Chapter 10: Akeshi's cooking.
"it's time. for Akeshi-kun's cooking special's first session! Let's go, let's go!"
It was almost 9 pm by the time we arrived home after shopping from the supermarket.
Although it was a little too late for dinner it Couldn't be helped. I was more concerned that Amanika-san seemed somehow more excited than when we were shopping, but let's begin with cooking right away. And I am glad that she had recovered from it.
"chef Akeshi-kun. What's on the menu today?"
"Today, I'm thinking of making peperoncino. I normally prefer tomato sauce or meat sauce, but since I need time to simmer it, I will leave that for some other time."
[A/N: He means Spaghetti Aglio Olio Peperoncino, a simple pasta dish consisting of spaghetti, olive oil, garlic and italian chili peppers.]
First, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. In the meantime prepare the other ingredients. Mince two cloves of garlic, remove the seeds of the chili pepper and chop the leaves of all the parsley.
When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta. Let the pasta cook for about a minute shorter than normally required for spaghetti. This Would allow the pasta to have a soft texture when it would be heated afterwards by combining it with the sauce, so it would attain the right
consistency after it is finished.
[A/N: spaghetti also known als 'pasta al dente).
When the pasta is almost done boiling, combine the garlic and chili pepper that you just cut into pieces into a frying pan with olive oil and fry them slowly over low heat. The key is to shake the pan consistently in order to prevent burning. If the garlic seems fragrant, add the
parsley for flavor.
[A/N: Or you could just stir with Wooden spoon or chopsticks or medium sized spoons like a normal person.]
From here on out, it was all about timing. Turn off the heat of the sauce. Add a ladleful of boiling water to the pan over high heat. Mix the water thoroughly with the olive oil, then add the pasta and toss it around to let it get coated
with the sauce.
"Yeah. Just about right."
The saltiness was just about perfect. l put the dish on the plates we bought, added some pepper with additional chili peppers that I took out, and I was done.
"Wow. You're amazing, Akeshi-kun. You're very skillful with your hands, and you're good at preparing the food. I can't do it like this, so I quite envy you. In fact, aren't you a better cook than me?"
"... Well, my mother was a good cook, and I don't
mind cooking and sometimes I had to be in the kitchen duty at the cafe so I did it from time to time. Still,
I'm looking forward to seeing yours Amanika-san."
We sat down at the table facing each other for a late dinner. The smell of olive oil and garlic stimulated my appetite. The seasoning was rather simple, but the result was a decently salty and not too dry dish, which was a relief. The pepper that I sprinkled at the end also added a nice, extra touch.
"Mmm! It's delicious! The strong aroma of garlic mixed with the freshness of parsley makes it very easy to consume. The pepper flavor also works wonders! Are you a genius, Akeshi!?"
"....If something like this could be called genius, then all the chefs in the world would be gods and the holders of Michelin stars Would be the creators or something."
"it's okay. The only chef for me is Akeshi-kun. No matter what anyone else says, Akeshi-kun's food is delicious."
I scratched my cheek. It was the first time | have ever served food to anyone other than my parents and the customer's at the cafe I don't think it should be called a cafe if I am being honest, so I was honestly incredibly happy to hear Amanika-san say it was delicious with a big smile on her face. I was even more embarrassed than ever before.
"But I can't lose to this one either. I will be cooking tomorrow, so please look forward to it, okay? I will make you something you like, Akeshi-kun!"
"Do you know about what I might like?"
"of course. What Akeshi-kun likes the most is hamburgers! You usually eat pastries, but on days when the cafeteria serves hamburgers, you always get that. What do you think? Is it wrong?"
"....No, that's correct. But how do you know |
never miss a hamburger in the school
cafeteria? Even though you for most of the time don't stay at school at lunchtime."
I'm sorry to say, but that seems a little scary, Amanika-san. Where on earth did you get such information? If a famous person like you had been collecting information about me or even following me, I'm sure word would have gotten out in no time. And I would be dead.
"Huh-uh-uh. That's sweet, Akeshi-kun. The sources are not just limited to students. The people who provided me with this information were the people working in the school cafeteria!"
Why were you telling stuff about me to her, cafeteria lady! But that was it, huh? She knew I Was hungry from taking care of idiots, and she even sneaked leftovers for me sometimes.
"And I was the one who told the cafeteria lady to give you the leftovers and don't ask how I did ok? It's my secret."
When she placed her index finger on my lips my heartbeat increased all of a sudden. But I kept my cool to not make mistakes.
"And I also know that there is this novel where you like this character with glasses in culture club where other guys likes the big boob character from that novel."
And I think I understood that the nurse is healer and the cafeteria lady is an assassin. Though that kind of checks out , if we were thinking in the format of video games.