Eating like a true Dorian

So... I got carried away into a side project today. My significant other is away on a work trip, so I had all the time in the world to focus on the reading challenge at hand (I'm really cutting it close once again).

I got back from work eager to read more articles from the community, but as I opened the door to my home, I heard an evil growling sound. I tried to locate its origin, alas it wasn't coming from within the house, rather from within myself.

I was hungry - and a lot at that. Hadn't eaten much the whole day, apart from a measly half a portion of leftover peas and a sandwich. Oh how I craved nourishment!

I went to get some groceries, and while shopping for some eggplants to make the last summer mousaka (I had some leftover meat sauce waiting for me in the freezer from before my vacation), I got distracted by some carrots. They were looking at me I am telling you, whispering like the forest does to passers-by: "take us home with you, make noodles from us". So I thought to myself; "why do carrots speak to me? Am I the chosen one? Are they psionic carrots?" - Ah nevermind, side project time.

The recipe

Summer camp gave me the opportunity to jot down somewhat of recipe for a dish called "the forager's dish" in Elven strands. I was half-convinced it could work in real life, then fellow Anvilite tymber02 gave me the nudge I needed to actually try this insanity. My original recipe hand-waves actual measurements with phrases like "two baskets of mushrooms" and "four elven strands". Since I am making my strands from scratch and I don't need "to feed a family of four", here's my take in the real world for one person:

Ingredients

This might sound a bit odd to you, but I couldn't get my hands on any Dorian carrots or rocktatoes on such sort notice, so I had to substitute regular carrots. I also didn't have any goat cheese, so I won't be making the fancy version. My apologies.

For the elven strands

• three medium-ish carrots
• some water
• a lot of patience or a lot of skill

For the sauce

• four large mushrooms, stems and all
• two medium onions or a large one
• three or more cloves of garlic
• salt
• pepper
• dried thyme
• a bit of olive oil, let's say two to three tablespoons

Preparation

First of all, prepare yourselves for a lot of work, unless you have specialized equipment. Again, I couldn't procure the renowned Dorian shavers traditionally used in strand-making. Also, I couldn't bring myself to the skill level of chefs that can peel a carrot like a roll of hand towel. So thin strips will have to do.

Peel your carrots and cut into millimeter-thin slices. To avoid being wasteful, you should select carrots that are straight, without a lot of angles, otherwise you are going to end up with lots of trimmings.

After you are done axially analyzing your carrots, flip the slices and go once more vertically to create thin, noodle-like strips. You should end up with something like this:

If you trust yourself not to burn the one thing that doesn't burn easily - mushrooms - you can start the sauce and leave it cooking while you finish this arduous task.

Take your mushrooms and slice them thinly. Cube your onion(s) and smash your garlic, then add them all into a pot with the olive oil and onto the stove they go until they cook properly

Stir while they are cooking. Add your seasonings and taste. When they are done, they will have reduced in volume as their water evaporates and the flavors get to know each other. Transfer them to a blender. If you want them to be authentic, mash in a mortar, but beware, it needs to be huge. Mine simply wasn't.

But with a bit of "magic", here's the paste you should have at the end:

By now you should have finished with your strands. Go on and boil them in some seasoned water. It should take about five minutes for them to get all soft and noodle-y. Then it is time to mix and serve. Transfer to a bowl, add your mushroom paste plus some of that precious carrot water and stir.

When you are done, serve and enjoy.

I also added some parsley, yeah... sorry for not mentioning it earlier. On the other hand, this is not a recipe site.

Do I envy the Dorians?

Kick back, relax, have a forkful of strands. You've earned it after all this hard work. Is it any good you ask? You bet it is! I am surely going to make it again, maybe tweak the recipe a bit, work on my technique, but I cleaned the bowl.

I 'm not going to win any prizes on presentation, but believe you me, it was tasty. It was reminiscent of stir-fried veggies, but not quite the same. Pleasant and let me tell you - filling. I usually eat huge portions but this was enough to satiate me for hours. The Dorians seem to really know their nutritional facts.

Next time I 'm also going to add some truffle and cheese. I think this dish deserves it. Also, I am definitely going for a lot more garlic. Maybe I 'll even try making Elven strands with basil pesto!

One last thing. I love how close Dall-E's original interpretation got to the actual dish. It's not a perfect match, but they are distinctly similar

by Dall-E

Yes, mine had quite a different noodle-to-paste ratio, I know. It was a rookie mistake.

Food for thought

This side project demonstrates that all you need sometimes to do great stuff is a small nudge. I once again feel the need to express my gratitude to this community that has embraced me, boosted me and urged me to be more creative. Keep on forging!