Hotel Nesslerhof, Großarl, Austria: regional enjoyment
"To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art" - FRANÇOIS DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULD - and it's this art of enjoyment that you'll find at the Nesslerhof.
– in the sauna, the rooms, the spa and the restaurant. The team at the Nesslerhof has made it their aim to turn a necessity into a pleasure, be it the necessity for relaxation, nature or nourishment for the body and soul.
Cuisine is a main priority at the Nesslerhof in Großarl. But Hermann Neudegger, the hotel manager, isn’t just a passionate gourmet, he’s also a trained chef himself. He knows what’s important in the kitchen: respectful handling of food and regionality. On the latter point, the hotel family laid a solid foundation by establishing their own butcher’s and has since got the main ingredients for their delicious meat dishes pretty much off their own shelves, including venison from the local forests for their legendary roast venison:
Nesslerhofs Roast Venison Using Local Game
Ingredients to serve 6
For the Roast:
1 kg boneless venison haunch
Salt, pepper, thyme
2 onions, roughly chopped
½ celeriac and 3 carrots, diced
2 tsp tomato purée
1 splash red wine
250 ml beef or game stock
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
15 juniper berries
2 tsp cranberry jam
Clarified butter
For the Spätzle:
500 g coarse-grained flour
9 eggs
Salt, pepper, nutmeg
For the Red Cabbage:
5 tbsp oil
1 onion, chopped
2 apples, diced
1 tbsp sugar
2 kg red cabbage, shredded
1 splash vinegar
250 ml orange juice
2 bay leaves, pepper, salt
1 splash red wine
Method
Season the meat well and sear in a hot roaster with the clarified butter. Pre-heat the oven to 130°C, remove the meat from the pan and put to one side. Brown the vegetables and onions. Add the tomato purée, deglaze with the red wine and leave to reduce. Pour in the stock, bring to the boil then add the remaining herbs. Put the meat back into the pan, cover and stew in the oven for 2 hours. Finally, remove the meat and strain the juices. Stir the jam into the sauce. Add a thickening agent if required.
Mix all of the ingredients for the Spätzle into a dough using a dough hook. Press the dough through a Spätzle sieve into a large pan of boiling, salted water. Stir continuously, bring to the boil then drain the Spätzle. Rinse in iced water. For the red cabbage, sweat the onion in oil, add the apple and sugar and sauté briefly. Add the red cabbage to the pan, deglaze with vinegar and steam for around 10 minutes with the lid on. Pour the orange juice over the cabbage and season, then gently steam for around 35 minutes and refine with red wine.
To serve
Carve the venison into slices and reheat the sauce. Heat the Spätzle with some butter and garnish with chives. Plate with the red cabbage.
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