The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook (22 page)
Peanut oil, for frying (see note)
Salt to taste
Cut a thin slice off the ends and all four sides of the potatoes, which will turn the potatoes into rectangles. Slice the potatoes into ¼-inch slices along the length. Turn the first set of slices onto their broad side, and then cut lengthwise to form ¼-inch sticks. Rinse the potatoes in cold water until the water runs clear, then dry with a towel. Keep the potatoes wrapped in a towel until ready to fry. (You can reserve the leftover slices to make mashed potatoes.)
Fill a medium saucepan with enough oil to come 2 inches up the sides. Clip a candy thermometer to the pot and heat the oil to 350°F. Add the potatoes in batches, bringing the temperature back up to 350°F in between batches. Cook each batch until darker yellow, about 5 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain. Reserve the pot of oil for the next step.
Before serving, reheat the pot of oil to 350°F. Fry the potatoes again in batches until crisp and golden, about 2 minutes, bringing the temperature back up to 350°F in between batches. Transfer to paper towels, sprinkle with salt, and serve.
Serves 4 to 6
Peanut oil is one of the best oils for deep-frying, as it has a high smoking point and delivers beautiful crispiness. But it is horribly expensive, so you can substitute canola or vegetable oil for the peanut oil.
The most food ever mentioned in one place in the Harry Potter books is at Harry's first Hogwarts feast. About twenty-five dishes are named, including peas. Who can eat that much food in one meal (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 7)?
The Romans introduced peas to Great Britain, and a good thing too, because peas became an important staple in the diet of medieval peasants, who ate it in the form of a pottage (a very thick soup). If there is ever a vegetable you want to steal, peas should be the one. The tall, flowering plants could so easily conceal a thief that medieval laws were enacted to protect them (the peas, not the thieves).
1 pound frozen peas
1 cup water
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Combine the peas and water in a small pot and bring them to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. Drain the peas and return them to the pot.
Add the salt, pepper, butter, and sugar. Toss until the butter melts and is well combined.
Serves 6
Frozen peas, hard as it is to believe, have an advantage over fresh. Unlike most produce, peas begin to get starchy and lose flavor within a few hours of being picked, so by the time you buy them in the super-market, they're not that great. Because frozen peas are picked and frozen at the peak of their freshness, they are better for this recipe.
Carrots are yet another of the myriad dishes served at the feast in the Great Hall following Harry's sorting ceremony into Gryffindor House (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 7).
British fighter pilots, in an effort to keep radar technology from the Germans, claimed that their super night vision came from eating a lot of carrots. The Germans actually bought the story, hard though that may be to believe. Carrots really do improve your night vision, but you can't use them instead of radar. And you will still have to wear your glasses.
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch-thick slices on the bias
½ cup water
2 tablespoons golden syrup or maple syrup or corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Combine the carrots, water, golden syrup or maple or corn syrup, salt, and cinnamon in a skillet and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat and simmer the carrots, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until the carrots are somewhat softened but not yet tender.
Raise the heat and boil until all the liquid evaporates. As the liquid starts to reduce, begin stirring more frequently. Keep cooking until the glaze starts to turn brown, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat and serve immediately.
Serves 4
Gravy is not really a food; it's something you put on your food. It's served at Harry's first Hogwarts feast and first Hogwarts Christmas dinner, probably to pour over all the many potato dishes (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapters 7 and 12).
It's amazing how sophisticated British cooks were in the 1200s and 1300s. They made gravy from a purée of ground almonds, broth, ginger, and sugar, to be poured over rabbit, chicken, eel, or oysters. The expression “fit for a king” certainly had great significance in those days. The peasants didn't get to dine on this kind of fare, to be sure!
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken, turkey, or beef stock
½ cup chicken, turkey, or beef drippings, after fat has been skimmed off the top (see note)
Salt to taste
Heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir until the flour turns brown and foams. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring constantly. Add the drippings.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thickened and bubbling.
Taste, and adjust salt accordingly.
Makes about 2½ cups
This gravy is not truly classic. Technically, gravy contains no thick-eners, so the following recipe is really a sauce. This type of thick sauce, however, is associated with classic gravy by many.
If drippings are not available, you can use all stock.
If ketchup is worth mentioning at Harry's very first Hogwarts banquet, then it can't be a typical bottled variety. The house-elves no doubt make their own signature ketchup, which they send up to the Great Hall along with the rest of the meal (see
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
, Chapter 7).
Originally ketchup in England was made with pickled mushrooms and no tomatoes, and although tomato ketchup is pretty much the only kind that is made these days, ketchup really refers to any condiment that is concentrated and that contains a lot of sugar and vinegar. It's easy to make homemade ketchup and it tastes great — but ironically it costs a lot more to make it from scratch than to buy a bottle.
2 pounds (about 4 large) ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
2 cloves garlic, cut into small chunks
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white wine vinegar or distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
1 stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
5 whole allspice
5 peppercorns
Place all the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat. Pour the contents into a large sieve set over a large bowl and push it through with a rubber spatula until all the juice is extracted. Discard the remaining pulp, skin, seeds, and spices.
Return the cooked tomato mixture to the pot and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally until it is reduced and very thick, about 30 minutes.
Makes ¾ cup
Malfoy has just been attacked by Buckbeak the hippogriff — Malfoy's fault entirely, as he wasn't paying attention to Hagrid's warning not to insult these sensitive animals. But it's Hagrid's first lesson as a teacher, and Hermione is so worried he might get into trouble that she can't eat her steak and kidney pudding (see
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
, Chapter 6).
This national British dish first appeared in the mid-1800s. To feel authentic, bring it to the table in the bowl it was cooked in, wrapped in a clean white napkin or cloth. Suet puddings are uniquely British, but butter or margarine, easier to find, yields acceptable results. Serve this dish with boiled new potatoes and Brussels sprouts or with mashed potatoes and steamed peas and carrots for a very traditional British meal.
“Suet” Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1½ sticks (12 tablespoons) butter or margarine, cut into small chunks
½ cup ice water
Filling
1 pound chuck steak, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon salt