This is a Food Show

Chapter 22: This Is a Food Show

Brook began processing the Billywig.

He made a small incision in the insect's abdomen and gave a gentle tug.

The stinger, along with its venom sac and internal organs, came out in one pull, leaving only the edible parts.

Hagrid was busy on the other side, handling the Quintaped.

After removing the heart, he carefully cleaned the rest.

Hermione took it upon herself to wash the vegetables.

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

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

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

On the other side, the whole Quintaped was skewered over the fire and beginning to roast.

A few branches were stuck into the ground nearby, each holding a large kidney.

Hermione and Hagrid were already familiar with hotpot, so Brook didn't need to teach them.

They started dropping in meat and vegetables and began eating.

This time, Hermione didn't ask Brook for help.

Though her chopstick skills were still a bit clumsy, she managed well enough.

Her success rate had climbed to seventy percent.

Brook fished out a piece of cooked brain and took a bite.

The texture was incredibly dense and smooth, rich and mellow without being greasy.

It melted on the tongue.

Paired with the unique flavor of the Chuan Yu Hotpot base, it hit the taste buds directly, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

"Come on, come on, you both have to try this—this brain is absolutely amazing!"

Hermione quickly shielded her bowl, signaling refusal.

If that brain had been cooked in the Mushroom Soup Pot instead, she wouldn't even be eating this meal.

Hagrid hesitated a little but still scooped up a piece and tried it.

It tasted fine, but it lacked chewiness.

He still preferred the Quintaped sinew.

That was good.

Chewy.

One look at Hagrid's expression told Brook he wasn't impressed by the brain.

Everyone had different tastes—nothing to argue about.

That just meant the rest of the brain was all his.

Next came the tripe.

Since the inner wall of the Quintaped's stomach differed in thickness from a cow's, the traditional "seven dunks, eight lifts" method didn't apply.

After several attempts, Brook found that tripe blanched for about thirty seconds had the crispiest, most tender texture.

Hermione didn't refuse this time. She followed Brook's method, blanched the tripe, and dipped it in some sauce.

Her eyes lit up immediately.

Hagrid still preferred his meat and wasn't particularly interested in the tripe.

The hotpot ingredients weren't abundant, so the three of them only ate until they were half full.

Brook turned his attention to roasting the meat.

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

Though the marinating time was short, the Quintaped itself had little gamey smell, so it was flavorful enough.

He also brushed a layer of honey over the surface, giving the Quintaped a more appetizing color.

Every 20 to 30 minutes, Brook brushed on another layer of oil and flipped the meat to ensure even roasting.

Before long, the Quintaped's surface turned a golden, glossy brown.

He pierced the leg and the thicker parts—like the lamb rack—with a skewer; no blood seeped out.

The roasted Quintaped was done.

Brook cut off one leg.

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

Then he sliced a small plate of golden, crispy-skinned meat, sprinkled it with a bit of rosemary, and handed it to Hermione.

He cut off a leg for himself, went through the same process, and started gnawing on it.

The taste was somewhat similar to venison—crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.

And even better.

Brook thought it might be worth considering raising some Quintapeds for sustainable development.

Of course, kidneys were still his favorite.

Tender, bouncy, and crispy, with the fat and moisture perfectly sealed inside.

Absolutely a delicacy of the world.

And then there were the fried Billywigs.

The shell was crispy, while the meat inside was tender and juicy, with a faint sour tang.

If you can't find the book by its title, try searching by the author—maybe it just changed names!

Even better than fried locusts.

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

Brook loved eating but hated cooking.

If he could hire a chef or two from the kitchen to cook just for him, that would be perfect.

"The kitchen's below the Great Hall, behind a painting on the corridor leading to the Hufflepuff common room."

Hagrid scratched his head sheepishly. "But I forgot the exact way in."

Brook nodded.

Knowing where it was was enough.

Tomorrow was a day off, so he could take a stroll over there.

"Oh, and the Weasley twins, those two little rascals, definitely know," Hagrid suddenly added. "You could ask them."

The Weasley twins?

Brook had some impression of those two.

But it was limited to just knowing who they were.

He couldn't quite remember what they'd done in the original story.

The moment Brook got back, he dove straight into the ring.

He planted all the vegetable seeds Hagrid had brought.

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

He only had to sow.

Plowing, loosening the soil, covering it, watering—all of it was done with a single command from him.

Otherwise, he'd have been exhausted and still not finished in one night.

Brook looked at the five vegetable greenhouses before him and felt a surge of ambition.

Cabbage, lettuce, purple kale, romaine, and Winter Melon seeds were all planted.

Following Hagrid's advice, he set the greenhouses to 15–20°C, the optimal temperature for germination and growth, and 25–30°C for the Winter Melon.

He planned to find a chance to go out in a few days.

Not just to get more seeds and fruit trees suitable for transplanting.

But more importantly, to buy a few books on agriculture.

He was now completely in love with this feeling of farming.

Weekends were the days when all the young wizards got some free time.

Hermione, of course, headed to the library first thing in the morning.

She even tried to drag Brook along.

He flatly refused.

On a rare day off, he had no intention of wasting it in the library.

Brook slept in until he naturally woke up, and by the time he opened his eyes, it was nearly noon.

There was no one else left in the room.

Stretching lazily, he walked into the Great Hall.

Sunlight streamed through the high ceiling, spilling across the hall.

The long tables were laden with all kinds of delicious food, and students sat around in small groups.

Brook quickly spotted his target—the Weasley twins.

After all, two redheads always sticking together stood out especially brightly in the sunlight.

Fred was holding a chicken leg, pretending to feed it to George.

And George opened his mouth dramatically, as if he was about to swallow the whole chicken leg in one bite.

The classmates around them burst into laughter at their antics.

Brook walked straight over in that direction.

Fred, stuffing bacon into his mouth, spoke mysteriously.

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

George raised an eyebrow, wearing an expression that said, "I already know."

"What? Did Peeves pull another prank?"

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

"I saw Filch sneaking things into his office, looking like some treasure he picked up from the Forbidden Forest."

"The Forbidden Forest?" A mischievous grin curled at the corner of George's mouth.

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

"Haha, that'd be brilliant!" Fred slapped the table, laughing hard.

"Imagine Filch riding a Thestral, holding that broken broom of his, roaming the castle like a dark knight!"

"And Peeves trailing behind, flinging dungbombs at him as he flies!"

George added.

The two of them doubled over with laughter.

Even a few nearby students joined in.

(To clarify, the Quintaped originally came from the McBoon clan's transformation, but after centuries of evolution, it's developed into a new magical creature species, so it should be edible, I guess—Little Author hasn't tried it anyway.)