Pale rye-and-wheat Schlutzkrapfen half-moons with spinach filling, brown butter, grated Parmigiano, and chives.

Schlutzkrapfen

South Tyrolean rye half-moons with spinach and Topfen

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From
Val Pusteria, Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-South Tyrol)
Kind
Pasta
Yield
Serves 4

Rye gives Schlutzkrapfen their mottled color, faint earthiness, and a little resistance around the tender filling. The small half-moons are a specialty of Val Pusteria, where a plate holds plenty of them.

The classic center is cooked spinach bound with Topfen, the fresh quark of the German-speaking Alps, then sharpened with a little aged cheese, chives, nutmeg, and pepper. Brown butter adds a toasted nuttiness to the rye dough.

Ingredients

For the dough

  • 150 grye flour
  • 100 gall-purpose flour
  • 1large egg
  • 50–60 mllukewarm water
  • 15 ml(1 tbsp)neutral oil
  • 3 g(½ tsp)fine salt

For the filling and finish

  • 300 gfresh spinach, tough stems removed
  • 50 gyellow onion, very finely chopped
  • ½small garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 15 g(1 tbsp)unsalted butter
  • 100 gfull-fat quark (Topfen; see note)
  • 15 g(about 2 tbsp)Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
  • 5 g(about 1 tbsp)finely chopped chives, plus more to finish
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • fine salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 60 g(4 tbsp)unsalted butter, for browning
  • 25 gParmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, to finish

Kitchen notes

Topfen (quark)
Topfen is the Alpine German name for a fresh, tangy, spoonable cheese also sold as quark. Choose full-fat plain quark from a European or specialty market. It is not cottage cheese, cream cheese, or sweetened breakfast yogurt. Its gentle acidity and texture matter to this filling.
Rye flour
Use plain rye flour, not a prepared rye-bread mix. It gives the dough its dark color and gentle grainy flavor; the all-purpose flour and egg provide the structure needed to roll and seal the half-moons.
Brown butter
Cook the butter until its milk solids are golden and nutty, then use it at once. This is more than melted butter: it is the dish's traditional finishing flavor.

Method

Make and rest the dough

  1. Mix the rye flour, all-purpose flour, and salt in a bowl or on a board. Whisk the egg with 50 ml lukewarm water and the oil. Work the liquid into the flours until a firm, smooth dough forms, adding the remaining water a teaspoon at a time only if dry flour will not come together. Knead for 3–4 minutes, cover, and rest for 30 minutes. Rye dough will not become elastic like pasta made mostly from wheat; it should feel compact and pliable, not sticky.

Cook and season the spinach

  1. Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Blanch the spinach until just wilted, 1–2 minutes, then drain, cool under cold water, and squeeze it until no water drips when pressed; squeeze it again if necessary. You should have about 150 g. Chop it finely. Melt the 1 tablespoon butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the onion and garlic until soft and fragrant but not colored, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute, then transfer to a bowl and let cool until barely warm.

Make the filling

  1. Mix the spinach with the Topfen, 15 g Parmigiano, chives, a small grating of nutmeg, a few grinds of pepper, and salt to taste. The filling should sit in a neat mound on a spoon. If it releases liquid, drain it briefly in a fine-mesh sieve before shaping.

Shape the half-moons

  1. Roll the rested dough thinly, about 1–1.5 mm, working in two portions and keeping the unused piece covered. Cut 7 cm (about 2¾-inch) rounds. Put a scant teaspoon of filling just off center on each round. Moisten the edge lightly with water, fold into a half-moon, and press the seam firmly with your fingertips, forcing out trapped air. Keep the finished Schlutzkrapfen on a lightly floured towel or board, covered with a clean towel, while you shape the rest.

Boil and finish

  1. Bring a wide pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the Schlutzkrapfen in batches for 3–4 minutes; they should float and the rye dough should be tender without losing its bite. Meanwhile, melt the 60 g butter in a small pan and let it cook until the milk solids turn golden brown and smell like toasted hazelnuts. Lift the pasta out with a slotted spoon, drain briefly, and divide among warm plates. Spoon over the brown butter, shower with the remaining Parmigiano and chives, and serve immediately.