ROAD TRIP MIT DEM MERCEDES GLA 250 4MATIC IN SÜDTIROL - TEIL 2

Bergkäseknödel - Kochkurs auf der Seiser Alm

Ja, der Titel klingt nach einem bayerischen Eberhoferkrimi. Doch wir sind in Südtirol unterwegs und noch Gäste im Romantik Hotel Turm in Völs am Schlern. Der Besitzer Stephan Pramstrahler hat uns auf seine Hütte auf der Seiser Alm eingeladen. Wir sind immer noch total beseelt von seinen Raben und Uhu Stories, aber auch offen und gespannt auf weitere Geschichten und Erzählungen.

Meine Etappen

Stephan Pramstrahler vom Romantik Hotel Turm ist leidenschaftlicher Koch, der für seine Neuinterpretation der traditionellen Südtiroler bekannt ist. Wir folgten der persönlichen Einladung in seine Hütte auf der Seiser Alm, in der er regelmäßig Kochkurse für seine Gäste abhält. Für uns gab es die bekannten Bergkäseknödel inklusive Geheimtips zum perfekten Gelingen

Wir fahren mit unserem Mercedes GLA 250 4MATIC auf die Seiser Alm. Die Strecke ist Meditation für unsere Augen. Berge, Berge, Berge zu deren Füßen sich Blumenwiesen erstrecken. Bis zur Hütte können wir nicht fahren – Naturschutzgebiet. Also tauschen wir unseren PS starken SUV gegen zwei Pferdestärken aus: eine Kutsche gezogen von zwei wunderschönen Pferden.

mercedes-gla250-4matic-suedtirol-roadtrip
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

Gemächlich geht es über Stock und Stein. „Die beiden Damen sind etwas sauer, weil jetzt eigentlich ihre Zeit ist, nach Hause zu gehen“, lacht der Kutscher. Katy und Lilly sind besten Freundinnen, die nur zwei Jahre voneinander trennen. Seit ihrer Kindheit sind sie unzertrennlich auch wenn sie vom Charakter verschieden sind. Die eine temperamentvoll, die andere ruhig. Ich vertraue eher den PS starken Gefährten mit vier Reifen, aber die Charakterbeschreibung der beiden Pferde fasziniert mich, genauso wie das tiefe Vertrauen zwischen Mensch und Tier. Wie lange man braucht, um sich gegenseitig aneinander zu gewöhnen? „Etwa ein Jahr“, erzählt mir der sympathische Kutscher. Nun, bei unserem Mercedes ging es schneller.

suedtirol-kutsche
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

I tend to trust the PS strong companions, but the description of the two horses‘ characters fascinates me, as well as the deep trust between man and animal. How long does it take to get used to each other? „About a year,“ the likeable coachman tells me. Well, with our Mercedes it went faster.

suedtirol-alm-huette
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

Stephan is waiting for us in front of his cottage, which is located in the middle of the Alpe di Siusi, surrounded by pastures full of flowers and high stone peaks. In the parlour it is comfortably warm. Like in the old days, the oven is used simultaneously as a heating and cooking place. We take a seat in the sitting area and admire the ingredients for our cooking lesson with Stephan. The pot of water is already on the stove and the heavy cast-iron pan is waiting to be used. We are having traditional mountain cheese dumplings with sage butter in a bed of fresh wild herbs.

huette-sued-tirol-alm
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels
stephan-r-alm
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

Stephan hands us a Sauvignon from his house, which tastes like elderberry. He has spent 35 years of his life in the kitchen, 25 years of which he only ate standing up due to lack of time. And yet he doesn’t see this as stressful at all. „I love going all out, only then can I enjoy myself.“

He grins and takes a big sip from his white wine Bubo, which is dedicated to his eagle owl Olga. „Do your best when cooking and if it does go wrong, it’s not too bad. It is supposed to be fun. So let’s laugh and be happy while preparing the dumplings!“ He introduces us to the art and secrets of preparing this typical South Tyrolean dish.

We are fascinated by the passion with in which he is teaching us the individual steps whilst still maintaining his naturalness and easiness. Every cooking fool will be capable of getting it right after his course!

essen-alm-suedtirol
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels
bergkaeseknoedel-zubereitung
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

As a matter of fact, he doesn’t even need to work anymore. He made his fortune in real estate a few years ago, he tells us. But the kitchen’s call was stronger, even though he doesn’t have that much time for it anymore. While his hands skillfully form the dumplings, he continues to telling us more exciting stories. He was not an easy child. And certainly not a perfect student. When he was 14 and beat up his teacher, his father took him out of school and put him in a long-distance truck bound for France: „He knew that school was not for me. So he sent me out into the world, where I was to gather my experience for a year. „Your life begins now,“ he told me then.

bergkaeseknoedel-zubereitung-rezept
© Peter von Felbert/Vinum Hotels

He worked in gastronomy and he enjoyed it despite the hard handling. The dumplings are now in a hot water bath. The warm butter with the sage spreads a pleasant smell in the warm room. Stephan lovingly lays out the wild herb nests: „What is trendy today, namely unusual ingredients for traditional dishes, I had already started doing 30 years ago. Especially when it comes to bread. To this day we still grind our own flour. Do you know how great a bread with sourdough tastes? Delicious!“ We believe him. But now we’re set for dumpling mode. „Dumplings were originally a poor man’s dish. The old but precious bread was still had a purpose!“ I’m trying to scrape the remaining butter out of the plate by using the last piece of dumpling. For me, they are a delicacy. It is exactly these simple things that make our hearts beat faster and leave us with beautiful memories.

Stephan Pramstrahler's mountain cheese dumplings:​

Anyone can book a cooking course like the one we experienced with the master. The recipe for his mountain cheese dumplings is right here. Bon appetite!

Mountain Cheese Dumplings -
Ingredients for 4 persons

  • 30 g onion
  • 20 g butter
  • 100 g mountain cheese – type according to your taste, cut into cubes
  • 150 g firm white bread, cut into cubes, or dumpling bread
  • 3 eggs
  • 50 ml milk
  • Parsley, finely chopped
  • Salt

Additionally

  • 20 g grated parmesan
  • 30 g butter, browned
  • 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped

Preparation:

  • Peel and finely chop the onion and sauté in butter. 
  • Then add to the dumpling bread. 
  • Sprinkle the milk over the whole dumpling bread. 
  • Remove ¼ of the mass, add the eggs to this mass and knead firmly.. 
  • Season with a little salt, add the parsley and add everything back to the remaining dumpling bread mass.
  • Now mix everything together thoroughly.
 
Stephan’s secret tip:
In this way, the egg mass achieves the necessary binding and the remaining dumpling bread mass obtains the looseness.
 
  • Remove some of the dough with wet hands and press a mountain cheese cube into the middle.
  • Now form a dumpling with your hands and cook it in a pot with plenty of salted water.
  • Take it out, drain it and arrange it on plates or a platter and sprinkle it with parmesan.
  • Pour the browned butter over it and serve with the chives.
 
cooking time: approx. 15 minutes
 
A cabbage or pumpkin salad goes very well with it.
Bergkäseknödel - Kochkurs auf der Seiser Alm 1

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