Chapter 72 – Croquettes and a Storm
Even though the sun had risen, it was still dim outside.
Rain poured from the sky, shrouded in dark clouds, and the wind howled fiercely.
The storm seemed to be hitting the deep part of the forest head-on, with the relentless sounds of wind and rain echoing around us. Even though I knew our house was safe, it was hard not to feel uneasy.
It was impossible to relax in this kind of weather. Even I, who was used to typhoons, couldn’t help but feel restless.
So, to distract ourselves, we decided to get started.
On preparing lunch—that is.
「Alright! Let the Croquette Festival begin!」
When I made this declaration in the living room, my family reacted in their own ways.
「Ooh…」
「Croquette festival…?」
Karen and Mint looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what was going on.
「Ara, that sounds fun.」
「Is this 『Croquette Festival』 a dish from your world?」
Mother and Grandma Seralinde smiled gently.
「Well, the 『festival』 part is more of an exaggeration to hype things up… The dish itself is called croquettes.」
「Uhh! Grandma, croquettes, never eat?」
「It’s the first time I’ve heard of it. Maybe there’s something similar here.」
Mint leaned against Grandma’s legs as she sat on the sofa. Grandma tilted her head thoughtfully while patting Mint’s head.
Seeing the tension ease among everyone, I continued.
「I haven’t been to any restaurants in the royal capital, but I doubt they have something exactly like this.」
Croquettes are said to have originated in Japan, but their inspiration comes from the French 『croquette』, which has been around for a long time. So, it’s possible that something similar exists in this world.
However, the specific dish we call croquettes—unless a past Japanese transmigrator introduced it—probably doesn’t exist here.
「Since we’re doing this, I thought we’d make a lot, like it’s a festival. Not just for lunch, but dinner too—so everyone, be prepared for a croquette feast.」
With that, I headed to the kitchen and started pulling out ingredients from the fridge and cupboards.
Round potatoes, onions, beef, and pork.
Various seasonings, flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs.
Tomatoes, apples, and other ingredients for the sauce.
And of course, plenty of leafy greens—cabbage—for the side dish.
「Bark! Bark!」
「Oh, your food isn’t here.」
「Fuss…」
As I rummaged around the kitchen, Chocola came over, curious and playful. Judging by the way he was sniffing, maybe he thought he’d get a treat?
「Not yet. I’ll give you a big piece of meat later, so be patient.」
「Kyuun…」
I soothed him by scratching under his chin, and he seemed to accept it, turning his tail and sitting down by the sliding window.
「Bark!」
「You want to go outside? To the stable? Hmm… They might be feeling uneasy too, so it’d be good if you stayed with them.」
「Here you go. Go on, then?」
「Bark!」
Mother opened the window for Chocola, who barked energetically and slipped through the gap. I was a little curious about how Pochi and the smilodon family were doing, but I’d leave that to Chocola and focus on preparing lunch.
「Sui! Mint wants help croquettes too! There anything Mint do?」
「I’d also like to help if I won’t be in the way. Sitting around is just too boring.」
Mint and Grandma chimed in, and of course, Mother and Karen were already rolling up their sleeves, ready to pitch in.
So, I—
looked at each of them in turn, finally meeting Mint’s gaze, and nodded as I spoke.
「Of course. But today, it’s a little different from just helping out.」
「What do you mean?」
I patted Mint’s head as she tilted it in confusion.
「The 『help』 you usually give, Mint, is more like doing small tasks here and there, right? I’m the one who does the actual cooking. But today, making croquettes… there’s a lot to do.」
In Japan, you can easily buy croquettes at the supermarket’s deli section, but making them at home is a whole different story. You have to boil and mash the potatoes, sauté the onions and ground meat, coat them in breading, and fry them—and that’s not even counting making the sauce or shredding the cabbage for the side dish. It’s a lot of work.
「So today, we’re all going to cook together. Mint, Karen, Mother, and Grandma—I’m going to need everyone to pitch in. It’s not just helping out; it’s full-on participation.」
I was sure that, for Mint, this would be a really fun time.
※※※
「Mother and Grandma, could you handle grinding the meat? Do you know how to use the mincer?」
「Yes. You put the meat in the top hole and turn the handle, right? I think I can manage that.」
「Don’t use too much force, okay? Make sure to turn off your body enhancement.」
「…I know.」
The meat mincer we’d ordered from the royal capital earlier this year was a recent invention in this world. It was a bit primitive and quite expensive, but I considered it an investment. We bought two—one for us and one for Novium-san, with plans to eventually mass-produce them in Sidera.
「Karen and Mint, I’ll have you two handle the sauce. I’ll teach you how to make it.」
「Hmm. Mint, the sauce is really important. We have to do our best.」
「Uhh! Mint doesn’t get, but Mint try!」
We were making Worcestershire sauce.
The recipe is actually pretty simple (as long as you’re not aiming for deep, complex flavors). You just simmer the ingredients, strain them, and reduce the liquid. Karen had gotten pretty good at handling detailed tasks by now, and Mint was both dexterous and eager to follow instructions. They’d be fine.
Meanwhile, I’d be boiling the potatoes and overseeing everything.
「Alright, we’ve got a long way to go. Let’s all do our best.」
「Hmm.」 「Ooh!」 「Of course.」 「Yes.」
Amid the varied responses, everyone looked excited.
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