Food Wars!: Delicious Food of the Heavens

Chapter 128 Lin Yu's Mixed Vegetable Stew

Lin Yu sprinkled a thin layer of sea salt on the vegetable slices, then placed the tray in the oven and baked it slowly on the lowest heat.

This step can slightly draw out the moisture from inside the vegetables, further concentrating their flavor.

Not only that, Lin Yu also put another tray into the oven, which contained shelled and peeled nuts such as walnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, and pistachios.

After completing the preparations, Lin Yu lit the fire and took the pot out of the pot.

Drizzle in olive oil, and at the same time, chop up all the onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic that were seared over high heat, along with the scraps from slicing the vegetables. Chop them all together and throw them into the wok, then start stirring constantly.

Salt, black pepper, rosemary, thyme, paprika, concentrated tomato paste...

Various spices and seasonings are added to the pot, and as they are constantly stir-fried, the vegetables in the pot begin to soften.

A faint "white mist" began to rise from the edge of the pot; it was the moisture inside the vegetables being evaporated by the heat. At the same time, a rich aroma of vegetables began to waft from the pot.

When all seven or eight kinds of vegetables in the pot had been thoroughly cooked until they were mushy and indistinguishable from one another, Lin Yu sniffed the strong aroma filling the air and finally took the pot off the stove.

Pour the sautéed vegetables into a blender, add fresh basil leaves, olive oil, and sea salt.

Then, Lin Yu started the blender, and the lump of vegetables was turned into red vegetable puree in the blink of an eye.

"Buzz"

Just as Lin Yu was staring intently at the blender, he heard another identical voice in his ear.

Lin Yu glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye and saw that Shinomiya Kojiro was doing something similar to him, using a blender to blend something.

Shinomiya Kojiro seemed to notice Lin Yu's gaze, adjusted his glasses, and gave him a provocative look.

Further discussion is pointless.

Lin Yu ignored the other person, turned his head away, and continued to stare at the blender in front of him.

When the vegetables in the blender visibly became smooth and silky, Lin Yu stopped the blender.

In pursuit of the ultimate taste, after taking out the clump of vegetable puree, Lin Yu took out a fine mesh sieve and carefully filtered the vegetable puree through it, finally obtaining a bowl of orange-red vegetable puree as smooth as ice cream.

Lin Yu used a small spoon to take a tiny bit of vegetable puree and put it in his mouth.

In an instant, the four flavors of saltiness, sourness, umami, and sweetness were very stimulating, stirring Lin Yu's tongue, but they were perfectly balanced, making it a very delicious experience.

The intense vegetable flavor, mixed with the smoky and charred aroma, was so delicious it almost burst out of Lin Yu's mouth!

Combined with its smooth, silky texture, just like ice cream, "Wow...as expected of me..."

3

Lin Yu let out a sigh of admiration, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

"Ding!"

The oven gave a crisp ringing sound, and Lin Yu immediately took the vegetables and nuts out of the oven.

Inside the tray, the thin slices of vegetables, sprinkled with a little salt and baked at a low temperature, had shrunk slightly and had a light brownish-brown surface.

Although the shape was somewhat curled up, the flavor of the vegetables was noticeably stronger!

Lin Yu took out a shallow baking pan and spread a layer of vegetable puree on it, neither too thick nor too thin, very evenly.

Eggplant, tomato, zucchini...

Several different colored vegetable slices were layered and arranged neatly on the vegetable puree.

Inside the black round baking pan, a colorful kaleidoscope made of overlapping vegetables leaped into Lin Yu's eyes!

"it's beautiful!"

Lin Yu couldn't help but sigh, then covered the baking tray with aluminum foil and put it in the oven.

But Lin Yu's busyness hadn't stopped yet; he took out the plate of roasted nuts.

Peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios.

After roasting, the surface of these nuts has a light brownish-brown color.

Lin Yu picked up a pine nut, placed it between two fingers, and rubbed it vigorously to grind it into a paste.

As you loosen your fingers, a rich, nutty aroma wafts into the air, accompanied by a subtle, pleasant fragrance.

Lin Yu brought his finger to his nose and smelled it, then hesitated.

This scent... doesn't seem to be strong enough?

Dissatisfied, Lin Yu put the wire mesh grill he had used to roast the vegetables back up, placed the nuts on the grill, lit the stove at its highest setting, and roughly and directly placed the nuts into the raging flames.

Lin Yu seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this, and even took a bottle of fragrant sunflower seed oil and brushed it directly onto the nuts.

As the oil dripped into the flames, the flames immediately leaped up, becoming fierce and engulfing all the nuts on the grill.

"Lin Yu, won't this burn?"

As Donato Wutongtian watched Lin Yu's reckless actions, he couldn't help but feel that Lin Yu was acting somewhat recklessly.

Even Fuyumi Mizuhara, who had been expressionless, frowned, clearly sharing the same concerns.

However, Hinako Inui and Morihei Seki, who had witnessed Lin Yu's cooking firsthand and knew his "wild style," remained calm and even comforted the other two graduates.

"Relax, relax, this is just Lin Yujun's style!"

"Yes, I agree with that!"

"Don't worry, Lin Yujun can handle it!"

"Yeah..

'

Before Donato Gotoda and Mizuhara Fuyumi's worries had subsided, Lin Yu had already raised his hand and turned off the stove.

As the flames subsided, the nuts, roasted by the intense heat, revealed their true form.

The original light yellowish-brown had turned into a dark brown, and wisps of smoke were rising from it.

Lin Yu endured the heat and crushed another pine nut. The intensely nutty aroma rushed into Lin Yu's nostrils, making his eyes light up.

"That's more like it!"

Lin Yu then checked the remaining nuts one by one, and only after confirming that the aroma of the nuts was strong enough and that there was no burnt bitterness did Lin Yu feel relieved.

Peanuts, walnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios have their aroma brought out through high-temperature roasting.

Perilla, mint, fennel, and basil leaves have a cooling effect.

And the refreshing sweet and sour lemon and lime.

Rich and aromatic nuts, along with refreshing vanilla and fruit flavors.

Finally, add heavy cream and eggs to enhance the smooth texture and milky flavor.

Lin Yu put all the ingredients into the blender and blended them into a smooth and silky sauce.

"Ding!"

When the oven timer went off, Lin Yu opened the oven door, took out the baking tray, and peeled off the aluminum foil covering it.

The moment the foil was peeled off, hot air rushed out of the baking pan.

Lin Yu turned his head in time, avoiding the hot breath that almost hit his face.

After the heat dissipated, the scene on the baking tray was clearly revealed to Lin Yu.

The vegetable puree at the edge and bottom of the baking pan was still bubbling slightly.

The vegetable slices lay quietly on the baking tray. Because they were covered with aluminum foil, the vegetables did not lose moisture during baking. Instead, they absorbed the moisture from the vegetable puree and were even infused with the red color of the vegetable puree!

At first glance, the thinly sliced ​​vegetables, fully infused with flavor, are hard not to be curious about their taste.

But not yet...

Lin Yu spread the freshly made sauce evenly on the surface of the vegetables and put the baking tray back into the oven.

This time, not only did he not cover it with aluminum foil, Lin Yu even turned up the oven temperature.

After doing all this, Lin Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

All we can do now is wait patiently!

Lin Yu stood in front of the oven, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared into the bright interior of the oven.

"Hey! Kid, aren't you done yet?"

A slightly provocative voice rang out again from behind.

Lin Yu turned his head and saw that Shinomiya Kojiro was actually smiling and waving at him.

However, that smile was filled with a smug and self-satisfied air.

"Chef Shinomiya, do you still have some time?" Lin Yu said casually.

"Don't be like that~ I was just worried about you!"

Kojiro Shinomiya spread his hands and a smug smile appeared on his lips.

"What if my dish is served first, leaving a lingering taste on the judges' palates?"

"If your dish is served last, Lin Yu, the flavors of the two dishes will clash on the judges' palates, making the contrast even more intense!"

"But..

'

Shinomiya Kojiro paused for a moment, his tone carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"Won't this put you at a disadvantage?"

"Don't you think this is unfair to Lin Yu?"

Kojiro Shinomiya pushed up his glasses and expressed his "concern" for Lin Yu in a sarcastic tone.

Lin Yu ignored Shinomiya Kojiro's words and simply said, "There's no need for Chef Shinomiya to worry about that."

"You little brat...you really don't appreciate kindness!"

"Is this the kind of attitude students have towards their seniors these days?"

Lin Yu ignored Shinomiya Kojiro's sarcastic remarks, silently closed his eyes, and did not respond.

"Tch! Pretentious!"

"Let's see if you can still act as calm as you are now when you lose the food battle and get kicked out of Totsuki Academy!"

Feeling ignored, Shinomiya Kojiro snorted and then opened the steamer in front of him.

Amidst the thick steam, Kojiro Shinomiya scooped several clumps of vibrant green cabbage from the steamer, placed them on a plate, poured on sauce, and finally sprinkled on a pinch of finely chopped black truffle.

"It's done!"

As Shinomiya Kojiro carried his tray toward the judges' table, Lin Yu, who was behind him, opened his eyes and glanced at his back.

"Just mind your own business..."

'

"Who won and who lost is still up in the air!"

"Ding!"

The oven rang again with a crisp bell, signaling that the baking time Lin Yu had set had been reached once more.

Lin Yu opened the oven door and pulled out the baking tray.

The sauce that was spread on the surface of the vegetables had miraculously solidified!

Lin Yu put on gloves and gently shook the baking pan.

The solidified sauce on top of the baking pan immediately began to tremble and wobble, just like a piece of jelly that hadn't completely solidified!

Looking at the solidified, trembling sauce, Lin Yu felt a sense of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

"It seems my approach was correct. Now, all I need is a little more firepower and time!"

At this moment, Lin Yu, full of fighting spirit, pulled out his prepared "secret weapon".

A bottle of mysterious liquid, pale in color and shimmering with a dreamy purple luster!

Lin Yu took a small brush, dipped it into the mysterious liquid, and carefully brushed a thin layer onto the surface of the solidified sauce.

"The last time!"

"Maximum firepower!"

"bring it on!"

Lin Yu pushed the baking tray back into the oven and set it to a higher temperature than before.

Lin Yu stared intently at the oven, his expression resolute, silently protecting his dish through its final moments, helping it complete its magnificent transformation from a cocoon to a butterfly!

"My meal is ready, please enjoy!"

Kojiro Shinomiya placed several dishes in front of the judges.

The judges had been waiting for a long time, and the aroma wafting from the stoves on both sides made them so hungry that they wanted to scratch their heads and their stomachs were pounding like a deer.

The judges' eyes lit up when they looked at the dishes in front of them!

"The food is finally served!"

"To be honest, the aroma just now made my mouth water. I felt so hungry, like my stomach was sticking to my back!"

"Haha! Who isn't? Me too!"

The atmosphere on the judges' panel was relaxed, and the judges even joked with each other.

"Alright! Stop fooling around, this is a food war."

In the end, it was Dojima Gin who stopped the judges from joking around.

"Now that some contestants have already completed their dishes and submitted them for review."

"Then, let's begin the review!"

"First up is Shinomiya's cooking."

There were two heads of cabbage on the plate. Donato Wutongtian was the first to pick up his fork and gently touch one of the heads of cabbage lying on the plate.

By pressing it, he discovered that this was not just a simple cabbage; the inside of the cabbage leaves was filled with a generous amount of meat.

"I didn't expect it to be cabbage rolls!"

Donato Wutongtian couldn't help but exclaim, "These dishes are truly unexpected!"

Guan Shouping, equally curious, chimed in. "A local dish from the Auvergne region, made by wrapping chopped meat and vegetables in cabbage leaves and steaming them, is a common feature in French home cooking."

"How surprisingly simple!"

Looking at Kojiro Shinomiya's cooking, Hinako Inui couldn't help but chime in, her tone a mixture of shock and surprise.

"After all, Elder Shinomiya always likes to make some pretentious dishes..."

'

"Bang!"

Before Hinako Inui could finish speaking, Kojiro Shinomiya delivered a heavy chop to her head, causing her to collapse onto the table in pain.

Even so, Hinako Inui managed to get up and asked with great difficulty, "By the way... what about mine?"

Hinako Inui noticed that Kojiro Shinomiya did not place a plate in front of him.

"I didn't do it for you!"

Kojiro Shinomiya ignored Hinako Inui and turned away without looking back.

"Waaaaah~ I'm so pitiful!"

Hinako Inui immediately climbed back onto the table and began to sob.

"Being beaten up is bad enough, but I haven't even been cooked for myself... My life is so miserable! Waaaaah!"

"Tsk!"

Kojiro Shinomiya was so annoyed by Hinako Inui's sobbing that he yelled in frustration.

"If you want some, go find Mizuhara and get some for you... Seriously!"

Hinako Inui suddenly jumped up from the table and pounced on Fuyumi Mizuhara sitting next to her, her eyes looking pitiful.

"Mizuhara-senpai, please... please..."