After stumbling sleepily through my apparition onto the streets of Ottery St. Catchpole, the crisp autumn air zinged up my spine with a shiver. Waking me up better than any cup of coffee could. Then the realisation of why I was there settled into a fizzing knot of excitement deep in my stomach. My editor had sent me a very enthusiastic owl late last night to inform me that they had finally secured an interview with the famous Kitchen Witch, Momma Fox. Her food was legendary throughout the country, and her door was always open to those in need. But she rarely gave interviews, let alone agreeing to participate in a recipe-sharing series, so I jumped at the chance to meet her.
Hurrying quickly down the cobbled lane, I approached her front door nervously. I was met, however, by the most delicious smells ever and my stomach growled hungrily, bubbling up like Fortescue's Lemonade. Soon enough, the door swung open to reveal a tiny witch with fuzzy grey curls and what looked remarkably like terracotta-coated pointy ears. Rubbing my eyes, I realised she was smirking at me. "Oh never mind those dearie. They were a "gift" from my darling brother when we were children. Come in. We have much to do". Nodding shyly, I managed to mumble, "Thank you, Momma Fox. I'm so grateful that you agreed to show myself and our readers how to cook some of your wonderful recipes. It is most kind of you. I'm very curious to see what we are doing today."
"Well, child. Your flattery is appreciated but not necessary. I am a very old witch and I have no children. So what is the point of keeping these recipes to myself now? I do not wish them to die with me, so it is about time I shared them" the pocket-sized lady said matter-of-factly. Thrusting a piece of parchment into my hand, she turned and walked back into the quaint cottage, continuing lightly, "There you are. This is the recipe of the day. It is a beautifully simple vegetable soup that is perfect for the chilly day we are having. Everything in it is fresh from my garden. So just read and watch, and we will get along just fine."
Looking down at the parchment, a grin spread across my face as I followed Momma Fox into her cavernous and TARDIS-like kitchen and took a seat. It read just like this:
Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2-3 medium potatoes, chopped into cubes
2 large sticks of celery
1 cup of fresh peas
2 carrots, chopped
1 parsnip, chopped
1 tspn parsley
1tspn thyme
1/2 tspn sage
1/4 tspn cloves, ground
1 litre vegetable stock
100ml double cream
Directions
1. Prepare the vegetables with a simple Excorio and Diffindo spell, then put them to one side.
2. Lightly fry the onion in a little oil until it begins to soften and then add the butter and potato cubes until they are warm and coated in the butter. This should only take a minute or two if you use your wand to gently heat the pan with a warming spell like Thermunum.
3. Then place the contents of the pan into a brass cooking cauldron.
4. Next mix the herbs and clove into your stock and stir thoroughly with your ladle. Again you can speed this up with a mixing spell like Permisceto. 8-10 turns clockwise should do.
5. Add the stock and vegetables to the pan and stir gently five times anti-clockwise.
6. Then light your fire or cooker using Thermunum again and simmer the cauldron over low heat for approximately 1 hour. Stir counter-clockwise three times halfway through to ensure it is evenly cooked. Add the cream for the last 10 minutes of the cooking time and stir again.
7. Serve with Crusty Bread.
My stomach growled louder as I finished reading, making the Kitchen Witch chuckle to herself as she began levitating pans and chopping boards to where she needed them. This was going to be amazing, and I couldn't wait to see how the miniature marvel accomplished her magic.
After more than an hour of watching with almost jaw-dropping amazement, a steaming bowl of the most delicious concoction ever slid under my nose as Momma Fox smiled. It was utterly heavenly and as I finished it, thanked Momma Fox for her time and left, all that I could hope was that I could at least attempt to copy it when I get home! Do come back and see how that turned out in the next installment of Momma Fox's cookbook!
- Nikita