[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Sakana-roku' Episode 19: Canned Tomato Pasta and Red Wine
Content Introduction
Today's dish is 'Canned Tomato Pasta,' a simple dish with straightforward deliciousness.
Enjoy a story of red wine and heart-easing moments unfolding in a virtual izakaya, along with recipes and ingredient introductions.
Main Story
When you pass through the noren curtain, you are enveloped in a small world.
Words unravel in the sake, and we talk over appetizers.
What shall be recorded tonight?
Stopping with her smartphone in hand, Ayane Kawai stared at the white noren curtain and the faint light floating at the end of the street. The GPS guidance ended here. However, there was no sign on the building. Only the gentle light leaking from the lantern eased her anxiety just a little.
“...Is this really it?”
She muttered to herself and slowly pushed up the noren curtain.
“Welcome.”
The inside of the shop was quiet. It was a small, cozy space with only a row of wooden counter seats. An abstract Japanese painting hung on the wall. There was a sense of words there, as if it were telling something.
Ayane sat in a seat at the back, took a notepad out of her bag, and placed it on her lap. It wasn't a sketchbook. Just an A6-sized notepad. Fragments of words, not even a diary, that she had started writing down after she stopped talking to her father almost entirely.
“How is your appetite?”
The voice of the man standing behind the counter was low, deep, and yet somehow warm.
“Yes... I'm a little hungry.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment.”
The man didn't ask anything more, drizzled olive oil into an aluminum pan, and began to heat crushed garlic. The scent of green olives and white garlic immediately filled the narrow shop. Then, he took a can from the back of the kitchen. The surface of the silver can shimmered as it reflected the lighting. Using a can opener with practiced ease, he quietly dropped the crimson whole tomatoes directly into the pan. The moment they joined, the air changed.
The aroma spread as if tracing the folds of Ayane's memories one by one.
...That was when I was in elementary school. A Sunday afternoon. The 'tomato spaghetti' my father made for me on a day when my mother wasn't home for work. That method of putting the canned tomatoes and dry noodles directly into the pot.
“...No way.”
She muttered, and Ayane closed the notepad in her hand with her fingertips.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. Here is the canned tomato pasta.”
On the plate placed in front of her, a deep red pasta, familiar yet slightly different, was piled up fluffily. The acidity and sweetness rising with the steam, along with the scent of garlic and basil, pleasantly stimulated her nasal passages.
I twirl a little with my fork and bring it to my mouth. The pleasant acidity of the tomato hits my tongue first, and then the umami of the tomato, supported by the aromas of garlic, olive oil, and basil, explodes.
“—I know this taste.”
Ayane said it without thinking, and the owner nodded quietly.
“Could I also have a little something to drink?”
“Of course. I will bring you a Chianti Classico. It goes very well with tomato sauce.”
The red wine poured into the glass was a translucent ruby color. Ayane gently inhaled the aroma. It smelled of fruit and a hint of earth—a nostalgic scent.
One sip. The refined acidity made the contours of the tomato stand out clearly once again. Red enhancing red. That was the impression.
“This... this is a taste my father used to make for me a long time ago. I don't think it was an official recipe, just canned tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. But it was strangely delicious.”
Her words dissolved beyond the steam, reaching no one in particular.
“My father's name is Shugo Kawai. I think... he might have been here before.”
The owner nodded, as if he had already known, even without the words being spoken.
“He suddenly started saying recently that he wanted to make food himself and deliver it to people. I never understood what he meant for the longest time. But after eating this pasta, I finally understand.”
Ayane picked up her fork again, this time twirling a particularly long strand of noodles.
“Being warm, being delicious... those things can all be reasons, can't they?”
She took a sip of wine. From deep within her body, something seemed to melt away without a sound.
“'Shukoroku.' This shop's name is lovely.”
“Thank you. 'Shu' for sake, 'Ko' for appetizers, 'Roku' for record—Shukoroku.”
“May I come again?”
“Of course. Anytime.”
Ayane stood up from her seat and looked back once more before passing through the noren curtain.
“I think I'll try to see my father again after a long time. Because I want to talk to him properly once more.”
Ayane passed through the noren curtain again. The second time, she was wrapped in the scent of ripe tomatoes and sunshine.
Watching Ayane's back as she left, Ikken Mashiro returned to the kitchen. Tonight, another 'Shuko' (sake and appetizer) had been recorded.
Return to Episode 1
Return to Episode 18
Continue to Episode 20...
Bonus Recipe
Add olive oil to a frying pan, crush one clove of garlic and add it in, then turn on the heat.
Once the garlic becomes fragrant, add the whole tomatoes from the can without crushing them. Add a pinch each of salt and sugar.
When the tomatoes turn a deep red color, crush the whole tomatoes with a spatula or similar tool to make the sauce.
Boil the pasta in salted water according to the instructions.
Just before the pasta is done boiling, add basil to the sauce.
Add the pasta and toss to coat. Drizzle with olive oil to finish.
Ingredient Introduction
Olive Oil : The best balance of flavor and price. For everyday use.
Pasta : This is the recommended pasta. The bronze die helps it coat well with sauce.
Canned Whole Tomatoes : This is truly what they mean by 'better safe than sorry'.
Chianti Classico : How about some with your tomato pasta?