Capuns Casserole
We spent this year’s summer vacation in the Engadine and ate, as one does in Graubünden, lots of Capuns. These dumplings wrapped in leafy greens and simmered in cream, are a classic from the canton and I have a recipe for them (that I recently updated) here.
This year we planted Schnittmangold in our garden, the traditional kind of chard that is used for making Capuns (though you can easily use regular Swiss chard too) and, as they are such a crowd-pleaser, I ended up making them a lot. On the days I didn’t feel like the time-consuming work of rolling the little bundles, I instead made this Capuns Casserole, which still takes time (it’s still best to blanche the chard first), but is not nearly as fiddly.
This excellent idea to simplify Capuns comes from Swissmilk (recipe here) and I’ve only slightly amended their recipe. The main thing I think they are missing is the inclusion of other herbs in the batter. I love the hint of mint that you find in most Capuns. Most often Krauseminze, spearmint, is suggested as the mint of choice.
For the batter
3 eggs
250 ml milk
300 g flour
60 g hard cheese, grated
a handful of herbs (mint, thyme, oregano, basil, etc.), finely chopped
Assembly
400 g chard leaves (with stems, about 200-250 g with stems removed)
200 ml milk/cream (or half and half)
60 g hard cheese, grated
Prepare the batter
In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and seasonings. Add the flour while whisking, and then continue to whisk hard enough so you can see the batter bubbling up from the bottom. Stir in the cheese and herbs. Cover and let sit for at least half an hour.
Prepare the chard leaves
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. As soon as the water is boiling, dip the leaves for a few seconds, or until they turn bright green and are somewhat softened. Then gently dip them in cold water. Carefully spread out the leaves and place them on a clean tea towel.
Assembly
Preheat oven to 190 C / 375 F / gas mark 5.
Grease a 2.5 litre (10 cup) casserole dish.
Place a thin layer of batter at the bottom, spreading carefully, then place chard leaves on top. Keep alternating between batter and chard until it is all used up.
Pour over the milk/cream mixture and top with grated cheese. Bake for about 35 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbling.
Spreading the sticky batter was actually not as hard as I imagined. As you place the chard leaves they sink a bit into the previous layer and hold their place quite well. I did find it easiest to use my small offset palette knife to do this. If it gets too sticky, just rinse it in warm water before spreading.
This recipe is vegetarian, though you could add always add some diced Salsiz, Bündnerfleisch, other cured meat or ham.
Serves four.
Ready to roll?
Capuns
