Red Clover Steak

Cardinals may have a culture based on physical training and combat, but they have some tricks up their sleeves. The clover steak; a covetted item by most cardinals as one of the most sought after dishes. The occasions or events where its served are often overshadowed by the dish itself, leading to some impatient cardinals getting a stern lesson about patience.

Manufacturing process

The first step to creating a clover steak is the marinade. The marinade is made with a base of grape blot, followed by few splashes of nightshade, a pinch of salt, silkweed, and a red clover with no fewer than four leaves. Then, the steak must be allowed to soak within the steak for up to two hours. Once thoroughly marinated, the steak is seared on a low-medium heat. Traditionally this is done on a slab of granite with a fire underneath, but it can be done on any pan. The cooking process will take up to four hours, in which the chef must be attentive, adding splashes of the marinade as the steak is cooked. It's highly reccomended that the chef is accomponied by one or more warriors as the smell of the clovers will attract monsters.
After four hours, the steak should be a pinkish red regardless of how the meat is cooked. This is because of the natural dye within silkweed, but this is also because silkweed will feed on the dead parisites of the meat. If the steak is any color other than red, than it's not thoroughly cooked. Traditionally, clover steak is cooked medium or medium-well for safety. The final step of the cooking process involves placing a single red clover atop the steak as a garnish before being served on clay tableware.

History

When cardinals were only beginning to hit their stride, their cuisine was bland and they would simply eat red clovers raw, but this proved troublesome as red clovers can cause stomach troubles and digestive issues, sometimes even vomiting. So over generations, they experimented with many ways to get the red clover into their system without the risk of sickness. Eventually, they settled on using two clovers per steak. One is used in the steak's marinade so the natural benefits of it would soak into the meat, making it easier to swallow. The second would be used as a garnish, typically eaten last and slowly with a drink to prevent sickness, if the garnish is eaten at all. What started only to keep the clover down became something of a tradition; a reward.

Significance

As a reward, the clover steak is incredibly important to the growth of cardinals. What-with their strict culture about the proclimation of good deeds, some cardinals may become depressed and lose the will to keep trying. The clover steak represents the praise that cardinals wish they could give to their squires; a reward for the hard work and effort they've put in. A birthday without a clover steak can be crushing.

Item type

Consumable, Food / Drink

Creation Date

380 CA

Related ethnicities

• Cardinal

Owning Organization

Talons of Hrungnir

Rarity

Uncommon

Raw materials & Components

Nightshade, grape blod, salt, silkweed, red clovers, and any steak.