"Kasnocken"

"Kasnocken" is similar to Knödel, they are made with cheese, usually Emmentaler or Gouda.

Kasnocken (for 3 servings)

300 g dried white bread
200 ml milk
250 g cheese
1 onion
flour
3 eggs
parsley
chives
salt
butter

1. Chop the white bread into small cubes and pour the milk over it
2. Cut the cheese into small cubes and add it with the eggs, some flour, chives, parsley and salt to the bread
3. Fry the onion in butter and add it to the bread
4. Mix well
5. Form the "Kasnocken" and cook them for 15-20 minutes in salted water
6. Serve with melted butter and grated parmesan
   
   

Hiking tour to the mountain hut "Latzfonser Kreuz"

Today I will share some pictures from South-Tyrol with you. I took these pictures last summer when I went on a hiking trip with my friend Greta. We started our tour in a village called "Reinswald", not far from Bolzano, and went to the so-called "Latzfonser Kreuz", a mountain hut. It took us about 3 hours to get to the mountain hut, so it wasn't too exhausting!

Goulash Soup

Goulash soup is a traditinal Hungarian dish, but it is also a traditional dish in South Tyrol.

Goulash Soup

200 g onion
0.5 kg beef
1-2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
cumin
80 g tomato purèe
1 tsp vinegar
thyme
1 garlic clove
1-2 l water
200 g potatoes

1. Chop the beef into small cubes
2. Fry the onion in oil
3. Add the beef, the paprika, the cumin, the tomato purèe, season with salt and pepper and fry some minutes longer
4. Mix with a glass of water and the vinegar, add some thyme and one garlic clove and cook at low temperature for another 10-15 minutes
5. Add the water and boil the soup well
6. Peel the potatoes, chop them into small cubes and cook them in salted water
7. Add the potatoes to the soup

Spinach-Knödel

Knödel are bread dumplings, they are an important part of the cuisine in Central Europe, e.g. in countries like Austria, Czech or Germany. They are also a really important component of the cuisine in Southtyrol. Our traditional dumplings are made with dried white bread, milk and eggs. We have many different Knödel, the traditional ones are made with bacon, but today I am gonna show you a vegetarian alternative to the traditional ones ,made with spinach instead of bacon.

Spinach-Knödel (for 4 servings)

250 g dried white bread
200 ml milk
600 g spinach
30 g butter
½ onion
1 garlic clove
2 eggs
salt, pepper and nutmeg
1 tsp plain white flour
parmesan
butter

1. Chop the white bread into small cubes and pour the milk over it
2. Cook the spinach in salted water
3. Fry the onions in the melted butter
4. Add the spinach and steam it briefly
5. Add the spinach and the eggs to the bread, mix well and taste the mixture with salt, pepper and nutmeg
6. Add the flour and form the ball-shaped Knödel
7. Cook the Knödel in salted water or steam-cook them for 15 minutes
8. Serve with melted butter and grated parmesan

Affogato al caffè

Affogato al caffè is a traditional Italian dessert and it is so simple. "Affogato al caffè" means literally drowned in coffee in Italian. All you need is vanilla ice cream and espresso coffee. Make the espresso coffee, put the ice cream in a cup or a dessert glass and pour some coffee over the ice cream. Serve while warm and melting!

Potato Gnocchi - "Kartoffelnocken"

Gnocchi is a traditional Italian dish, and like many Italian dishes, recipes and names vary across different regions. Our traditional gnocchis are called "Nocken", usually made with potatoes and served with a tomato sauce or simply with melted butter and parmesan.

Potato Gnocchi (for 6 servings)

900 g potatoes
200 g plain flour
2 egg yolk
40 g butter
salt

1. Cook the potatoes
2. When done peel the potatoes and press them through a potato press
3. Mix the potatoes with the butter, the eggs, flour and salt and kneat to a dough
4. Form 1-2cm thick rolls on a floured surface
5. Cut the 3-4cm long Gnocchis from the rolls
6. Cook the Gnocchi in boiling water, they are done when they float to the surface

Do not let the dough rest, cut the Gnocchi immediately and cook them right after you cut them!

"Zelten"

This is probably the most traditional sweet eaten at Christmas in Southtyrol. I have never seen it anywhere else than in Southtyrol, Christmas without "Zelten" is a no-go for us. Everybody has an own recipe for "Zelten", this is my grandmas one:

"Zelten"

2 kg sultanas
250 g sundried dates
500 g sundried figs
125 g candied orange peel
125 g candied lemon peel
250 g nuts (preferably walnuts)
125 g pine cernels
juice and peel of 2 oranges
200 ml clear schnapps
250 ml dark rum
sugar
cinnamon
powdered cloves
powdered star anis
500 g bread dough
candied fruit

1. Cut the figs, the candied orange peel and the candied lemon peel into small pieces
2. Cut the nuts into fine pieces
3. Put everything you cut so far into a big bowl, add the sultanas and the dates
4. Add the peel and the juice of 2 oranges and the schnapps
5. Let everything rest for one night
6. Add the rum, cinnamon, cloves and the star anis
7. Add the bread dough
8. Mix everything well with your hands
9. Form the traditional "Zelten", circles that are 3-4 cm thick and of 10-20 cm diameter
10. Decorate the "Zelten" with  nuts and candied fruits
11. Bake the "Zelten" for approximately 1 hour at 220° in the oven

Eat the "Zelten" when they are cold, they last for a couple of weeks, the older they are the better they get.