Recipe Flemish Hotch-Potch

Capons are often used in the traditional cuisine of Vicenza and Capon ala canevèra is a dish that is usually prepared in winter, during Christmas holidays. But what is the canevèra? It’s a kind of pipe used as a blowhole during the cooking process in the oven, so the meat can keep all its taste.

‘Glyka tou koutaliou’ are sweet preserves served in a tiny spoon as a gesture of Cypriot hospitality. These spoon sweets are made from unusual fruits and vegetables, like figs, cherries, watermelon peel, walnuts or almond stuffed baby aubergines. They are often flavored with cinnamon or pelargonium leaves. A wonderful sweet treat enjoyed with a Cypriot coffee or a glass of cold water.

Sirovi Štruklj is one of the most characteristic dishes, known all over Slovenia. Štruklji are made from different kinds of dough and can have a wide range of fillings; they can also be baked or cooked, sweet or savory. Until the 1930’s they used to be prepared at holidays and festivities and to celebrate the end of major farm work. The most special kind of štruklji, especially during spring and summer, is prepared with tarragon filling. Other widely known varieties are those with cottage cheese filling, walnut, apple and poppy seed štruklji, along with many others.

Something which is not yet entirely proven for serious students of linguistics, but is readily apparent to Italophile Austrian gastronomes: the similarity, which is not just a linguistic one, between Austrian dumplings (“Nockerln”) and Italian gnocchi (pronounced: gnoki). In both countries, these small doughy treats are readily given a spicy twist. You would look for these semolina dumplings, the “Grieß-Gnocchi”, in the soup-bowls on the far side of the Brenner Pass, whereas in the world of Austrian soups you will come across them fairly frequently.