Cooking at last!

This light, delicate fish dish is perfect for days when you don’t want to weigh yourself down with heavy food. It’s quick and very easy to prepare. The herb buttermilk sauce is a delightful, summery addition that brings freshness and lightness to any dish.

Serves approx. 4

For the fish:

• 400 g trout fillets

• A little olive oil

• A pinch of salt

• Juice of 1 lemon

For the cucumber salad:

• 1 large cucumber

• Salt, vinegar, olive oil

For the buttermilk sauce:

• A splash of white balsamic condimento

• 50 g lamb’s lettuce

• 50 g mixed herbs (parsley, chives, mint, lovage)

• 125 ml sour cream

• 100 ml buttermilk

• 50 g crème fraîche

• 1 tsp horseradish

• Salt, pepper

Also: A few salad leaves, herbs and mint, olive oil, freshly grated horseradish

Preheat the oven to 80°C fan. Place the trout fillets on a sheet of baking paper brushed with olive oil and generously brush the tops with olive oil as well. For the salad garnish, peel the cucumber, slice it finely, and salt it immediately. Clean and roughly chop the salad leaves, then dress with vinegar, salt, and olive oil. Marinate the cucumber the same way. For the sauce, blend all the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy. Gently warm the trout fillets in the oven for about 10–15 minutes, depending on their thickness (tip: press gently with your finger – if they yield slightly, they’re done). Once cooked, remove from the oven, season with salt, and drizzle with lemon juice. To serve, place the cucumber salad with a bit of sauce in deep plates, top with the trout fillets, and garnish with fresh herbs, salad leaves, mint, and a drizzle of olive oil. Finish with freshly grated horseradish.

"My first attempts at baking a good loaf of bread go back to the quiet, cozy time of the COVID lockdowns. The taste of freshly baked bread—still slightly warm, wonderfully crisp, and filling the house with its aroma—is simply unmatched. That’s why I still bake my own bread whenever I have time. To make it last and avoid wasting any of the good loaf, I slice and freeze part of the fresh bread right away. Two minutes in the toaster, and it tastes like it just came out of the oven—ready for butter, honey, and more. To keep it simple, I use fresh yeast, but only a tiny amount, allowing it to rise slowly. This makes the bread easier to digest, more flavorful, and lighter. For flour, I always use a mix of old grain varieties and regional specialties: einkorn, kamut, red wheat, spelt, or rye. One thing never changes: the joy of baking it myself."

For 2 loaves of approx. 900 g each

For the pre-dough (Dampfl):

• 6 g fresh yeast

• 1 tsp honey

• 100 ml warm water

For the main dough:

• 160 g walnut halves

• 600 ml water (room temperature)

• 300 g white wheat bread flour

• 300 g whole spelt flour (or whole emmer, kamut, rye flour)

• 400 g white spelt flour

• 15 g salt

• 10 g malt powder

• 10 g bread spice

• 3 tbsp olive oil

Roast the walnuts in the oven at 160°C for 8–10 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool and coarsely chop. For the pre-dough, dissolve the yeast and honey in warm water (30°C) and let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. At the same time, combine the three flours and water for the main dough in a mixing bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes as well. This process is called autolysis and allows the flour to absorb water before yeast and salt are added. After 30 minutes, add the pre-dough to the flour mixture and knead slowly for 3 minutes. Then add salt, malt powder, and bread spice, and knead for another 10 minutes. Finally, mix in the walnuts and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and knead for 2 more minutes. The dough should be smooth, elastic, and easy to remove from the bowl—don’t worry if it’s still quite moist. Grease a bowl with olive oil, place the dough in it, and lightly oil the surface of the dough. Now fold the dough three times: with both hands, lift the dough from both sides, stretch it gently, and fold the front and back down into the bowl. Turn the bowl 180° and repeat. Do this two more times. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Repeat the folding process with four turns, then rest another 30 minutes. Fold one last time with four turns. The dough should now feel firmer and more compact. If not, fold once more. Next, shape the dough. If you want two smaller loaves, divide it; if not, leave it whole. Place the dough on a floured surface, and fold the edges from the outside in to create surface tension. A seam will form on top. Place the dough seam-side up in a floured proofing basket, cover with a kitchen towel, and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven (and baking tray) to 220°C. Take the dough straight from the fridge, place it seam-side down on a piece of parchment paper, and score the top with a long, light cut. Slide the paper and loaf onto the hot tray and bake on the lowest rack. After 20 minutes, reduce the temperature to 190°C and bake for another 35 minutes. Let the bread cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

"The miraculous healing powers of wild-growing bilberries—known in the Pinzgau region as Moosbeeren—are legendary. They’re said to boost brain function, support liver health, and strengthen the nerves. These deep blue, almost black berries are considered the most powerful prebiotic in the plant kingdom and are packed with antioxidants that have pain-relieving and antibacterial properties. So it’s no exaggeration to call these wonder-berries true medicine. In this spirit, the sweet and tangy Moosbeernocken are, of course, prepared and enjoyed strictly for therapeutic purposes."

For the Moosbeernocken (Wild Bilberry Dumplings)

• 500 g wild bilberries (Moosbeeren)

• approx. 100 g coarse wheat or spelt flour

• 4 tbsp milk

• 1 pinch of salt

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

Also: clarified butter, regular butter, brown sugar, powdered sugar for dusting

For the lingonberry buttermilk:

• 500 ml buttermilk

• 5 tbsp lingonberries

• 1 tbsp honey

Mix the bilberries with flour, milk, salt, and sugar until well combined. Heat about 2 tbsp clarified butter in a pan and spoon in small dumplings of the berry mixture. The pan should be hot but not too hot. After 3–5 minutes, sprinkle with brown sugar and flip the dumplings. Add 2 tbsp butter to the pan and continue frying for another 3–5 minutes. Sprinkle again with brown sugar. For the buttermilk, blend all ingredients briefly with an immersion blender. Serve the Moosbeernocken on a flat plate, dusted with powdered sugar. They pair beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, sweetened sour cream, or cinnamon cream.