Hazelnut spätzli with carrot ragout

Combining elements of different culinary traditions is not only the definition of fusion cuisine, in my opinion, it’s the most exciting part of it. Very bourgeois, very Swiss egg noodles served with a veggie ragout filled with Moroccan flavors and a smooth cream made of Greek sheep milk feta cheese. That’s my second dish featuring carrots and hazelnut for the Food Blog Challenge organized by Foodblogs Schweiz.

Carrot ragout: On medium heat, sweat paprika powder, jeera, cinnamon, coriander seeds, chili and a finely chopped onion in olive oil. Gradually, add diced carrots. By adding the dices at different stages, you’ll achieve different crunch levels. Add some water and finely chopped dried apricots. Simmer until tender. Taste with salt and orange zest.

Hazelnut spätzli: Mix 100 g 00 flour with 75 g ground hazelnuts, 1 tsp salt, 50 ml milk and 50 ml water. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes. Trough a coarse grater, drop half of the dough into boiling water. Once the spätzli float, skim and put aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Carefully fold butter into the pasta.

Feta cheese cream: Blend 100 g feta cheese with 100 ml cream.

Assembly: Surround a generous dollop feta cheese cream with spätzli and ragout. Decorate with finely chopped raw carrots and scallion as well as fresh coriander and primrose petals.

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