Kärntner Kasnudel - This week's culinary greetings from Austria
Kärntner Kasnudel - My aunt Edith’s recipe
Well, I live for several years in France, and when I go back to the south of Austria once or twice a year, my aunt Edith makes me one of my most favorite dishes: Kärntner Kasnudel.
They are somehow our version of Gyoza, Raviolis…… Great comfort food.
My aunt taught me how to make them when I was about 14 years old. My Kasnudeln (literally translated: Cheesenoodles) are quite good, but I cannot compete with her, of course.
Well, enough training might get me there maybe one day!
They are filled with a delicious mixture made out of potato and fresh cheese, mont, leek, onion salt, and pepper.
You can well prepare them in advance, and once cooked in water, put them into the freezer.
An excellent and original lunch - pretty much of all Austrian restaurants propose them on their menu.
Ingredients (for about 16-20 Kasnudel)
For the dough:
3/4kg plain wheat flour
2 large eggs
3-4 Tablespoons of vegetable oil (best is olive oil)
Salt
and some lukewarm water
For the filling:
1/2kg Curd / Fresh cheese (if it is too watery: put it into a clean Gaulish tea towel (or any similar fabric) for about an hour to let it drain, the cheese must be quite dry - the longer the dryer)
5-6 middle-sized floury Potatoes
1/4 leek, finely sliced
1/2 yellow onion, finely sliced
Salt
Pepper
Mint 5if you have fish mint: slice finely. In case you do not have fresh mint: use a dried mint out of a teabag, that's fine!)
1. The first step is to drain the cheese while you prepare everything is.
Cook the potatoes until soft, peel and mash them immediately while hot. Set aside and let them cool.
2. Prepare the dough at the same time you are cooking the potatoes:
Make a mold into the flower, put in the 2 eggs, salt, the oil, and a bit of water and mix. If necessary, add little by little more lukewarm water/oil until the dough is nicely smooth and does not glue too much. Knead it for a while (I do it by hand), and then let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
3. Melt a bit of butter in a little pan, add sliced onion and leek and let it get slightly golden-yellowish. Put aside
4. Mix the drained fresh cheese with the potatoes, the Onion-Leek mixture, and add salt, pepper, and mint. Mix well.
5. Once the dough has rested, roll it out well, not too thick, not too fine. Use a form with a diameter of 8-10cm (I did use a bowl) to cut out round shapes from the dough. You should manage to make about 16-20 Kasnudel.
6 Bring water in a big cookpot to boil, then reduce the heat to low heat
7. With a tablespoon, place some of the filling in the middle of each dough circle, and then pleat one half aver to the other. Press the edges very well together. You can keep it like this, but if you want to upgrade your level, you can « kranzel » them, which means to make a beautiful border. Have a look at the image: you take your thumb and fold about each 1-1,5 centimeters.
The Kasnudel must be very well closed, so that the filling won't run out while cooking.
8. Put the Kasnudel (not all at once, about half of them) into the not boiling water and let them simmer for about 10 minutes on low heat. Put them aside and then allow to simmer the other half of the prepared Kasnudel.
(If you do not want to eat them right now, but prepare them in advance, after this step, let them cool down, and then you can put them into the freezer)
9. In a big pan, melt the right amount of unsalted butter until it is slightly brownish and put in the Kasnudel for a few minutes each side.
10. Serve immediately. They are great accompanied by a nice green salad. Enjoy!
