Kärntner Hadnnudeln

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large rolling pin
• •Round cutter or large glass (10-12cm diameter)
• •Large pot for boiling (6-liter minimum)
• •Wide pan for brown butter (28cm)
• •Slotted spoon
• •Potato ricer or fine sieve

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the buckwheat dough

   Combine the buckwheat flour and wheat flour on a clean work surface. Make a wide well in the center. Crack in the eggs, add the oil and a pinch of salt. Start working the flour into the wet ingredients with a fork, then switch to your hands. Add the lukewarm water a tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together. You may not need all of it. Knead for eight to ten minutes. The dough will feel different from a pure wheat dough: grainier, a little less elastic, darker. That's the buckwheat. It should be smooth and firm but not stiff. Wrap it tightly in cling film and let it rest for thirty minutes at room temperature.

   The wheat flour is not optional. Buckwheat has no gluten, so the wheat flour provides the structure that holds the dough together when you roll and seal it. Without it, the dough cracks and the filling escapes during cooking.
2. 2

   Prepare the filling

   While the dough rests, make the filling. The potatoes should already be boiled and cooled enough to handle. Rice them or press them through a sieve into a bowl. No lumps. Add the drained Topfen and mix until smooth. The Topfen must be dry. If it's wet, your filling will be soupy and your Nudeln will burst open in the water. Fold in the chopped mint and chives. Season generously with salt and pepper. Taste it. The filling should be distinctly minty and well-seasoned because the dough is unseasoned and needs the filling to carry the flavor.

   To drain Topfen properly, wrap it in a clean tea towel and squeeze firmly over the sink, or press it in a fine sieve with a spoon for ten minutes. You want it as dry as fresh ricotta, not as wet as yogurt.
3. 3

   Roll and cut the dough

   Dust your work surface with wheat flour. Unwrap the dough and roll it out to about two millimeters thick. The buckwheat makes it slightly crumblier than wheat dough, so work with confidence and don't overhandle it. Cut circles about ten to twelve centimeters across. A large glass or a round cutter works fine. Gather the scraps, press them together gently, and reroll once. You should get about twenty circles.

4. 4

   Fill and seal the Nudeln

   Place a heaped tablespoon of filling on one half of each circle, leaving a centimeter border. Don't overfill. Brush the edges lightly with water. Fold the dough over to form a half-moon and press the edges together firmly, pushing out any air pockets. Air trapped inside will expand in the boiling water and tear the dough open.

5. 5

   Krendeln the edges

   This is the step that makes a Kärntner Nudel a Kärntner Nudel. Hold the half-moon in one hand. Starting at one corner, take the edge between your thumb and forefinger and twist it inward, folding it over itself in a tight, continuous rope pattern. Work your way along the entire curved edge to the other corner. Each twist should overlap the last slightly, creating a sealed braid. Press firmly as you go. The krendeln is not decoration. It's a seal. A properly krendeln'd Nudel will not open in the water. Your first few will be clumsy. That's fine. Speed comes with practice. What matters now is that they're sealed tight.

   If the krendeln defeats you on the first try, press the edges with fork tines instead. The Carinthians will know, but the filling won't. Practice the krendeln next time.
6. 6

   Cook the Hadnnudeln

   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. The water should tremble, not roll. Drop the Nudeln in batches of five or six so they don't crowd. They'll sink to the bottom. After three to four minutes they'll float to the surface. Let them cook two minutes more after floating. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and drain on a clean towel. Handle them gently. The buckwheat dough is sturdier than wheat, but they still deserve respect.

7. 7

   Brown the butter

   While the Nudeln cook, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Swirl it gently. It will foam, then the foam will subside, and the milk solids will begin to toast. Watch it closely. You want Nussbutter, nut-brown butter, the color of hazelnuts, with a warm, toasty fragrance that fills the kitchen. The moment it reaches that color, pull the pan off the heat. Ten seconds too long and it turns bitter.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Arrange the drained Hadnnudeln on warm plates. Spoon the Nussbutter over them generously, letting it pool around the edges and settle into the krendeln grooves. Scatter fresh chives over the top. Serve immediately. The brown butter cools fast and you want your guests to taste it while it's still warm and fragrant against the cool mint filling. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •The mint is not negotiable. Fresh spearmint is the traditional herb for Kärntner Nudeln and there is no substitute that gives you the same bright, clean contrast against the Topfen. Dried mint is a shadow of the real thing. If you can't find good fresh mint, wait until you can.
• •Use waxy potatoes, not floury ones. Floury potatoes absorb too much moisture and make the filling gummy instead of light. You want the potato to bind the Topfen without overwhelming it.
• •Buckwheat flour varies wildly between brands. If your dough feels too dry and cracks when you roll it, add water a teaspoon at a time. If it's sticky, dust with wheat flour. Trust your hands more than the measurements.
• •Hadnnudeln reheat beautifully in a pan with a little butter over medium-low heat. The buckwheat dough crisps slightly at the edges, which is a completely different pleasure from the boiled version and almost worth making extra for.

Advance Preparation

• •The filling can be made up to a day ahead and refrigerated, covered. Let it come to room temperature before filling, as cold filling makes the dough harder to seal.
• •The dough can rest for up to two hours wrapped in cling film at room temperature. Longer than that and it begins to dry out, even wrapped.
• •Assembled, uncooked Hadnnudeln can be frozen on a parchment-lined tray, then stored in a freezer bag for up to a month. Cook from frozen, adding one to two minutes to the simmering time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 310g)