Chapter 171

Ch 171 — Roast Chicken

Right then, time to make dinner . What I had planned for tonight was a simple pilaf roast chicken . My parents made it sometimes when I was still at home . After I moved out I made it for myself once at Christmas for old time's sake and I enjoyed it so much it became a regular thing for me to make pilaf roast chicken on Christmas . For that reason I didn't forsee any problems making it in this world, and it's something I've been thinking about making ever since I bought the Black Magic Cooking Stove with its gigantic oven .

This world doesn't actually seem to have chickens but I've got something that will work the same (I think) . A Cockatrice . I have a whole one left and as prepared by the Guild dismantlers it's just like a chicken, that is if a chicken was 1 . 5 meters long . Even the Gluttonous Trio will be full up after eating a "chicken" this big . Probably .

First the ingredients . I needed to buy stuff like herbal salt and frozen pilaf and a brush to apply oil so I opened the Net Super and started ordering before I got to work . I avoided a lot of bothersome preparation by buying frozen pilaf which I heated lightly in a big frying pan to defrost since I didn't have a microwave oven, the way I would have defrosted it it at home . Sure I could have made the pilaf from scratch but it would take a lot of time and the frozen stuff was just as good for this recipe . I rubbed herbal salt on the Cockatrice inside and out and when the pilaf was warmed through I packed it into the Cockatrice's body .

After filling it up with pilaf I stitched the carcass closed with a bamboo skewer and tied the legs together with cooking string to keep the shape before brushing the entire Cockatrice with olive oil . I put the completed Cockatrice on a giant sheet of baking parchment in the pre-heated oven . It just fitted, as the Black Magic Cooking Stove salesman had said . Yosh!

I baked the Cockatrice at 200 degrees for just under an hour, keeping a close eye on it as I was still a bit unsure of the oven's temperature settings . I opened the door frequently to brush the dripping fat over the skin, making it brown and crisp and about half-way through the baking process I turned the entire Cockatrice over to ensure it cooked evenly . I used another bamboo skewer to stab the giant bird and when the fat that ran out was clear I judged it was ready to eat . I took it out and removed the bamboo skewer and the string before admiring the results of my cooking . A whole roast chicken is a wonderful sight but a whole roast Cockatrice outdid it by far, and the smell! However I didn't have long to enjoy looking at the results of my hard work since I was distracted by the piteous voices of the staving waifs and orphans behind me .

"That looks delicious . " Fer seemed appreciative .

"Hurry up and give me it . " Dora-chan was hovering impatiently at Fer's shoulder, his muzzle quivering .

"It's such a big piece of meat- Sui wants to eat it quick-" Sui was pyonging enthusiastically .

Everyone's eyes were nailed to the roast "chicken" .

"Hang on, I'll have to remove the meat from the bones first . " I got to work, separating the meat and heaping the pilaf soaked in the bird's juices into dishes for my contracted monsters .

"Here you are . " I said, putting the dishes down and stepping back quickly as the food started to disappear .

"Mmmm, this is really delicious . " Fer said telepathically . You really think so? Well the way his dish was emptying was a good sign . Sure he liked Cockatrice meat when I cooked it as cutlets and such but baking it whole in an oven is a different flavour experience .

"The crispy outer skin is irresistable . " Dora-chan chimed in . "The rice too, it's really tasty, very meaty . " Ah, good . I liked the crisp skin too when I made roast chicken for myself, and it was good to hear the pilaf was savoury and delicious .

"The skin is crisp and the meat inside is tender and delicious meat juice comes out . This rice is also delicious because the taste of the meat is soaked into it- " Ah, gourmand Sui-chan likes everything about the roast Cockatrice . Baking it whole kept the meat from drying out and the pilaf has soaked up the taste of the meat, even though it was pre-prepared frozen pilaf rather than home-made . A success! Well, time for me to try some too .

Ooooh, I had to agree, but it's almost too delicious even if I say so myself . The skin is crisp, the flesh plump and juicy and the rice soft and flavourful, a wonderful mixture of tastes and textures, a real pleasure to eat .

Fer and Sui had seconds and extra seconds, and in the end only bones remained as I had half-expected . They made me promise to make it again sometime which I readily agreed to, it's a very simple dish after all . Fer would have to hunt another Cockatrice sometime though .

"Wobbly stuff, I want some wobbly stuff!" Dora-chan demanded after I had finished cleaning up .

"Dora-chan, it's called 'pudding' . " I explained .

"Is that what you call it? Pudding, I want some pudding . " Dora-chan flew in circles around my head . "I haven't had any today so it's two, remember . "

I had promised them two sweets each day and, yes, they hadn't had any yet today so two sweets it was . I turned to Fer .

"You too?" Fer nodded impatiently . "Strawberry shortcake as usual?"

"Umu . " So two strawberry shortcakes as usual for Fer .

"Sui wants something I haven't eaten before- . " Sui wanted to try something different as usual . I opened up the Sanke tenant store in Net Super and chose two custard puddings and two strawberry shortcakes for Dora-chan and Fer and after some thought I selected an apple pie and a strawberry roll cake for Sui . They looked delicious on the dishes, at least for a few seconds before they were devoured . Fer and Dora-chan headed off to the beast stables to sleep but it was still too early for me to go to bed . Maybe Sui-chan could make something for me?