I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 50



Only Noblemtl

Shepherd pie

“It’s been two years since I’ve been to Korea.”

“Somehow it feels older.”

Joohee and I returned home after two years. As we entered Incheon Airport after a long time, a familiar smell suddenly swept into our noses.

“Brother. I’m not the only one who smells garlic, right?”

“Haha. You thought about that too? There are people who say that when they go from Korea to America, they smell like cheese right at the airport. It really does. How can you not smell when you eat so much cheese?”

“Do Koreans eat that much garlic?”

“We actually eat a lot. There are statistics on per capita garlic consumption, and it says that we eat about eight times more than the United States. It’s also twice as much as China, which is in second place.”

“This is a nation that truly loves garlic. I like it too, so I have nothing to say.”

“I like it too. I’ve often thought that Italian food would taste better if it had more garlic in it. Of course, I don’t do that because I have to cater to the tastes of my customers.”

“Where are you going, oppa?”

“I guess I should go home first. But I heard that the apartment I bought has been completed. So I need to go check it out and move in the furniture.”

“Okay. Are you looking forward to your new home?”

At the arrival hall, Soo-hyun and Joo-hee’s mother were there. It seems like the two have become quite close before their wedding. It’s nice to see them like mother and daughter.

“mom!”

Joohee sees her mother and runs to hug her.

“Oh my. I finally see you. My daughter. How many years has it been?”

The mother greets Joo-hee with a bright smile. She hugs Joo-hee with a longing expression and pats her back. She must have missed her daughter, whom she had raised by herself all her life, so much so that she had been abroad for several years.

“It’s only been two years.”

“Yeah. You worked hard studying.”

“Hello, mother.”

I also waited a little while for the mother and daughter to meet again before saying hello. She still gave off a good impression.

“You’ve had a hard time too.”

My mother holds my hand and smiles kindly.

“The tea is ready. Come here.”

Sister Soo-hyun helps Joo-hee with her luggage.

We went together to Chairman Seo’s house and said a quick hello, and then I headed home. Mirae Apartment, which I had been visiting for a long time, looked very old. It was an apartment that was over 30 years old, so it was old.

I quickly unpacked and headed to the Han River The Hill apartment I had been allocated.

This is a small complex of apartments with a townhouse character. It consists of 600 households, mostly large-sized apartments, and the landscaping within the complex is beautiful. The works of famous artists placed throughout the complex are also noticeable.

After registering as a resident at the office, I went into the house and saw that the interior was well-organized. I was at a loss as to how to fill up the 100-pyeong duplex penthouse.

The space I use is about 30 pyeong, but I bought the largest space I could afford considering what I’ll do after I get married.

“In times like this, that method is the best.”

I called a company to clean it up thoroughly and called the department store the next day.

-We will serve you with the utmost care. This is Shinsung Department Store Customer Center.

“Is Mr. Lee Joo-hyun here?”

-Excuse me, may I tell you who it is?

“Please tell him I’m the guy who bought a whole bunch of furniture and appliances a few years ago.”

-Okay, I’ll pass that on to you.

-Hello, customer. This is Lee Ju-hyeon.

It’s a bright voice. I think it remembers me.

“Do you remember me? I’m trying to move furniture and appliances into my apartment like last time. Could you send someone over?”

-Of course, sir. I will come to you within an hour. Excuse me, but how many square feet is the apartment you will be moving into? We need to prepare a catalog accordingly.

“It’s 100 pyeong.”

-Oh! Yes! Okay, I understand. I’ll come see you soon.

She hung up the phone in a voice that sounded somewhat urgent.

Lee Ju-hyeon arrived 40 minutes later with two male employees, greeted me, and handed me a business card with the title of manager on it. It seemed like he had been promoted.

“Please put it in a way that suits the atmosphere of the house. Please also make sure that the appliances are the latest models. I will have a few requests.”

-Of course. We will take a good look at it and decorate it nicely.

After finishing the conversation, she takes a thorough look around the house and consults with the staff. I finally see the proposal they give me and if I like it, I just pay. How convenient is this shopping? If you have the money, department stores are the best.

It took two days to come up with an estimate because the house was a large, duplex penthouse. I accepted the estimate that came to 600 million won, and immediately furniture, home appliances, various paintings, and dishes began to be moved into the house.

In just three days, the house was set up perfectly.

“Customer, if you move next time, please call me again.”

Manager Lee Ju-hyeon greets me in a manner that could not be more polite and leaves.

Looking around the house, I see that it is decorated in tones that fit a modern atmosphere.

Minimalist wooden furniture and furniture with a Scandinavian feel that is popular these days can be seen everywhere. After living in a 30-pyeong house for the past few years, I have a hard time adjusting to a bigger house.

I like that the kitchen is divided into main and sub areas, and that the dining room and living room are separate.

There is also a large terrace in the living room, and you can access the bedrooms in the house through the terrace with dark wood flooring. It would be nice to have tea time here with a coffee table.

I sat down on the recommended Italian sofa and my body sank into it. Unlike hard sofas, I liked the comfort that only a soft leather sofa like this can provide.

This time, when bringing in home appliances, I paid special attention to the kitchen.

Although it has a built-in oven, it is not enough for me who wants to do some serious cooking at home.

I ordered the Bugatti of ovens, La Cornue.

Say goodbye to the stress of having to cut ingredients because the oven is small. The large size, beautiful arched interior resembling a stove, perfect sealing, heat circulation without blind spots, and beautiful appearance. Of course, the price is worth it.

I also changed the gas stove to the model that produces the most heat allowed by city gas, and bought German-made cooking utensils. Now that I have filled the house, I feel like I need to have another housewarming party.

“Joohee?”

-Have you finished cleaning the house?

“Now all the furniture and appliances have arrived. We’re going to have a housewarming party. Are you coming?

-Okay. I’ll go in the evening. I’m at my older brother’s house right now. Can I go with my nephews?

“Yeah. Of course. Come by 7 o’clock. On an empty stomach.”

-You’re trying to make something delicious? Okay.

I hung up the phone and thought about today’s menu. Since the kids will be coming today, I thought pie would be better than steak.

There are a few dishes in British cuisine that are rarely evaluated as delicious. The shepherd’s pie we will cook today is one of them.

I thought of a menu, went out, bought the necessary ingredients, and started cooking in earnest. I have a lot of dishes I want to cook today, so I have to hurry.

Chop the carrots and onions very finely. It would be easier to use a grater, but it would ruin the texture. I prefer to chop them one by one with a knife. My old Wusthof knife cuts through the fibers smoothly.

When it comes to chef’s knives, the best one is one that fits the user’s hand well, as long as it is above a certain level.

However, if we divide it roughly, there are three types of knives preferred by chefs. They are the Global Knife, which is loved by many chefs because it is light and easy to clean, the Shimomura, which is preferred by Japanese chefs, and the Wusthof, a high-end knife from Germany.

I’ve been using Wustoff since my CIA days, and this one fits my hand best.

Chop the vegetables quickly and fry them in a large pan. Add the minced lamb and fry them to induce the Maillard reaction. You should evaporate all the moisture from the meat.

After that, season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

Worcestershire sauce is widely used in Japan, so many people think it originated there, but it actually originated in Worcestershire, England. That’s why it’s also called Worcestershire sauce.

Press the cooked meat into a large square baking dish, leaving no empty spaces.

Boil the potatoes, peel them, and mash them finely with a potato masher. Then add salt and pepper, a large amount of butter, and grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese and mix well.

After filling the meat with the mashed potatoes, top it with a thick layer of cheese and bake in the oven to complete.

Since I am low on carbs, I also need to make pasta. I boiled the tomatoes, peeled them, mashed them, seasoned them, and boiled them so that I could make them right away. I also prepared the flour to knead it and make noodles. With all this preparation, it takes less than 10 minutes to make pasta.

I found some 1++ Korean beef bone marrow that looked very good at the butcher shop and bought it. It is a product that is sold by precisely cutting the leg bones of a cow vertically.

Soak the leg bones in water and drain the blood. Put them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. You will see the bone marrow sizzling inside the bones. Scrape the bone marrow with a spoon and put it in a bowl. Add a large amount of butter and garlic fried in olive oil, salt, pepper, and lemon zest and mix. If you mix well, you will have bone marrow butter with a texture between thick mayonnaise and butter.

The finished butter was then stuffed into the leg bones, which had been washed cleanly. This was done so that the bone-marrow butter could be scooped up and eaten with a spoon.

I baked baguettes to eat with bacon butter and seasoned beef tenderloin for steak. I plan to make carpaccio on the spot when guests come over.

I feel like I’m only serving meat, so I’m going to prepare a salmon roll. I personally don’t like California rolls, so I’m going to make a roll that’s a cross between a maki and a kimbap.

First, spread the seaweed on a baking sheet, then spread the rice seasoned with sesame oil and salt.

Grate fresh wasabi and spread an appropriate amount over a wide area. Top with salmon cut into 1.5 cm squares.

Add chopped onions and three whole green onions for color and texture, then roll it up to complete. The cross-section is beautiful. I made tartar sauce to go with it.

Dingdong

“Welcome.”

“Congratulations on your move. Since I have a family, I haven’t been able to see you as often as Minhyuk. Do you understand?”

My older brother greets me with an apologetic look on his face.

“Of course, brother. Come in.”

“Hello.”

A five-year-old and six-year-old brother and sister hide behind their mother and then pop their heads out to say hello. They are such cute kids.

“Come on in, kids. I’ve prepared lots of delicious food.”

I greeted the kids, trying to look as harmless as possible.

“Really? Wow.”

Perhaps because he was still young, he quickly became flustered and came into the house holding his mother’s hand.

“I’m sorry about the kids.”

My sister-in-law looks embarrassed. She seems sorry for bringing the kids here when it’s our first time meeting.

“It’s even better. Having kids makes me happy.”

“Oh my. Jehee, you should get married soon too.”

Judging from the meaningful smile on her face, it looks like she and Joohee talked about this and that.

“Brother. Your house is really nice.”

The house that the department store had put so much effort into filling must have looked good to Joo-hee as well.

“Thank goodness. I asked Shinsung Department Store again this time.”

“No one decorates their house like you, oppa. Anyway, we’re hungry.”

I told you to come on an empty stomach, but it looks like you really haven’t eaten anything. I have to hurry up and get the food ready.

────────────────────────────────────

────────────────────────────────────