#35 - Potatoes and pork ribs

Hagrid led Anduin to visit the vegetable garden around the hut, where a large variety of vegetables were planted. However, according to Hagrid, only a portion of them needed to be supplied to Hogwarts, because Professor Pomona Sprout had a large greenhouse with an Undetectable Extension Charm, which grew ingredients that could completely supply Hogwarts' daily meals.

"Every year, I plant a lot of pumpkins before Halloween and cast an 'Engorgement Charm' on them for the Halloween feast. And look at these lovely broccoli, tomatoes, potatoes, ginger, cabbages, growing so well!" Hagrid boasted to Anduin about his vegetable garden.

In Anduin's eyes, Hagrid mainly planted Western vegetables, without even a single Chinese cabbage in sight. Anduin wasn't very interested in this, so he asked Hagrid about the topic he was most interested in.

"Don't you grow any herbs here?" Anduin actually had another plan in mind when he came to Hagrid's, which was to see if he could get some potion ingredients here. It would be even better if he had a fixed channel to obtain herbs.

"Herbs? Aren't there many of those in the greenhouse? You know, many herbs are very dangerous. If you're not a professional grower, they can even endanger your life." Hagrid didn't understand why Anduin was asking this question, but he still honestly answered.

"Is that so? What about in the Forbidden Forest? Are there herbs inside?" Anduin looked up and saw the edge of the Forbidden Forest not far from Hagrid's hut, and asked thoughtfully.

"There are indeed many herbs in the Forbidden Forest. I saw a lot of Mandrake fruits about to ripen some time ago. However, there are many dangerous creatures in the depths of the Forbidden Forest. Hogwarts also keeps several magical creature colonies inside, such as the Hippogriff colony. Approaching them at will is very dangerous." Hagrid saw that Anduin was interested in the Forbidden Forest, so he kindly warned him.

"I understand, Hagrid. Don't worry, I'm just curious. Enough about that, let's get some tomatoes and ginger, oh, and potatoes. I'll show you my skills. It's been a while since I had a good meal."

Anduin was planning in his heart to go back and study potion-making, select some simple potion recipes, and see if he could get some materials in the Forbidden Forest.

Anduin and Hagrid collected some vegetables and went into the house. Anduin prepared to cook a pork ribs dinner. Fortunately, although the ribs of the Teebo Warthog were very large, Hagrid's pot was also not small.

Anduin touched and pinched the huge slab of ribs, then nodded. The meat of this magical creature was very tough, but similar to dragon meat, it was not easy to rot, and it was also frozen with a Freezing Charm. Bloodstains could still be seen between the bones.

"It seems that ordinary frying methods can't be used, and getting the flavor in is a big problem." Anduin looked at the ribs and thought about how to make them delicious. Each rib was as thick as a normal person's arm, making Anduin think about how to make it delicious.

The slab of ribs had 8 long ribs. Anduin and Hagrid couldn't eat that much in one meal, so Anduin asked Hagrid to help cut off two ribs, and repeatedly used Cutting Charms to cut the ribs into small pieces. After washing, he put them in a large basin, and Anduin personally mixed a large bowl of mixed seasonings and poured it into the basin to marinate the ribs.

After repeated marinating, he lit the fire. Hagrid's house had a large pot, like a round tripod without legs. Anduin set up the pot, poured in oil, ginger, and garlic, and poured in the whole basin of ribs, first stir-frying them until fragrant, then adding water to cover the ingredients, and then covering the pot and waiting.

Hagrid watched Anduin's operation, and couldn't help but feel a little expectant in his heart, but when Anduin put the meat in and stir-fried it, the aroma made his saliva flow uncontrollably.

Hagrid was looking forward to it while peeling potatoes, while Anduin had already covered the large pot and ran over to help while chatting.

"Hagrid, do you think you can get me a piece of land next to your vegetable garden? I want to plant something too." Anduin asked Hagrid with a smile.

"Of course, no problem. I can help you with whatever you want to plant. Come here and play whenever you have time." Hagrid agreed without hesitation, thinking that he would definitely have good food in the future.

A large pot of ribs exuded a continuous fragrance, constantly tempting the two people in the house. After cooking for more than an hour, Anduin tasted the saltiness and saw that the ribs were basically cooked soft, so he added the potatoes, onions, and other ingredients, added a little water, and continued to cook for nearly half an hour.

Soon, this large pot of potato stewed ribs was completed. After opening the pot, bright sauce was rolling inside. Anduin and Hagrid couldn't bear it anymore, and each took a large bowl and ate it with gusto.

"Ah, comfortable..." Anduin rubbed his round belly and sat aside contentedly. It had been a while since he had eaten good food. The food at Hogwarts was actually not bad, but the dishes were very simple. Only these British people could stand eating it every day.

Hagrid on the side was still feasting, praising Anduin's good cooking while eating. Anduin also smiled very contentedly. It was a kind of happiness to have someone appreciate his cooking skills.

While Hagrid was finishing up, Anduin borrowed paper and pen from Hagrid's house and wrote and drew on it. Before long, Hagrid also contentedly drank the last bit of soup, and the two sat at the table chatting.

Time passed quickly. The two spent a long time cooking and eating. Anduin saw that it was already dark outside, and when he looked at the time, it was almost curfew, so he prepared to say goodbye to Hagrid.

"Hagrid, are you going to Hogsmeade or Diagon Alley recently?" Anduin asked.

"I'll go to Hogsmeade in a few days to buy something, what's the matter?" Hagrid didn't know why Anduin was asking this question, but he honestly replied.

"Help me with a favor, see if you can help me collect the current sales prices of potions, and the purchase prices of herbs, and also, can you help me get a craftsman to make this." Anduin still didn't forget his potion plan, and prepared to see the current potion market, and also handed Hagrid a piece of parchment, which was the drawing Anduin had just made in the room.

On the paper was a large iron pot and a spatula. Anduin also marked the size, diameter, thickness, and other specifications on it.

"What's this?" Hagrid asked, looking at the things on the paper.

"This is a kind of cookware, for cooking. With this, I can make some other delicious food for you here." Anduin explained.

Hagrid, of course, readily agreed to help. As for the potion price issue, although Hagrid was not sure what Anduin was planning to do, he also readily agreed.