Schüttelbrot is the name of a hard yet still crispy flatbread which is common in South Tyrol. This bread can be stored for a long time because of its consistency. Traditionally it is eaten with Speck (smoked ham) or cheese as a “Marende” – the word for a snack in South Tyrol.

You can prepare the dough a day in advance. Use ‘Topfen’ (an Austrian cream cheese speciality) for this recipe – quark is unsuitable. Alternatively you can use Ricotta Romana.

Ingredients for 4 portions:
160 g Schüttelbrot (crunchy flatbread originally made in South Tyrol), finely ground
200 g flour
3 eggs
A little water
Salt

For the filling
300 g Topfen
100 g Alpkäse (Alpine cheese), chopped into small cubes
50 g braised onions (see basic recipe)
Salt, pepper

For the chive sauce
100 ml vegetable stock (see basic recipe)
30 g potatoes, cooked
30 g chives, finely chopped
Salt, pepper

To serve:
Schüttelbrot breadcrumbs
Alpkäse, grated
Some melted butter
Chives, finely chopped
Optional: 80 g Südtiroler Bauernspeck (rustic smoked ham from South Tyrol), cut into strips

Tipp from Herbert Hintner:

Refrigerate the leftover Schüttelbrot ravioli and eat it the next day sprinkled with Alpine cheese and briefly gratinate in the oven.

Preparation (c. 85 minutes, 2 hours resting time for the dough):

Mix the finely ground Schüttelbrot with flour and salt, sift out onto the work surface and form a hollow in the middle. Break the eggs into the hollow.
Stir in the flour mixture, working from the inside out, (add water if required) and knead for approximately 10 minutes. This can also be done with a food processor.
Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 2 hours.

Place the Topfen in a piece of kitchen roll and squeeze to remove excess water. Now mix the Topfen with the Alpine cheese, braised onion, salt and pepper.
Roll out the dough thinly using a pasta machine or by hand (for this method prepare a slightly softer dough), and use a cutter of c. 8cm diameter to cut out circles and place some of the Topfen mixture in the centre.

Brush the edges with water, fold over and firmly press the edges together.

Cook the ravioli in salted water for 3-4 minutes.

To make the chive sauce, firstly bring the vegetable stock with slices of potato to the boil. Now add the chives, salt and pepper, bring to the boil and then purée in a mixer.

Bon appetite!