Chapter 55 Tomato

Chapter 55 Tomatoes

Sirius finished peeling the last tomato and tossed it into the pot, then picked up the spatula to mash it inside.

These tomatoes were very ripe. The scalding had also partially cooked the pulpy flesh beneath the skin, so pressing down a few times with the spatula could break them into large chunks.

From his haphazard mashing, most of the tomatoes in the pot broke apart. All the seeping tomato juice gathered at the bottom. If these tomatoes had been chopped on a cutting board, at least half a cup of juice would have been lost.

Good, it could now be hung in the fireplace to simmer over low heat.

Xavier banked the fire in the fireplace down a bit and hung the tomato pot over it.

He could leave this pot of tomatoes alone for now, stirring it once it came to a boil.

Now it was time to peel the second pile of tomatoes.

There was no container large enough to hold the big pile of tomatoes, so they simply took out all the plates, stacking them like a pagoda.

The tomato pot in the fireplace soon came to a boil, emitting soft pops as bubbles burst. From this point on, they couldn't keep the lid on; they had to stir constantly to prevent burning.

The tomatoes contained more moisture than Sirius had anticipated. The softened tomato chunks soaked in the light red tomato juice smelled pleasantly sour, whetting the appetite.

Sirius casually stirred the tomato pot, mashing the softened chunks with the spatula to make them even finer. Just a bit more cooking, and they would completely transform into a smooth tomato paste.

With a sizzle, the aroma of garlic wafted out as hot oil splattered. Sirius tossed in the bay leaves for a quick stir, then poured everything into the tomato paste pot.

Originally, they should have sautéed the garlic and herbs first, then added the tomato chunks to stir-fry for a while. But since Sirius had already put the tomatoes in the pot, they decided to just make do.

They also needed to add a bit of sugar and some apple cider vinegar. Gripping the spatula with both hands, he stirred vigorously.

As he stirred, the tomato paste thickened, and the resistance against the spatula grew stronger, much like a swamp with remarkable pull.

The moisture in the tomato paste pot was quickly cooked off. The thick paste turned increasingly red, almost solidifying into a single, firm red mass.

"I think the tomato paste is about done," Sirius said, lifting the pot out. "Any longer, and it could turn into a solid brick, sturdy enough to build a wall."

"I'll go bring in the jars from outside," Xavier said.

The originally full pot of tomato paste was reduced by two-thirds as the moisture cooked off. It only filled three jars.

"Our tomatoes have dwindled to just this little bit," Sirius said, placing down the last jar with a hint of regret. "The original tomatoes looked like they could last us three days, but now as tomato paste, they'll be gone in just one day."

"Look on the bright side—they can last us until winter, which the fresh tomatoes couldn't," Xavier said while pouring a new batch of tomatoes into the pot.

The entire afternoon was spent simmering tomato paste in the kitchen, the sweet-and-sour scent lingering in the air. After a hard afternoon's work, they had produced 13 jars of thick tomato paste.

Sirius tasted it and thought the tomato paste was excellent. Although not much sugar was added, making it taste slightly sour, the tomato flavor was rich and robust.

The soup pot had about a layer of un-scraped tomato paste residue on the bottom. They had prepared 20 glass jars but didn't plan to fill them with this extra bit.

Dinner would be tomato soup.

Their previous experience with dried fish and vegetable soup taught them that dried fish didn't make a very tasty broth, so they decided to use a fresh rabbit from the trap to make tomato soup.

The rabbit skin, pierced by the wooden stake, was peeled off as intact as possible. They had already collected five such rabbit pelts with holes. Though unsure what to use them for, it was always good to save them.

The cornfield already had early-ripening tender corn cobs. Sirius picked two, mainly to try them fresh.

Fresh corn kernels eaten raw were sweet and crisp with a hint of starchiness, but they didn't plan to eat them raw. Instead, they placed them near the charcoal fire for simple and delicious roasted corn.

Xavier had already peeled off a complete rabbit skin and placed it in a bucket outside for later processing. He chopped the rabbit meat into large pieces.

The frying pan used to sauté garlic hadn't been washed yet. He directly tossed a piece of butter into it. Since the pan already had a garlicky aroma, he decided not to add more garlic when frying the rabbit meat.

Sirius crouched beside the frying pan, turning the corn. Xavier reminded him, "I'm going to put the rabbit meat in the pan now."

This was to tell him to move back a bit, as the hot oil would inevitably sizzle and splatter.

"You should also help take care of our roasted corn," Sirius said while ducking behind him.

"Alright," Xavier agreed.

The next moment, fresh rabbit meat was placed into the pan. Sizzling sounds and the savory aroma of meat immediately wafted out, blending with the sweet and sour scent of the tomato paste simmered all afternoon and the sweet fragrance of the roasted corn. The combined scents in the kitchen were those of a perfect dinner.

The rabbit meat in the frying pan gradually turned a deeper color, its surface developing a honey-brown sear. The roasted corn nearby was turned a couple more times, the kernels plump and golden, with spots slightly blackened from being too close to the charcoal fire.

"Do you think this corn is ready to eat?" Sirius asked Xavier, picking up a corn cob.

"Probably. Want to try a kernel?" Xavier suggested, flipping the rabbit meat in the pan.

Sirius plucked a random kernel from a cob and popped it into his mouth. It was a bit hot, but the roasted corn skin burst open, filling his mouth with a sweet corn flavor.

"It's ready! And delicious!" Sirius announced. "I'm going to enjoy my corn cob now. Yours is on the table."

Without waiting for Xavier's response, he rummaged through the cupboard for a clean plate, placed one corn cob on it, and went outside to crouch by the door, munching on his corn.

The spot next to Bob was a good one. As evening approached, crouching there allowed one to enjoy the cool breeze.

It was the perfect spot for eating piping hot roasted corn.

Sirius blew on and bit into the roasted corn, taking breaks between bites to chat with Bob about recent happenings.

"Bob, you know, not far from here, Xavier and I planted a large cornfield. It's still a tender green now, but soon, it will dry out and turn a brilliant golden yellow."

"Your wish is to witness a wheat harvest, but we didn't plant wheat this year, so that wish is a bit hard to fulfill. How about I secretly find a time to place you in the golden cornfield..."

After rambling about various recent events, the roasted corn was finished. Sirius tossed the corn cob outside; once completely dry, it would make good kindling.

In the kitchen, Xavier had already transferred the fried rabbit meat into the tomato paste pot to stew. He added enough water to cover the meat and let it simmer over low heat.

Just one rabbit and two corn cobs wouldn't fill two grown men, so they needed to add some delicious vegetables.

Carrots were a great choice.

"How's our soup coming along?" Sirius walked up behind Xavier, leaning over his back to peer into the pot of bubbling soup.

"The water just came to a boil," Xavier said, his entire back stiffening as if unaccustomed to someone suddenly getting so close.

"You go eat your corn first. I'll take care of the rest," Sirius said, noticing Xavier's physical reaction. He straightened up, stepping away from his back and patting his shoulder.

"Alright," Xavier moved away, his expression unreadable.

Sirius didn't pay much attention to Xavier either. He took two carrots, peeled them, and chopped them into large chunks right by the pot before tossing them into the soup.

Not much else needed to be done now. Just cover the pot and let the soup continue cooking on its own.

"What do you think about making some roasted eggplant too?" Sirius asked Xavier, sitting down at the table.

"Roasted eggplant is delicious. We should definitely make some," Xavier replied, putting down the corn cob he was eating.

His answer didn't really matter; it just finished Sirius's sentence for him.

"Then I'll go get two fresh eggplants for our dinner," Sirius said cheerfully.

Roasting eggplants was even easier than roasting corn. Just toss the just-picked eggplants beside the red-hot coals in the fireplace—it didn't matter if the skins charred.

There was nothing left to do but let time take care of the rest.

Sirius sat back at the table, making small talk—from the tomato sauce made that afternoon to the bountiful eggplant harvest, from the dirt on the carrots to the flickering flames in the fireplace.

Xavier responded to each topic, so a single ear of corn took forever to finish.

It wasn't until Sirius went to retrieve the overdone eggplants from the fireplace that he finally had a chance to finish off the last of his corn.

Now he could answer all of Sirius's questions without distraction.

However, Sirius wasn't planning to keep talking.

"We should eat the roasted eggplants now," he said to Xavier. "The pickles we made go really well with roasted eggplant. Would you like to try the zucchini preserved in oil and the shredded pickled cabbage?"

"Of course. I'll make some fried minced garlic to drizzle over the eggplant," Xavier said.

"I'll leave you to it. I'll go to the storeroom to get the pickle jars," Sirius said.

The charred, roasted eggplant lay alone on the plate, waiting for its accompaniments to arrive from various places.

Sirius entered the storeroom, where the shelves were finally one-quarter full.

Besides the pickles, the shelves now also held the tomato sauce made that afternoon, giving him a lot of confidence about getting through the winter.

Picking up a jar of oil-packed zucchini and a jar of shredded pickled cabbage happily, Sirius left the storeroom.

The aroma of garlic filled the kitchen again. The dark, roasted eggplant was split in half, revealing the soft, slightly greenish flesh inside.

Xavier sprinkled salt into the hot pan, let it dissolve, and then poured it along with the minced garlic over the eggplant.

"Smells amazing," Sirius sniffed the air and said sincerely.

"I got us new plates for the pickles," Xavier said. "And clean forks so we can scoop them out."

"Well done," Sirius casually complimented. "How's the soup coming? I just put the carrots in, though. Never mind, we can taste the pickles first. I'm sure they'll be delicious."

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Author's note: Good night, good night. [Calico Cat]