The Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook - Dinah Bucholz [38]
Serves 8
The addition of baking soda helps to neutralize some of the acid in the rhubarb, making it slightly more mellow and palatable. If you prefer an extremely tart dessert, omit the baking soda.
Creamy Onion Soup
Before the start of the school term, Dumbledore brings Harry to the Burrow in the middle of the night, where Mrs. Weasley serves the hungry boy a bowl of hot onion soup (see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 5). This thick and creamy soup, warm and comforting, is the perfect dish to serve the weary traveler who bursts in on you at one in the morning. Serve with thick wedges of Irish Soda Bread (Chapter 5).
The Romans brought onions to Britain — although the Romans didn't mention them much in their own cookbooks. The one Roman cookbook we have today, called Apicius, barely mentions onions because the Romans didn't like that they make your breath smelly. But today we have breath mints, so bring on the onions!
¼ stick (2 tablespoons) butter
2 large onions, cut lengthwise and then sliced 1/8-inch thick
4 cups chicken broth or 4 cups water and 4 teaspoons chicken-flavored soup and seasoning mix
Freshly ground black pepper Salt
2 cups whole milk, divided
1/3 cup flour
Heat the butter in a 4-quart pot. Add the onions to the pot, and cook over low heat until the onions are golden, about 30 minutes.
Add the chicken broth or the water and soup mix, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer until the onions are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Combine 1/3 cup of the milk with the flour in a bowl and mix well, beating out the lumps with a whisk. Add this mixture slowly to the soup while stirring constantly. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Add the rest of the milk and just heat through; do not boil.
Serves 6
Molly's Meatballs with Onion Sauce
At the Ministry of Magic on the morning of Harry's hearing, Mr. Weasley bumps into Kingsley Shacklebolt. They pretend not to know each other, but Mr. Weasley manages to whisper to him that Mrs. Weasley is serving meatballs for dinner should he wish to stop by (see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 7).
There's not much to say about meatballs. It doesn't take an awful lot of imagination to mince meat, mix it with other stuff, shape it, and cook it. In olden times, forcemeat, which is an old-fashioned word for the mixture of ground meat mixed with bread crumbs and seasonings, was used as a stuffing or by itself. You might still find recipes in British cookbooks that call it forcemeat balls. This recipe makes an interesting change from Italian meatballs and spaghetti.
Meatballs
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
½ cup fresh or dry bread crumbs
1 large egg
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons oil
Onion Sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 14-ounce can chicken broth
For the meatballs, combine the beef, bread crumbs, egg, onion, parsley, salt, black pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Heat the oil in a skillet. Form the meat mixture into 1½-inch balls, and working in batches, fry the balls on each side until well browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the meatballs to a dinner plate.
For the Onion Sauce, add 2 tablespoons oil to the skillet and heat. Add the chopped onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown. Add the flour, and stir to combine. Pour in the chicken broth and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbling. Return the meatballs to the skillet and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve over rice, mashed potatoes, or wide egg noodles.
Serves 6
Brussels Sprouts with Chestnuts
While they prepare piles of sprouts to