Timelessly good
And why Schlutzkrapfen
taste at any time.
To mark its fiftieth anniversary, we take a look back at the beginnings of the „Haus am Hang“ hotel with hotel founder and senior manager Meinrad Morandell. Today's „Haus am Hang“ hotel opened its doors on Maundy Thursday 1970. At that time, the accommodation was still classified as a guesthouse, although it was literally the first hotel on Lake Kaltern to fulfil the hotel standard when it opened. Meinrad and Helga Morandell, the founders and parents of today's hotel manager Matthias, already attached great importance to comfort for their guests. The hotel rooms were designed with toilets, showers and balconies. A novelty at that time in Kaltern. Although a great deal has changed over the past 50 years, Meinrad Morandell and his wife's enthusiasm for the hotel and, above all, for their guests has remained the same. Anyone who talks to the senior manager about those days can still sense the joy and enthusiasm, and gets the feeling that it was all just yesterday.
But back to the beginnings... Despite reopening at Easter 1970, the young owners were already welcoming familiar guests. „My wife and I were still working in the family business Hasslhof - a guesthouse - next door together with my mother Antonia,“ reveals senior manager Meinrad Morandell. „And of course we did a bit of advertising and managed to get some of the guests excited about our new hotel,“ says Meinrad Morandell mischievously. It was Meinrad Morandell's wish early on to „serve the guest“ and “they came almost exclusively from Germany, made excursions into the mountains - on foot or by car - and enjoyed the good food and the Lake Kaltern wine here with us,„ says Morandell. Swimming in Lake Kaltern, on the other hand, only became popular in the mid-sixties and seventies, before that it was considered disreputable. “The beginnings of tourism here in South Tyrol were very personal. There was a lot of direct contact with guests, we lived together, so to speak. Tourism was about caring and shared experiences, not industry like many businesses today,„ says Meinrad Morandell. This togetherness was also reflected in the meals. Guests were asked what kind of food they would like to eat and the Morandells catered to their wishes. Today, serving food in several different bowls and plates on the table - the so-called setting service - is back in fashion and was common practice back then. “This way of eating has something very unifying and very communicative in contrast to plate service," explains the senior chef.
The guests exchange ideas across the table, so to speak, and serve each other. „We had a mix of Austrian and South Tyrolean cuisine - with a strong regional flavour. We didn't have the supply chain that we have today,“ he explains. „But we were able to help ourselves to a wealth of high-quality products. The roasts, the sauces, the soups - everything was flavoured with wine. South Tyrolean bacon was used in soups and dumplings. Fresh vegetables came from our own garden,“ continues Meinrad Morandell. His dumplings with speck, spaghetti amatriciana, bollito misto with salsa verde, roast chicken and Wiener schnitzel of milk-fed veal are still raved about today by regular guests, who were first welcomed by the Morandells back in the seventies.
With heart and handshake
While Helga prepares the Schlutzkrapfen in the kitchen, Meinrad Morandell tends to his roses outside in the garden. With rose shears in hand, he shows what characterises him: attentiveness, calm and closeness to people. Personal contact with guests has always been important to him - then as now. „The hotel and catering industry has always been exciting and will remain so,“ he says, and you can sense that this enthusiasm continues to this day. Meinrad Morandell
Helga cooks with heart
If you know how to cook with pleasure,
it tastes different.
Sometimes it's already late. But then someone comes in. A guest who has been travelling all day. Perhaps travelled a long way. Maybe too late back from the mountain. Maybe just hungry - and happy to finally be here. If someone arrives late and is still hungry, we don't look at the clock. Then we see what is possible. Often it's a bacon platter, a plate of pasta, or even Schlutzkrapfen if Helga is in the kitchen. Very uncomplicated. Without any fuss. That's how we learnt to do it, that's how we like to do it. For us, traditional cooking doesn't mean „like in the old days“, but with feeling. With time. With attention. And with an eye for when someone needs more than just a meal.
Schlutzkrapfen - why are they so special?
„Schlutzkrapfen“ comes from the Tyrolean region, especially South Tyrol/East Tyrol. It is said that the name has to do with the „Schlutzer“ - the small „slit“, i.e. the folding and closing of the dumplings. It may also come from the rye flour, as this „schlutzer“ especially after cooking.
from whatever was available - potatoes, curd cheese, spinach, sometimes even cabbage. And if it was allowed to be festive, then it was served with really good butter and cheese.
Every family has its dough. Their filling. Their method.
We make them the way we like them best in South Tyrol: juicy, fine, not too thick - and with lots of fizzy butter.
Helga's recipe (classic & sure-fire success)
Schlutzkrapfen with curd cheese and spinach filling
for about 10-12 portions
Ingredients:
Dough: 250 g rye flour, sieved - 250 g wheat flour, sieved - 100 g whole egg (2 pieces) - 110 ml lukewarm water - 20 ml oil - 1 pinch of salt Filling: 50 g butter - 80 g onion, finely diced - 1 clove of garlic, finely chopped - 250 g spinach, cooked, strained or chopped - 250 g curd cheese (ricotta), dry, strained - 50 g Parmesan cheese, grated - 1 tbsp chives, finely chopped - 1 pinch of salt - 1 pinch of pepper, white, ground or from a mill - 1 pinch of nutmeg, grated Skimming: 150 g Parmesan cheese, grated - 2 tbsp chives, finely chopped - 100 g butter
Preparation:
- Mix both types of flour.
- Mix the eggs, water, oil and salt and knead with the mixed flours to form a firm, smooth dough. Wrap in cling film and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
- For the filling, sauté the onion and garlic in butter, add the spinach, sauté and mix with the curd cheese, grated Parmesan cheese and chives.
- Season the filling with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Execution:
- Roll out the dough thinly and lay it out on a lightly floured table.
- Cut out circles with a diameter of 7-8 cm from the dough.
- Spoon the filling into the centre using a spoon or a pastry bag with a smooth nozzle, moisten the edges with a little water if necessary, fold together and press the edges down firmly.
- Place the Schlutzkrapfen on a floured cloth and set aside. Completion
- Place the Schlutzkrapfen in boiling salted water, cook for a few minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and arrange on a plate.
- Sprinkle the Schlutzkrapfen with grated Parmesan cheese and chives.
- Season with hot, foaming butter.
Completion
- Place the Schlutzkrapfen in boiling salted water, cook for a few minutes, remove with a slotted spoon, drain well and arrange on a plate.
- Sprinkle the Schlutzkrapfen with grated Parmesan cheese and chives.
- Season with hot, foaming butter.
The eye eats with you
Just before the Schlutzkrapfen are served, Helga's favourite phase begins. One last look, a gentle swirl in golden butter, fresh herbs on top. Everything is in place, nothing is a coincidence. The doughnuts are shiny, fragrant and just right on the plate. Because enjoyment doesn't just start with the first bite, it starts when you look at them. When the colour, shape and aroma match, you know it's perfect.
When you cook with joy, it tastes different.
Schlutzkrapfen - freshly filled, made with love.
What Helga mixes goes straight onto the plate. Quite simply.
Acceptance from the chef
When Helga, our senior chef, takes the cooking spoon from the head chef, it becomes familiar. A quick glance, a smile - and everyone knows that experience is now coming to the cooker. What counts here is feeling, memory and the certainty of countless Schlutzkrapfen. Sometimes all it takes is a wave of the hand to show: that's it. And that's how it stays.
