The Hufflepuff Kitchen: Year in Review 2009-2010
The entrance to the Hufflepuff Kitchen is located in the Spiral Staircase. Take the entrance door down the winding path and down into the kitchens below.
We have a giant stone worked room set up with six large fireplaces on each side of the room with cooking stations attached to each fireplace. The biting fairies — they only bite if you break any of the rules, otherwise they are truly quite helpful — keep clean cauldrons and cooking gadgets all stocked at each station so any one at any time may come and cook what they please. We stock most all ingredients that you may need to create most dishes. What is nice about this kitchen is you don't have to clean up after yourself.
This past school year in the Hufflepuff Kitchen we had a new game or contest each month, usually themed to that month. Students were able to come to our Kitchen and create a master piece, or just fun new wizarding foods, as well as earn citrines doing it! If a month falls with in a major holiday, such as Halloween, then along with having a game or contest we also did a role play party that included bringing a recipe that is wizarding world themed yet edible and is a real recipe that anyone can make and enjoy!
During the spring term we held an ongoing contest called Kitchen Cauldron Cook-off. We had three months of different types of recipes that were submitted by students, and then the top recipes chosen by the kitchen staff were then given a poll on the Sett for everyone in Hufflepuff to vote on. Each part of the competition was given a different type of dish, such as a soup or entrée, then they were given a food that they had to create around, such as an onion or chicken.
The winner of the 2009-2010 Kitchen Cauldron Cook-off was Rorey Padfoot. She won two of the three competitions and won for most overall votes. I have included her recipe for her most-voted recipe down below.
Do you like to cook and create fun wizarding world themed foods? Would you like to earn citrines having fun doing it? Come and check out the Hufflepuff Kitchen each month and see what fun we are cooking up. We look forward to seeing you there and watch out for the biting fairies on your way down!
Ham and Potato Soup
By Rorey Padfoot
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. *This is making a white cream sauce.
3. Stir the cream sauce into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
**You could also add a bag of frozen peas in to give it a bit of color.