Aoko's Cooking Skills

"Hmm... what exactly is this?" Aoko tried to search her mind for any knowledge related to the blue liquid in front of her, but found nothing. "Alice, do you have any clues?"

"I don't know everything," Alice said after glancing at it. "But I can feel a large amount of magical energy from the liquid inside the bottle."

"Is this some kind of drink the old man collected?" Aoko picked up the bottle, shook it, and observed it closely. "I feel like I have some impression of this thing, but not much."

"Never mind, let's find a place to store it first. Maybe I'll understand it when I wake up tomorrow?" Aoko put the bottle back into the box, closed it again, and a mechanical whirring sound could be heard as the box was locked once more.

Alice didn't say anything, just continued to enjoy her black tea. She suddenly found watching Aoko work quite interesting.

"Alright!" Aoko stood up and rubbed her lower back. "Finally, everything has been inventoried. Now I just need to put these things away."

"Can you lend me the storage room in the basement?" Aoko asked Alice. "There are some things in here that I won't need for a while, and they're too big."

"Whatever you want," Alice said. "But don't move anything inside, or I might not be able to find it later."

"Got it!" Aoko took the key. "After I finish with this, I'll make dinner. Alice, you can think about what you'd like to eat now?"

"...Can't we just order takeout?" Alice mumbled softly, seemingly worried that Aoko might be too tired today.

"Ah, I'm not a takeout person," Aoko said while tidying up. "Takeout from restaurants might have some hygiene issues, or the packaging might have residual styrofoam. Besides, you can't just prioritize convenience or taste and be lazy, right?"

"...What you make is tastier."

"Ah, sorry, Alice, what did you say?" Aoko's voice was a bit loud as she organized things, so she didn't hear what Alice said.

"...I said, I want to eat Italian food for dinner," Alice said, raising her voice slightly. "You've made it before."

"No problem?" Aoko agreed with a smile. "How about Lasagna? I recently learned how to make it from a book, I guarantee it'll be delicious~"

"Mhm," Alice nodded in affirmation and quietly touched her stomach, suddenly feeling a bit hungry.

The word "Lasagna" itself refers to square pasta sheets, or the dish made using these pasta sheets layered with fillings. Among Western cuisines, Aoko's favorites are Italian and French.

She had been to many Italian restaurants in the commercial district with Touko and had a particular fondness for their spicy sausage Spaghetti, which, accompanied by two slices of garlic bread and apple soda, would make for a happy and satisfying dinner.

After categorizing and storing all the items in her bedroom and the basement storage room, Aoko put on her backpack and rode her small motorcycle to a large supermarket at the foot of the mountain.

She took advantage of the last hour before closing to buy the most expensive pork belly and ribeye, as well as fresh tomatoes, carrots, and parsley.

Of course, pre-made tomato paste was also essential. After all, she wasn't a purist who only used natural ingredients, and Aoko didn't reject the occasional processed product. However, she deliberately chose an old brand that she remembered tasting while studying abroad in the United States, ensuring sufficient flavor.

In addition to these, Aoko also bought flour specifically for making pasta. This was because if she bought ready-made pasta sheets directly, she might not be able to control the size and the texture might be slightly off. These issues could be avoided by making it herself, and Aoko herself enjoyed the process of cooking.

Although restaurants usually use Parmesan cheese for Lasagna, Aoko's feedback from Alice was that she preferred Cheddar, so she ended up buying a large block of Alice's favorite cheese.

When she returned to the Kuonji Residence, it was already completely dark. Aoko first got a portion of the cake she had made earlier from the refrigerator for Alice as a pre-dinner dessert. After all, she had noticed when she left home that Alice must have been hungry, and it would still take some time for her to finish cooking.

Aoko changed her clothes, meticulously washed her hands, then tied up her thick, silky red hair, put on an apron and a chef's hat, and began processing the ingredients.

Washing the vegetables and removing the fishy smell from the meat were naturally the first steps.

After washing the vegetables, Aoko soaked the large pieces of meat she had bought in ice water for a while, then placed them on the stove to blanch them slightly, allowing excess blood to be removed from the meat.

She had been busy in the kitchen for a while when she heard footsteps approaching. She glanced back slightly and saw Alice walking over with a book and a half-eaten cake.

"Are you in a hurry?" Aoko said while processing the ingredients. "But unfortunately, if you want it done right, you'll have to wait a little longer."

"...No, I'm just curious about Aoko's cooking process," Alice said, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen and staring at Aoko's movements.

"Ah, I understand," Aoko said. "Then please, Miss Kuonji, enjoy my culinary skills~"

Aoko took out a glass basin the size of a washbasin from the cupboard, poured in the prepared tipo 00 flour (fineness grade), and then added a small amount of coarse durum wheat flour (to make the texture chewier).

She then took out a few eggs, mixed the yolks and whites evenly, poured them into the glass basin, put on plastic gloves, and thoroughly mixed and kneaded the flour and egg mixture, finally forming a beautiful golden dough. (No water is needed in pasta dough, as it affects the texture and taste.)

Of course, during the kneading process, Aoko used a little bit of Magecraft to strengthen her power and to permeate the dough, giving it a more unique texture than that made by ordinary chefs. It had to be said that among the Magus in this world, she was probably unique, as there were very few Magus who did this.

She set the dough aside to rest for a moment and began making the Béchamel Sauce and Bolognese sauce. The Béchamel sauce is a basic sauce made by stir-frying white flour paste with butter and then adding milk. The red sauce is a traditional meat sauce from the Bologna region, which includes a soffritto composed of onions, carrots, parsley, fresh basil leaves, garlic, celery, tomatoes, bay leaves, sea salt, and black pepper, mixed with ground pork and beef. It has always been the soul accompaniment for Italian cuisine enthusiasts.

Alice watched Aoko cook with curiosity. With very skilled and precise movements, she quickly processed various ingredients into their optimal state as if performing magic. This made Alice wonder if her cohabitant's main profession was a Mage or a professional chef.

After preparing the sauces, Aoko put the meat sauce into a pot with olive oil and sea salt and stir-fried it briefly. Once the minced meat was slightly cooked, she immediately took it out and stored it in a container.

By this point in the cooking process, a delicious aroma could already be smelled. Alice, smelling the fragrance from the side, couldn't help but swallow her saliva, looking forward to dinner even more.