• Solo • Comfort Food

[Kirei Qe'Azour]

1st Zi'da, 717


"With the coming of Zi'da, the weather gets colder. People start looking for ways to keep warm. They bundle up when they have to go out. They rearrange their schedules as much as they can to avoid leaving the warmth of their homes more than absolutely necessary. They break out the wood, and build up the fires in their fireplaces. And when they do need to go out, a hot meal will go a long way in lifting their spirits. For that reason, the menu will include a lot of soups and stews for the next couple of seasons. As my apprentices, you will be learning how to make them." Elyari said with a determined look, and a warm smile.

"So. What do you three know about soups and stews?"

"There are a lot of different kinds?" Aris suggested.

Elyari laughed.

"Yes there are. What else?"

Kirei considered her mentor's question carefully.

"I would think that boiling and simmering would be the techniques that you would need when making soups and stews." she offered after a few bits.

"Don't be silly! Boiling and simmering are the same thing!" Andiron insisted.

Kirei shook her head.

"No they aren't. Boiling is...just that. Cooking something in boiling liquid. Soups and stews are made this way, and vegetables can be boiled, too. Simmering, on the other hand is when you cook something in liquid that is just below the boiling point. It is a more gentle way of cooking than boiling is, but it is also a slower method of cooking. It is suited for delicate foods such as fish which may break apart when boiled. Meats that are simmered remain moist and tender while boiled meats can become dry and tough due to the heat of the boiling liquid. Boiling and steaming are both moist heat methods of cooking."

"That's true. What other types of cooking can be considered moist heat methods?" Elyari asked.

"Poaching." Kirei said confidently.

It was strange to think that her slave training had actually done her some good. But as horrible as her lessons had been, and as cruel as the punishments for failure were, they had taught her to learn quickly, and to learn well. Because of that, it was easy for to remember things that she had learned during those arcs when she needed them now.

"What about steaming?" Aris asked curiously.

"Steam is sort of water after all..."

Kirei turned to her friend in confusion.

"Steaming?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah. That's when you use steam to cook food. The ingredients are placed in a bamboo container of some kind and suspended over a steaming pot as they cook. It's an advanced technique, though. I know it exists, but I don't know how to do it...yet."

Aris glanced at Andiron with an imp like look in her eyes.

"It's kind of like chocolate work, and sugar work. They're both very advanced techniques as well. The difference between Andiron and I is that I know that I don't have enough skill to attempt them yet."

Andiron glared at Aris.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand, children? You're here to learn how to make a good soup or stew, not to worry about advanced techniques that you aren't skilled enough to handle yet.

Kirei had to struggle not to laugh.

[Kirei Qe'Azour]

"The most important thing when you want to make a soup or stew is having a good stock or broth for a base. In this case, we will be working with stock instead of broth. Soups and stews are relatively simple meals to make in many ways. But there is a lot more involved than tossing some meat and vegetables into a pot of water."

Kirei wished that she had a pen and some paper so she could take notes. Instead, she listened carefully, trying to memorize as much as she could of what she was being told.

"A soup stock is a flavored liquid preparation. It is the base of soups, stews, and a number of other dishes. Making stocks involves simmering animal bones or meat, seafood, or vegetables in water or wine, and adding mirepoix, herbs, and spices for additional flavor. The type of soup or stew you want to make determines the ingredients that go into the stock. A fish stew would require a fish or seafood based stock. A chicken soup needs a good chicken stock at its core. And so on."

"What is mirepoix?" Kirei asked curiously.

"Mirepoix is diced vegetables that have been cooked for a long time on a gentle heat without color or browning. Butter, oil, or another kind of fat is usually used. The intention is to sweeten rather than caramelise the vegetables. Onions, carrots, and celery is a popular combination of vegetables to make mirepoix out of, but it is far from the only option. Many people use the less desirable parts of the vegetables that may not otherwise be eaten such as carrot skins, celery cores, and celery leaves. But until you are more experienced in making it, it is best to stick to using the actual vegetables."

When Elyari was certain that all of her apprentices were listening, she continued.

"I plan for you to make a soup stock, some mirepoix, and an actual stew. But since making a stock takes many breaks, once you have made one and put it on the stove to cook, you will use one that I have made to make your stew." she instructed.

Elyari set Kirei and Aris to peeling and dicing the onions, carrots, and celery they would need to make the mirepoix. Between the two of them, they made short work of the task. While they were working, Andiron gathered the butter, and the pan they would need to cook the mirepoix in. Once their mirepoix was cooking, they turned their attention to the stock that they were going to make. Aris wanted to make a beef stock. Andiron on the other hand, wanted to make a fish stock; probably because he thought it would be more difficult to cook. Kirei had learned that Andiron loved to challenge himself. In that, he was much like Kirei herself. But his arrogance, and stubbornness led him to insist on pushing himself too far. He would take on tasks that were far too advanced for his current skills. And when he failed, he would get frustrated, and sulk, For her part, Kirei didn't really care what kind of stock they made as long as it was different than the stew they were going to make later. She wanted to learn how to make as many different things as she could as fast as she could.

When the inevitable argument broke out between Aris and Andiron, Kirei refused to let them drag her into it. Instead, she stood back, and watched, knowing that any attempt on her part to settle the argument would only make things worse. As she watched her fellow apprentices snipe at each other, Kirei kept an eye on Elyari as well. Elyari allowed them to argue among themselves for a while, clearly hoping that they would work it out themselves. But the moment that their fight began to turn nasty, Elyari stepped in before feelings could be hurt. It showed how much Elyari cared about her apprentices; giving them the freedom and independence to make their own decisions when possible, but putting her foot down when differences in opinion turned bitter and threatened to damage their relationship and their ability to work as a team.

"We're going to make a chicken stock." Elyari stated, ending the argument.

Kirei decided that Elyari had the patience of an Immortal who was willing to wait eons for their plans to become a reality.

"So. To make a stock, the typical ingredients are meat, bones, mirepoix, herbs, and spices. Some, or all of them can be used to make any given stock."

"Bones?" Andiron asked incredulously, wrinkling his nose in distaste.

'Yes, bones. You can use the leftover chicken carcass from a roast chicken to make a good chicken stock, for example. Bones from veal and beef can be used as well. When using bones to make a stock, the flavor comes from the cartilage and the other connective tissue. An added benefit is that connective tissue has collagen in it. The collagen turns into gelatin when cooked, and that will thicken your stock. That becomes especially important if the stock will be used for a stew. A stock made with bones has to be simmered for longer than one made only from meat, but the benefits of the gelatin often outweigh the added cooking time."

"What kind of meat should be used?" Kirei wanted to know.

"You can use leftover cooked meat, like the kind you find on the carcass of a chicken or turkey. If you do, the leftover meat is often included with the bones of the bird, or the joint of meat. But fresh meat will make a superior stock. Cuts that are rich in connective tissue such as a shin, or a shoulder work best. They can be used alone, or added to the remains of cooked poultry to make a richer, fresher tasting stock. If you do use them with poultry, it should be used in lower proportions to the poultry so the flavor of the poultry won't be overwhelmed by the meat. Another thing to keep in mind is that you should one part fresh meat to two parts water as far as ratios go."

"You taught us how to make mirepoix, but what types of herbs and spices should be used?" Aris asked.

"You want to use herbs and spices that compliment the other ingredients that you are using. So the herbs and spices you use will vary depending on whether you are using beef, veal, or chicken. Parsley, thyme, and bay leaves are common choices, but they are far from the only combination. The one spice you don't want to use is salt. Or if you do add it, only use a very small amount. The reason for this is that most stocks are reduced to make soups or sauces. Excessive salt will make the final dish too salty. The other thing you want to keep in mind is that it is easier to use a satchel of herbs rather than tossing them in loose because it will be easier to remove them once the stock is finished if they are in a satchel."

"Are there any other tips that will help us make the stock?" Kirei asked when she thought she had fully understood everything else Elyari had told them.

"The water you use should be cold when you start making the stock. The collagen in the connective tissue of the meat will turn into gelatin as the stock cooks, but it happens slowly through gentle, long simmering. And since you need the gelatin to thicken the stock, it's important that it simmers properly. You also need to be careful not to let the stock start boiling. If it does, it will become cloudy."

It was time to get started. Andiron refused to have anything to do with the bones, so Kirei took care of that while he got a large stock pot they could use. Since Elyari told them that using fresh meat as well as the leftover meat from the chicken would give them a richer stock, they decided they wanted to use a shoulder of beef as well as the chicken. The meat and chicken carcass were placed into their pot along with the satchel of parsley, bay leaves, and thyme. Aris started to add some onions, but Elyari stopped her, telling them that the meat had to be added before any of the other ingredients since it needed to cook longer. She also told them that when it was time to add the onions and other vegetables, they would need to remove the scum that would form on top of the simmering stock first. Since the stock would need to simmer for four breaks, they would work on other things while it was simmering.

[Kirei Qe'Azour]

"What kind of soup are we going to make with our stock?" Aris asked curiously.

Andiron snorted in derision.

"Isn't it obvious? It is a beef stock, is it not? We're going to make beef soup, or beef stew, you moron!"

"There will be no name calling in my kitchen! Now apologize at once." Elyari said sharply.

"Sorry." Andiron muttered sullenly.

Aris looked as though she wanted to retaliate, but a quick glance at their mentor told Kirei that that would be a very bad idea. Fortunately, Aris seemed to agree with her because she subsided.

"There are several different kinds of beef soups and stews." she muttered after a few trills.

"That's all I meant..."

"There are hundreds of different kinds of soups." Elyari told them before Andiron could say anything else.

"There are far too many for any one chef to know, even if they specialize in soups and stews. But I am going to teach you three a simple recipe that will allow you to make any kind of soup you could possibly want."

Kirei couldn't help but stare at her mentor in wide eyed shock. A quick glance at her fellow apprentices told her that they were just as surprised as she was. They couldn't possibly have heard Elyari correctly...could they? Elyari laughed.

"Judging by your expressions, you're all trying to find a polite way to ask if I've gone insane."

"No, it's not that." Kirei said quickly.

Well, it was...but she couldn't exactly say that, now could she?

"It's just that there are so many different kinds of soups, and..."

Elyari laughed again.

"This is a recipe where the ingredients change depending on the type of soup you are trying to make, but the instructions themselves stay the same."

Kirei stared at Elyari in confusion. Elyari grinned at her.

"You'll understand what I mean in a few trills. The first thing you'll need to do for this recipe is choose your base. In this case, you will be using the beef stock I gave you. But you could just as easily use a chicken stock, or a fish stock, or turkey, or veal. You don't even have to use a meat stock at all. If you wanted to, you could use a tomato puree, cream, or even milk as your base. For that matter, you could decide to use two of them. Tomato puree or milk combined with a stock of your choice works well. So does cream and tomato puree."

Kirei's eyes widened as she understood her mentor's earlier claim. The recipes for the various stocks would differ, as would the ingredients. But the process of turning the ingredients into soup would remain the same regardless of what ingredients were used.

"Once you have chosen your base, you will need to choose a fat that will be used to sauté any root vegetables or other initial flavors you may be using. Butter and olive oil are two possibilities, but there are several others that can be used as well. The next decision you have to make is what kind of meat you want to use. Or if you want to use any at all. There are a lot of different soups that don't require any meat. You will want your choice of meat to match your base. So using beef with a fish stock isn't the best idea. But aside from that consideration, any type of meat can be used. Beef, poultry, pork, sausage, rabbit, veal...anything you happen to have will work. To make things easier, we will use stew beef for our meat this time."

Kirei listened carefully to her mentor's every word. She really wanted to memorize this recipe. This one recipe was like a gateway into the world of soups. She would still need to learn how to make each of the different kinds of bases, of course, as well as how to prepare any ingredients she might want to use. But learning one single recipe for making soup would be a lot easier than learning one for every kind of soup she wanted to make.

"The next thing you'll need to do is choose which vegetables you want to use. Onions are a good choice because they add a lot of flavor to your soup. Garlic is another popular choice for much the same reason. Celery and carrots are often used as well. Some vegetables such as potatoes, and beans will add substance to your soups. The possibilities are almost endless, and are highly dependent on your personal tastes. Finally, you will need to decide which spices you want to use. You will want to pick ones that compliment the meat that you've chosen. For example, celery seed, marjoram, thyme, parsley, and sage go well with chicken while marjoram, rosemary and thyme go well with beef. We will be using the latter three in our soup since we will be using stew beef as our meat. Basil, oregano, and fennel can be a nice addition to tomato-based soups. Chilis, on the other hand, need chili powder and sometimes cumin as well. Cream soups often benefit from a dash of parsley, or thyme. Just as with vegetables, the choices are endless, and are highly dependent on personal preference. As you become more skilled in making soups, you will be able to experiment with different spices, and create your own unique signature blends of spices."

[Kirei Qe'Azour]

"Once you have decided what ingredients you want to use, it is time to actually make the soup. We already know what base, meat, and spices we will be using for ours, but you still need to decide which vegetables you want to use, and which fat you want to sauté them in. Do any of you have a preference what type of fat we use?"

Kirei didn't, and she said as much. A few trills later, Aris and Andiron also said that they didn't have a preference.

"Butter it is, then. So that just leaves the vegetables. I want each one of you to pick one. And there will be no fighting." she declared, giving Aris and Andiron a stern look.

Kirei gave the matter some thought. She wanted a vegetable she was comfortable using more than one she was unfamiliar with. Once she was more comfortable with the recipe she was using, there would be plenty of time to practice with less familiar ingredients.

"Onions." she said after a few trills.

"Water chestnuts." Andiron said just trills later.

Kirei smiled. It was just like him to want to use one of the "fancier" vegetables. She liked water chestnuts, though. They had a mild flavor that went well with most things, and they added a pleasant crunch to a dish. Aris was the last to decide, and she hesitated for several bits before making her choice.

"Carrots."

Elyari nodded.

"The first thing you need to do is gather your ingredients, and a large stew pot to cook them in."

When they had done that, she continued.

"You are going to heat your stew pot over medium heat. While you are doing that, you need to sauté your vegetables in your butter, and cook your meat. Since there are three of you, two of you can work with the vegetables while the third prepares the soup pot and cooks the meat."

Aris was quick to grab Kirei as her partner, leaving Andiron to cook their stew beef. Kirei peeled the carrots and onions while Aris got the pan they needed, and began heating the butter. Then they both chopped the vegetables before putting them in the fry pan to sauté. Elyari watched them as they worked, offering tips and advice as necessary. When they were done, the three apprentices turned back to their mentor for more instructions.

"Next you need to add your base to your soup pot. Then you will add your meat, vegetables, and spices. This won't matter in this case, but if you were using milk or cream as either your base, or part of your base, you wouldn't add it just yet. Once you've combined your ingredients, you should taste the soup. If you think it needs to be adjusted, now is the time to do it."

Kirei, Aris, and Andiron did as they were told quickly. They offered the first taste to Elyari who frowned in thought for a few trills before adding a dash more salt, and a bit more rosemary. When she was finished, she gestured to her apprentices to try it for themselves. When it was Kirei's turn to taste it, she grinned. It tasted great. She knew that it was because they were using a stock that Elyari had made for them to work with, but she still felt a sense of pride in her own contributions to the soup.

"Now the soup needs to simmer for a break or two. After that, it will be time to taste it again, and see if it needs any more adjustments. If you were using milk or cream, that is when you would add it. It would need to simmer just long enough for the soup to be hot all the way through after adding them before you serve it."

Aris hugged her mentor, and each of her fellow apprentices in her excitement. Then they agreed on a schedule where they would each take turns watching their soup while the others worked on making something else.

[Aegis]

Your Thread Review is Here!

Kirei QeAzour

Pre Review Checklist

Requirement	✓ or X	Comment
Approved Character	✓	--
Updated Thread List for Previous Season	✓	--
Updated Skill Point Ledger (Raw, Adjusted, Thread Earned)	✓✓✓	--
Updated Purse (Seasonal Expense, Wage, Thread deductions)	✓✓✓	--
Updated Fame Ledger & Table for threads	✓✓	--

Review

Requirement	Fulfillment	Comment+
Solo or Collab	Solo	+6 Skill Knowledges
How many posts?	4	+0 Skill Knowledges
How many requested?	6
Are all posts greater than 250 words?	✓	555 1475 903 673
Is the thread greater than 1500 words?	✓	3606
Knowledges appropriate?	✓	I will just list the base form for the lores. You can include the extra definitions in your CS if you so desire, but there is no need.
Loot appropriate?	N/A	--
Fame appropriate?	N/A	--
Injuries appropriate?	N/A	--

Below is your well deserved loot. If you have any questions, please PM me. Also please add the provided stamp to your review request found here and please update your CS with all of this information.

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Loot

Reward	Amount	Comment
Skill Points	+10	--
Magic Points available?	N/A	--
Fame	N/A	--
Injuries	N/A	--

Knowledges
Skill Knowledge:

1. Cooking: Technique; Boiling;
2. Cooking: Technique; Simmering;
3. Cooking: Recipe; Soup
4. Cooking: Technique; Steaming;
5. Cooking: Ingredient; Stock
6. Baking: Chocolate work and sugar work are difficult techniques that require a lot of skill

Non-Skill Knowledge:

1. Andiron: likes to challenge himself
2. Andiron: often pushes himself farther than he should
3. Andiron: tends to get frustrated when he pushes himself too far and fails
4. Elyari: has a huge amount of patience
5. Elyari: cares a great deal about her apprentices