It was monday, and while Twilight was still sleeping. Her parents alongside Shining and Royal were sitting alongside the dinner table. Royal and Shining appear to be drinking some Irish coffee, while Velvet was drinking a latte macchiato and Night drinking a cappuccino.
Royal however was the first to speak up. "So." he slurped a bit "Do you know why I called you together?" he asked.
Velvet looks at Royal. "Is this about Twilight and meat?" she asked, with a hint of hostility.
Royal raised his eyebrow. "Yes. I fully believe that Twilight is an omnivore." he said.
"An omnivore?" Shining asked, unsure. As he had never heard of that word.
"It's a creature which needs require meat, grains and vegetables to survive." Night answered.
"Well besides water of course." Royal added, Night simply nodded.
"How could you accuse her of something like that?" Velvet shrieked.
"Actually honey. I believe that he is correct." Night said.
"Care to elaborate?" Velvet asked, shock in her voice very much present.
"Well. She always did enjoy salmon. And steak." Shining reasoned.
Velvet looks confused at them both. "How could my daughter be an omnivore? She came from an herbivore and an herbivore, I have never heard of something like this happening." she asked confused.
Shining was about to ask something, when Night was faster. "An herbivore is a creature that requires vegetables and the like to survive."
"Thanks." Shining answered.
Royal slurped some more, before answering her question. "It's an extremely rare mutation. As far as I am aware of, only two other ponies had it. Besides the princesses." he explained.
"I see. So now what? Should we go get an classification for her status? Or-" Velvet started only for Twilight's hoof to enter her mouth.
"How about keeping this between us. And only allowing me to eat meat at home or when alone?" Twilight reasoned.
Velvet nodded, as Twilight removed her hoof. "Good morning, sweet heart." Velvet said.
"Morning." Twilight said, as she looked at the ponies present. "Let's keep this from the princesses for now too."
"Morning and yes. I agree that that might be a good idea." Royal said.
"So now that has been dealt with. Shall we start our lesson?" Twilight asked.
Royal nodded as he grabs his bag and places some books on the table. Twilight meanwhile grabbed her notebook and pencil. Royal then opens his book and moved it to the final chapter: Meat, Meat prep and serve.
"Okay. I am ready." Twilight proclaims.
"Okay. Before we start. This lesson won't be on the exam as it's not meant for fillies and more for adults. However I won't feel like I completed my lessons with you, without talking about meat. Especially now with us slowly figuring out, how to change your diet." Royal started and Twilight wrote some stuff down.
"Let's begin, with some basic information. So meat types, there are many meat types. But I will teach you the required information to work with." Royal flipped a page. "Let's do these three important ones. Beef, Sheep, Pork. These three are the most common ones and in turn the most important ones."
"Beef, Primarily comes from the cow. These cows are usually bred in pastures across the west borders of Equestria. They are a common delectable and is most famous for their steaks."
"Pork, Primarily made using pigs. These pigs comes from the crystal empire and usually grounded down into ground pork. Meatballs commonly use this type of meat."
"Sheep, as the name implies these are sheep. There is only a few pastures in the world that breeds them for using in meat production. An example is Ponyville."
"That is all for today. Tomorrow you get more information about beef and I will show you how to prep and make a steak." Royal ended as he closes his book.
"Thanks. That will delicious and fun." Twilight said smiling. She said as he left.
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The following morning, Twilight woke up and quickly washed herself in the bathroom, before heading downstairs.
Once downstairs, she spots Royal sitting in the living room.
"Good morning." Twilight said.
"Morning Twi. I am extra early, because after our lesson I have to discuss with your parents about your diet." Royal explained.
"Of course. Well, let's start then." Twilight said, already having readied her notebook and pencil.
"All right." Royal said opening his workbook.
"So Beef." he started. "A very common meat type and beloved by princess Luna for the rich taste. Steak and the beacon are some strong examples as to why it's liked. Dried beef and baked beef is thus the most important example. However don't be mistaken. It's not the most important meat type. In that sense fish is more important for their versatility and the fact that more creatures eat it. From bears to Griffons, and from dragons to lizards."
"Meanwhile meat is more of an omnivore thing and lions of course. However meat is versatile in their own right. Now, on to the topic beef. Their are many types of cuts. Today we are going to focus on sirloin steak."
"Sirloin is a cut of beef that is situated on the top side of the cow, and near the round. Because of the small size of this general area. It's sometimes also called premium steak. These are hard to get, and usually VERY expensive."
Royal looks at his sirloin steak he brought with him. "Usually costing 80 bits per 100 grams. Luckily for us. You got that large piece of sirloin beef from the market. So we are going to use some of that to turn it into a proper sirloin steak."
"Follow me Twi." Royal said as he moved his bag to the kitchen.
Twilight followed Royal to the kitchen and saw him unpack this beautiful piece of sirloin steak, together with his pre chopped mushrooms and pre cooked. She also saw some freshly made BBQ sauce.
"I am going to bake this to medium rare. The first thing we do is let the pan get to 58 degrees celsius. Twilight please cast a check temperature spell on the pan, and make sure it gets to the temperature and stays at that temperature." Royal requested.
Twilight nods her head as she cast the spell and wait. 10 minutes later and it reached the desired temperature. "It's ready!" she shouts.
Royal nods as he places the sirloin in the pan. "Now we wait for a golden brown color." he said.
after waiting 15 minutes, the sirloin looked delicious. "Okay. Now we move it on a drying rack and marinade with my homemade BBQ sauce and let it rest for 5 minutes." Royal explained.
5 minutes pass, in what felt like 1 minutes. Twilight was patiently waiting in the dining room. "Add some mushrooms and garlic butter on to the plate besides the steak." Royal said from the kitchen to the dining table, placing the plate in front of Twilight. "And as last. Bon Appetit!" he finished.
Twilight quickly thanked Royal as she dug in. The steak had a perfect red color and the bbq sauce caused Twilight to look starved. As she took the first bite, she first smelled the bbq sauce and the garlic butter. Her first bite was filled with juice as the steak overwhelmed her senses. The bbq sauce was filled with spices she has never tasted before and those shrooms. Those shrooms were different, they weren't anything like you can get in Equestria. The steak itself was amazing but with those side ingredients also known as decor, it became godlike.
Meanwhile Royal cleaned the kitchen and went upstairs for a secret meeting with her parents.
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It's wednesday morning. Twilight woke up and did the usually before heading down stairs to eat a piece of bread with fresh jam.
"Knock, knock, knock." sounded the door, Twilight quickly approaching. She opened the door and sees Royal with another bag standing on the front porch. Twilight proceeded to let him quickly in and grabbing her notebook and pencil.
"Today we are going to do sheep." Royal started right away "Also known as lamb. This meat type albit common, is uncommon to use at all. Equestria doesn't have any restaurants that produce dishes with lamb in them."
"You do see them often on the blackmarket in the form of meat on skewers. Which they coated in some form of hot sauce. Becky makes a lot of them. But besides that, we don't primarily make them. Until today. Today we are going to make indian lamb curry. Let's go to the kitchen, Twi." Royal explained. "Here read the recipe."
Twilight walks to the kitchen and takes the recipe. 'Step 1 Gather the ingredients.
Step 2 Heat the cooking oil in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat.
Step 3 When hot, add the unions. Sauté until the unions begin to turn pale golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Step 4 In a food processor, pulse the unions into a smooth paste, adding a teaspoon of water if necessary to blend. Transfer to a separate container and reserve.
Step 5 Blend the tomatoes, garlic and ginger pastes together in the food processor until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a seperate container and reserve for later use.
Step 6 Reheat the oil leftover from frying the onions over medium heat and add the reserved onion paste. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 7 Add the tomato mixture, coriander, garam masala, cumin, turmeric and red chili powder and mix well.
Step 8 Sauté until the oil begins to separate. This can take up to 10 minutes.
Step 9 Add the lamb pieces to the mixture, and stir to fully coat. Sauté until the lamb is browned well, about 8 minutes.
Step 10 Add 1/2 cup of hot water to the pan and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan. Cook until the lamb is tender. You will need to keep checking on the lamb as it cooks and adding more water if all the water dries up. Stir often to prevent burning. The dish should have a fairly thick gravy when done. Season with salt to taste. This should take roughly 45 minutes.
Step 11 When the lamb is cooked, garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with naan or hot steamed rice.'
"Well done Twi. One more thing. For the sake of those reading this fanfiction. Please start with the ingredients list." Royal said, which caused Twilight to blush.
'4 tablespoons vegetable oil.
2 large onions (thinly sliced).
2 large tomatoes (diced).
2 tablespoons garlic paste.
1 tablespoon ginger paste.
2 teaspoons ground coriander.
2 teaspoons garam masala.
1 teaspoon ground cumin.
1/2 teaspoon turmeric.
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder.
1 kilogram boneless lamb shoulder (cut into 38 mm chunks).
1/2 cup hot water.
salt.
fresh chopped cilantro.'
"There! When do we start?" Twilight asked.
"I would love to make this with you. Sadly this dish takes 2 hours to make, so I had to make some before hoof." Royal explained.
"I understand. Perhaps next time." Twilight said disappointed.
"Here let me put some in a bowl for you to eat tonight." Royal said.
"Thanks." Twilight said.
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It's thursday, The last day of Royal's teachings before Twilight's exam. Twilight woke up and did the usual, wash herself in the bathroom, eat some bread with jam on it and watch as Royal arrives at her home.
This morning felt different not only was Royal very late, or more specifically had still not arrived. And also her parents were already at their work, something that was odd considering the time. 6 O'clock in the morning.
And Twilight's parents had work usually around 9 O'clock. That while Shining's gear was still here, even though he has work around 4 O'clock.
Confused. Twilight started pacing and looking out the windows for any sign of Royal. 'Where is he? He usually is on time, I hope this won't cut into our teaching time.' she prayed.
After an additional hour of wait time, Royal finally knocked on the door.
Twilight opens the door, and let Royal into the house quickly. Getting her usual stuff out, Twilight and Royal sit in the dining room.
"You're late!" Twilight whined.
"I know. I am sorry, Twi. I had a hard time searching for a good piece of pork. Sadly I only found this poorly made hamburger steak." Royal explained disappointed.
"Well we could make Salisbury steak with it. I read it in a cookbook somewhere." Twilight suggested.
"Salisbury steak?! I haven't made that since high school!" Royal exclaimed.
"Well before that, I suggest you give an in depth explanation about pork, before we make that steak and before we talk about the exam." Twilight urges.
"Your right. Okay. Let me grab my textbook and stuff before we start." Royal said, while he grabbed his book and quickly moves the pages to the chapter of choice.
"Let's begin." Royal started, "Pork is one of the oldest types of meat known to ponykind and is universally loved. Able to be turned into most well known foods, it's a very versatile and easy to eat meat type."
"An well known example of this meat type being used is for ham, bacon and sausages. Thus the most important and well known meat variation has been called out." Royal said, "That being said, it's all you should know about right now. You will learn more about meat in Manehattan."
"Okay!" Twilight said happily.
"Now, before we make that steak type. Let's talk exam. Or more specifically test." Royal started. "You see, the filly culinary school in Canterlot is not really a school. More like a place for nobles to start their learning at. That way they can advance faster into a culinary school of their choice. That being said, don't underestimate their test. It's really hard according to other teachers and students alike."
"The chance of success is really low. Only 10% can make it passed the first test, then only 5% at the second one and the last test, which you are also going to take by the way. And is designed for geniuses, which has an entry rate of only 0.00000001%." Royal finished, Twilight visibly shuddered at those low chances.
"But! If you succeed, you are guaranteed to become a master chef." Royal added.
"I see. Well ignoring my anxiety and fear for a moment. Will we finally make it?" Twilight said with her excitement renewed.
"Yes, let's go to the kitchen." Royal said dejected.
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"Okay I found the recipe!" Twilight shouted as she looked into her mother's cookbook.
"Well read the ingredients!" Royal ordered.
"800 grams of floury potatoes,
400 grams of grounded pork,
1 egg,
1 tablespoon of mustard,
1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs,
4 tablespoons of ketchup,
3 teaspoons of worcester sauce,
some olive oil,
1 onion,
0,5 bunch of flat-leaf parsley,
500 grams of mushrooms,
250 milliliter of water." Twilight read.
"Very good. While you read that, I have prepped it on the countertop. We are ready to make it. So while I make it, you read it." Royal explained.
"Understood. Starting to read now." Twilight started. "Grab a pan and place some water and some salt to start cooking. Meanwhile peel and cut the potatoes into even pieces, then cook the potatoes roughly 15 minutes. Once done pour the hot water away and steam dry it, add some pepper to taste on the potatoes."
"Now for the salisbury steak itself" Twilight continued. "Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Mix the pork, egg, breadcrumbs, one fourth of the ketchup and two thirds of the worchester sauce. And add some salt and pepper to taste. Then form the burger patties into an oval shape.
Put some of the olive oil into a pan and heat it up, after properly heated up, place the burgers into the pan and bake it golden brown. Place the burgers into an oiled oven dish."
"Cut the mushrooms into four pieces, peel and cut the onions into rough cubes. And place the mushroom and onions into the same pan we used for the salisbury steak, which we also have to bake golden brown. Don't forget to pluck and cut parsley into tiny pieces."
"And now add all remaining ingredients together and start cooking it. Make sure to add some salt and pepper to taste. After precooking it a bit, add it to the salisbury steak and put it into the oven for 8 minutes."
"Now that it's done, put some potatoes, Salisbury steak and some parsley nicely on a plate and bon appetit." Twilight finished just as Royal grabbed the steak out the oven.
"It looks good!" Royal exclaimed.
"But does it taste good?" Twilight hinted, which caused Royal to laugh.
"I get it. Let me give you some, then tell me how it taste." Royal said.
"Okay." Twilight simply said as she took a bite.
"The steak is tasty, but I have had better. The worcester sauce tastes really strong, same with the ketchup. The potatoes are well done and the mushrooms are tasty. However this is more a normal dinner dish, not really a special dish." Twilight analyzed.
"Of course it's a simple dish. It was also made with poor ingredients." Royal explained. "Now for homework you have to study for the test or exam, however you like to call it. I will see you monday, the day of the results of the exam. Tomorrow is the test. Good luck!"
Twilight gulped. "Thanks,"