Austrian Linzer Torte

For ➑ portions

75 g blanched almonds 

75 g blanched hazelnuts 

250 g plain flour 

225 g butter 

130 g light brown sugar 

1 egg 1 tsp cinnamon 

⅛ ts cloves 

¼ ts salt 

zest of 1 lemon 

280 g redcurrant jam* 

1 egg yolk 

almond flakes for decoration 

 

Grind the almonds and hazelnuts and place in a bowl. Add the flour, salt, cloves, cinnamon, lemon zest, light brown sugar and butter. Use a pastry cutter/blender or two knives to cut the butter into the remaining ingredients until crumbly. Then add the egg. 

Knead into a dough with your hands. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for at least 30 m. 

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Take ⅔ of the dough and press it into a 26 cm baking tin. Make sure the bottom is completely covered with dough with a thick edge of 1 cm thick. Add the jam, make sure the entire bottom of the tart is covered with jam. 

Cut the rest of the dough into strips. Place the strips on the tart and make a nice lattice pattern on it. Brush the dough with egg yolk. Decorate the Linzer Torte with some almond shavings and bake it in the oven for 45-60 m. 

* (or raspberry jam)

Gulyas alla Triestina (Trieste beef stew)

For ➍
750 g lean beef, cut into 5 cm cubes
1½ tbs sweet paprika
6 tbs olive oil
125 g pancetta, 0.5 cm thick, cut into 0.5 cm strips
2 large brown onions, chopped
½ ts cayenne pepper
1 ts cumin (fresh if possible)
2 tbs minced garlic
15 cl red wine
150 g seeded, chopped canned plum tomatoes with juice
1 sprig of rosemary & marjoram each, 1 bay leaf
grated zest of ½ lemon
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Rub the meat with ½ tbs paprika, 1 tbs salt and 2 tbs of olive oil. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Remove from refrigerator 1 h before cooking.

Preheat oven to 130°C.

Heat a large pan to medium. Add some oil (4 tbs for the whole process). Add pancetta and let it render its fat (7 m). Remove pancetta and put on a plate.

Raise the heat to high. Brown beef cubes, adding olive oil as needed. Remove meat.

Reduce the heat to medium, add the 2 onions and fry, add more oil as needed, until softened.

Stir in 1 tbs paprika, cayenne, cumin and garlic. Boil for 5 m.

Add the beef, pancetta, wine, tomatoes and their juice, herb sachet, and lemon zest. Stir for 5 m. Transfer to an oven-dish, cover and simmer for 2 (to 2,5) h*.

Discard herbs. Season stew to taste. Tastes best refrigerated overnight, then reheated.

Serve with buttered pasta, mashed potatoes, polenta or rye bread and a strong ruby wine like Trieste refosco or some Carso rosso.

*Alternatively, cook on stove-top in cast iron cookware. Cover tightly and simmer for about 1 (to 1.5) h on low heat. Uncover during last half hour for a thicker version.

The Adriatic city of Trieste came into bloom as the only sea-port of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and, being a frontier city for ages, about as great a melting-pot of nationalities as the capital Vienna. After the defeat of Austria in World War I, the Free-State Trieste became part of Italy.  After World War II and Yugoslavian occupation it finally became an Italian city, keeping the heritage of Slavian and Austrian influences alive.
This fusion gulyas (goulash) is close to the Viennese version of an originally Hungarian dish.