One thing I miss during winter is to roam around outdoors on the hunt for edible plants. The foraging season for me starts with wild garlic – its young leaves are among the first green spots that show after the winter. The forests and wetlands appear covered in a soft green carpet and there is the scent of fresh garlic in the air.
This so called Walnut Bundt Cake is known in Austria as Kärntner Reindling – a soft and fluffy dough made with yeast and filled with raisins and in this case also walnuts. This traditional cake from Carinthia (a region in the south of Austria) is a typically made for the Easter holidays.
Flatbread seems to be a global phenomenon – no matter where you go, some type of flatbread will be typical for this region. So of course there is also a typically Austrian flatbread – so called “Feuerflecken”. Originally this type of flatbread was a way of using up leftover raw bread dough that was simply not enough to shape a loaf. Since most people do not bake bread at home these days, this practice is not very common anymore. Today Feuerflecken are usually sold as a snack at food festivals or summertime village fairs. Before figuring out how to make this flatbread at home this was actually on of the main reasons for me to visit such events.
This modern dish is inspired by typical Austrian ingredients and cooking styles. The recipe 
is quite simple to follow but the result looks and tastes like you took a lot of effort. Arrange the individual components on plates in a single stack for an elegant look, suited for a more formal dinner or pile everything on a large plate or wooden board that you put into the middle of the table for a more rustic feeling – suitable for a lunch amongst family or friends.
This type o
f cake is known around the world and local versions have developed in various countries over time. The name “swiss roll” might suggest otherwise, but in fact this cake has its origin in Austria. The typical Viennese version – “Biskuitroulade” in German – is simply filled with apricot jam.
Vienna is known for its pastries and cakes – some of the most popular ones like Sachertorte are quite time-consuming in their making. This roll however is an easy introduction into the art of Viennese (or Austrian) pastries and cakes – it only takes a few ingredients and little time to prepare and if sticking to some basic rules, success is guaranteed.
“Spätzle” are sometimes compared to noodles – for me they are more like very small dumplings. The dough used for Spätzle is quite thin and similar to pancake dough, containing a lot of eggs and flour that is high in gluten. Spätzle are a popular side dish in Austria as well as in Germany and Switzerland.
Käsespätzle however, are a main dish – the cooked Spätzle are mixed 
with mature cheese (quite strong in flavour) and are usually served topped with fried onions and a salad on the side. In Austria, this dish is either called “Käsespätzle”,”Kasspåtzn” or “Käsknöpfle” depending on the region. They are very popular especially in the western parts of Austria and a typical dish to enjoy in one of the mountain cabins when hiking or skiing.
In Austria this dish is called “Mohnnudeln”. The straight forward translation to English is: “poppy seed noodles” – this translation however does not do the recipe justice. You probably have a completely different image in mind now.
There a no noodles in this recipe. What is called noodles here are actually small potato dumplings quite similar to Italian gnocchi. They are served sweet in this case with browned butter, sugar and poppy seeds.
Mohnnudeln are a very typical Austrian dish. They are not a dessert but a full main course. It is not uncommon in Austria to eat a sweet main course, although in case of a sweet main course, a soup is usually served as a starter.
