"Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef."
In the plot of "Food War Spirit," the protagonist, Xingping Chuangzhen, created a Xingping Style Red Wine Stewed Beef in the first class at Far Moon, earning high praise from the stoic teacher Roland Chapele.
In fact, this is a common dish in France.
In standard recipes, Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef actually has many variations, depending on the chef's skills.
Could Xia Yu make Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef?
For other Western dishes, it would certainly raise a big question mark.
However, as "Food War Spirit" swept the anime scene, Xia Yu, a food enthusiast with practical skills, naturally found the recipe in the comic's appendix and studied it diligently for a long period.
The frustrating part was that the Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef made according to the comic didn't taste good, and could even be rated poorly. Xia Yu pondered day and night until finally identifying a critical missing element in the manga recipe:
Honey!
By coincidence, through fellow anime food enthusiasts, he heard about a 2009 French film "Julie & Julia," and by referencing the detailed descriptions of French cuisine in the film, he finally managed to recreate an authentic Burgundy Red Wine Stewed Beef that was praised for its taste.
"Did we gather all the ingredients..."
After washing his hands, donning an apron and chef's hat, and completing the basic etiquette of a chef, Xia Yu looked toward the Western kitchen counter.
Two large defrosted pieces of beef were the main ingredients.
"[Beef Shoulder], excellent quality, frozen for 8 hours and 56 minutes, fresh."
Touching the beef, the God of Cooking System provided ingredient identification information, showing green quality.
"Beef shoulder? Not bad. The meat from this part has finer fibers and a tender texture, making it suitable for stewing, roasting, braising, and making curry," Xia Yu muttered, scanning the other ingredients, "We can begin!"
Smack!
A thick chunk of beef slapped onto the cutting board, and Xia Yu chose the sharpest knife from the kitchen block. Using his index finger, middle finger, and thumb, he pinched the handle and blade, took two slow breaths, and sliced!
The two assistants and Chef of Xiazhiqiu only saw a flash of silver light, and the beef on the cutting board seemed unchanged.
However, Xia Yu's actions didn't stop, his right hand moved rhythmically up and down as if conducting an orchestra, the sound of the knife striking the cutting board was so pleasing.
Chef of Xiazhiqiu's expression changed.
He clearly recalled something and intently watched Xia Yu seriously dealing with the beef, "...This knife skill... could he be a student from Far Moon?"
What intrigued him was Xia Yu's slightly unusual way of holding the knife.
Steadily observing Xia Yu finishing the beef processing, Chef of Xiazhiqiu became even more perplexed.
Among the students of Far Moon's middle and high school, there might be geniuses with such knife skills. However, this young man exuded the aura of a seasoned chef, poised and elegant, a uniqueness not found in students still in their greenhouses!
In that moment, Chef of Xiazhiqiu felt both embarrassed and nostalgic.
Since Xia Yu began prepping the ingredients, it felt as if the kitchen had changed hands, and he was relegated to an assistant role, watching from the sidelines.
Back in his day, he was the darling of the Culinary Academy, but the competition at Far Moon was brutal, with only a few graduates each year. By his second year of high school, he was eliminated, deemed lacking in chef potential.
"Done!"
Finishing the processing of the two large pieces of beef in one go, Xia Yu then retrieved bacon strips, cutting them into neatly diced pieces.
Next, he added the equally sized bacon strips into a pot to steam with water. Xia Yu glanced at the gas stove before instructing without turning his head, "Bring me the kitchen paper..."
Chef of Xiazhiqiu quickly handed him the roll of kitchen paper.
Moisture is the enemy of beef dishes, so the beef cubes must be thoroughly drained. The kitchen paper comes in handy here. With a serious expression, Xia Yu constantly drew out kitchen paper, wrapping and pressing each beef piece repeatedly.
But ultimately, with ingredients for six servings, one person struggled to handle it all. Xia Yu glanced at Chef of Xiazhiqiu next to him, along with the two young assistants, "Lend a hand, please!"
Once the beef was drained, many side ingredients still needed prepping on the kitchen counter, such as carrots, mushrooms, and parsley. Xia Yu left the task of washing and chopping the sides to Chef of Xiazhiqiu, while he took a frying pan, heated it, added olive oil, and started frying the bacon pieces fished out of the boiling pot.
Xia Yu silently counted the frying time of the bacon to golden-brown accuracy, down to each second.
After the bacon, what remained in the frying pan was the leftover rendered pork fat. With the gas stove flame still burning, Xia Yu skillfully grabbed the drained beef cubes, placing them into the pan to sear.
Amidst the sizzling oil, Xia Yu flipped the beef cubes, ensuring each side turned a beautiful dark brown.
When they reached dark brown, it signaled they were ready to be taken out of the pan.
Setting aside the seared beef cubes for a moment, Xia Yu reached toward the other kitchen counter, "The chopped carrots and onions!"
A young assistant hurriedly handed over a vegetable basket.
There was still some oil left in the cooking pan, so no need for additional oil. Tipping the basket, Xia Yu simultaneously tossed the carrots and onions into the pan for a quick sauté, not cooking them too thoroughly. When a golden glaze covered the surface of the sides, they were ready to be taken out.
Xia Yu poured the carrots and onions into a prepared cast-iron stew pot, followed by the dark-brown beef, adding salt and black pepper, with the specific quantities requiring the chef's judgment.
The two assistants nearby widened their eyes.
"Hey, is adding salt and pepper like that really okay?" one assistant asked anxiously, seeing Xia Yu's casual manner.
"I think it's fine!" his fellow assistant said, watching Xia Yu's busy figure, face full of admiration and envy, "He must be a student from Far Moon, right? Truly talented people are different..."
Thinking of his years spent learning culinary arts and still just an assistant, unable to manage the kitchen alone, the young assistant lowered his head, clenching his fists, filled with determination not to yield.
After the salt and pepper, came a relatively important step.
Flour!
Xia Yu grabbed a handful of flour, carefully sprinkling it over the beef and ingredients in the pot, forming a white coating to lock in moisture and increase the stickiness of the sauce.
Not much flour was needed, just a light sprinkle was sufficient. Afterward came the mixing.
"Ding"
The oven had preheated to about 230 degrees. The cast-iron pot was placed uncovered in the oven to heat for 4 minutes before taking it out, and then a second flour sprinkle and another 4 minutes in the oven.
The second time the cast-iron pot was removed from the oven, a rich fragrance filled the kitchen.
But the dish wasn't complete yet.
Various ingredients, parsley, crushed bay leaves, thyme...
Finally, red wine was poured in, submerging most of the beef, and a little plain water was added, then the cast-iron pot was placed on the gas stove to bring it to a boil.