Nat smiled at the conversation, and greeted Jalka politely. "It's a pleasure to meet you too! I'm glad you need a chef" she said, grinning slightly. These two were so happy... it made her feel better. She watched with interest as Pu'veo provided a large quantity of cooking supplies, starting to get a feeling that there was going to be some kind of test... they obviously couldn't hire her, if they didn't know if she could actually cook, right?
Luckily, she'd sort of been thinking about this, and had brought her recipe book... just in case. She pulled it out, thinking about what to make. A three gm meal... that would be something like a main, but made of more common things... Maybe she could make something simple with fish... breaded. With a seaweed salad on the side? Though... fish was common here, maybe she could add a desert. Well, that could be thought of later. She flipped through the fish section of her book, which was quite extensive, considering the amount of fish she actually ate. She found one she'd eaten many times before, with a sort of lemony dressing... it was very tasty, but simple too. She opened the book wide on the counter, and set to work.
The Konti grabbed a pre-gutted fish, and a knife. She cut the meat up into strips, carefully slivering off the scales. It wouldn't be boneless... but it wasn't too much of a problem. The sections were about 2 inches wide, and five long, perfect for a simple meal. But for one person... she'd only need two of them. Nat looked for the two best, which happened to be in the middle and moved them over to the side, onto a pan. The others she left there, in case they might use them later. She carefully re-read the dressing recipe, and began finding all the necessary materials. She pulled breadcrumbs from the shelves, grabbed a few lemons, and even a bottle of cooking white wine. There was also a variety of herbs needed, and she found those too, putting all her ingredients on the table.
She quickly cut and juiced the lemons, attempting to get as much liquid out of them as possible. Taking a mortar and pestle, she mixed the herbs, pounding them until they were finely ground. She then added a large quantity of bread crumbs to the bowl and mixed that too, but was careful not to squish them too much. They added a lot of texture to the fish, and she didn't want to get rid of that... Once they were mixed, she added moisture with the lemon juice, and a tiny bit of the wine for flavor. She used a spoon to let the liquids absorb into the bread, though there was some left over at the bottom. That she could sprinkle over the top at the end...
She spread the bread, lemon, wine, and herb mixture over her two chosen pieces of fish, careful to keep the cover even. She left the bottoms, but still went over the sides. She scrutinized her work, thinking about what she'd missed. Well... she had to cook them, first. Nat went to the oven and stuffed some wood in it, to get it to around the right temperature. Whilst waiting, she moved onto the next part.
The seaweed salad was easy. In a bowl, she mixed sections of the dried plant, peanuts, and a little bit of lemon grass. She also added a sprinkling of the lemon juice, to give it a similar flavor. The Konti grabbed a plate and dumped her finished salad onto it, leaving ample room for the fish.
Now time for the desert... what could she make for that? She racked her brain, and flipped through the desert section of her book. Strudel? No... cake? No... She didn't want something too sweet, but... it was a dessert. She didn't want to add another salad to the mix... Maybe... a macaroon! Those were always fun to make, and not too sweet. She grinned, and began searching the cupboards for coconut. There was a convenient bag hidden somewhere, and she pulled it out, also grabbing eggs and sugar.
Turning to her recipe, she mentally halved it, since it was only for one person. She mixed the desired quantities, taking a few moments to separate the egg whites from the yolks. She stirred for a few chimes until it was sticky, and stiff, before grabbing it with her hands. She molded it into a pair of cookie shapes, flat disks, though slightly bumpy. She placed them on another cooking pan, this one much smaller.
Now that the oven was completely heated, she put both the macaroons and the fish inside, since both, conveniently, required the same amount of time. About fifteen chimes. Nat turned to her two potential employers and grinned. She wasn't quite sure if it was what they wanted... was it too simple? To extravagant? The meal was something that she personally enjoyed eating... and there was always room for the dessert at the end. It would also be easy to make in large quantities... just cut more fish, mix more salad, and use more to make the macaroons. Still... the Konti watched Pu'veo and Jalka, worrying about their answer. |
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by Na'tala on June 17th, 2013, 1:34 pm 
