RECIPE OVERLOAD. That would be an apt description of what’s going on  in  my Evernote “to cook”  folder. The dilemma:  I can never just  visit the  virtual kitchens (aka blogs)  of fellow  food blogging friends, inevitably one or two tempting recipes get added to my Evernote  folder each every time I’m out there. And I’m fairly certain  I will never  get around to cooking or baking them all. Sadly so.

If it wasn’t just so much darn fun browsing and getting inspired! A couple of days ago,  I was looking  for an idea for the weekend and came across Schlutzkrapfen from Magdi&  Micha’s  take on them. Both ladies I value as  extremely trusted recipe sources and since I never had prepared  Schlutzkrapfen myself, I settled for a  mashup of  the pasta dough  and my own filling.

You may be scratching your head at this point, have probably never heard of “Schlutzkrapfen” before and anyway, don’t they  just look like ordinarily  filled pasta? Well…, you got a  point there… BUT, Schlutzkrapfen are a regional speciality from (South) Tyrol. The main difference to filled pasta such as  for instance  Ravioli, is the dough, which consists of part wheat and part rye flour. The rye flour makes the pasta dough a tad harder to work with, mine crumbled at first when I tried to roll it out with my pasta machine, but after folding it, turning it 90 degrees and rolling it out again on level 1 for several  times, the texture began to improve quickly. So yes, this recipe needs some patience, but the final plate was nothing short of amazing. I have prepared many  variations of filled pasta, however, this one clearly stands out and will be served to our next guests. I love the rustic note the rye flour adds, and it goes surprisingly well with my porcini filling and the browned butter/walnut finish. Worth every second that went into making them!

Start by soaking the porchini in boiling water (for at least 20 min.)  before  preparing the pasta  dough: Sift both  flours into a huge mixing bowl or on a chopping board. Make a well in the center, add salt, egg  and egg yolk as well as  olive oil, then incorporate the flour with your fingers, add water as needed (it took me ~2,5 tbsp) and knead for a couple of  minutes until the dough comes together nicely  (if the mix is too firm, add a little more water). Shape it into a ball, tightly wrap in plastic wrap  and let rest for at least 30 minutes on the counter. (Alternative: Use your KitchenAid’s flat beater to mix all pasta ingredients, water as needed, until small crumbs  form. Then  use your hands to knead and shape into a ball and rest tightly wrapped…)

Prepare the filling:  Peel the shallot  and chop it  finely. Heat 1 tbsp of  butter  in a pan and fry the shallots  over medium heat until they turn translucent and start to gain some (minor) color. Scrape into the bowl of your food processor and let cool for some minutes.  Drain the porchini  (squeeze them out well),  chop them finely and add them as well as the drained  curd cheese, grated cheese, lemon zest and spices. Mix until a smooth  paste forms, then season to taste and chill covered.

Roll out the pasta dough into not too thin sheets (I proceeded to level 6 from 9, on my pasta machine), then cut out  circles  (mine were  8  cm/~3 in).  Place about 1 tsp of filling on each circle, wet the edges and seal into the typical  crescent  shape – making sure each  is  sealed well and no  air is trapped inside. Place the finished ones on a well-floured board.

Prepare the finishing touch: Finely chop the washed chives. Grind the walnuts with pestle and mortar not too finely.  Gently brown the  butter in a pan over low to medium heat  before adding the nuts  (be careful, the tiny nut pieces can burn in the blink of an eye!).

Meanwhile cook the  Schlutzkrapfen  in a large pot of salted, slightly boiling water for  3-5  minutes (depending on size) until just al dente, then drain and sautée in  the browned walnut butter. Sprinkle with some  chives and serve immediately.