Hadn (dt.: Heidenkorn, engl.: pagan corn), buckwheat, is traditional cultivated from southern Austrian farmers and therefore we have many traditional dishes with it. One of these is this “rolled buckwheat pasta”. There are –as usual- many recipes and serving variants. We will show you two hearty variants with either sauerkraut and greaves or salad, and one sweet with applesauce. 

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Buckwheat is not a cereal, but belongs to the knotweed plants and is therefore gluten-free. Hadnmehl has a very strong characteristic taste and is grey. Like potatoes or many vegetables, it contains moderate amounts of spermidine. But buckwheat contains many other health-promoting substances!
One study showed that a buckwheat-rich diet lowers blood sugar and thus the risk of developing age-related diabetes. Another scientific study (in animals) has shown that extracts of germinated buckwheat lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular profile (Kim DW et al. Phytother Res. 2009). The authors hypothesized that a flavonoid contained in buckwheat called rutin is responsible for these health-promoting effects.

Preparation

Start with the pasta dough. Mix the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Add half of the warm water and the egg and knead. Keep pouring water to it and kneading until it is a nice soft dough. Pat the dough into a ball, coat it with some oil (to prevent drying) and let it rest for 30 minutes. This break is ideal to prepare your side dish of choice (Sauerkraut, salad or -if not prepared the day before- the applesauce).

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Prepare the filling shortly before you use it. Therefore, mix the buckwheat flour with sour cream and salt; this should have a semifluid consistence. Roll out the pasta dough with a rolling pin into a circle shape. Spread the filling on it and keep 5 cm free of filling at outside (see photo). Cut a little cross in the middle and start rolling the dough with filling from inside of the circle to the outside. At the end fold the filling-free dough on the roll and firmly seal the roll. Press down the roll every 15 cm (so that the filling is squeezed to the sides and the dough sticks together and cut the pieces of the roll. Boil the rolls for 15 minutes in simmering salted water. Alternatively, you can use your steamer (if you have one). At that stage, you can store the pasta rolls for a few days in the fridge or a few month in the freezer.

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Cut of slices from your rolls (2 cm thick) and pan-fry them. For the variant with sauerkraut we recommend to use lard and decorate it with greaves on the plate. If you serve salad as a side dish use butter for the frying. You do not have to fry the slices, which you serve with applesauce, just pour some melted butter over it instead.

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Ingredients for a buckwheat-wreath (about 4 people)

Pasta dough:

• 250 g flour handy
• ½ TSP salt
• 1 TBSP oil
• 1 egg
• ~ 100 ml of warm water

Filling:

• 150 g of buckwheat flour
• 1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
• ½ TSP salt

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Butter or lard and greaves to fry

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Preparation of the optional side dishes

…sauerkraut:

Cut onions small and roast them until gold brown (in oil or lard or exuberant bacon). Deglaze with water and add the sauerkraut, apple juice and spices. Steam softly for 45 minutes. Add salt or greaves depending on your taste.

…salad

We recommend a tasty dressing with apple vinegar, garlic, red onions, potato, and sunflower seeds. Therefore, cut garlic and onions very small, the potatoes in slides and mix everything well together with the vinegar, oil, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Just before serving add the salad leafs and toss to coat with dressing. Finally, sprinkle with the sunflower seeds.

…applesauce

Peel and cut apples in pieces and cook them with some water, cinnamon stick and a piece of lemon peel for 15 minutes. If you have thought of it, you can do it the day before, as it can cool down and flavors blend well in the fridge overnight (but the fresh cooked one nearly as good). Take out the cinnamon sick and lemon peel and mix well. Add sugar depending on your taste.

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Ingredients for the optional side dishes

sauerkraut:

1 onion

500 g sauerkraut

¼ l of apple juice

1 bay leaf

3 juniper berries

½ TSP caraway

pinch of salt

1 TBSP of oil or fat diced bacon or lard

greaves (optional)

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salad:

seasonal leaf salads

apple vinegar

oil

salt+pepper

½ garlic clove

½ red onion

3 TBSP of sunflower seeds

1 cooked potato

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applesauce:

5 large apples

1 cinnamon stick

1 piece of lemon peel

sugar (if you need it)