Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS

Posted by Civilian Jerrin Yeceb (Student) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS

Posted by Lieutenant Siennadye Nox (Counselor) in Holodeck 2- Cooking with the CNS
Posted by… suppressed (5) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

She blinked and looked down at the pasta maker and in typical fashion, pressed her lips together in an expression containing her amusement. Finally she smiled. “It is a pasta maker. So a part of the main dish we are making are thin sheets of pasta. We layer on the ingredients and the pasta over each other repeatedly to make the dish. However, before I can begin that, I need to make the pasta itself. Lasagna is easy, its just flat wide strips no more than a millimeter or two thick. I prefer thinner instead of thicker.”

Leaning in slightly, Jerrin tilted his head and eyed the contraption. “Huh.”

Sienna paused and then turned, bringing out the ball of pasta dough she had made earlier in the day. “This is the pasta dough. Would you like to touch it?”

Nox, CNS

“Why not? We’re in the mode of trying new things, aren’t we?” he said. Holding his hand out, he eyed the dough curiously.

~Jerrin

She smiled and nodded. The dough was malleable without being too soft. “The consistency is key. If it is too wet, it doesn’t cook properly. If it is too dry, it won’t cook evenly. I personally love the way it feels when I knead it before I put it in the refrigerator.” She ducked her head a bit bashfully at the admission. “Its very theraputic to beat the tar out of a ball of dough. Perhaps next time, you can prep it and take advantage of the excuse to let off some steam in a productive way.”

Nox, CNS

Jerrin snorted. As he turned the ball of dough in his hands, a lopsided sort of grin appeared on his face. “There’s a new combat tactic for Starfleet… dough beating,” he said adopting a straight face. “They’ll never see it coming. And my mom would probably stop nagging me too. Win-win.” He held out the dough to Sienna.

~Jerrin Yeceb

Sienna laughed and nodded. “I don’t think dough beating is hardly new in the grand scheme of beating inanimate objects, but if it stops someone nagging, I suppose it is worth the effort.” She took the dough and began to break it up into chunks and drop it into the pasta maker. Lasagna noodles rolled out of the other end and landed limply in a bowl already half baked and covered in a thin layer of olive oil to prevent sticking. “That bowl over there has the meat sauce mix. Why don’t you take some and start a thin layer to cover the base of the pan? Once its covered, layer the pasta pieces over the meat sauce. They can touch, but don’t let them overlap. More meat sauce, then we will bring out cheese.”

The instructions were easy enough, and Jerrin set about layering the noodles. Their feel though was a bit off putting, and for a few minutes, he could focus on other things and ignore the weird sensation growing in his stomach.

She left him to start the process of layering the lasagna in her baking dish to set the oven to preheat and to bring out the other ingredients she needed. Mozzerella lay shredded in one bowl and a mix of ricotta and spices lay in another. She set these on the counter and continued. “The secret to an excellent lasagna is keeping layers thin and spicing. Often people do not put enough spices into the ricotta mix or the meat sauce so that when the dish is baking, the noodles soak up too much and the dish becomes bland. If your ricotta mix is white, its not spiced enough. I chose beef for the meat in the lasagna. Its a classic version. The ricotta mix has a myriad of spices and Parmesan which is another cheese. I prefer to grate all the parmesan fresh right before mixing. It’s a hard and dry cheese that tends to take in the flavors around it so if you shred it too soon, you get other flavors in there you might not want because it soaks up the moisture from the air around you.”

Nox, CNS

He tried, as often he did, but the slimy feel of the noodles was not replaced so easily with each layer of sauce. It didn’t make any sense. There was nothing that came to mind that made this particular set of ingredients weird of awkward. But he quickly realized his heart rate had risen and his breath was a bit shaky. Was this panic? Odd. Eyes fixed on the dish as he continued the layering process, he was only vaguely aware that the woman next to him was even speaking again. He heard nothing of what she said, so wouldn’t even be able to recall it later.

~Jerrin

Sienna had been rambling without much direction, about the particular recipe and her choices, when she noticed the change in the feel of Jerrin. She watched him as she talked for a minute, gauging what he was feeling as she kept her conversation light and meaningless. She noted his heart rate and the way he was breathing. She turned from him and opened the refrigerator, grabbing a bottle. By the time she returned to him, the bottle top was off. She set the glass in front of him, pushing the casserole dish aside.

She poured the contents of the bottle into the glass. Immediately carbonation began, adding tiny fizzing bubbles to the clear liquid. A faint sound accompanied the tiny bubbles popping at the top of the glass. “You are safe here, Jerrin. I would like for you to take a minute and focus on the bubbles in the glass. Breathe. 4 counts in, 4 counts out until all the bubbles are gone.”

This process could take several minutes, but it was often a technique used to calm someone in a panic. It might not work for him, but then again, if he had never done it before, he might do as she asked. Some people required touch to relax during a panic attack, but she didn’t want to start there. She kept her voice neutral, almost light. No pressure, just a request.

Nox, CNS

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