Spring on Your Plate

Now that spring is starting to peek over the Gastein Mountains every now and then, you really start to crave delicious spring recipes that delight the palate.

Over the last few days, I’ve been really craving fresh, homemade pretzels and a cheese roll filled with radish and quark! Who else’s mouth is watering right now? Well, here’s a quick recipe for you to try!

Katharina’s Cheese Roll:

• about 9–12 slices of Gouda or Tilsiter cheese (no cheese with large holes; don’t cut the slices too thin)
• about 9–12 slices of ham
• 150 g quark
• Yogurt
• Grated or finely sliced radishes
• Radish leaves, spring onions, herb salt

Place the cheese slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (overlapping) and let them melt for a few minutes at about 70 degrees Celsius, so that the cheese forms one large “sheet.” Let it cool slightly, then place the ham on top and spread the filling—made of quark, yogurt, salt, finely chopped radishes, radish leaves, and finely chopped scallions—over it, and roll it up like a Swiss roll. Place it on a flat plate or tray and put it in the refrigerator to let the flavors meld. After a few hours, slice it with a serrated knife and enjoy.

Fresh pretzels go great with this ;)

Homemade Pretzels: (15–20 pieces)

• 1,000 g wheat flour
• 2 cubes of fresh yeast
• 8 dag of soft butter or oil
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 500 ml of lukewarm water
• For the lye solution: 1 liter of water, 2 tablespoons (1 packet) of baking soda.

1. Put the wheat flour in a bowl and sprinkle salt around the edge.
2. Make a well in the center and add the yeast, sugar, and a little of the lukewarm water
3. Briefly stir the yeast, water, and sugar together in the center with a spoon, then let it sit for a few minutes until the yeast activates. Next, add the remaining liquid and the butter or oil, and knead the entire dough with a mixer. (Kneading the dough for a longer time is beneficial; it makes it smoother.)
4. Let the dough rise a bit in a warm place, then cut it into 15–20 pieces, shape them, and let them rise again for about 15 minutes. (Whether you make buttons, Striezel, or balls is up to you.)
5. Do you have an apple slicer at home? If so, just before the 15 minutes are up, use the apple slicer to press down on the round ones, flip them over (so the pattern is on the bottom), and let them sit for a little while longer.
6. In the meantime, bring the water with baking soda to a boil, briefly dip the rolls (on both sides), and place them on the baking sheet (with parchment paper!!) with the help of a friend. With this pattern, the pretzel rolls will look like soccer balls. If you leave them in the lye solution longer, they’ll turn darker, or you can add more baking soda to the water—whatever you prefer. Our kids prefer them crispy but not too dark.
7. Bake at 200 degrees for about 15–20 minutes. If the bottom sounds hollow when you tap it, the pastry is done. You can also add a teaspoon of baking malt to the dough; this will make the pastry even crispier and give it a nice golden brown color.

Enjoy your meal. All the best, and good luck. Katharina from the Zittrauerhof

If anything isn’t clear, just let me know. I’ll take photos of the steps again for the next recipe—this time, I didn’t have a camera handy :-)