[Genteven - Solo] Pondering future prospects over chowder
Posted: Sat Aug 13, 2022 11:07 pm
53rd of Searing, 4622
Take a moment to decide on what to make for tonight's meal. Jared felt a little bit perplexed as usual. Inspiration from his evening outs during his search for potential marks would often give him some concept to play with, like the docks of Genteven would inspire the thief to cook something about seafood or the local marketplace with its large variety of seasonal goods, colours and aromas.
"Should I make something a bit more fancy or basic? Could make ratatouille, simple to do & lots of vegetables in season. A confit byaldi would make it look more appealing, but the work will be a bit more intense…
Possibly Fabes con Almejas, mainly composed of tiny clams, beans, onions and various seasonings, might insult Alistair since it is considered peasant fare.
Maybe, Cacciucco; merely a seafood-based stew which is simple to do and lots of fish to playing with as well, too many recipes to decide on…."
The black-haired thief lets out an audible sigh as his mind eludes him from making a decision. With a bit of experience under his belt, you would think that a semi-experienced cook would be able to make something, but there are times when ideas merely fall flat.
In essence, Jared wanted to try something a bit odd and challenging as he felt he garnered enough practice to try and develop his signature dish, but what area in cooking would he want to make a signature out of? Stews, soups, baked goods, hell, and even roast would all be interesting.
"Well… I can come up with an idea later, and I just need to make something for the table. I guess I can make a risotto & maybe a chestnut pie if I have the time; the good question is, where did I put the rice…."
Jared takes a moment to sift through the various cabinets and check through all the necessary staples that a typical serf and commoner have, such as flours of common grain such as stone-milled emmer, milk, butter & oils; Root vegetables and fruits are plentiful for the time being as well.
More luxury food staples like sugar, honey & spices are scarce in the first place. Meats in terms of red & white meats haven't experienced any decline as of late either but still would be on the expensive side of things.
Considering that the average peasantry meal would consist of vegetables, starches and legumes, it is no wonder why Jared would prefer to avoid eating the same sloppy food that he once consumed as a child. Yet, it does bring a lot of fleeting memories of both good & bad.
"Okay, let's make some chowder. Have to make something hearty and delicious… Also, lazy to come up with something more elaborate and time-consuming…."
Jared couldn't help but laugh underneath his face cloth as it was confirmed that there were days that the thief didn't want to do anything but rest, But as the saying goes, 'there is no rest for the wicked.
"Chowders are simple to make; just need some shellfish or fish, milk or cream & a broth base to work with, and that should be it! I have also made many hardtacks in the past, so that is a bonus."
Jared excitingly mutters to himself as his stomach grumbles for a moment. Unfortunately, being an active thief does drain one's energy reserves, and bits of patience net its reward.
The first thing to do was make the easy claw juice. The premise of making clam juice was to add salty, mildly fishy & shell flavours into the Chowder by simmering live clams in a pot before filtering to make fresh clam juice.
This method of cooking clams is another way of screening the difference between live clams that are safe to eat and dead clams that could risk food poisoning based on whether the shell could open naturally from the cooking process.
Bringing a pot of water filled with clams, the amber-eyed thief takes a moment to set the heating apparatus and waits for the water to reach a roiling boil before covering the iron pot with a lid, moving the pot away from the direct flame to simmer over the next few minutes.
In the meantime, Jared spent much of his time washing the vegetables for the next step in preparing the clam chowder, which was making the broth.
"Vegetable or cream…. Hard to decide on which base I should make…. Indecisive as always, Jared…. It wouldn’t be a chowder without the cream, though…."
The young Alistian male sighs as the broth base would heavily dictate what direction the flavour & texture would go. Something more viscous & creamy or something more lightweight. After moments of pondering, the Nightfallen mage decides that a simple meal with minimal preparations would be best for the time being.
Preparing all of his root vegetables, herbs and spices; only takes a couple of minutes as it was better to keep the skin of certain vegetables such as potatoes & carrots since it would retain additional nutrition & fibre for longer-lasting satiety.
Jared would add to the clam broth some diced brown onions, thinly sliced leeks & minced garlic to add an alliaceous & mildly green note that lingers through the initial taste. In addition, small quantities of herbs such as thyme & parsley give the dish a slightly earthy, herbaceous & citrus note. Lastly, a bit of salt & cracked pepper enhances the overall experience of the flavour of the clam broth.
But before he could add his raw materials into the broth, the thief would need to further the development of flavours & suppressing certain off-notes with a fair amount of cooking. So, taking the alliaceous components into a small pan, the amber-eyed thief adds a generous amount of butter before sauteing them to reduce the sulphurous notes & replacing them with fatty, buttery notes.
The sauteing would be complete when the scallions, onions & garlic bits turn translucent, indicating that all the flavours have leaked out into the pan & infused themselves into the melted butter. After sauteing the vegetables, Jared would then add his thyme, allowing it to infuse for about a minute to impart its fragrant qualities before adding a few tablespoons of milled maslin flour to assist in thickening the chowder & add some toasted cereal notes into the clam chowder.
From this point on, it was all about assembling the finished product, which mostly meant adding the clam juice, cream, herbs & vegetables into the large soup pot & allowing the meal to reach a boil before reducing it back down to a simmer to cook the raw, solid vegetables gently.
Once the chowder was assembled, Jared would make his way over to the cooked clams. The Alistian scoundrel would briefly inspect the clams that didn’t have their shells open during the simmering as they needed to be discarded due to the potential risk of consuming decomposing flesh. It would not be appetising, nor would it be appetising it be wise to risk food poisoning.
Following the culling, all that would remain were the clams with their shells open, allowing direct access to the flesh—a special reward for those who patiently waited for the cooking process to end. The shellfish flesh didn’t require much seasoning, as much of the flavour would be present in the chowder itself. Instead, the meat would act as an additional way of filling satiety & texture whilst also providing a different aspect regarding the nutritional portion.
Nonetheless, the simmering process of the clam chowder would take between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how tender the apprentice cook would like his root vegetables to be. Besides that, Jared would merely wait, humming lightly to himself as he waited for his meal.
During his minor hymn as thief begins to clean up the various equipment & utensils that was used in the preparations of the chowder, from scrubbing the pots to wiping the knives with soapy water & a dried cloth.
“Today is a good start, something light yet hearty. Although a little bit complicated at the beginning, in the end, it seems like everything has come together.”
Jared smiles; he scoops up a bowl of clam chowder for himself before extinguishing the fire from the hearth, allowing the chowder to remain hot for an extended period. In the meanwhile, the fruits of his labour.
Sitting at the dining table, Jared starts eating his clam chowder with some stale maslin bread. The thief ponders for a moment to figure out what he wants to do for the remaining week ahead. Training? Seeking additional marks or exploring more of Genteven; Many decisions that Jared would need to consider as the amber-eyed thief needs to train his skill sets further to avoid getting killed in an unfortunate world.
"Should I make something a bit more fancy or basic? Could make ratatouille, simple to do & lots of vegetables in season. A confit byaldi would make it look more appealing, but the work will be a bit more intense…
Possibly Fabes con Almejas, mainly composed of tiny clams, beans, onions and various seasonings, might insult Alistair since it is considered peasant fare.
Maybe, Cacciucco; merely a seafood-based stew which is simple to do and lots of fish to playing with as well, too many recipes to decide on…."
The black-haired thief lets out an audible sigh as his mind eludes him from making a decision. With a bit of experience under his belt, you would think that a semi-experienced cook would be able to make something, but there are times when ideas merely fall flat.
In essence, Jared wanted to try something a bit odd and challenging as he felt he garnered enough practice to try and develop his signature dish, but what area in cooking would he want to make a signature out of? Stews, soups, baked goods, hell, and even roast would all be interesting.
"Well… I can come up with an idea later, and I just need to make something for the table. I guess I can make a risotto & maybe a chestnut pie if I have the time; the good question is, where did I put the rice…."
Jared takes a moment to sift through the various cabinets and check through all the necessary staples that a typical serf and commoner have, such as flours of common grain such as stone-milled emmer, milk, butter & oils; Root vegetables and fruits are plentiful for the time being as well.
More luxury food staples like sugar, honey & spices are scarce in the first place. Meats in terms of red & white meats haven't experienced any decline as of late either but still would be on the expensive side of things.
Considering that the average peasantry meal would consist of vegetables, starches and legumes, it is no wonder why Jared would prefer to avoid eating the same sloppy food that he once consumed as a child. Yet, it does bring a lot of fleeting memories of both good & bad.
"Okay, let's make some chowder. Have to make something hearty and delicious… Also, lazy to come up with something more elaborate and time-consuming…."
Jared couldn't help but laugh underneath his face cloth as it was confirmed that there were days that the thief didn't want to do anything but rest, But as the saying goes, 'there is no rest for the wicked.
"Chowders are simple to make; just need some shellfish or fish, milk or cream & a broth base to work with, and that should be it! I have also made many hardtacks in the past, so that is a bonus."
Jared excitingly mutters to himself as his stomach grumbles for a moment. Unfortunately, being an active thief does drain one's energy reserves, and bits of patience net its reward.
The first thing to do was make the easy claw juice. The premise of making clam juice was to add salty, mildly fishy & shell flavours into the Chowder by simmering live clams in a pot before filtering to make fresh clam juice.
This method of cooking clams is another way of screening the difference between live clams that are safe to eat and dead clams that could risk food poisoning based on whether the shell could open naturally from the cooking process.
Bringing a pot of water filled with clams, the amber-eyed thief takes a moment to set the heating apparatus and waits for the water to reach a roiling boil before covering the iron pot with a lid, moving the pot away from the direct flame to simmer over the next few minutes.
In the meantime, Jared spent much of his time washing the vegetables for the next step in preparing the clam chowder, which was making the broth.
"Vegetable or cream…. Hard to decide on which base I should make…. Indecisive as always, Jared…. It wouldn’t be a chowder without the cream, though…."
The young Alistian male sighs as the broth base would heavily dictate what direction the flavour & texture would go. Something more viscous & creamy or something more lightweight. After moments of pondering, the Nightfallen mage decides that a simple meal with minimal preparations would be best for the time being.
Preparing all of his root vegetables, herbs and spices; only takes a couple of minutes as it was better to keep the skin of certain vegetables such as potatoes & carrots since it would retain additional nutrition & fibre for longer-lasting satiety.
Jared would add to the clam broth some diced brown onions, thinly sliced leeks & minced garlic to add an alliaceous & mildly green note that lingers through the initial taste. In addition, small quantities of herbs such as thyme & parsley give the dish a slightly earthy, herbaceous & citrus note. Lastly, a bit of salt & cracked pepper enhances the overall experience of the flavour of the clam broth.
But before he could add his raw materials into the broth, the thief would need to further the development of flavours & suppressing certain off-notes with a fair amount of cooking. So, taking the alliaceous components into a small pan, the amber-eyed thief adds a generous amount of butter before sauteing them to reduce the sulphurous notes & replacing them with fatty, buttery notes.
The sauteing would be complete when the scallions, onions & garlic bits turn translucent, indicating that all the flavours have leaked out into the pan & infused themselves into the melted butter. After sauteing the vegetables, Jared would then add his thyme, allowing it to infuse for about a minute to impart its fragrant qualities before adding a few tablespoons of milled maslin flour to assist in thickening the chowder & add some toasted cereal notes into the clam chowder.
From this point on, it was all about assembling the finished product, which mostly meant adding the clam juice, cream, herbs & vegetables into the large soup pot & allowing the meal to reach a boil before reducing it back down to a simmer to cook the raw, solid vegetables gently.
Once the chowder was assembled, Jared would make his way over to the cooked clams. The Alistian scoundrel would briefly inspect the clams that didn’t have their shells open during the simmering as they needed to be discarded due to the potential risk of consuming decomposing flesh. It would not be appetising, nor would it be appetising it be wise to risk food poisoning.
Following the culling, all that would remain were the clams with their shells open, allowing direct access to the flesh—a special reward for those who patiently waited for the cooking process to end. The shellfish flesh didn’t require much seasoning, as much of the flavour would be present in the chowder itself. Instead, the meat would act as an additional way of filling satiety & texture whilst also providing a different aspect regarding the nutritional portion.
Nonetheless, the simmering process of the clam chowder would take between 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how tender the apprentice cook would like his root vegetables to be. Besides that, Jared would merely wait, humming lightly to himself as he waited for his meal.
During his minor hymn as thief begins to clean up the various equipment & utensils that was used in the preparations of the chowder, from scrubbing the pots to wiping the knives with soapy water & a dried cloth.
“Today is a good start, something light yet hearty. Although a little bit complicated at the beginning, in the end, it seems like everything has come together.”
Jared smiles; he scoops up a bowl of clam chowder for himself before extinguishing the fire from the hearth, allowing the chowder to remain hot for an extended period. In the meanwhile, the fruits of his labour.
Sitting at the dining table, Jared starts eating his clam chowder with some stale maslin bread. The thief ponders for a moment to figure out what he wants to do for the remaining week ahead. Training? Seeking additional marks or exploring more of Genteven; Many decisions that Jared would need to consider as the amber-eyed thief needs to train his skill sets further to avoid getting killed in an unfortunate world.
