Page 1/5 In Search of Laslan's Delicacies By Jaimy Ramzy Since ancient times, it has been the greatest virtue of rulers to make sure their subjects are well-fed. Given this, we can easily understand how important food is in our lives. Even if we eat the same meals over and over again, even a little attention to flavor easily helps a person feel some happiness and joy in their life. Taste is the most fundamental pleasure, and it is a healthy joy that anyone of any age can partake in without guilt. Delicious cooking not only improves physical health but also enriches the soul, which ultimately makes for a brighter society. That is why I, Jaimy Ramzy, am sharing this volume of delicious cooking techniques, from places far and wide, for the health and happiness of the people of Solisium. Laslan, with its rich grasslands, is the breadbasket of Solisium. The more bountiful the land, the more it can ultimately offer in trade, allowing for a wide variance of ingredients in their cooking. Thus, the people of Laslan enjoy fresh and exciting meat dishes acquired from all neighboring regions. Wild Game Steak Regardless of what region you're in, if there are wild animals to be hunted, some version of steak is always on the menu. There is an elegant simplicity to slicing meat, seasoning it with herbs, and grilling it over an open flame. While there are now different types of premium steak made by aging meat to cater to the picky tastes of noble families, is there anything better than fresh steak from an animal that was just slaughtered and grilled over a simple fire? You can often find fresh herbs such as mint, basil, and thyme in the fields of Laslan. They all make fantastic additions to the recipe. Materials: Key Ingredients - 600 reels of fresh wild animal meat, 1 handful of salt Optional Ingredients - 1 spoonful of butter, a pinch of herbs Page 2/5 How to Cook: 1. Drain the blood from the meat and cut against the grain. 2. Season both sides with salt. If you are using fine salt instead of rock salt, season evenly by rubbing it with your hands. 3. Grill over a fire. If you are using a frying pan, grill both sides over high heat for about 10 minutes. If you are using a bonfire, adjust your timing depending on the fire's intensity. 4. If you desire a gourmet fragrance, add butter to the meat after cooking for about 5 minutes. If you are using a frying pan, add the butter directly to the pan and make sure it spreads evenly over both sides of the meat. Add the herbs for flavor at the same time as the butter. If you are cooking over a bonfire, after about 8 minutes, remove the meat from the fire and add butter evenly to both sides of the meat. Place the meat back over the fire and finish cooking. A hunter I know says that the finishing touch when cooking a steak from wild game is to brand it with an arrowhead as decoration. He chuckled and said that the scorched arrowhead shape was better than the crosscut grill marks on steaks eaten by nobles. Regardless of whether he's right or not, no one can say that the Laslan hunters don't understand food. Page 3/5 <Grilled Terror Bird Leg> The Deerhorn Inn in Laslan is famous for its beer. If you ask what the most popular item on their menu is, everyone will say it's grilled Terror Bird leg. The Terror Bird is a frightening creature that occupies the Nesting Grounds in the eastern part of Laslan. After experiencing the fright of having one follow me while traveling in a stagecoach, I now have great respect for the Laslan trailblazers who even dreamed up the idea of trying to eat one. In Laslan, you're not considered a veteran hunter unless you can take down a Terror Bird. This goes to show that the human pursuit of doing the impossible seemingly has no limit. Materials: Key Ingredients: 600 reels of Terror Bird Meat, 2 bulbs of garlic Optional Ingredients: pinch of salt, pinch of herbs How to Cook: 1. Drain the blood from the meat and skewer it. 2. Chop one bulb of garlic and thinly slice the other bulb for layering. 3. Evenly spread the chopped garlic on the skewered meat and press down with your hands so the garlic sticks to the meat like a layer of skin. 4. Rotate the meat over a bonfire or brazier and grill for about 20 minutes. The garlic will become crispy as the grease drains away. It may look like it is burning, but rest assured that it is not. 5. Separately grill the sliced garlic so that it does not burn. 6. When the leg is grilled, sprinkle the sliced garlic over it. If you wish to add more flavor, add herbs or salt during the last step. The powerful natural scent of the Terror Bird will be covered with the aroma of garlic, and you'll be surprised by how soft the meat is. Some people in Laslan use Terror Bird Meat prepared in this fashion in other dishes, but I think everyone will agree that it's best served on the bone with a glass of cold beer. Page 4/5 Kastler Salad If you ask about the most well-known dishes from Laslan, everyone talks about the meat options. But there's something else that's just as popular: Kastler Salad. It was first made by the Kastler family, one of the great families who govern Laslan. It features fresh vegetables and honey. The ingredients themselves are proof enough that this dish was originally made for nobles, but these days, even ordinary folks can get their hands on honey fairly easily, so anyone can whip up a Kastler Salad and pretend to be nobility. This salad is a nice, healthy break from a meat-heavy diet. Materials: Key Ingredients - 300 reels of basil, 5 spoonfuls of honey Optional Ingredients - Any fresh vegetables or fruit How to Cook: 1. Remove the roots of the herbs and wash them. 2. Split the thick stems in half so that they are easier to chew. 3. Add 5 spoonfuls of honey to about 3-4 basil leaves in a large cooking mortar and grind them together. 4. Sprinkle the ground honey mixture on the herbs. If desired, add vegetables or fruit. It's good on its own, but it's also great with a meat dish or as a spread on bread. Basil is the most common crop in Laslan, and anyone can grow some as long as they have a window in their house. But as it withers within a day after being picked, it is best to pick the basil right before you want to eat it. The pleasant fragrance disappears if you apply heat, so it is best eaten raw and added to other cold foods. Page 5/5 Laslan-Style Braised Meat When a region is part of the name of a dish, that means it's extremely popular there. Laslan-style braised meat is one of those dishes, since its ingredients aren't used anywhere except in Laslan. Laslan has many plains and granaries, so obtaining high-quality meat is fairly easy. Traditionally, because premium meat such as beef or pork wound up going to the nobles, the ordinary folks would take random pieces of meat they managed to get their hands on and turn it into a braised dish. The key is to use honey from the Golden Rye Pastures to create the same flavor every time, regardless of which cut of meat you use. Materials: Key Ingredients: 500 reels of pork or wild animal meat, 10 spoonfuls of honey Optional Ingredients: pinch of garlic, pinch of salt, pinch of herbs How to Cook: 1. Remove the tendons from the pork or other meat and chop into bite-size pieces. 2. Apply a generous amount of Laslan honey to the meat and marinate for about 30 minutes in a shaded area. 3. Quickly fry the softened meat over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add half a cup of water, cover with a lid, and braise for about 30 minutes. Add a bit of garlic or herbs for flavor. 4. Pour the contents of the pan into a bowl, including the broth, and serve with bread. Garnish with basil on top. Laslan honey is not just sweet; it also has a slightly bitter taste, with some saltiness from the sea, so there's no need to season the meat once it has been marinated in this honey. If you use honey from other regions, add salt while braising. Braised meat that is coated with honey may be sticky on the surface, but the inside is soft and melts in your mouth. However, keep in mind that some honey may contain toxins, so avoid feeding it to children in large quantities.
