Tomato Penne With Long Eggplant And Tuna

“Phew, I think that’s enough for today.”

“Understood.”

After we finished harvesting, several containers packed full of long eggplants stood before us.

“What a magnificent sight, seeing so many eggplants gathered together.”

“Yeah, if I do say so myself, I’ve grown some beautifully glossy eggplants.”

Harvesting could be a hassle when there were so many crops, but seeing all these eggplants lined up together was deeply satisfying.

Still, having an extra pair of hands really did make an enormous difference in how quickly the work got done.

Seram was a complete beginner when it came to farming, but thanks to her experience as a knight in another world, she possessed both excellent stamina and mental fortitude.

Even after working for hours, she hadn’t complained once and had performed far better than I had expected.

I couldn’t say I’d had no reservations about hiring someone from another world who knew nothing about our customs and letting her live in my house, but her performance alone had already made the decision worthwhile.

“What will we do with all these eggplants now?”

“Next comes sorting and preparing them for shipment. Once that’s done, we’ll pack them into bags and take them to the direct-sales facility. From there, a delivery company will transport them to the market, and they’ll eventually end up on the shelves of local supermarkets.”

“I-I see…?”

Although I had explained the shipping process, it was probably difficult for Seram to picture how everything worked when she still knew so little about this world.

“We’ve still got work left to do, but let’s have lunch first.”

“I see!”

She must have been hungry, because her face immediately brightened when I announced that we were taking a break for lunch.

For the time being, I wrapped the harvested eggplants in freshness-preserving bags and set them aside.

While doing so, I picked out a few that were oddly shaped or slightly damaged to use for lunch.

Those weren’t suitable for selling, after all. However, that didn’t mean they were inedible, so there was absolutely no problem with using them for my own meals.

As soon as we returned home, Seram eagerly asked me a question.

“What are we having for lunch?”

“Since we’ve just harvested them, I thought I’d make something using long eggplants.”

“Oh, I’m looking forward to that!”

That said, we’d only just eaten deep-fried eggplant simmered in broth yesterday. Making the same thing again would be boring.

What should I make?

I checked the refrigerator to see what ingredients I had left. There wasn’t a particularly wide selection.

While I was at it, I checked the cupboard and spotted some pasta and canned tuna.

“All right, today’s lunch will be tomato penne with long eggplant and tuna.”

It was a fairly ordinary dish, but it was an easy recipe that would let me use up some of the ingredients I already had.

That settled it.

“Is there anything I can help with?”

As I took out the ingredients, Seram asked me the question with a restless expression.

“You’ve been asking me that constantly since yesterday.”

“It simply doesn’t suit my nature to sit around doing nothing while someone else works. Please, let me help with something.”

“In that case, remove the stems from the long eggplants, then use this peeler to strip away the skin in about four places.”

“Hmm? A peeler?”

When I handed her the vegetable peeler, Seram gave me a puzzled look.

Apparently, it was another tool that didn’t exist in her world.

“If you place the blade against the skin like this and pull it downward, you can peel the skin off.”

“Oh! How convenient!”

Once I demonstrated how to use it, she seemed to understand the principle and quickly learned to peel the eggplants on her own.

Meanwhile, I took the tuna out of its can and prepared a frying pan on the stove.

“…I thought this yesterday as well, Jin-dono, but you’re remarkably skilled at cooking for a man.”

“Well, I’ve been living alone for a long time. Don’t men cook in your world, Seram?”

“Of course, some men can cook, but most leave it to women. Aside from professional chefs, there was a general belief that it was unmanly for men to work in the kitchen.”

That sounded like the kind of thinking people had in early Showa-era Japan.

These days, anyone who said something like that would undoubtedly face criticism.

“Jin-dono, what should I do with the eggplants now that I’ve peeled them?”

“Ah, cut those into fairly thick diagonal slices, please.”

“Diagonal slices?”

Hmm? Was that another cutting technique that didn’t exist in her world?

No, surely they must have had something similar, even if they called it something different. It wasn’t a particularly difficult technique, after all.

“Cutting diagonally means slicing the ingredient at an angle, like this.”

“Oh, so that’s how it’s done…”

When I demonstrated with a kitchen knife, Seram nodded in understanding.

Then, when I handed her the knife, she gripped it tightly in her fist.

“Hold on a second.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“What’s with the way you’re holding that knife? You’re going to hurt yourself if you hold it like that.”

“Hmm. I’m sorry. What is the correct way to hold it?”

Hearing Seram’s question made me realize that I had overlooked a certain possibility.

“…Don’t tell me you’ve never cooked before.”

“I’m ashamed to admit it, but because I come from a knightly family, I spent my childhood training in swordsmanship, horseback riding, and similar disciplines. I’ve never had any experience with cooking.”

“…You should have told me that sooner.”

No wonder her movements in the kitchen and the way she handled the knife had seemed so strange.

“I’m sorry. I thought you’d send me out of the kitchen if I admitted I had no experience… I’ve always wanted to try cooking at least once.”

Seram looked like a child who had just been scolded.

“If you were just a guest, I might have done that, but you’re going to be living here for a while. It would be troublesome if you couldn’t cook at least a little. I’ll teach you whatever you need to know, so make sure you tell me when there’s something you don’t understand or can’t do.”

“Thank you, Jin-dono! I’ll make sure to do that from now on!”

With those words, Seram gave me a brilliant smile.

For the time being, I taught Seram how to hold a kitchen knife properly and how to cut ingredients.

She then began slowly slicing the eggplants diagonally, using the correct technique.

The way she positioned her left hand was still a little worrying. Perhaps I should buy her a ceramic kitchen knife sometime.

Once she had finished slicing the long eggplants, I poured some olive oil into the frying pan.

Then I added the long eggplant slices Seram had prepared, along with the tuna.

Some of the slices were a little uneven. Well, they were diagonal slices anyway, so it wasn’t particularly noticeable. It would be fine.

“Could you fill that pot with water?”

“Ah, yes. If I remember correctly, lifting this lever makes the water come out.”

Seram had initially been unfamiliar with faucets, but after watching me use them several times, she seemed to have figured out how to turn on the water.

She cautiously lifted the lever, then lowered it again once the pot contained enough water.

“I did it!”

“Well done.”

I wasn’t particularly thrilled that she looked so proud of herself over something so simple, but since she’d successfully operated something unfamiliar for the first time, I decided to praise her. I felt a little like someone training a pet dog.

“Next, turn on the stove.”

After placing the water-filled pot on the stove, I gave her another task.

Just like the faucet, this was something she’d quickly get used to if she kept using it.

“…Um, this is the device that produces fire, correct? If I remember correctly, I need to turn this knob to the right… Is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

When I nodded, Seram turned the knob to the right.

With a soft whoosh, the burner ignited.

“It’s lit!”

“Well done. Now move the lever above the knob to the right.”

“Oh! The flame got bigger!”

“Remember that you can adjust the heat by moving that lever.”

“To think that you can produce water and fire with such simple movements… The tools in your world truly are remarkable, Jin-dono.”

Seram gazed at the flame with an expression of genuine admiration.

As long as she learned how to use the faucets and stove, she probably wouldn’t have much trouble even if I left her home alone. Provided I stocked the kitchen with ingredients, she could grill something to make herself a meal or even prepare some instant cup noodles.

While I was teaching her how to use the faucet and stove, the eggplant and tuna began to brown, so I added the tomato sauce and continued cooking.

“Ah, it already smells wonderful.”

Seram, who was watching the cooking beside me, murmured with a relaxed expression.

After spending the entire morning doing the physically demanding work of harvesting, the aroma of tomato sauce and tuna was almost overwhelming to my hungry stomach.

I added some dried herbs and basil, then let the sauce simmer over low heat.

While the sauce simmered, I added the penne and vegetable oil to the boiling water and cooked the pasta.

Once the penne was ready, I transferred it into the finished sauce.

I added a little salt to adjust the seasoning and tasted it.

Satisfied with the flavor, I piled a generous serving of penne onto each flat plate.

“All right, the tomato penne with long eggplant and tuna is ready.”

“Ohhh!”

Seram carried the plated food to the table.

After pouring some chilled barley tea into our glasses, we hurriedly sat down on our floor cushions.

“Itadakimasu!”

We pressed our palms together, then immediately picked up our forks and began eating.

“Delicious! The long eggplant is incredibly juicy!”

“Right?”

The acidity and rich umami of the tomatoes spread throughout my mouth.

Most importantly, the generously cut pieces of long eggplant were wonderfully juicy.

Even though the dish contained no meat, it provided the same satisfying sensation as biting into a large, hearty piece of meat.

The subtle seafood umami and richness of the tuna had blended beautifully into the tomato sauce, which clung perfectly to the penne.

The distinctive flavors of the dried herbs and basil cut through the richness at the end, leaving a pleasantly refreshing aftertaste.

…Delicious.

Being able to enjoy freshly harvested ingredients immediately was one of the privileges of being a farmer.

“Your long eggplants really are delicious, Jin-dono!”

Seram said this between mouthfuls of penne.

Judging by her radiant smile, which seemed ready to burst with happiness, she clearly meant every word.

“Well, I make my living growing them. They wouldn’t be worth much if they weren’t delicious.”

There was no point in producing something that anyone could grow. The value came from creating something delicious enough that people were willing to pay for it. That was what farming was all about.

Still, hearing her say that genuinely made me happy as a farmer.

After all, even when my vegetables were displayed at markets and supermarkets, I rarely received direct feedback from the people who ate them.

There was something wonderful about watching someone enjoy the food I’d grown and hearing them say it was delicious.

“Thank you for the meal.”

While I was lost in those sentimental thoughts, Seram had already completely emptied her plate.

“You finished that fast!”

“That’s because your cooking is delicious, Jin-dono!”

I was sure I’d served her a fairly generous portion, but she’d polished it off without any trouble.

Apparently, our resident female knight had quite an appetite, too.