Chapter 53

When they got back to the kitchen, the contestants who picked Joseph seemed strange as well, but that was inevitable no matter what mission they got. After all, unless it was a common dish like steak, the mission was going to be difficult.

But considering that fact, it seemed like Joseph’s topic was easier than that of Allan’s.

“You have to make Paella?”

Cho Min Joon asked with a dejected voice. Chloe nodded as she answered, “Yeah. I was surprised, too. I didn’t think I’d have to do a Spanish dish.”

Chloe let out a sigh, but Cho Min Joon was actually jealous of Chloe. At least one could make Paella without cheese.

He sometimes made risotto, but dishes that involved cheese didn’t work well with Cho Min Joon. It wasn’t that he hated it. He just couldn’t digest it. Even on the day of the preliminaries, he got sick because he had cheese risotto.

He was able to make risotto that was edible, but he wasn’t so sure about a perfect one. After all, he didn’t have the proper sense to cook it to the right degree. In Korea, most restaurants served mediocre risottos unless they were a gourmet restaurant. It was possible that they just tried to make it suit the Korean tastebuds, but they were usually overcooked and sticky.

Since he grew up eating that kind of risotto, it was no wonder he didn’t have the right sense for it, but the reason why he didn’t give up was because of his system. If anything awkward came up during his recipe, his system was going to tell him.

They were given 10 minutes for coming up with a menu. Cho Min Joon put together recipes over and over again. He tried adding mussel, bacon, and everything else that could go with risotto, but it wasn’t easy. Most of them were worth 5 points and at times they were 6.

‘Am I just coming up with bad recipes? Or is it taking into account my lack of understanding?’

He felt frustrated, and time kept ticking.

It wasn’t just Cho Min Joon who was having a hard time with the recipe. Kaya and Carlos were on the same boat. Kaya had never tried risotto before in her life. To be more exact, she tried it once. The one she just tried made by Allan.

Kaya stared at the empty table. She was drawing up what kind of risotto she would make in her head. She tried to put various ingredients together, and there was one that could work, but…

“Bring the ingredients! You must complete it in 1 hour!”

She didn’t have any more time to think. Cho Min Joon started moving. It wasn’t a perfect recipe, but there was one that he liked. He was going to make a risotto with Italian Parma ham.

And as for the cheese, he was going to use the Parmigiano cheese that Allan used. The name was simple. The cheese from Parma. This cheese, which was produced in Parma, Italy, was better known as parmesan cheese in Korea, but they were different. Parmesan cheese was made with Parmigiano cheese as well as other ingredients. Assuming they were the same was like calling pure gold and plated gold the same.

He also used the same rice as Allan. Arborio rice. It was the best rice for risotto. Since it was short in length, it was strong and patient. As a result, it also had a high synergy effect when mixed with other ingredients.

He used Bosc pear as well. It was often called Western pear in Korea, and it was in the shape of Hallabong while being crunchier and sweeter. Cho Min Joon wished all pears in Korea were like the Bosc pear. He liked it that much.

It normally would have taken him a while to determine if the pear was ripe, but Cho Min Joon had another way. He had a system that told him everything.

[Bosc Pear]

Freshness: 94%

Origin: California

Quality: High

That was the best Cho Min Joon could find. They might have used express shipping, but this was the freshest it could be without picking it himself.

Cho Min Joon scanned the basket of Bosc pears. He ended up picking two out of the bunch, and he also picked up some shallots and sage. This herb was well known for having strong scents.

Saffron would have been a good choice as well, but Cho Min Joon wasn’t as confident with it. Saffron was a difficult herb to work with. Since he wasn’t used to risotto either, he didn’t want to make himself even more unfamiliar.

Once Cho Min Joon went fro the vegetable section to the meat section, he stopped at the ham. Parma ham. Parma ham was another product that came from the region of Parma. It was a ham that was dried with raw meat rubbed on the surface, which was very unique.

Just like how beef became more fragrant when dry-aged rather than we-aged, Parma ham was the same way, and as if dry-aging wasn’t enough, Parma ham was matured for years.

Since Parma ham was packaged in plastic, the quality was all pretty similar, so Cho Min Joon didn’t hesitate as he picked one up.

After picking up the chicken broth, dry white wine, and pepper, he was ready. He didn’t need salt. He was going to season it using the cheese.

Cho Min Joon didn’t take as much time picking the materials. After all, everyone else had to pay better attention to get the best quality possible. Cho Min Joon was the 3rd one to be finished. He turned on the heat and warmed up a pan when the judges approached. Joseph asked, “You picked fresh ingredients. What kind of risotto are you making?”

“I’m going to make it with pear, Parma ham, and sage.”

“Both sage and Parma ham are strong in scents. Are you sure they won’t clash?”

“I’m going to use as least sage as possible. As long as I make it the way I’ve planned, my dish won’t end up in the trash can.”

The judges stared at Cho Min Joon without a word and proceeded to the next contestant. Cho Min Joon focused back on his cooking. The predicted score was 6. The recipe was good, but that meant something else was missing, but risotto was always like that. More than the recipe, the chef’s cooking changed it up completely. It was an easily failed dish when made by amateurs.

So Cho Min Joon was more focused than usual. Cho Min Joon poured olive oil onto the pan. He couldn’t let it smoke. That meant the oil was burning. He just had to rub enough so that the pan was shiny.

Cho Min Joon sliced up the parma ham and added four leaves of sage into the pan. After waiting for it to be crispy, he put it on top of a paper towel to get rid of the oil.

After that was the broth. Cho Min Joon put the pan containing the chicken broth on the stove. He had to adjust the heat so that it was boiling at the right intensity.

After putting the broth overheat, Cho Min Joon put new shallot and Parma ham on the cutting board. Not the parma ham he roasted just before, but another one. Once he sliced the same amount all over again, he just had to fry it on a greased pan.

He had to cook it for a minute or two before it was brown for it to be delicious. He had to slice the sage leaves into thin slices. He had to peel the pear and slice them into dice sizes. Once he was done with the pear, the onions were already cooked. Cho Min Joon’s hands rushed, and that was the cause. He heard a voice.

“Min Joon! Look at your hands!”

It was Emily. Cho Min Joon blankly looked over. That was when he noticed the wound on his left thumb. Cho Min Joon lifted his left arm. A medical professional rushed over to disinfect Cho Min Joon’s thumb and stop its bleeding. Emily asked in worry, “Can you keep going?”

“Of course.”

Cho Min Joon answered shortly and finished slicing the pears before putting them into the pan. Pears, rice, and a teaspoon of sage. He shook the pan to just get some oil on it, and then it was time for the wine. Cho Min Joon put a glove over his injured hand and poured half a cup of wine into it. His hand hurt, but Cho Min Joon was so focused that he didn’t even notice.

He turned up the heat of the pan and waited for the wine to absorb into the rice. That was when he noticed Emily was still watching with worried eyes, and she wasn’t the only one. Allan was also staring at his hand. To be more exact, his left hand. Cho Min Joon looked down. As soon as he did, he grimaced due to the sudden pain.

Allan and Emily couldn’t tell him to stop and receive treatment. After all, this event was meaningful for Cho Min Joon as well as all the other contestants. Cho Min Joon said, “It’s fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“… Get it treated as soon as the mission’s over.” Allan spoke in a serious voice and turned around. Emily also sighed and headed to the next table. Cho Min Joon bit down on his lip. The pain got worse and worse, but this was no time to be a baby.

‘It’s hard to move my thumb though.’

He couldn’t feel his thumb because of the pain, but he had already finished slicing everything, so his left hand wasn’t much of a problem.

Once the wine absorbed into the rice, Cho Min Joon added half a cup of boiled chicken broth to the rice. He then added another half a cup after it boiled down and then another.

After about 10 minutes of that process, the rice started to become sticky, and that was when he added the remaining pears. Cho Min Joon peeled the pear. He sliced them and added them to the pan. The pear began to cook in the hot broth.

Cho Min Joon continuously tasted it. The rice was soft, and inside was a subtle flavor. He wasn’t sure if it was just right, but it made him feel good. It was a sense that only his tongue could feel, not even his system.

It was difficult. The flavors of rice, pears, wine, broth, and sage. It was difficult to experience all of those flavors and more at once, but Cho Min Joon was very focused. He wasn’t used to this dish, so he had to make it as perfect as possible.

Cho Min Joon forgot about the pain in his thumb. He just tasted the flavors. The flavors and scents. All he could see was risotto, and all he could hear was the sound of the rice popping in his mouth. Cho Min Joon was fully focused on his tongue, but to be more exact, he wasn’t focused on his tongue. He was captivated by the dish. No, the dish embraced Cho Min Joon.

Before he used all of the broth, Cho Min Joon confirmed that the rice was complete. It was bouncy on the outside and soft on the inside. The smell of wine, chicken broth, sage, and Parma ham tickled his nose.

Cho Min Joon turned off his stove and began to cool down the risotto. After a minute, he added butter, cheese, and pepper to complete the flavors. It was finished.

‘The predicted score is 6 points?’

Cho Min Joon stared at the risotto. The system was his power. It wasn’t a ceiling that limited him. He could make a great risotto. Even though he never tried one himself, it was still food. Delicious food. And Cho Min Joon knew how to produce flavors. Just as Allan said, he knew how to cool. He didn’t have the perfect palate… but Cho Min Joon trusted his skill and passion for cooking.

Nothing was impossible for someone who believed in themselves. At times, Cho Min Joon thought of that phrase as too idealistic, but he now understood what it really meant.

And that belief was rewarded.

[You made an outstanding risotto with your surprising focus!]

[Your ingredients established the perfect harmony. Your perfect rice contains all of the flavors!]

[Leveling up your Italian cooking experience!]

Cho Min Joon’s eyes shook. He looked at the window in front of his eyes.

[Pear Risotto]

Freshness: 95%

Origin: (Too many ingredients for an accurate calculation)

Quality: High

Cooking Score: 8/10