A Cheesy Affair – Two of my favourite ski hut recipes

What is the best thing about the winter season? That is correct: stopping off at a ski hut. Because, here the melted cheese stretches and stretches, the chips are ever so crispy and the Germknödel (steamed yeast dumpling) tastes so light and fluffy. I simply love the food you get in a ski hut. Every now and then I try to conjure up the same delights back at home, but somehow it never quite tastes the same. It is probably due to the fact that the atmosphere adds to the taste of the food. If you would like to make these dishes back at home, I have put together my two favourite ski hut recipes for you. Have fun cooking and enjoy your meal!

Cheese dumplings

The classic and my personal number 1! My colleague Beate has already followed the tracks of the Kaspressknödels!

What you need:

1-2 onions
250 ml milk
250 g dumpling bread
2 eggs
250 g cheese (I personally like a mixture between Gouda and a smelly mountain cheese)
1 tablespoon flour
Parsley
Breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Butter, concentrated butter

Sauté the finely chopped onions in butter, then douse with the milk and then pour over the dumpling bread. Let it soak in and then add the eggs, the grated cheese, parsley and flour and the rest of the spices according to taste. Roll the patties in the bread crumbs and finally fry them in the concentrated butter on both sides and then serve them with a hearty beef or vegetable broth, pickled cabbage or salad.

A tip: The smell of homemade Kaspressknödel will linger longer than you may wish for in your kitchen. Therefore, it is worthwhile to make more than you need.

Macaroni cheese

Some people are scared of making their own “Nocken“, but with the right aids, it is really very quick and easy. The necessary ingredients are:

Approx. 400 g flour
1 large egg
Milk (as an alternative you could also make the “Nocken“ with water, however they taste especially good when done with milk)
Cheese (also here, I prefer the mixture between Gouda and a smelly mountain cheese)
2 onions
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
Butter

Mix the flour, egg and milk together into a thick batter (the batter should be thicker than a pancake mixture) and season well. Bring a large pan of water to boil, add salt and squeeze the batter through the reverse side of a cheese grater or a Spätzle sieve into the boiling water. As soon as the Nocken float to the top, they are ready. Fish them out and rinse with cold water. Chop up the onions, melt the butter in a pan and sauté the onions. Add the Nocken and then sprinkle everything with cheese. Season according to taste and garnish with fresh herbs. If you would like you can sprinkle the Kasnocken with fried onions. Place the Kasnocken in the middle of the table and enjoy it straight out of the pan.

With a few simple accessories, such as the classic hut coffee mug, you can very easily bring in the hut flair into your own home. Finally, a schnapps to help the digestion of this cheesy dish and the day is perfect :)

I wish you success and I hope it tastes great!

Furthermore: In the next blog: A day in the life of a Germknödel – including the recipe. Get there here.