Gourmet recipes transport you to Graubünden, Switzerland

Graubünden is an eastern Swiss canton known for its dramatic Alpine scenery and winter sports. A gourmet holiday in Graubünden is distinguished by four ingredients: regional cuisine from three language areas, unrivalled mountain scenery, a wide range of adventure activities ranging from winter hiking to skiing, and warm Swiss hospitality. While you plan your real vacation, here are three recipes that will take you on a gourmet tour of this dreamy destination.

Barley Soup

Graubünden’s most famous soup is probably the Bündner barley soup, which is well known far beyond the state border.

Ingredients for about 4 People

• 100 g coarse or medium barley

• 2 liters of water
• 40 g of butter
• 2 cubes of meat bouillon
• 1 tbsp salt
• 300 g pork smoked
• 200 g Bündnerfleisch
• 150 g bacon
• 1 leek stalk
• 1/2 cabbage
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 celery
• 200 ml of cream
• 1 onion
• 150 g of beans

Preparation

• Peel celery and carrots and cut into small cubes or strips.
• Cut off the thick ribs from the cabbage and cut it into strips, slice the leek stalks.
• Cut the onion into small pieces.
• Heat the oil in a large pan and steam the celery and cabbage in it.
• Add the barley, leek, beans, onion and about 2 liters of water.
• Dissolve the bouillon cube and simmer for 2 1/2 hours.
• Cut the meat into cubes and add to the soup and let it steep for another half hour.
• After the cooking time, season with salt and pepper from the mill and add a little cream just before serving.

Maluns

Maluns is a traditional Grisons dish. Maluns are made from potatoes that are grated and roasted with flour in butter. Have fun cooking.

Ingredients for 4–5 Persons

• 1 kg potatoes, unpeeled, medium to large
• 10 gr (approx.) of salt, pepper from the mill, and spices
• 200 gr white flour
• 1 dl peanut oil
• 50 gr butter

Preparation

• Boil the potatoes in their jackets in salted water at least 24 hours before preparation of Maluns.
• Peel and grate the potatoes.
• Mix in flour and salt mixture. Mix the whole thing by hand until small lumps start to form.
• Put the oil and 25 gr butter in a non-stick frying pan. When this is good and hot, put in the potato gratings and lump them together with a pair of wooden spoons, until the ingredients are crumbly and light brown in colour. At the end, add the remaining butter. Serve the Maluns with apple sauce, cranberry sause or Alpine cheese. People often drink café au lait with this dish.

Capuns

Capuns are synonymous with the art of Grisons cooking, experimentation and imagination – there is not one recipe, but several. This variation of Capuns tatta Albin is lip-smacking.

Ingredients for 5 Persons

• 400 gr white flour

• 3 eggs
• 1 dl water
• 1 dl milk
• Salt, pepper
• 1 pair of Landjäger sausages
• 1 Salsiz sausage (120 g)
• 100 gr smoked ham
• 10 gr parsley, chopped
• 10 gr green onion, chopped
• 20 gr horse mint
• 60 leaves of Swiss chard
• 4 dl bouillon
• 4 dl milk
• 100 grams grated Alpine cheese
• 50 gr butter
• 100 gr bacon bits

Preparation

• Put the flour in a bowl. Add eggs, water, milk and spices. Quickly make everything into a flat dough and pour some cold water on it.
• Cube Landjäger, Salsiz and smoked ham or bacon. Cut up and put together with spices into the dough.
• Wash chard leaves. Place a portion of the dough mixture onto each leaf and fold it up.
• Cook the milk and bouillon together, add the Capuns and simmer for about 10 minutes. Take the Capuns out carefully, arrange on a plate, pour some of the broth on and sprinkle with cheese.
• Fry the bacon bits in butter and sprinkle over the Capuns. Ready to eat!