[Creative Fiction x Recipe] Virtual Izakaya 'Sakuzouroku' Episode 13: Eggplant White Bolognese and White Wine

Content Introduction

Today's dish is 'Eggplant White Bolognese,' featuring summer-seasonal eggplant tossed with ground pork.
Enjoy a story of white wine and heart-easing moments unfolding in a virtual izakaya, along with recipes and ingredient introductions.

Main Story

Chased by deadlines and blue light, a dull pain shot through the back of Ibuki Arakawa's eyes. She pressed her finger to the power button of her computer monitor, leaned back into her chair, and stretched out wide.

'I've reached my limit. Time for a location scout.'

Whispering that to herself, she slowly stood up from her chair, shoved her smartphone into her bag, and dashed out of the production studio.

Right now, the anime world was overflowing with work. The same went for background art. And because of that, she was chased by the deadlines of some project or another every single day.

Ibuki got off the train at a random stop without much thought and began walking, relying only on her intuition. After a while, she discovered a back alley with a mysterious atmosphere. She snapped a few photos of the entrance with her smartphone and stepped into the alley.
The alley twisted left and right in a complex shape. Ibuki decided to record a video of the way the perspective changed dizzyingly one after another. As she became absorbed in switching between her smartphone screen and reality, she felt the air change again. Before she knew it, there was a shop with a white noren curtain lit by a pale lantern in front of her.

'Wait, could this be? Is this the shop Shinohara-senpai was talking about the other day?'

Thinking that, she felt a sense of destiny that she had to enter this shop. Ibuki turned off her smartphone screen, tucked it into her bag, and stepped through the noren.

'Welcome.'

Upon entering, the first thing that caught her eye was a Japanese painting. As she moved her gaze, she saw that there was nothing else but a bleak, narrow counter seat. Standing behind the counter was Mashiro Ikkon, wearing a navy samue and a white apron. As she fit each piece of the puzzle together, Ibuki's intuition turned into conviction.

'By any chance, did a stage lighting designer named Tatsuo Shinohara come here before?'
'Yes, Tatsuo-san was here.'
'Oh, I knew it! Oh, excuse me. I'm Ibuki Arakawa, a junior from Shinohara-san's university days, and I work as an anime background artist.'
'Welcome. By the way, what is a background artist?'
'It's an art job where I draw anime backgrounds, like the inside of houses or shopping streets. I was just out location scouting and happened to stumble upon this shop.'
'I see. Well then, please take a seat of your choice and wait a moment.'

As soon as he said that, Mashiro took out an aluminum pan and began heating minced garlic in olive oil. Immediately, the appetite-awakening aroma of garlic wafted through the air. Ibuki began to remember the hunger she had almost forgotten due to fatigue.
Next, Mashiro began to stir-fry the ground meat in the aluminum pan. The fat from the meat and the smell of the searing meat mixed with the garlic, creating a savory scent. During that time, Mashiro took an eggplant out of the refrigerator, quickly cut it with a knife, and added it to the garlic and ground meat. After stir-frying for a while, he added water and salt, brought it to a boil, and dropped the pasta into the pan.

'Oh, you put it in there?'

Ibuki let out a voice of astonishment in her heart. Paying no mind to that, Mashiro kept his back turned and stared intently into the aluminum pan.

When the moisture in the aluminum pan was gone, Mashiro drizzled in more olive oil, sprinkled parsley, and took it off the heat.

'It's Eggplant White Bolognese.''White? Does that mean there's no tomato in it?''Yes. Please, give it a try.'

Steam wafted from the plate, carrying the green scent of olive oil. Ibuki picked up her fork, pierced the eggplant, twirled the pasta, and carried it to her mouth. The moment she bit into it, the piping hot umami of the pork that the eggplant had soaked up flowed out. The pasta was well-coated in it, too. One more bite. Even though she was about to burn her mouth, Ibuki rolled the uncontrollable impulse over her tongue.

'It's Koshu Sur Lie.'While Ibuki was absorbed in the meal, a glass was slid onto the counter. Inside, a lemon-colored liquid was glowing.

"Itadakimasu."

Ibuki remembered the greeting she had almost forgotten, grasped the stem of the glass with her fingers, and brought it to her nose. The scent of citrus brushed against her nasal cavity. She took a sip. Unlike its appearance, a complex blend of fruit and minerals filled her mouth.

"I see. This white bolognese was the backdrop for this white wine."

Ibuki muttered this while staring at the plate, then picked up her fork again and brought the pasta to her mouth.

"Thank you for the meal. I guess bolognese doesn't have to be red, does it?"
"Yes. It seems there are roles that can only be fulfilled by intentionally leaving out the tomatoes."
"I learned a lot. As expected of you, Shinohara-senpai. It's called 'Shukoroku', right?"
"Yes. Sake and snacks, Shukoroku."
"Thank you very much. I'll head back to the studio and try drawing the rest."

Ibuki passed through the noren curtain once more. The second time, she was wrapped in a white fragrance.

Kazumaki Ikkon watched Ibuki's back as she left, then returned to the kitchen. Tonight, another sake and snack pairing had been recorded.

Return to Episode 1
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Continue to Episode 14...

Bonus Recipe

1. Mince the garlic, put it in a frying pan with olive oil, and heat it up.

2. When the garlic becomes fragrant, add the ground pork and stir-fry until browned.

3. Cut the eggplant into half-moons and add it. Add more olive oil if needed.

4. Once the eggplant has sufficiently absorbed the oil, add about 400cc of water and bring to a boil.

5. Add 1.7mm pasta (9-minute boil time) and cook for about 7 minutes while boiling.

6. When almost all the liquid is gone, drizzle in olive oil, sprinkle with minced Italian parsley, and mix together.

Ingredient Introduction

1. Olive Oil : The best balance of flavor and price. For everyday use.

2. Pasta : I recommend this one for pasta. Bronze-cut, so it clings well to the sauce.

3. Deep Plate : It looks luxurious, but it won't break even if you drop it 1,000 times? Is it the best?

4. Koshu Sur Lie : Why not pair it with the Eggplant White Bolognese?

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