"Tennis & Culinary Delights in Carinthia" series , featuring the kitchens of our Carinthian tennis hotels, is today's stop at the Parkhotel Pörtschach on Lake Wörthersee. This traditional hotel, situated directly on the lake, impresses with its unique combination of classic 1960s retro design and modern chic. The kitchen also offers a wonderful mix of classic and typical Carinthian dishes and creations. We are especially pleased that the head chef not only answered our questions about Slow Food and Alpine-Adriatic cuisine but also shared one of the most classic Carinthian recipes with us to try at home: Carinthian Reindling. Enjoy this (for now) final culinary excursion to Carinthia. And bon appétit for the Carinthian Reindling!

Kitchen door opens in the tennis hotel Parkhotel Pörtschach on Lake Wörthersee

From the head chef of the  Parkhotel Pörtschach we not only received answers to our "culinary" questions about Slow Food and Alpine-Adriatic cuisine, but also a wonderful recipe to cook – or rather, bake.

 Carinthian Slow Food – that stands for fantastic regional and high-quality products that you use in your hotel. Where do you source your products (meat, fish, cheese, etc.) and do you have a particular favorite?

We source our food almost exclusively from regional producers: freshwater fish from the Markus Payr fish farm, saltwater fish from Istra-Gourmet, a wide variety of goat cheeses from the Skofitsch family's organic dairy, and sheep's milk specialties from the Nuart family's dairy, also known as Hafner, to name just a few. Furthermore, we place great value on personal contact.

 Carinthia is known for its so-called Alpe-Adria cuisine: how would you define this style of cooking? What makes this cuisine particularly delicious?

Alpe Adria cuisine is rightly described as fresh, seasonal, down-to-earth, and varied. These qualities, combined with the personal preferences and creative experiments of each chef, make the regional cuisine so special.

 What is your personal favorite Carinthian dish that you serve at the hotel?

My favorite dish is fried lake trout (from Payr, of course) with buckwheat risotto and Strankerln (green beans).

 What should a TennisTraveller absolutely eat when visiting Carinthia?

Because I'm from Carinthia, the guest at the mountain hut should try a traditional Frigga. (Note from TennisTraveller: Frigga is a traditional Carinthian egg dish, originally enjoyed frequently by hardworking lumberjacks. Onions, bacon, and lots of eggs are fried in a cast-iron pan to make a delicious omelet and sprinkled with cheese.)

The recipe from the Parkhotel Pörtschach: Carinthian Reindling

The Carinthian Reindling is as typical of Carinthian cuisine as Wimbledon is of tennis. All the more reason to be delighted to receive a recipe for such a traditional dish from the kitchen of the Parkhotel Pörtschach.

preparation

• To make a yeast dough: Dissolve the yeast in a little lukewarm water with a spoonful of sugar and let it activate. Add salt to the flour, combine it with the yeast and the other ingredients to form a medium-firm dough, and knead it until it forms bubbles.
• Let it rise twice (let it rise, then fold it over and let it rise again).
• Roll out the dough, fill it with the ingredients according to taste, and roll it up.
• Place the dough into a Reindling or Gugelhupf mold and let it rise.
• Bake at 160 degrees fan-assisted for 40 minutes (at 170 degrees top and bottom heat: 45 minutes).

The Carinthian Reindling is a traditional Carinthian pastry that is a must-have both in everyday life and at festive occasions.
While Reindling is generally considered a sweet dish, at Easter it is also served as a side dish to Easter ham and scrambled eggs.

Best of luck!
Your Parkhotel Pörtschach Team

Looking for more tennis holiday inspiration in Carinthia?

You can find lots of information about tennis hotels in Carinthia at www.kaernten.at/tennis . Specific booking offers can be found at: www.kaernten.at/tennis/urlaubsangebote. 
Or, of course, directly here on TennisTraveller on our Carinthia inspiration page – everything at a glance: Carinthian tennis hotels, camp offers, and interesting blog posts.

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