Chapter 21 Who Eats Rabbit?
"Can I go play with the rabbit?" Namier was eager to go play right after finishing his meal. The rabbit was locked in a cage in the stable, which was a cage used to raise pigeons. It was just the right cage to use.
"Wait, Namir, we need to discuss what to do with them?" Emma soothed.
Charles said, "Well, there's no need to go through so much trouble. Just leave it to Luke."
Luke is the manager who travels between downtown London and the castle every day to deliver food and daily necessities.
Aunt Mary was a little unhappy: "You can't make your own decision. This is what the children caught."
"Aunt, maybe Dad is right. We can keep a few. There are really too many. Let Luke deal with the others!" Leida agreed with her father's approach.
Aunt Mary looked at the children who hadn't expressed their opinions, and Namir immediately said:
"Can I have the one I caught?"
Manny followed up, "Maybe I need to keep one too."
At this time, everyone turned their eyes to Zhang Wei, who had not yet expressed her opinion. She was a little conflicted, but for the sake of her rabbit meat dinner, she had to give it a try!
"Can I have five?" Five should be enough for her to try all the cooking methods she knows...
Emma reminded her: "Vera, they grow in the wild, you can't bring them into the room to play with them."
Zhang Wei was a little lacking in confidence, but still asked in a questioning tone:
"Can't we eat rabbits?"
Hearing this, Namir immediately covered his mouth with his hands in surprise.
Aunt Mary was also very surprised. She frowned and then slowly relaxed her brows.
"You can eat rabbit, but I heard it doesn't taste very good. Why do you want to eat rabbit?"
"I've seen many people who don't have enough to eat before, and there are plenty of rabbits in the wild. If those who don't have enough to eat can eat rabbit meat, it can also fill their stomachs!"
Apart from being greedy, this was her true feelings. Zhang Wei felt that it was a waste to have so many wild rabbits!
"What a kind girl! Daddy is proud of you!" Emma was deeply moved after hearing this. "This is a really good idea. Cooking them and sending them to the relief center will be a very meaningful thing to do."
For the sake of the rabbit, Zhang Wei immediately resorted to moral blackmail: "Mom, can you let me try to find a suitable cooking method first? If we don't want to eat it ourselves, how can we give it to others?"
Seeing the adults' disapproving looks, Zhang Wei quickly added, "Once I find the method, I'll write it down and tell Betty so she can help me, okay?"
Betty was caught off guard by the sudden mention of her name, but she said, "Wow, uh, maybe I could try to be the chef."
"I'll let David help you." Aunt Mary made the decision. David is the castle's head chef. He has been serving the Wilson family for almost twenty years and is an experienced chef.
So the matter was settled, and Zhang Wei could use five rabbits to practice cooking.
Namier even secretly asked her if she had ever eaten rabbit meat. Zhang Wei said she had and it was delicious. This made Namier look at the rabbit and wonder what rabbit meat tasted like...
Because too many rabbits were caught, the rabbit catching competition ended early. The champion was of course Zhang Wei, but she didn't care about the prize, although she found it was a big surprise when she cashed it in.
In order to show that she was really serious about finding cooking methods, Zhang Wei took a pen and a notebook and started interviewing everyone in the family, asking them what kind of food they liked best, what cooking methods they knew, what spices made the meat taste best, etc.
In conclusion, only Aunt Mary and Betty are fans of strong flavors and like spices and complex cooking.
Emma and Manny have the lightest tastes. They don't like food that is too sweet, too salty, or too greasy.
Wilson, Leda and Namier all like sweets and meat, and their favorite is barbecue.
Rabbit meat itself is a bit tough and not very suitable for light cooking. The Chinese people's recipes, which have summarized the essence of diet for thousands of years, are definitely the most suitable.
The cold-mixed shredded rabbit could be a bit less strong, and the roasted rabbit with the usual Orleans sauce would be okay too. I'd also try the garlic flavor, and the smoked rabbit. Forget the spicy rabbit head, I guess no one would be able to accept it...
After Zhang Wei prepared the menu, she confidently took Betty to the kitchen. However, she was dumbfounded when she got there - the kitchen didn't have many of the seasonings she needed!
Because she has lived alone for a long time, Zhang Wei's cooking skills are pretty good. With seasonings, she thinks she can make the taste almost perfect. With the help of a chef, there should be no problem.
I didn't expect to encounter such a big problem. Rabbit meat is not as good as chicken and beef. It will definitely not taste good without strong seasonings.
A somewhat discouraged Zhang Wei, facing the disapproving gaze of the old chef David, looked at the seasonings in the kitchen with a hint of anticipation:
Malt vinegar smells only a little bit sour and can barely be used as vinegar.
The more I looked at it, the more disappointed I became. There were sea salt, black pepper, yellow mustard, syrup, and two brown sauces that smelled fermented and a little sweet.
It was a fantasy to expect to make the delicious rabbit meat she imagined with just these seasonings.
But looking at the jars of powder next to it, they look like spices. Maybe the Orleans roast rabbit is worth a try...
The embarrassing thing was that Zhang Wei only knew one or two of the words for these ingredients, so she had to go back to her room to look up the words. Fortunately, she found that the spices included thyme, basil, dry mustard, garlic powder, ginger powder, etc., and the smell was almost the same as what she had used before, so she was finally able to prepare the Orleans marinade.
Looking at the skinned white rabbit, Zhang Wei began to direct Betty to start.
After massaging and marinating the rabbit meat and finally putting it in the oven to roast, after a busy afternoon, the Orleans roast rabbit completed under Zhang Wei's guidance was served on the table in the evening.
The rabbit, with its head, limbs and internal organs removed, was roasted until golden brown and looked like a turkey. The maid gave some to everyone.
Zhang Wei looked around and felt that no one was brave enough to eat it, so she picked up a piece with a fork and ate it. Well, it was okay.
Although it wasn't as tender as chicken, the taste was not particularly different from the Orleans roast chicken she had made before. She thought it was better than many dishes she had eaten in the UK.
Then everyone started trying it one after another.
"Vera, I think you must have a talent for cooking. I can't tell it's rabbit meat at all. I think it tastes like turkey. It tastes pretty good!" Leida praised.
After hearing what he said, Manny tasted it carefully. After taking a bite and finding that there was indeed no strange taste, he continued eating.
Looking at the roasted rabbit meat lying motionless on the plate next to him, Zhang Wei didn't expect that the person who couldn't accept it the most was Namir...
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