Austrian Meal

Remember the song 'Raindrops on roses ...' from the Sound of Music? - 'cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudel, doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles' it went . I took inspiration from the song and prepared a meal of noodles (and a few other dumplings) with apple strudel. I am presenting a vegetarian Austrian noodles and dumpling meal today.

It was hard trying to put together a meal from a country where the main dishes are usually not vegetarian and the non-vegetarian component is usually the entire dish. That leaves little room to convert the recipe to a vegetarian one. Noodles and dumpling are the exceptions and so I decided to make a meal with them. Kärntner Kasnudeln or noodles from the province of Carinthia are one of our favorite cheese noodles. I have made them a few times before. Though each noodle has to be shaped individually they are easy to put together and taste great. This was the dish around which I built the menu.

In addition to these noodles I made spinach, bread and potato dumplings. The spinach and the bread dumplings are a great way to use up day old bread rolls. I know this sounds backward but for this meal I made a couple extra bread rolls the previous day so I would have leftovers. I served Gruyere white sauce over the dumplings. I made Apfelstrudel for dessert using a wonderful homemade flaky pastry.

I have always wanted to make Apfelstrudel but did not care for puff pastry. This recipe uses a homemade pastry that is really easy to make. The rolled out pastry sheet is then filled with apples, breadcrumbs, raisins and cinnamon. The kitchen smelt great for hours after I baked it.

Fresh cheese is needed to make Kärntner Kasnudeln and I use quark. Whole Foods used to keep this cheese in stock. But apparently they have very few takers for this cheese in summer and stopped stocking it. They offered to order it for me. I had to wait two weeks until it arrived but it was worth the wait.

My original plan was to make Kasespatzel or Austrian macaroni and cheese along with all the other noodles and dumplings. The day I made this meal, I had planned to cook Kasespatzel after I was done with everything else. But once I looked at the quantity of the food already cooked I decided to drop it. The spinach, bread and potato dumplings are usually eaten fresh. However, I made the bread and potato dumplings a day ahead. My plan was to make this meal for dinner. But it took too long and the light was fading so I decided to stop, store what was already prepared and start off again the next day. In hind sight I think that was a wise decision. Because of texture issues we enjoyed the not-so-moist dumplings more than we would have enjoyed the just-out-of-the-water-bath ones. Once the meal was served everyone enjoyed it and that was the most important part.

As they in Austria, Guten Appetit!

Here are the recipes for the dishes on the menu

• Kärntner Kasnudeln 
• Spinatknödel (Spinach Dumpling) 
• Semmelknödel (Bread Dumpling) 
• Erdäpfelknödel (Potato Dumpling) 
• Gruyere White Sauce 

And for dessert

• Apfelstrudel (Apple Strudel)

Gruyere Cheese Sauce

Gruyere white sauce is usually served over dumplings. But you can use it in any recipe that calls for a cheese sauce. This sauce is really an application of the béchamel sauce with Gruyere cheese. The cheese thickens the sauce. This is a nice to know basic recipe that can be pulled out of the hat when needed.

Use a cooking cheese like gruyere or substitute Asiago or Romano.

You will need
4 tbsp. butter
4 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 cup cold milk
1/4 cup gruyere
salt and black pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat. Watch the pan, I looked away and burned one batch of butter. Add the flour and whisk continuously until the flour is blended in and the mixture cooks and turns a light brown color.

Add cold milk. If you cook with wine use 3/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup dry white wine. Let the mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Add shredded cheese and season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and whisk until smooth. Tastes best when hot.

Note: If you like it a runnier texture increase the amount of milk or decrease the amount of flour.

Semmelknödel (Bread Dumpling)

Bread dumplings are a great way to use up day old bread. If you have ever been in a situation where you have bread made the previous day and do not know what to do with it, make these dumplings. They are delicious.

I made extra bread rolls the day before I planned this dish so I would have day old bread to use.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 12 dumplings
150 gm old bread rolls
1/2 onion
25 cilantro
30 gm oil
150-200 ml milk
1 egg
salt
25 gm flour

Cut the bread rolls into small cubes. Dice the onion and chop the cilantro. Heat oil in a pan and add the bread cubes, onion and cilantro. Saute until the bread is toasted and crispy.

Add the milk, egg and salt. Mix well so that the liquid is absorbed. Add enough flour to form a sticky mixture that holds it shape. Form about 12 bite size dumplings. Bring water to a boil and add a little salt to it. Add the dumplings.

Cook for about 10 minutes or until the dumplings float to the top.

Erdäpfelknödel (Potato Dumpling)

The vast array of Austrian dumplings is astounding. As a quick and easy side dish Austrian potato dumplings are hard to beat. They are tasty without overpowering the meal.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need for 8 dumplings
2 medium potatoes
100 gm flour
35 gm semolina
20 gm butter
1/2 an egg (I used the other half for spinach dumplings)
nutmeg
salt

Boil the potatoes. Peel and run them through a shredder. Combine with all the other ingredients. Make 8 bite size dumplings.

Boil water in a pan and add some salt. Add the dumplings to the boiling and cook for about 10 minutes.

Spinatknödel (Spinach Dumpling)

Spinach dumplings caught my eye because they are rich in protein and are filling. They are a great way to use up day old bread.  I used fresh baby spinach with my delicious day old home made bread rolls. The dumplings were very tasty. They are usually eaten hot with a cheese sauce. The recipe for the cheese sauce is here.

We found they tasted great even after they were reheated.

Recipe adapted from here
You will need (for about 10 dumplings)
80 gm day old bread rolls
1/4 cup milk
100 gm spinach
1/2 an egg (I used the other half for potato dumplings)
40 gm breadcrumbs
15 gm flour
30 gm parmesan cheese
a little fresh grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Cut the break rolls into pieces and soak them in the milk. Keep aside. Blanch the spinach in a boiling water for a minute. Drain and keep aside until cooled. Squeeze out the liquid from the spinach. Drain the milk from the soaking bread. Add the bread and spinach to the food processor and pulse until combined. Add the breadcrumbs and flour and pulse a few more times. Transfer to a bowl and add the other ingredients. The mixture should hold together like dough. Divide the mixture into bite size dumplings. Bring water to a boil and add the dumplings.

I cooked them in two batches to prevent them sticking. Cook the dumplings in the water for about 10 minutes or wait for them to float to the top and cook a couple minutes longer.

Apfelstrudel / Apple Strudel

Apfelstrudel is a very delicate dessert made with thin flaky pastry dough. The dough is rolled on a cloth which makes it easier to handle. The thinly rolled out dough is made thinner by running it over the knuckles of your hand. When done it is possible to read a newspaper or see the pattern on the tea cloth on which it is laid.

Crisp apfel (apple) strudel is a well known Austrian dessert. For those of us not living in Europe it was made popular by the song 'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...' from the Sound of Music.

The thin pastry is really easy to make at home. The process of rolling and stretching the dough is very calming and enjoyable. Simple pleasures in our otherwise busy lives. When you plan on making this pastry block out a half hour to take your time with it and experience the joy of being able to make see-through pastry.

You will need
For the dough
125 gm flour
60 ml water
2 tsp oil
salt pinch

For the filling
600 gm apples
70 gm sugar
50 gm breadcrumbs
40 gm butter
40 gm raisins
2 tsp cinnamon

40 gm butter
powdered sugar for topping

Ideally peel the apples before slicing. I had invested in organic apples so I decided not to peel them. Next time I will. Prepare the breadcrumbs by browning them in a little butter. Soak the raisins in water so they plump up. Melt the butter.

Prepare the dough by mixing all the ingredients except water. Add water a little at a time until you have a soft non-sticky dough. Let it rest for an hour. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Flatten the dough and using a rolling pin roll it into a flat pastry. Transfer it to a tea towel. Use flour to prevent the dough from sticking to the towel.

Apply a thin layer of butter on the top and let it rest for a 10 minutes.

Now roll it as thin as you can go. Lift it up with the knuckles of your hands and roll the dough over the knuckles to spread it thin. When you are done you should be able to clearly see the towel through the pastry.

Spread the remaining butter, breadcrumbs and drained raisins.

Now add the apples slices.

Turn in the long sides of the dough. Start rolling from one of the shorter sides to make a thick tight roll. Take care to not stretch the dough too thin so it does not tear.

Seal the edge with a little butter.

Transfer the roll to a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Brush on some butter.

Bake for 40 minutes until the strudel is brown and crisp. Sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top. You can eat it either hot or cold.

Kärntner Kasnudeln (Carinthia Noodles)

This is my second day blogging for the Blogging Marathon and the theme is European Cuisine. I wanted to try recipes that I had never tried before. This is a recipe I had never heard of before. This is an Austrian recipe from the region of Carinthia. The source of this recipe is the official travel guide to Austria.

Carinthia is the southernmost province in Austria. With over 200 lakes it is tourist destination. Being a border province the food is influenced by the neighboring states. Kärntner Kasnudeln is one such recipe.

Kasnudeln or noodles are made from scratch usually with all purpose flour. I wanted to use whole wheat flour. I used a combination of wheat flour, semolina and all purpose flour to create the coarse texture needed for the recipe. The color of the finished noodles reflected the presence of the wheat flour but the taste was unaffected and we enjoyed eating a healthier version of the noodle.

The recipe called for a cheese called Bröseltopfen, which is a low fat quark. I took a chance and asked at my local Whole Foods and sure enough they had a tub of quark made in Vermont.

The cheese is labeled "European style fresh cheese". It has a unique flavor close to that of ricotta but not the same. If you are unable to find quark you should be able to substitute ricotta. However, it will affect the taste.

This was the first time I made noodles from scratch and found that it is a fairly easy process. Not sure why I never tried it before. The mantra to good noodle is 'knead baby knead'. 'Knead till you sweat' is what I read in a book. I thought that would be hard to do with 40 F outside. Who knew kneading was such a workout? I was sweating by the time I was done, but the dough had the required smooth texture. Alternately, I could have used my food processor.

This recipe opened new doors for me. I can see myself making ravioli and other stuffed pasta using whole wheat flour. When I make this recipe again I will be sure to divide each ball of the dough further into two. The noodles were way too big.

Substitute cilantro or thyme or a mild smelling herb in place of mint if you find the smell of mint overpowering. I love mint but my daughter insisted it was too strong.

You will need
For the dough
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina
1 egg
1 tbsp. olive oil

For the filling
5 oz. cooked potato
8 oz. quark cheese (or ricotta cheese)
2 tbsp. mint, chopped
2 tbsp. onion, chopped fine
1 thin sliver of butter

In a bowl add the flours and semolina. Make a well in the center. Beat an egg in a separate bowl and pour it in the well made with the flour. Using a fork first and then your hands work the egg into the flour. Using water work the flour into a dough. Using a tbsp. of olive oil on your hand knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until the texture of the dough changes completely. It should be smooth and soft to the touch. Place the ball of dough in a plastic wrap and keep aside for 45 minutes.

Pressure cook the potato, then peel and grate it into a bowl. Keep aside.
Heat a sliver of butter in a pan and add the onion for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped mint and season with salt.

Add the onions and the quark cheese to the grated potato. Add salt to taste and mix together. Divide into 8 parts. Start heating water in a large pan.

Take the dough and divide into 8 pieces. (After I was done I realized I could have made 16 smaller Kasnudeln instead of 8 large ones). Take one of the pieces of dough and knead it with your fingers. Keep the rest of the pieces covered in the plastic wrap. You do not want it to dry out. Using as little all purpose flour as possible roll the ball into a thin disk. Place one portion of the filling in it.

Moisten with water the edges of the disk and fold in half. Press the edges together and form a decorative trim.

Keep it covered under a moist towel. Repeat with the other 7 pieces of dough. Put the finished Kasnudeln in the heated, almost boiling water 4 at a time or as many as the pan permits. Let them cook for about 12 minutes. They will float to the surface.

Heat an empty dish in a microwave for a minute. Transfer the cooked noodles to the dish. Repeat for all the noodles. Drizzle melted butter over the top and serve.