Tiroler Schlutzkrapfen

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large rolling pin
• •Round cutter or glass (8cm diameter)
• •Fork for sealing edges
• •Large pot for boiling (6-liter minimum)
• •Wide pan for Nussbutter (28cm)
• •Slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the dough

   Combine the rye flour and wheat flour on a clean work surface. Make a wide well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil, salt, and two tablespoons of cold water. Using a fork, start working the wet ingredients into the flour from the inside edges of the well, gradually pulling more flour in. When it gets too shaggy for the fork, switch to your hands. Knead for eight to ten minutes until the dough is smooth and holds together without cracking. Rye flour absorbs liquid differently from wheat, so add the remaining water a splash at a time only if the dough feels dry and stiff. You're looking for something firm but pliable, not sticky.

   The rye flour makes this dough feel different from pure wheat pasta. It will be slightly grainier and less elastic. That's correct. Don't try to knead it into submission. If it cracks when you fold it over, it needs a little more water.
2. 2

   Rest the dough

   Wrap the dough tightly in cling film and let it rest at room temperature for at least thirty minutes. The gluten needs this time to relax. If you skip the rest, the dough will fight you when you roll it and spring back like a rubber band. An hour is even better if you have it. Walk away. Do something else. Let the dough do its work.

   Gretel always said patience is the cheapest ingredient and the one people skip most often. She was right about the dough and about most things.
3. 3

   Prepare the spinach

   If using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly in several changes of cold water. Wilt it in a large pan over medium heat with just the water clinging to the leaves. This takes about two minutes. The spinach will collapse from a mountain into almost nothing. Don't be alarmed. Drain it in a colander, press it against the side with a wooden spoon, then squeeze it dry with your hands once it's cool enough to handle. You want it as dry as possible. Any extra water will make the filling soggy and the Schlutzkrapfen will burst when you boil them. Chop the spinach finely.

4. 4

   Cook the filling base

   Melt one tablespoon of butter in a small pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook gently until soft and translucent, about four minutes. Add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds more, just until it smells fragrant. Don't let it brown. Burnt garlic is bitter and there's no fixing it. Scrape the onion and garlic into a bowl with the chopped spinach. Add the Topfen, nutmeg, a good pinch of salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Mix everything together thoroughly. Taste it. The filling should be well seasoned on its own because the dough and the butter won't add much salt.

5. 5

   Roll and cut the dough

   Divide the rested dough in half. Keep one half wrapped while you work with the other. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out thin, about two millimeters. This takes some arm work. The rye makes it a little resistant, but if you rested it properly it will cooperate. Use a round cutter or a glass, about eight centimeters across, to cut circles. Gather the scraps, press them together gently, and re-roll once. Don't re-roll more than once or the dough toughens.

6. 6

   Fill and shape

   Place a heaped teaspoon of filling slightly off-center on each circle. Don't overfill them. You need enough clean edge to seal properly. Dip your finger in water and run it around the rim of the circle. Fold the dough over the filling to form a half-moon and press the edges together firmly, pushing out any air pockets as you go. Air trapped inside will expand in the boiling water and blow your Schlutzkrapfen open. Press the sealed edge with the tines of a fork. This isn't just decoration. The fork marks give you a stronger seal.

   If a Schlutzkrapfen tears or won't seal, the dough has probably dried out. Cover your cut circles with a damp tea towel while you work. The rye dough dries faster than pure wheat.
7. 7

   Boil the Schlutzkrapfen

   Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a gentle boil. Not a rolling boil. Gentle. Violent water will tear the pasta open. Lower the Schlutzkrapfen in batches, no more than eight at a time so they don't crowd and stick to each other. They will sink to the bottom and then float to the surface after about three minutes. Give them one minute more after they float. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and let them drain briefly on a plate.

8. 8

   Make the Nussbutter

   While the last batch boils, melt the 80 grams of butter in a wide pan over medium heat. It will foam, then the foam will subside, and the butter will start to turn golden. Watch it closely now. Swirl the pan. The milk solids on the bottom are toasting, and the smell will shift from buttery to nutty and almost caramel-like. The moment the butter reaches a deep amber color and smells like toasted hazelnuts, pull the pan off the heat. This is Nussbutter, and the window between perfect and burnt is about fifteen seconds. Better to pull it early than to start over.

   Use a light-colored pan so you can actually see the butter changing color. In a dark pan you're guessing, and guessing with browned butter usually means burning it.
9. 9

   Finish and serve

   Slide the drained Schlutzkrapfen into the Nussbutter and toss them gently, coating every piece in that amber, nutty fat. Divide them among warm plates. Shave Parmesan generously over the top and scatter fresh chives across everything. Serve immediately. The butter will start to solidify if you wait, and these deserve to be eaten while the Nussbutter is still warm and glossy. Mahlzeit!

Chef Tips

• •The rye-to-wheat ratio matters. Equal parts gives you the right balance of Tyrolean earthiness and enough gluten to hold together. If you go higher on the rye, the dough becomes crumbly and nearly impossible to roll thin. If you drop the rye below a third, you've made regular pasta and lost the whole point.
• •Topfen and quark are essentially the same thing for this recipe. If you can't find either, use ricotta drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined sieve in the fridge. The texture won't be identical, but it's close enough. Don't use cream cheese. That's a different animal entirely.
• •Brown the butter just before you're ready to serve. Nussbutter is a live-fire operation. You can't make it twenty minutes early and reheat it. Well, you can, but it won't have that fresh toasted-nut perfume that makes people close their eyes when they take the first bite.
• •If you're making these for a dinner party, shape them all in advance, lay them on a floured tray without touching, cover with cling film, and refrigerate for up to four hours. Boil and finish them when your guests are at the table. The filling actually firms up in the fridge, which makes them easier to cook.

Advance Preparation

• •The dough canbe made up to 24 hours ahead, wrapped tightly in cling film and refrigerated. Bring it back to room temperature for 20 minutes before rolling, or it will be too stiff to work.
• •The filling can be made a day ahead and refrigerated. In fact, it's easier to work with when cold because it holds its shape better on the dough circles.
• •Shaped Schlutzkrapfen can be frozen on a parchment-lined tray, then transferred to a freezer bag once firm. Cook them straight from frozen, adding one extra minute to the boiling time. They keep for up to a month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)