Ghackets mit Hörnli und Apfelmus

This might not be the first “typically Swiss” recipe that comes to your mind, as many other recipes are probably better known abroad. I chose this recipe because it’s easy to prepare, loved by everybody, and just a little bit more balanced and healthy and less fatty than other beloved Swiss recipes like Rösti and fondue. And since the name is typically Swiss (being difficult for foreigners to pronounce), what else could I have chosen?

When we stayed in Singapore for three years – yes, we were once expats, too! – we often had this dish at gatherings of our Swiss Association, as it is easy to prepare in great quantities and the beef can be cooked in advance and just heated up. For these reasons, it’s also a dish that you often find on menus in small, remote alpine restaurants that you can only reach by hiking.

If you want to eat the dish in the traditional Swiss way, you’ll have to put the applesauce on top of the Hörnli and Ghackets and mix it all! But I must admit: this is very controversial even among Swiss people. I personally like it that way!

Recipe: Ghackets mit Hörnli und Apfelmus

Serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. oil or butter
• 400 g. minced beef
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 dl. red wine
• 2 dl. beef stock
• 1 tsp. tomato purée (paste)
• 1 tsp. mixed herbs, finely chopped
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 500 g. of Hörnli pasta
• Applesauce (which you can buy in cans or jars)
• Grated cheese

Method:

1. Heat the oil or butter and brown the meat in a large pan.

2. Add the finely chopped onion and garlic and fry it all for a short time.

3. Add the herbs, wine, stock, tomato purée (paste) and seasonings. Leave it to simmer for 15-20 minutes. If necessary, remove the cover for a few minutes to thicken the mixture.

4. If it starts to stick, add a little more liquid.

5. Cook and drain the Hörnli according to packet instructions. Add the beef mixture, mix together and serve.

6. Let people individually mix with grated cheese and/or applesauce. The less adventurous will eat the applesauce separately. En guete!

By Katrin Draemann Barothy

Katrin Draemann Barothy is Swiss and lives in Freienbach SZ, together with her husband Thomas and their 10-year-old daughter Prisca. Katrin is a stay-at-home mom who produces iPad apps for kids under the label JustKidsApps (www.justkidsapps.com).