CH 490.2

Morning habits.

Nono, it’s not like Orc meat is my favorite, alright!?

It’s just that Kurogane and Byakko-sama over-harvested Orcs, so I made a lot of Orc soups and Orkatsu for a while, so maybe I’m being misunderstood.

And then there’s the whole bacon thing…

“… I’m grateful for your consideration, but Orc meat is not my favorite, you see? Let’s save the Orc meat for lunch and use this one this morning.”

I said and took out a Sharken from my inventory.

I had already cut it into easy-to-cook pieces and salted it.

If you prepare them this way, they are easy to use, either grilled as they are or made into meunière.

“O, Orc meat is not Cristea-sama’s favorite…!?”

Head Chef was shocked that he was mistaken, but I ignored him and looked for the griller.

“Ah, Shin! Grill this for me, please.”

He looked at me for a moment as if to say, “Geh, she found me,” and then reluctantly came over. How rude, geez.

“I will leave this for you then.”

“Yes, yes. I will do as you say Ojou… sama.”

Head Chef glared at Shin’s for his choice of words, and Shin accepted the Sharken and moved quickly to the magic stove.

“You will have to learn how to grill Sharken from Shin.”

Sharken… salted fish can be tender and deliciously grilled in a frying pan without a grill.

Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat without oil, and when white smoke appears, add oil and spread the oil evenly, then add the fish and cook over medium-high heat.

We could put the fish in it before the oil gets heated if we had a frying pan with nonstick coating like in my previous life, but… we only have cast-iron pans here.

Grill it for about five minutes, and if it’s not sticking when you push it from the side, turn it over and grill it again for the same amount of time.

If you accidentally poke it from the top, it will stick to the pan, so be careful.

If the other side is not sticking too, put it on a plate, and it’s done!

While Shin is grilling the Sharken, I’m going to make something that could serve as a palate-cleansing dish.

“Ohh… what is this appetizing aroma…?”

The aroma of umeboshi is appetizing in a different way than curry, isn’t it?

“Would you like to taste it? Here you go.”

I served a little on a small plate and handed it to the Head Chef. “Then, excuse me…” he said and brought the onion with a skillful motion of his chopsticks.

“… This… is surprisingly sour, but strangely appetizing, isn’t it…! This is good. Cristea-sama, where can I get these sour red berries?”

“Ah, this is called umeboshi, or pickled plums, and I got them at the Bastea Company in our fief. They are not popular in Doristan, so they may be no longer in stock.”

I have bought up the stock at the Bastea Company, but there were only a few left, so I intend to use these sparingly.

“Is that so… that is unfortunate.”

“I will have them delivered here if they sell them again.”

“Yes! Thank you very much.”

Needless to say, the breakfast set meal was a hit with the family.

Now, how shall we use the Orc meat for lunch…