Liechtenstein: Comfort Food from a Tiny Country

When I got off the bus in Liechtenstein, I had an immediate sense of anti-climax.  The capital city of Vaduz is in a valley between larger alpine mountain ranges, just like the valley that I had just passed through in Eastern Switzerland.

image from lonelyplanet.com

And just like in Eastern Switzerland, there was a strong odour of dairy farms, a definite barn smell.

Luckily there is a charming castle (called Schloss Vaduz) perched on the hill to remind you that the royal family of this tiny country actually inhabits the stone building.  The keep was built in the 12th century and the Princely Family of Liechtenstein have lived there since 1712.

I walked a couple of streets further along the main road running at the base of the hills to a restaurant that is famous for local cuisine.  In contrast to the artificiality of the pinky-purple interior of the restaurant, the menu contained many authentic classics.  I ordered the Käsespätzle.  (It is also known as Käseknöpfle.)  This pasta is made by grating the dough directly over boiling water.  Once out of the water, it is covered with butter and grated Appenzeller cheese, then topped with chopped chives and fried onions before serving, along with a side of apple sauce. 

It is pure comfort food, the perfect antidote to a cold tiring day of hiking or shopping.

When making it at home, I used a variation of the traditional version (a simple combination of flour, eggs, salt and nutmeg) that I have adapted from Wolfgang Puck.

Just to warn you, it is really messy stuff to clean up, almost like a kind of glue.  But definitely worth it, this is totally satisfying comfort food.

Servings: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks (5 if your eggs are medium rather than extra large)
• 1 egg
• 1 3/4 cups milk
• 1 pound (about 3 cups) all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 ounces salted butter
• small bunch of chives
• 4 ounces of some kind of aged but tart cheese from Liechtenstein or Switzerland, like Appenzeller or Nonnenstolz
• 3 large onions
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, beat together the egg yolks, egg and milk. 
2. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix with hand until well blended. Do not over mix at this stage. Cover the bowl and refrigerate and allow the batter to rest for at least 1 hour.
3. While the dough is resting in the refrigerator, chop the onions and fry them in oil. Stir regularly until onions are caramelised, about 15 to 20 minutes.
4. Grate the cheese.
5. Prepare a serving bowl with the butter in it, cut into smaller pieces along with the grated cheese.
6. Chop the chives finely.
7. Bring salted water to a boil. Place a special grater ('Knöpflehobel’), perforated pasta drainer, or perforated hotel pan on top of the pot. Place the batter on the pan and force through the holes with a flat spatula to form pasta. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain well and transfer the pasta to the bowl with butter and cheese. 
8. Finish with salt and pepper to taste and the chives.
9. Serve the fried onions on top of the dish.