherine shot her head forward like a cat ready to snag prey, looking incredibly graceful despite it not fitting her age.
As soon as she bit down on the coarse piece of meatball, she was momentarily shocked. The savory juices, filled with the distinct flavor of the meat, exploded in her mouth as she bit through the lightly fried outer layer.
There remained the signature firm texture of wild game, yet due to being finely minced, it was rather a delightful experience as the more she chewed, the deeper the flavor of the meat emerged.
Not wanting to miss even a single piece of meat, Katherine chewed enthusiastically, but eventually had to accept with a touch of regret.
After all, there were still plenty of meatballs left in the bowl Karem was holding.
Maintaining her dignity, Katherine immediately demanded from Karem, “Now, let’s have it with the fried apples.”
Without delay, Karem complied with her request and quickly tasted a piece while Katherine savored the new flavor spreading in her mouth.
Honestly, would just fried onions suffice? Shouldn’t garlic be added? Karem’s prior thoughts seemed foolish now.
The gamey smell from the meatballs had become pleasant enough to be considered a signature, and surprisingly, the stronger earthy aroma from the meat was increasingly refreshing, making each bite delightful.
Even eating fatty meat didn’t leave his mouth feeling greasy, making each bite feel like the best first taste.
Karem side-glanced at Catherine.
Fortunately, she was still relishing the flavor, so he quickly took a bite of the meatball with the fried apples, just as he had fed her.
“Hehe, hmm…”
They say truly delicious food brings out smiles, and Karem experienced that truth for the first time in a long while.
Some might frown at the thought of eating fruits with meat, but whether in the East or West, knowingly or not, we’ve always paired rice with fruit.
In Western cuisine, it was common for fruits to be included in sauces, and the same was true for the East. One could add pear paste to bulgogi seasoning, and when simmering curry, grated apple would often enhance the flavor. Even kimchi benefits from added fruits, making it richer, and there’s no reason to exclude them.
Ultimately, it’s just the danger of preconceived notions; if you break free from them, the path to gourmet food widens even more.
“It’s been a while since I had meatballs, but this is even more satisfying than the ones I used to eat.”
“By the way, you mentioned that meatballs existed in the ancient empire?”
“Yeah. It was a dish recreated from a restaurant in another country, decades ago.”
“A dish originating from the ancient empire.”
“The squirrel meatballs drizzled with grape sauce had their own charm, too. It seemed like a dish enjoyed by noble families.”
Karem, who had been listening thoughtlessly, suddenly widened his eyes at the ingredients of the meatballs.
“A squirrel? Really?” Karem’s incredulity was momentary as he managed to accept it.
Even ancient Rome regarded dormice as a delicacy, and recipes involving squirrels had been around since the Middle Ages in parts of Western Europe.
Of course, Karem had never eaten a squirrel himself, so he could only guess.
Gordon, who was also eating the meatballs, looked just as shocked as Karem.
“Wow, nobles ate squirrels, too?”
Well, in a different way. Gordon felt an unexpected kinship with those ancient nobles he had never known.
“Yeah, in the days of the ancient empire, cooking methods were simpler than nowadays, and they didn’t look down on things just because commoners ate them. They valued taste over rarity.”
“Hm, well, squirrels could be quite tasty, I suppose.”
“The flavor of squirrels, hard to even imagine…”
“Karem, you’re a serf but haven’t eaten squirrels? Didn’t you have forests around you?”
Karem, continuing to stab his food despite his grim expression, replied.
The answer was simple.
“All I was given by the two humans who birthed me was grain porridge mixed with wilted vegetables.”
So Karem had to escape the village to supplement his lacking protein, catching grasshoppers, crickets, or similar insects, and if lucky, roasting a rat.
Not that he necessarily wanted to, but Karem learned that rats taste somewhat like rabbits.
Gordon suddenly lost his appetite upon hearing Karem’s brief life story and finally put down his fork.
Of course, there weren’t many meatballs left in the pot.
“Ugh. I’m full. You can finish whatever’s left.”
“Huh? If you give it to me, I’ll gratefully accept it.”
As Karem quickly fed Catherine the meatballs, he turned to check the pot as soon as Gordon left the table.
“Kiddo, how many meatballs are left inside?”
“Hmm, not many.”
Karem brought the pot over to Catherine as if to invite her to see for herself.
As expected, golden-brown meatballs measuring about a third the size of an adult man’s fist clustered in the corner of the pot.
“I think that’s enough for me.”
“I’m starting to get full myself.”
“Then will you leave some for later?”
“Leaving food behind? Sir Atanitas, that can’t be done.”
Leaving food when full is akin to amateurism.
A true professional eater knows how to add new flavors to avoid getting tired of their meal.
Karem scooped the meatballs into a bowl and immediately set the pot on the campfire, pulling out barley bread from his backpack.
Sure enough, slicing the hardened bread accurately was tough, but with a little saw technique, he could manage.
Catherine finally discerned Karem’s intentions upon seeing the two pieces of barley bread.
“What are you doing? Planning to wedge the meatballs between those? They’ll be tough to eat as-is.”
“That’s the plan!”
Karem promptly set the barley bread onto the pot, which had become hot again, and when the bread touched the warm pot, a delightful aroma of toasted grains and melting butter began to fill the air.
“Toast! Right, I forgot about that. The juices from the butter and meatballs will sizzle and—”
“And amplify the crispiness and savoriness,” Catherine added.
Focusing on the intense sounds of sizzling from the pot, Karem carefully withdrew it as soon as he noticed a change in noise.
Fortunately, both slices of bread, now brown and crispy, were well-done with deliciously melted butter.
As the indirect heat turned the other side soft, Karem quickly topped one slice with the fried apples, then a meatball, and finished with Dane cheese.
As heat flowed from both sides, the Dane cheese began to melt, and Karem immediately pressed the other slice down on top.
The pressure from above and contact with the freshly toasted interior of the sandwich caused the meatball’s juices to flow out.
Those juices spread evenly, unable to escape due to the melted cheese, seeping into the dense bread nestled between the fried apples.
“Ta-da! Meatball sandwich!”
“Wow, I didn’t think of that with the meatballs I haven’t had in so long.”
“Meat naturally goes with bread.”
Catherine, who had been wearing a drowsy expression like a full cat, suddenly turned into a predator, her eyes gleaming with the hunger of a beast as she spotted Karem’s meatball sandwich.
Even if her stomach reset, it didn’t mean she truly was free of hunger.
Since she couldn’t possibly finish it all herself, Karem sliced the meatball sandwich diagonally and offered it to Catherine.
Crisp—
“Mmm, indeed. Why on earth hadn’t I known such a simple yet delicious recipe?”
“Maybe it’s a paradigm shift?”
The meatballs and relatively paste-like fried apples enveloped in a crispy toast infused with flavorful juices.
The anticipated taste harmonized perfectly in her mouth.
“Luckily, there’s nothing nearby—ah, ah! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“There are still meatballs and bread left, so come on.”
“Phew, this could lead to yet another endless cycle into my stomach.”
“Tsk, mercenary. You could have come a bit later.”
What seemed like a conclusion to their tasting session extended due to the sandwich.
The group began organizing their belongings and setting out again only after this second breakfast, which had initially started as a light tasting, concluded.