CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA :: Vienna and Christmas go together like a partridge and a pear tree. S.Travel’s Sabrina Pirillo recently toured the Austrian capital city and brought back these traditional Viennese holiday ideas – add a touch of Europe into your home this festive season.
EAT :: Viennese Cuisine is the only cuisine in the world to be named after a city. The Wiener Schnitzel has been part of Viennese cooking since the 18th century and today it is known as the Austrian national dish and a must during the festive season.
Ingredients:
- 8 veal cutlets
- 4 eggs
- 200 g (1 cup) breadcrumbs, very fine
- 100 g (1 cup) flour, fine
- 300 ml (0,5 pt) butter
- 100 ml (0,2 pt) vegetable or peanut oil
- salt
- lemon slices and fried parsley for garnish
Preparation:
Tenderize the veal to about 2 – 4mm, and salt on both sides. On a flat plate, stir the eggs briefly with a fork. (The egg becomes too thin if you beat it too much). Lightly coat the cutlets in flour then dip into the egg, and finally, coat in breadcrumbs.
Heat the butter and oil in a large pan (allow the fat to get very hot) and fry the schnitzels until golden brown on both sides. Make sure to toss the pan regularly so that the schnitzels are surrounded by oil and the crumbing becomes “fluffy”.
Remove, and drain on kitchen paper. Fry the parsley in the remaining oil and drain. Place the schnitzels on a warmed plate and serve garnished with parsley and slices of lemon.
Tips: Make sure to use high-quality, very fine breadcrumbs. Genuine Wiener schnitzels need to be fried in a frying pan, not in a deep fryer. Also, the use of butter is essential to give the schnitzels a typical “nutty” taste.
Suggested side dishes: Parsley-tossed potatoes and salad (cucumber, tomato, potato or lettuce)
Dessert :: Viennese Chestnut Dumplings
Ingredients:
- 400g chestnuts (or 250g ready-made chestnut puree)
- 80g powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla sugar
- 1-2 tbsp rum
- 100g flaked almonds
- 3 tbsp butter
- Salt
- Chocolate sauce
For the dough:
- 250g potatoes (floury)
- 100g coarse flour
- 50g golden or durum wheat semolina
- 1 egg yolk
- 25g soft butter
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
- Flour for rolling
Preparation:
For the dough, peel, wash and quarter the potatoes, and cook in salted water until soft. Leave to cool, then shred using a potato press. Mix with the remaining ingredients to make a firm dough, and form into a roll. Make a cross-cut on each chestnut. Place in a pan, cover with water and cook until soft (peel one chestnut to check if properly cooked). Peel the chestnuts and press through a puree sieve. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla sugar and rum, and leave to cool (if the mixture is too thick, add more powdered sugar). Roll out the dough until about 4 millimeters thick and cut out discs of around 7 centimeters in diameter. Divide the chestnut mixture into 16 equal-sized balls (keep the rest for decorating). Place each ball on a dough disc and form into small dumplings. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Place the dumplings in the pan, cover and simmer on a low heat for 10 minutes. Roast the flaked almonds in melted butter. Press the remaining chestnut mixture through a grater.
Put a portion of warm chocolate sauce on a plate. Remove the dumplings from the pan, drain and roll in the roast flaked almonds. Place a dumpling in the sauce and sprinkle with the remaining chestnut puree.
Cooking time: about 10 minutes
DRINK :: Wiener Feuerzangenbowle (Viennese Flaming Fire Tongs Punch)
Ingredients
- 1 natural/organic* orange
- 1 natural/organic* lemon
- 5 cloves
- one cinnamon stick
- one Viennese Zuckerhut** (sugar loaf)
(substitute sugar cubes if you can’t find a real Zuckerhut) - 3 bottles of red wine (750 ml each)
- one bottle of rum (750 ml)
Directions
Thoroughly wash the orange and lemon under hot water. Peel the citrus fruit into spirals as thinly as possible. Pour the wine into a kettle or large pot. Add the spices and the orange and lemon peels. Place the fire tongs over the kettle (or pot). Place the Viennese sugar loaf on the tongs, soak it with the rum, and then light it. Continue to pour some rum onto the sugar loaf so that the melting sugar gradually drips into the wine.
Serve the punch in Pyrex (heat-resistant) glasses. Prost!
PLAY:: After you’ve eaten your Wiener Schnitzel and you’re enjoying your second (or fourth) glass of Fire Tong Punch, sit back and enjoy the sounds of Viennese Advent concerts and cheerful choral singing:
Sabrina Pirillo is Editor of S.Travel. Follow Sab on Twitter, here and her S.Travel tweets here. S.Travel brings you the best in global destinations, accommodations, and experiences.
Learn more about Christmas in Vienna.
Image: Vienna Christmas Market at City Hall (c) Austrian Tourist Office
