Kasnudeln or Carinthian cheese pasta

Ingredients

For the dough, see my recipe for ravioli

For the Filling

1/2 potato (ca. 1/4 cup), put through ricer
1/2 cup curd cheese (if not available, ricotta or cottage cheese work too)
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh herbs, chopped (e.g. parsley, chervil, mint, chives)
1 tbsp sour cream
1 egg
salt & pepper


This is a very old and traditional dish from the Carinthian region in Austria and was traditionally eaten on Fridays or during Lent, thanks to the absence of meat. If you are lucky enough to live in an area where spring has already stopped by for a visit, this recipe yearns for a generous serving of the first fresh herbs. But even if you have to make do with dried or frozen herbs, just the freshness and greenness are going to give you taste of springtime!

As most pasta dishes, this one also requires time, patience and physical labor, hence making it perfect to develop my mindfulness (as long as I am not diverted by carving for candy!). Not being used to physical labor, it does feel good to produce something with the strength of my hands, to coercing random ingredients into a dough and force it to stretch at the will of my rolling pin (does the sugar detox make me aggressive?). And it feels good not to think for a moment, but to do.

Mix all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl and prepare the pasta dough. Once you have rolled the dough out, cut out rounds (ca. 4.5 inches diameter) with a cookie cutter or jar. On each round, put ca. 1 tbsp of the filling, then fold them in half and press them together to seal.

In a large pot, bring water to a boil, and let the pasta cook gently for 15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the dough, it might even take a little longer, it's best to check with a fork or try one). Finally, brown some butter in a pan and pour over the kasnudeln once they are ready. Sprinkle with as much chives (or other herbs) as you like and enjoy!

Life is good!