Kärntner Kasnudeln
Crimped pasta pockets filled with curd cheese, potatoes and herbs, including mint, served with browned butter. A Carinthian specialty.
- prep
- 50 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 1 h 10 min
- serves
- 6
- level
- hard
Kasnudeln are Carinthia's filled pasta, curd cheese and potato folded into crimped half-moons and finished simply with browned butter, and the herb that actually sets them apart is mint, an unusual choice in a savory, cheese-filled pasta.
Crimping the edges well matters more than it looks like it should; a poorly sealed kasnudel loses its filling the moment it hits the boiling water.
Part of our 20 best Austrian recipes list.
method
Mix the flour, eggs, water and salt into a smooth dough. Knead for 8 to 10 minutes, cover, and rest for 30 minutes.
For the filling, combine the mashed potato, curd cheese, mint, chives, salt and pepper until smooth.
Roll the dough out thin, and cut into rounds about 8cm across.
Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each round, fold over into a half-moon, and crimp the edges firmly to seal, pressing a decorative pattern along the edge if you like.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil, and cook the kasnudeln in batches for 6 to 8 minutes, until they float and are tender.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat until it turns golden and smells nutty.
Drain the kasnudeln, and serve drizzled with the browned butter.
chef's tips
- Mint in a savory, cheese-filled pasta is unusual outside Carinthia, and it is exactly the detail that makes Kasnudeln distinctly Carinthian rather than just another cheese dumpling.
- Crimp the edges firmly and well. A poorly sealed kasnudel opens up in the boiling water and loses its filling.
- Curd cheese, called Topfen in Austria, is drier and firmer than ricotta; if using ricotta, drain it well first so the filling is not too wet.
- These freeze well uncooked; freeze them on a tray first, then bag them, and boil straight from frozen with a couple of extra minutes.