Austria: Food: Almost as beautiful as this country!

My host mom loves to cook, and creates wonderful traditional Austrian dishes. Recently I have been cooking with her to learn the natural cooking methods she uses. So far all of the meals have been very easy--my host mom never needs to look at a cook book! It is very common for Austrians to have their own garden, and use this in their daily cooking. I have been taking pictures and writing the recipes down so I can (hopefully) re-create these meals once I am at home! This post includes some pictures and descriptions of the dishes we have cooked together so far :)

Check back often because I will keep adding pictures as we cook more!

"Kartoffelkrapferl"

Kartoffelkrapferl: A mixture of fresh potatoes, ham, cheese,
and seasonings.

Kartoffelkrapferl: Served with Sauerkraut!

"Pallatschinkem mit Marmalad"

Pallatschinkem mit Marmalad: Thin crepes with fresh jam!

Pallatschinkem mit Marmalad: Spread jam on one side and
roll the crepe

Pallatschinkem mit Marmalad: My host mom uses a fork as a
stencil to decorate with cinnamon seasonings. We also lightly
dusted the crepes with powdered sugar.

Pallatschinkem mit Marmalad: Finished product! The leaves
are herbs grown in my host family's garden.

Fresh parsley from the garden used in cooking "Kartoffelpure"

Kartoffelpure: Fresh Austrian beef mixed with parsley, fresh garlic,
salt, pepper, and bread crumbs. This mixture is eaten raw as a
delicacy; the meat is so pure and healthy there is hardly a risk of
becoming sick from raw meat or eggs. (My host mom had me try a
bite of it raw... I definitely still like my meat cooked! But I thought
that was interesting!)

Kartoffelpure: Once potatoes are boiled and cooked, we put
them through a machine which squeezes them out into noodle
looking strips! Then you just mix with warm milk and butter and
TADA! mashed potatoes!!!