Kärntner Fleischnudeln

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large work surface for rolling
• •Rolling pin
• •Round cutter or drinking glass (10cm)
• •Large pot for boiling
• •Wide heavy-bottomed pan (28cm) for frying
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Mound the flour on a clean work surface and press a wide well into the center. Crack the eggs into the well, add the oil, salt, and about half the water. Work the dough together with a fork first, then switch to your hands once it becomes shaggy. Knead for a full eight to ten minutes, adding water a splash at a time until the dough comes together. You want it smooth, supple, and just slightly tacky to the touch. If it sticks to the counter, you've added too much water. Dust lightly and keep kneading. The dough should feel alive under your hands, springy when you press your thumb into it.

   Gretel always said dough tells you what it needs if you're paying attention. If it tears, it's too dry. If it clings, it's too wet. The right dough pulls away from the surface cleanly and bounces back when you poke it.
2. 2

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and let it rest at room temperature for thirty minutes. This is not a suggestion. The gluten needs to relax after all that kneading, or the dough will fight you when you try to roll it thin. It will spring back and tear instead of stretching. Walk away. Make the filling. Come back when the dough is ready to cooperate.

3. 3

   Prepare the filling

   Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small pan over medium heat. Cook the diced onion gently until soft and translucent, about five minutes. You don't want any color on it. Set it aside to cool. In a bowl, combine the minced Selchfleisch, the cooled onion, the riced potato, egg yolk, chopped mint, parsley, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix with your hands until everything is evenly distributed. The potato binds the filling and keeps it moist. Without it, the smoked pork can dry out during cooking.

   If you can't find Selchfleisch, use good quality smoked ham or smoked pork shoulder. Mince it yourself rather than buying pre-ground. You want small, distinct pieces, not a paste. A couple of pulses in a food processor works if your knife skills aren't up to the job.
4. 4

   Roll and cut the dough

   Divide the rested dough in half. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the other covered. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out thin, about two millimeters. You should nearly see the countertop through it. Cut circles using a round cutter or a drinking glass, about ten centimeters across. Gather the scraps, press them together gently, and re-roll once. The second-roll pieces won't be quite as tender, but they'll be fine.

5. 5

   Fill and crimp the Nudeln

   Place a generous teaspoon of filling slightly off-center on each circle. Don't overfill or you won't be able to seal them. Brush the edge lightly with water. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon and press the edges firmly to seal, pushing out any trapped air as you go. Air pockets will expand during cooking and burst the Nudeln open. Now for the Krendeln: starting at one corner, fold and pinch the sealed edge in small overlapping pleats, working your way around the curve to the other corner. It looks like a tiny rope border. Your first few will be clumsy. By the tenth one you'll find a rhythm.

   Press the air out before you seal. This matters. Lay the dough over the filling and use the side of your hand to push air toward the open edge before pinching it shut. A Nudel with trapped air will puff up and burst in the water.
6. 6

   Boil the Nudeln

   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the Nudeln in, working in batches if needed so you don't crowd the pot. They'll sink, then float. Once they float, cook for four to five minutes more. The dough should be tender but still have some bite at the crimped edge, where it's thickest. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain on a clean kitchen towel. Don't pile them on top of each other or they'll stick.

7. 7

   Pan-fry in brown butter

   Melt the butter in a wide, heavy pan over medium heat. Let it foam and then watch the color. You want it golden and nutty smelling, not dark. This is Nussbutter, brown butter, and it's going to give the Nudeln a toasted, rich finish that plain melted butter can't touch. Lay the boiled Nudeln in the pan in a single layer. Don't touch them for two minutes. Let the bottom develop a dry, crisp golden crust. Flip them once and fry the other side for another minute or two. The edges of the Krendeln will get particularly crispy. That's the reward for all that crimping.

   Brown butter turns from golden to burnt in about ten seconds. Stay at the stove and keep your nose sharp. The moment you smell toasted hazelnuts, add the Nudeln. If you smell something acrid, start over with fresh butter. There's no saving burnt butter.
8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Transfer the Nudeln to warm plates, browned side up so you can see the crust. Spoon any remaining Nussbutter from the pan over the top. Scatter fresh chives across the plate. Some people in Kärnten serve a simple green salad alongside, dressed with pumpkin seed oil. That's a good idea. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •The mint is not optional and it is not a garnish. Freshmint in the filling is the defining flavor of Carinthian Nudeln. If you leave it out, you've made a perfectly nice meat dumpling, but you haven't made a Kärntner Nudel. Use spearmint if you can find it. Peppermint is too sharp.
• •Practice the Krendeln on a piece of scrap dough before you start filling. Once you've committed a teaspoon of filling to a round of pasta, you don't want to be figuring out the technique for the first time. The motion is fold, press, fold, press, moving your thumb and forefinger along the edge like you're closing a tiny coin purse.
• •Fleischnudeln freeze beautifully. Lay the uncooked, crimped Nudeln on a parchment-lined tray and freeze them solid, then transfer to a bag. Cook from frozen, adding an extra minute or two to the boiling time. I keep a stash in my freezer at the restaurant for exactly this reason.
• •If you're serving a crowd, you can boil the Nudeln up to two hours ahead and spread them on an oiled tray. Pan-fry in batches just before serving. The frying step takes three minutes and everything comes out hot at once.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough can be made up to four hours ahead, wrapped tightly, and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature for twenty minutes before rolling or it will be stiff and uncooperative.
• •The filling can be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated. Cold filling is actually easier to work with because it holds its shape on the dough rounds.
• •Assembled, uncooked Nudeln freeze for up to two months. Cook directly from frozen without thawing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 270g)