The Sarpadian breed of thrulls have a juicy, succulent meat that can be delicious when prepared correctly. Without correct procedure and spicing, however, they can be slightly gamey. They are in abundance in the underworld thanks to their low maintenance and very rapid breeding. A single breeding pit can produce more than two dozen thrulls a day, making them a cheap and bountiful meat. While many creatures in the underworld eat them uncooked and unspiced, they can easily be made into a much more flavorful meal for the more sophisticated palette.

Thrulls are available at most underworld markets, fresh or frozen, and can be ordered by your local butcher. The more evolved, intelligent thrulls of Sarpadia can be found in many specialty markets, but this recipe is best used with the common place thrulls bred in local breeding pits. If you can find fresh thrull, it's best to have your butcher piece it out for you, given their nonuniform shape. Otherwise, see "How to Cut Up a Thrull" in chapter one. Alternatively, you can simply brown the entire thrull, put it into the stew whole, and remove it later to pick off the meat.

Cooking Instructions

1. Soak the dried thallid caps in water:
   Soak the dried thallid caps in 2 cups hot water.
2. Cut thrull into pieces and sprinkle with salt:
   Cut the thrull into serving pieces and salt well. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Use all of the thrull in this dish – you can fish out the ribs and other parts that have little or no meat on them later; they will add vital flavor to your stew.
3. Roast garlic:
   Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice the top third off the heads of garlic and drizzle the fishliver oil over them. Wrap the heads loosely in foil and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until cloves are soft and brown. Set aside to cool.
4. Prep fresh mushrooms, dice rehydrated thallid caps, save mushroom soaking liquid:
   Chop off the tough ends of the mushroom stems and either discard or save for stock. Roughly chop or slice the mushrooms and set aside. Dice the rehydrated thallid caps. Pour the thallid caps' soaking water though a paper towel into another bowl. Reserve the liquid.
5. Dry sauté fresh mushrooms:
   Heat a thick-bottomed large pot on high heat for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and shake the pot. Stirring continuously, dry sauté the mushrooms until they release their water.
   Turn the heat down to medium-high. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any mushroom bits off the bottom of the pan. Salt the mushrooms lightly. When the mushroom liquid is mostly gone, remove them to a bowl.
6. Brown thrull in butter:
   Add the butter to the pot. When the butter melts, turn the heat down to medium. Pat the thrull pieces dry and place in the pan. Work in batches if you need to, do not crowd the pan. Brown the pieces well on all sides. Remove the thrull pieces from the pot and set aside.
7. Sauté saprolings:
   Increase the the heat to medium-high and add the saprolings to the pot. Sauté until the saprolings are nicely wilted, about 3 minutes. Stir from time to time. Sprinkle salt over everything.
8. Squeeze roasted garlic into mushroom soaking liquid:
   While the saprolings are cooking, squeeze the roasted garlic into the mushroom soaking water you have strained, then whisk it together.
9. Deglaze saprolings with wine:
   Add the Icatian wine to the saprolings in the pot. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Let the sherry boil down by half. Add the mushroom-roasted garlic mixture and the wumpus broth and stir to combine.
10. Add nantuko, mushrooms, thrull, parsnips, bring to simmer and cook:
    Add the powdered nantuko shell, all the mushrooms, the thrull, and the parsnips to the pan. Bring everything to a bare simmer.
11. Simmer for 90 Minutes:
    Stir in the parsley. Simmer gently for 90 minutes. You want the meat to be close to falling off the bone. If you want, you can fish out all the thrull pieces and pull the meat off the bone – it makes the dish less attractive, but it will be easier to eat. Taste for salt right before you serve and add if needed.

Kavu meat is known the multiverse over for its marbling characteristics and naturally strong flavor, tenderness, and juiciness. Few meats come close to the perfection that is a well cooked kavu steak. It can be pricey, given the kavu's limited population, but it can also create some of the most elegant dishes.

Although kavu steaks can be made simply, proper cooking techniques are absolutely imperative to getting the most out of their potential flavor. Overcooking or adding the wrong spice profile easily degrades the inherent flavor.

The following recipe pairs the kavu's naturally bold flavor with an equally bold, rustic wine. Combined with mushrooms and thallids, this dish has a strong earthy aroma with a delectable taste any palette can enjoy. The recipe is simple, but very precise. Do exactly as the recipe instructs and you will have one of the best meals of your lifetime. This is an excellent recipe to start with if you haven't prepared kavu before.

Cooking Instructions

1. Temper Steak
   Allow steaks to sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and allow to get very hot, 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Season & Sear meat
   Brush oil over steaks, and season liberally with salt, bone powder, and pepper. Sear meat in pan and cook 3 to 4 minutes on one side or until nicely caramelized.
3. Reduce Heat, Flip Steak
   Turn off heat, flip meat over and cook an additional 4 to 6 minutes or until temperature reaches 140 - 145ºF. There will be enough residual heat in pan to finish cooking, depending on desired doneness and thickness of meat.
4. Rest Steak
   Remove meat from pan to a dish and cover with foil. Make pan sauce while steak rests.
5. Add Thallids and Mushrooms
   Using same pan, do not wipe or pour out any remaining fat or cooked bits. Set pan over medium-low heat. Add thallids and mushrooms and stir fry 2 to 3 minutes scraping up cooked bits.
6. Add Wine, Increase Heat
   Add wirewood wine and turn up heat to medium, cook until wine is almost evaporated. Add anurid broth and indrik cream.
7. Finish Sauce
   Continue to cook until cream mixture starts to thicken and can easily coat back of a spoon without running off. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
8. Season and Serve
   Season sauce to taste as needed with more salt, bone powder, and pepper. Pour over steak. Garnish with fresh thallid if desired.