Putting Aside Nationalistic Bias, It’s Really Delicious

24 – The Bone Marrow and Cabbage Soup (2)

Simmering.

Haimer watched the boiling pot in the kitchen of the Knight’s restaurant with his fellow knight, Hamilton, who was also guarding the domain.

“So we’re boiling these beef bones and serving it to the lord, right?”

Hamilton mumbled as he watched the boiling pot.

A comrade who, like himself, had been training as a knight under Lancelot and had just become a knight after three years – a rookie knight.

Like Haimer, he still had a long way to go in terms of skill and was the most mischievous friend among the knights in the domain.

“But even if we boil the beef bones, won’t we only get the sauce?”

“That’s right.”

Haimer nodded at Hamilton’s words.

“Then, I wonder what kind of sauce Duke Lucas is making?”

Hamilton’s voice was filled with anticipation.

Having tasted several of the dishes Lucas had made, he was eagerly awaiting Lucas’s near-miraculous cooking skills.

“He said it’s not a sauce.”

“It’s not a sauce?”

“Right. He said the broth made from boiling the bones is the dish.”

“Did you hear what kind of seasoning they put in?”

Hamilton approached Heimer as if he wanted to hear a forbidden secret.

If it’s a dish that pleases His Lordship, it would certainly be both tasty and beneficial to one’s energy, right?

He was looking forward to finding out what kind of seasonings, sauces, and ingredients would be added.

“He said they don’t put anything in it.”

Heimer shattered his expectations in one fell swoop.

“Nothing?”

“Yes. He said that the completed broth alone is the dish.”

“Hey, come on, don’t lie. How can a broth made from bones be a dish?”

There were several dishes in the empire made by boiling bones.

But that was for making the stock.

He had seen bone broth used to make brown sauce or used as stock for various soups and stews.

But a dish made only by boiling bones?

He had never heard or seen such a thing before.

“Are you questioning Lucas’s abilities?”

“It’s not that…. But honestly, it doesn’t make sense. No matter how skilled Lucas is, how can a dish be completed by simply boiling bones?”

“He has already made an unbelievable dish. Did you ever imagine that bullfighting would become so tender?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Although he said this, it was also true that Heimer found it hard to believe.

It was called bone soup.

It’s not that he doubted Lucas, but it was just that he couldn’t understand that a dish could be completed by simply boiling bones.

The sound of bones boiling continued to bubble away.

The broth with the bones began to boil fiercely, gradually reducing in volume.

At first, a peculiar smell filled the kitchen, making one wonder what it was.

The smell of melting fat was definitely there, but it was hard to say.

It felt like fat mixed with water?

That’s how it was at first.

The smell was somewhat faint, if you will.

It didn’t give off the feeling that it would be delicious.

However, as the time passed and the white broth began to froth up, Haimer’s thoughts changed.

“The smell is quite intriguing.”

How should I describe the scent rising from the broth? Perhaps like a cradle that gently wraps you?

It also smelled like milk and even had an unfathomable depth of flavor.

It was nice.

The smell was incredibly pleasant.

He was drawn to the pot as if entranced.

Haimer absentmindedly stared at the bubbling and frothy broth.

The visuals were oddly captivating.

“I feel like Miss Liana’s skin had this sort of color.”

Ahem.

Maybe because it was evening, an inappropriate thought crossed his mind.

Indeed, as a knight, one must control his desires.

Haimer continued to watch the simmering bone soup, occasionally slapping his cheek as a reminder.

“But can I have a taste? I’m curious about the flavor. They say bull bones are great for vitality. Would I really get a sudden surge of energy if I eat it?”

And there was one more person who was lured to the broth like Haimer.

Hamilton.

He too stared intently at the broth with Haimer and spoke.

A look of longing to eat quickly blazed in his eyes.

Haimer used a ladle to skim the rising oil, just as Lucas had told him.

“Lucas said not to eat it yet. It won’t taste good if eaten before properly completed.”

“Really? Hmm… I wonder what secret lies in that broth?”

“It’s better not to be curious. It would be a big problem if we make a mistake and the taste changes.”

Heimer dissuaded Hamilton.

“Sigh, it seems like there must be some incredible secret hidden in it.”

The two smelled the soft fragrance wrapping around their noses as they looked at the bubbling broth.

Heimer, too, was admittedly filled with anticipation.

Lucas had demonstrated his unique knightly skills through various dishes, such as pork cutlet, bulgogi, and dishes involving bullfighting.

What would this taste like?

What message lies within this broth?

What knightly secret is hidden in this entirely different-from-ordinary broth?

Would this not be his teaching, too?

As the broth simmered down, they began to feel the creamy aroma of the fat that had filled the kitchen at first grow even stronger.

‘This is…’

Heimer narrowed his brows and got lost in deep thought.

The bone broth, which continued to reduce and bring out its essence as it boiled.

The amount of broth was gradually decreasing as it became more concentrated.

The aroma of the thickening broth tickled their noses pleasantly with its reduction.

‘Is it about emptying the broth slowly over a long time? Does it mean that the quintessence of a knight deepens gradually as it does?’

Heimer felt refreshed in his head.

It was a moment of another realization.

However, that didn’t mean he had completely understood the bone broth yet.

Even after continuously smelling the aroma, he couldn’t even guess what it would taste like.

‘I’ll do what I can.’

He wasn’t a versatile knight like Lucas, proficient in both swordsmanship and cooking.

All he could do was wait for the broth, as Lucas had said, to simmer down.

Having skimmed off enough fat, Lucas returned to his seat and sat up straight.

He closed his eyes and entered meditation, quietly watching the bone broth gradually thicken.

He would make this realization his own before it slipped away.

Haimer was diligently accepting Lucas’s teachings.

And when he opened his eyes again:

“…Hamilton, what is going on?”

“That’s what I’m talking about. Haha! The broth has reduced so much. I definitely didn’t eat it, did I? It’s absolutely not the case that I sneaked a taste because I heard it was good for vitality, right? Kueek.”

From Hamilton’s belch, a smell like the fat and milk of the cow they had smelled earlier wafted out.

“You really…”

The bone broth was almost gone, the bottom nearly exposed.

“I only ate one bowl. Seriously! Kueeerk! Three, three bowls, maybe…”

This was a disaster.

What should he do?

***

Urgently roused by Haimer’s words, I hurried back to the dining hall. There, Haimer’s fellow knight Hamilton was kneeling with his hands raised high.

And hanging around his neck was a sign that said:

“I apologize. I am a foolish knight with no self-control. Unable to resist the fact that bull bone is good for vitality, I ate the soup. As a punishment, I will undergo 12 hours of special training.”

Beside Hamilton, Haimer bowed his head.

“Sir Lucas, I apologize. I could not stop it because it happened while I was in meditation.”

“Eh? Hamilton, did you eat that?”

“I’m sorry.”

“No matter how good it is for vitality, that’s too much. You ate it all…”

With an expression of shame, Hamilton hung his head.

I glanced at the bone broth for a moment.

The remaining amount was less than expected, but it wasn’t completely gone.

It seemed that he couldn’t resist the smell while it was boiling and had about three bowls.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t eat it with Haimer.”

“I don’t engage in such dishonorable actions as stealing other people’s food!”

Haimer exclaimed indignantly.

Hamilton’s head sank lower and lower.

“Do you have a use for it?”

“…Yes.”

“Ah.”

Damn it.

That’s a bit enviable.

“But how was the taste?”

“At first, it was a bit bland, but as it reduced, it became a bit greasy and oily.”

“Was it only slightly greasy?”

“Uh, no. It seemed to be good enough to eat.”

“Really? It must have been extremely oily and tasteless because it lacked seasoning.”

Hamilton didn’t deny it and just closed his mouth.

The bone broth that wasn’t completely degreased was so greasy that it was hard to eat.

It made sense since all the fat from the meat attached to the bones melted, resulting in a considerable amount of fat in the soup.

Even if the floating grease was removed while boiling the broth, it was difficult to remove all the fat that remained in the soup entirely.

Thus, only after scooping out the prepared broth and removing the additional fat would the dish be complete.

Since he ate it without removing the fat, it must have been extremely greasy.

He probably still feels the taste of oil in his mouth even now.

By now, he must have forgotten about the taste of the charcoal-grilled meat he had earlier.

He must have eaten it just because of the reputed health benefits.

“Thankfully, it still tasted good.”

“…”

“The second or third batch of soup tastes better than the first because most of the fat is removed. But if the first batch tastes good even without removing the fat, you don’t need to try the others.”

Hamilton, who had nothing more to say, closed his eyes tightly.

I strained the remaining beef bone soup into a smaller pot.

“Now we will either place this in the refrigerator or chill it, to remove the solidified fat.”

It was an essential condition to enjoy a clean and delicious beef bone soup.

Even if you continue to remove the grease while boiling the bone soup, some grease remains in the soup.

You can remove it without cooling the soup, but it’s much more effective to do it this way, even if the dishwashing would be cumbersome since you still need to extract the stock from the bones while the soup cools.

If you don’t remove the fat in advance, it gets too greasy and easier to gain weight.

As Hamilton said.

I poured water over the remaining bones after the first extraction and lit the fire as before.

“What should we do?”

“We’ll take turns on duty. I need to keep watch too, to prevent accidents like this.”

Hamilton’s head hung lower and lower.

“I’m sorry to have shown such disgrace to you, Sir Lucas.”

Saddened by this, Haheimer modified the text on the tag he had hanging around Hamilton’s neck.

-“I apologize. I am a foolish knight without self-control. I couldn’t resist knowing that cooking the bone strength would improve my vigor, so I had the soup. For my punishment, I will endure 24 hours of intense training.”

The intense training had doubled from 12 hours to 24 hours.

“What is intense training?”

“It’s a hellish training devised by Lancelot, the head of our order. After only 6 hours, your whole body will tremble. But since you had the energy supplement, you’ll endure it well.”

That’s a bit much.

In reality, the first batch of beef bone soup isn’t that tasty.

The bones release a deeper flavor when boiled for the second or third time.

That’s why I didn’t worry too much about what Hamilton had eaten.

Having a girlfriend is something to be envious about, but that is beside the point.

The important thing is to preserve the integrity of the second and third broths for the best bone soup.

I didn’t bother to argue with Heimer’s punishment.

Of course, I didn’t say it was okay to quit either.

It was not out of envy for having a girlfriend.

“Then I’m counting on you. We must serve good food to the lord. If you could put up with a little more hardship for a while, I will prepare a special meal for you when it’s finished.”

Everyone nodded at that.

Anyway, they all go crazy for food.

I saw Hamilton’s eyes filled with hope and anticipation.

“Except for Sir Hamilton, who has already eaten.”

“Damn!”

I decided on the rotation.

It was necessary to have enough people for the third round of bone boiling and to make pork tail soup.

***

“So this is that bullfighting meat, you say?”

“Yes, it is.”

Lord Britten saw the omakase of bullfighting meat that his son, Henry, had brought.

One was a raw meat dish called a lump, and the other was said to be charcoal grilled, but they had grilled it on the fire range as there was no charcoal.

Lord Britten, who knew a lot about bullfighting meat, swallowed his saliva as he looked at the food that Lucas had served to Henry and the knights and soldiers.

Grilling it?

That tough meat?

But he couldn’t not eat what his son had brought, could he?

“Is it edible?”

“Yes, it is. It’s really delicious, so please give it a try.”

“…Alright.”

Eating raw meat.

Suspicious, but the Marquis picked up a piece of the lump of meat with his chopsticks.

“Uhm…”

In his 45 years of life, the Marquis had never once regretted his choices.

It wasn’t that his choices had always led to success.

But he was a person who believed that there were lessons to be learned even when a choice ended in failure.

It had always been that way.

He took pride in the fact that the Brittaw territory, which had nothing, was so peaceful because he had always lived with an attitude of learning.

But for the first time in his 45 years of life, he regretted it.

‘Why didn’t I say I wouldn’t eat it?’

It was that delicious.

He looked forward to the oxtail soup that Lucas would make for him tomorrow.

—-

★★★★★

It was more delicious than any meat he had eaten so far.

The taste of the raw meat with the lingering of the bullfight, and the charred charcoal-grilled meat, was an experience he had never felt before.

The chewy texture of the fresh raw meat and the savory juices that lingered heavily in his mouth were hard to explain in words.

A freshly caught cow tasted so good.

However, Chef Lucas warned that raw meat should never be eaten unless it is from a verified source.

Everyone should keep that in mind.

The charcoal-grilled meat was the best in my life.

I want to eat it again.

Recommended menu: Lump of meat, charcoal-grilled bullfight Omakase

Marquis Henry Britta, lord of the tiny Brittain territory

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