Dryad Bud Saute With Cheese Sauce

 How's it hanging, Dungeon Meshi Maniacs?  I have to admit, I'm a little discombobulated.  Keen-eyed DMMs will know this chapter has one of the more famous monsters to eat. Almost a Dungeon Meshi meme level monster!  I was all set with planning and recipe investigations.  Then, right as I'm getting ready to start, I couldn't find the main ingredient!  It's the wrong time of the year.  I thought we lived in an age when you could get any ingredient at any time at any part of the world.  Color me surprised.  With luck the ingredient in question will be in stock soon. In the meantime and as luck would have it this is a two part recipe week!  They make a side dish which is what we'll be focusing on today.  Pull up a chair for some Dryad Bud Saute With Cheese Sauce!

Side dishes rule, DMMs!  Sure the main dish is the main attraction but it's a side dish's job to back them up.  Weak side dish and the entire left flank could collapse!  Then what will you have?  The flavor could get overrun and we don't want that.  You'd be in a huge pinch which is a great segway into the backstory of today's dish.  The gang is back!  And they are in a bad way!

It's like a three hour car trip with five year olds!  But they are all grown adults...right?  I mean we know that Chilchuck is in his 30s with several kids he doesn't care about.  Laois is...20?  Marcille is older than she looks but the problem is she looks young which puts Senshi in a weird frame of mind.

This is a problem when your species can live to be 400 years old.  Anything under 100 is still a kid in your eyes.  Another problem Senshi has is he has adopted this group of weirdoes.  He seriously feels like it is his responsibility to ensure they are well fed.  See!

That's intense!  I get it though.  Little Nih fact; I don't have kids.  Never have and never will.  But nothing makes my teeth itch more than knowing there is a child out there who doesn't have anything to eat.  As I mentioned in previous updates, I'm from an area that has large food insecurity so I've seen it first hand from both family and friends.  I feel a real kinship with Senshi on this front.  And understand why he goes foraging for the "kids."  Unfortunately he finds something way different.

Sexy naked ladies doing sexy things together!  Senshi was looking for food!  Also, isn't this aimed at young adults?  Dungeon Meshi became a hardcore sex manga so gradually I didn't even notice!  Thankfully for us prudish readers it turns out this aren't sexy ladies engaged in sexy sex.  Nope! We are in the dungeon so they are just sexy monsters.

Plant monsters to be exact!  Well, to be EXACT they are Dryads.  In Greek mythology a dryad is a type of nymph that lives in trees.  So sexy ladies who live in trees who are ready to, you know...get down.  In the dungeon they are just plant monsters that look like sexy ladies.  Which is great because the gang doesn't have to feel bad when they mur-diddily-urder them!

And even better....they don't have to feel bad when they eat the dryad.

The bulbs are edible and thankfully for me they look like something very real world when cut!

Put your bibs on, DMMs!  It's time for some cabbage steaks!  What's with that look?  Cabbage steaks are totally a thing.  And the two best things a food can be; Easy & Delicious!  Slight change from what Senshi is doing above though.  Yes, the title is Dryad Bud SAUTE with Cheese Sauce but we will be making BAKED Dryad Bud with Cheese Sauce.  I feel that baking the cabbage softens it up better making it easier to cook and it gives you more options when it comes to the type of cheese you want to use.  So set that over to 425 and get out your cabbage.

Ah, the mighty cabbage.  It's followed us around this world and is the cornerstone of so many cuisines.  Take off the outer leaves and chop into about one inch steaks.

I'll admit, DMMs.  I'm not the expert cabbage chopper that I lead you all to believe.  It's not entirely my fault.  Cabbage LOVES to fall apart!  Once you take those leaves off it's like removing the wrong JENGA brick.  The entire thing just wants to fly into pieces.  But this is a good start.  Next we'll need to brush some awesome sauce onto the cabbages.  Let's look at our sauce!

This is where you can let your sauce freak flag fly, DMMs.  As a base you just need two tablespoons of olive oil.  What you put in from there is 100% up to you.  I went with garlic, salt, black pepper, onion bits, thyme and two tablespoons of parmesan cheese.  Don't worry.  This is just the start of the cheese, DMMs.  Mix this all together!

Restrain yourselves, DMMs!  Don't grab a spoon and eat the sauce straight from the bowl!  Or do.  You'll just have to make another batch because you need to brush this all over your steaks.  I mean just glob it on.  Put the sauced steaks into the preheated oven for 20 minutes.  While they bake it's time to mix your cheese!  I kept it simple, DMMs.  Just mozzarella and parmesan.  Whatever your do make sure it is a cheese that loves to melt!  That is what you're going for here.  A nice gooey cover on top of your steaks.  Check it out!

 Delicious!  I'll freely admit that I snitched a few pinches for myself.  Once the twenty minutes is up, open the oven and pile this on.  Put as much as you want!

These go back into the oven for five minutes.  That'll melt the cheese and finish up softening the cabbage.  Take them out and get ready for cheesy goodness!

I have to admit, DMMs. I am so happy to have found another cheese delivery vehicle.  Since these are so simple I'm going to put them into the family menu rotation. What's great is this is easy to alter.  I'm thinking of trying wilder spices.  Maybe increase the heat a little?  That always works great with cheese.  Also, they kind of look like pizza.  What if I put a small pepperoni on there?  Personal pan cabbage steak!

That's it for this week, DMMS.  I have to admit I wasn't expecting this to be so much fun.  It's cabbage!  While a versatile veggie it doesn't stir the imagination.  Shows what I know!  Always keep an open mind when it comes to food.  You'll be rewarded more times than not!