After preparing the side vegetables, Andrew placed them along with the freshly cut beef into a large iron bowl for marinating. Next, he poured all the red wine he had brought to the base into the bowl, completely submerging the ingredients for the stew.
He then added thyme, cloves, black peppercorns, and bay leaves, setting the beef aside to marinate.
As it marinated, the fruity aroma of the red wine would seep into the muscle fibers, giving the meat a unique fragrance and rich flavor, and the tannins in the wine would interact with the proteins in the beef, making the meat even more tender.
Its acidic components would break down the beef proteins, making the meat softer after stewing, while the onions and celery soaking alongside it would help eliminate any gaminess.
Looking at the medium-sized chunks of beef, Andrew mused that if he'd had more time to prepare, he would have preferred to stew the entire cut whole, just like the Meowscular Chef. After all, eating it that way really captured the authentic flavor of a Canteen meal. Unfortunately, neither the quality of the meat nor the time available was sufficient for such a perfect recreation.
Two hours of marinating time wasn't particularly long, but it wasn't short either. During this time, Andrew also boiled a pot of water and cooked some potatoes.
After all, what was a Meowscular Chef's stew without a cheesy mashed potato pie and some baguettes on the side? A Hunter's life isn't complete without experiencing the loving carb-bomb from the Canteen!!!
Once the side dishes were prepped, Andrew even had enough time to knead a ball of dough for some baguettes to go with the stew.
Before a Hunter's immense strength, the dough was like putty, easily kneaded. It wasn't long before it was perfectly combined and set aside to rise.
By now, the potatoes in the pot were long since cooked. After draining them, it was once again time for a show of strength.
He added butter, cream, and freshly ground black pepper to the thoroughly mashed potatoes, mixing everything until perfectly smooth.
He sautéed minced beef, diced carrots, and minced onions in a buttered pan, then added tomatoes and rosemary to create the base for the potato pie.
Even before it was fully cooked, a symphony of aromas wafted from the pan. The scent of simply seasoned meat was like a hook, tugging at Belle, who was fidgeting restlessly on a booth seat that had been moved over.
She had been so busy in the Hollows at noon that she had forgotten to eat, and her stomach was already rumbling loudly.
Although others had offered her snacks, when she was truly hungry, what she really craved was a meal made by Andrew!
Not even the movie playing on the projector they'd set up could distract her. The other members of the Silver Squad were all engrossed in their newly issued phones.
The girls, who knew next to nothing about the outside world, were using the internet to learn about this city that was so foreign to them.
It's just that the content they were looking at seemed a bit... skewed.
Twiggy was watching videos about doing business, while Soldier 11 was reading a forum post titled 'How to Get Stronger, Fast'.
The other members were also browsing things that interested them; for instance, one was endlessly scrolling through old Waifei Peninsula kung fu movies.
As for Anby? She was furiously tapping away on her phone.
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Belle snuck over to Andrew's cooking station.
Having just finished sautéing the base, Andrew turned to see Belle staring intently into the pan. He couldn't help but ask with an amused smile:
Hungry?
Andrew's hands didn't stop moving. He spread a thick layer of the sautéed base into individual flat-bottomed ceramic bowls, then topped them with the seasoned mashed potatoes, smoothing the surface evenly.
Finally, he piled on a thick layer of mozzarella cheese—a truly lethal amount.
The thick layer of cheese was practically a small mountain. Belle couldn't help but swallow hard. The rumbling from her stomach had already answered Andrew's question for her,
But Belle showed no signs of shyness. There was no girlish blush on her face, only a raw craving for food.
"Just wait a little longer, something delicious will be ready soon."
Andrew smiled and placed the potato pies in the oven. He had plenty of ingredients anyway, so he'd make a few first to let Belle and the Silver Squad have a snack to tide them over.
The purpose of the oven was to allow the mashed potatoes and the meat base to bind together more tightly. The lightly seasoned potatoes would absorb the juices from the pie base, gaining a rich, meaty flavor.
But an even more important goal was to completely melt the cheese piled on top of the pie.
In just twenty minutes, three fresh servings of the Meowscular Chef's special potato pie were out of the oven. The milky aroma of the cheese, intensified by the baking, filled the air.
The baking process also evaporated some of the moisture the potatoes had retained from being boiled, and the resulting starchy fragrance, mixed with the milky scent of the cheese, tempted the grumbling stomach of anyone who caught a whiff.
As for Belle, who was standing right there, her soul was just about ready to be spirited away by the smell.
Taking two of the pies out of the oven with his bare hands, Andrew handed Belle a spoon, gesturing for her to taste it.
Seeing Andrew holding the dishes barehanded, Belle completely forgot that not everyone's constitution was the same. She reached out to take it from him, only to grasp at empty air.
When he saw Belle was about to grab the bowl with her bare hands, Andrew, holding a pie in each hand, couldn't block her directly.
And that's when his height advantage came into play.
Andrew lifted the pie Belle was reaching for high into the air. With a smooth motion, he placed the other pie on the counter and brought his free hand up to Belle's forehead, whose entire attention was fixed on the cheesy mashed potato pie held aloft.
Thwack!
With a crisp flicking sound on Belle's forehead, she couldn't help but let out a pained "Oof!", even though Andrew had held back his strength.
A red mark appeared on her fair forehead from Andrew's flick. The pain finally snapped Belle out of her ravenous state.
Seeing Belle squatting on the floor, rubbing her forehead with an embarrassed smile, Andrew shook his head in amusement and placed the cheesy mashed potato pie on a heat-resistant mat, pushing it in front of her.
With a delicious meal before her, Belle no longer cared about her faintly aching forehead. It was hidden under her bangs anyway, so no one would see it.
The spoon pierced the thick, melted layer of cheese on top. The completely mashed potatoes offered no resistance.
The rich aroma of the cheese burst forth as the surface was broken. The baked mashed potatoes gave off their own unique fragrance, causing the entire Silver Squad to poke their heads out from a distance.
After exchanging glances, Anby leveraged her authority as captain to suppress the restless crowd and walked over by herself.
According to her, as the captain, she always had to lead the charge.
As she put her phone down, the just-darkened screen showed a new question posted on the forum:
[When everything you have was obtained with the help of others, how should you repay them?]
The new post was still empty, awaiting replies from others, but she was confident she would soon find an answer that satisfied her.
Looking at Anby's adorable face as she approached, Andrew first ruffled the hair of the mastermind behind their success.
As Anby's cheeks turned a rosy red, he had her carry the other two pies to the dining table.
The other squad members, seeing Anby get her head patted, couldn't help but whisper together:
"The captain is so cunning!"
Meanwhile, Soldier 11 was still engrossed in that 'How to Get Stronger, Fast' post, and was even getting antsy to try out some of the methods on the spot.
________
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