This Is a Food Show

Brook began preparing the Billywigs.

He made a small cut in the insects' abdomens and gave a gentle pull.

The stingers, along with their venom sacs and organs, came right out, leaving only the edible parts.

Hagrid busied himself nearby with the Quintaped.

After removing its heart, he carefully washed the remaining parts clean.

Hermione voluntarily took on the task of washing the vegetables.

After more than an hour of work, all the ingredients were finally ready.

As the sun set, two blazing bonfires had already been lit outside Hagrid's Hut.

The hotpot had been simmering ingredients like brain and Quintaped tendons for nearly half an hour, giving off an enticing aroma.

On the other side, an entire Quintaped had been placed over the fire to roast.

Several branches had also been stuck beside it, each skewered with a large kidney.

Hermione and Hagrid were already familiar with hotpot, so Brook naturally did not need to teach them again.

They started adding meat and vegetables to the pot and began eating.

This time, Hermione did not ask Brook for help.

Though she was still a little clumsy with chopsticks, she was starting to look the part.

Her success rate had risen to seventy percent.

Brook scooped up a piece of cooked brain and took a bite.

Its texture was incredibly smooth, rich and creamy without being greasy.

It melted in his mouth.

Combined with the unique flavor of the Chuan Yu Hotpot base, it struck straight at the taste buds and left an unforgettable aftertaste.

"Come on, come on, you both have to try this. This brain is absolutely incredible!"

Hermione hurriedly shielded her bowl and refused.

It was only because the brain had not been cooked in the mushroom soup pot that she was still willing to eat this meal.

Hagrid hesitated slightly, but he still fished out a piece and tried it.

It tasted all right, but it did not have much chew to it.

He still preferred Quintaped tendons.

Those were good.

Chewy.

One look at Hagrid's expression told Brook that he was not particularly fond of brain.

Everyone had different tastes, so there was nothing to say about it.

That meant all the remaining brain was his.

Next came the tripe.

Because the inner stomach lining of a Quintaped differed in thickness from that of a cow, it could not be prepared using the traditional "seven up, eight down" swishing method.

After many attempts, Brook finally discovered that thirty seconds was the ideal cooking time for tripe, leaving it crisp and tender.

Hermione did not refuse this time. She followed Brook's method to cook the tripe and dipped it in a little sesame oil.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

Hagrid still favored his meat and showed little interest in tripe.

There were not many hotpot ingredients, and the three of them only ate until they were half full.

Brook began focusing on roasting the meat.

He had already marinated the Quintaped meat with salt, light soy sauce, Sichuan peppercorns, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, cumin, ginger, garlic, and other seasonings.

Although it had not been marinated for long, Quintaped meat had no strong gamey smell, and the flavor had seeped in well enough.

He had also deliberately brushed a layer of honey over the meat, making the Quintaped look even more tempting.

Every twenty to thirty minutes, Brook brushed on another layer of oil and turned the meat over to ensure it cooked evenly.

Before long, the Quintaped's surface had taken on a golden, glistening sheen.

He poked the Quintaped's legs and other thicker parts, such as the ribs, with a skewer. No blood seeped out.

The roasted Quintaped was finished.

Brook cut off one of its legs.

He sprinkled it with pepper, cumin powder, and chili powder, roasted it for another minute, then handed it to Hagrid.

Next, he cut a small plate of meat with golden, crispy skin, deliberately sprinkled a little rosemary over it, and handed it to Hermione.

He cut off another leg for himself, prepared it the same way, and started gnawing on it.

The texture was somewhat similar to venison, with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat inside.

It tasted even better.

Brook thought he could consider raising some Quintapeds for sustainable development.

Of course, the large kidneys were still his favorite.

Tender, springy, and crisp, with all their fat and juices perfectly sealed inside.

They were simply a heavenly delicacy.

And there were also the fried Billywigs.

Their shells were crispy, while the meat inside was tender and juicy, with a faint tanginess.

They were even more delicious than fried locusts.

"Hagrid, do you know where the Hogwarts kitchen is?"

Brook liked eating, but he did not like cooking.

It would be great if he could hire one or two cooks from the kitchen to make meals specifically for him.

"The kitchen is beneath the Great Hall, at a painting in the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff common room."

Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly. "But I've forgotten exactly how to get in."

Brook nodded.

Knowing where it was would do.

Tomorrow happened to be a day off, so he could go take a look.

"Oh, right. Those two little troublemakers, the Weasley Twins, definitely know. You can ask them," Hagrid suddenly said.

The Weasley twins?

Brook had some impression of the two of them.

But only enough to know who they were.

He could not really remember what they had done in the original story.

The moment Brook returned, he slipped into the ring.

He planted all the vegetable seeds Hagrid had brought him.

That was thanks to the Shanhe Sheji Map's built-in control functions.

All he had to do was sow the seeds.

Plowing, loosening the soil, covering the seeds, and watering were all done with a single command from him.

Otherwise, even if he worked himself to death, he would not finish it all in one night.

Brook looked at the five vegetable greenhouses before him, suddenly filled with lofty ambition.

Cabbage, lettuce, purple cabbage, romaine lettuce, and winter melon seeds had all been planted.

Following Hagrid's instructions, he set the greenhouses to a temperature of fifteen to twenty degrees Celsius for the seeds to germinate and grow, while the winter melon greenhouse was set to twenty-five to thirty degrees Celsius.

He planned to find an opportunity to go out in a few days.

He needed to get more seeds and fruit trees suitable for transplanting.

More importantly, he needed to buy a few books related to agriculture.

He had completely fallen in love with the feeling of farming.

Weekends were when all the young wizards got to let loose.

Hermione naturally went to the library early in the morning.

She had even wanted to bring Brook along.

He sternly refused.

On a rare day off, he did not want to spend all his time in the library.

Brook slept until he woke naturally. When he opened his eyes, it was already close to noon.

No one else remained in the room.

Stretching, he walked into the Great Hall.

Sunlight streamed into the hall through the high ceiling.

The long tables were piled with all kinds of food, while students sat together in groups of two and three.

Brook quickly spotted his targets—the Weasley Twins.

After all, two redheads who were always glued together were especially eye-catching in the sunlight.

Fred held a chicken leg and pretended to feed George.

George exaggeratedly opened his mouth as though he wanted to swallow the entire chicken leg in one bite.

The students around them burst into laughter at their ridiculous antics.

Brook walked straight over.

Fred stuffed bacon into his mouth while speaking mysteriously.

"Hey, George, guess what I saw in the corridor this morning?"

George raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression that said he had already guessed it.

"What? Don't tell me Peeves was playing pranks again?"

"No, no, it was much more interesting than that!" Fred shook his head, his eyes sparkling.

"I saw Filch sneaking things into his office. They looked like some kind of treasure he'd picked up in the Forbidden Forest."

"The Forbidden Forest?" A mischievous smile curled George's lips.

"Do you think he's finally decided to raise a Thestral to help him patrol?"

"Haha, that would be brilliant!" Fred slapped the table and burst out laughing.

"Just imagine Filch riding a Thestral through the castle, clutching that broken broom of his like some dark knight!"

"And then Peeves follows behind him, flying around and throwing dungbombs at him!"

George added.

The two of them laughed so hard they nearly doubled over.

Several students nearby started laughing along with them.