[Envinyatar]

The three men had returned from a successful hunt. Aelfwine held a large basket filled with seven large whole salmon, and one freshwater eel. Nárello’s basket was filled to bursting with big, thick mushrooms, while Derufin’s held a precious amount of the smaller pale yellow frondy sort.

Once back to the kitchen, they swung into action. Aelfwine cleaned the salmon, leaving them whole and stuffed them with a savory dressing of herbs and onions and day old bread. He placed them in two large oiled baking pans and popped them in the oven. They would be done by the time the guests arrived.

Derufin made three large eel pies, filled with lovely chunks of eel and onion, potato and carrot layered with finely chopped herbs, all cradled in flaky pastry crusts. On the top crust, to vent the steam, he incised the picture of the dragon from the Inn sign.

With the little yellow mushrooms he had brought back, he layered them with thinly sliced potatos in another large oiled pan. And put them in the other oven until the top was crusty, and nicely browned.

Lastly, Nárello cleaned his find and cut off the woody stems. He sliced them with a sure hand into thick long sections and dipped them in beaten egg and then dredged them in seasoned cornmeal. Derufin had heated up the oil in the pan and once the salmon and pies were almost done, they began to fry them up nice and crispy. Once done, they covered them loosely with a clean towel and placed them in the warming oven.

Some of the other guests had agreed to clean up after the cooks were done, and now they came in, rags in hand and cleared away all evidence of the assault on the kitchen.

Derufin washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and went upstairs to change clothes for the party tonight.