The first stop of our themed “ Tennis & Culinary in Carinthia” is at the Hotel & Spa Sonne in St. Kanzian on the west bank of Lake Klopein. In the family-run 4-star hotel you will find the best conditions for a tennis holiday as a couple, with friends or family from April to October. The charming hotel is located directly on the lake and offers you an unforgettable lake and mountain panorama . You will certainly have fond memories of the tasty Alpine-Adriatic cuisine that the kitchen team puts on your plate every day. We asked the hotel what is special about Alpine-Adriatic cuisine and how the tennis hotel is implementing the slow food trend. Let us take you on a culinary journey of discovery. And there is also a super delicious recipe. Have fun cooking the Carinthian Lax`n on white wine risotto with porcini mushrooms and bacon chips .

Open the kitchen door in the tennis hotel Sonne Hotel & Spa

We asked the Sonne kitchen team a few questions about slow food and Alpine Adriatic cuisine. Read how the hotel puts these two things into practice every day.

 Carinthian Slow Food – that stands for great regional and high-quality products that you work with in the hotel. Where do you get your products (meat, fish, cheese, etc.) from and do you have a particular favorite product?

We source our products from nearby companies with whom we have been working for a long time. Our meat comes from Karnerta in Klagenfurt, which stands for the best, traditional butcher's craft. We get the fish directly from the Marzi fish farm in St. Marein. We get our delicious, widely used goat cheese just around the corner from Ziegenkäse - Hartmann in St. Kanzian.

Our favorite product is Hadn rice from the Tomic organic farm. (Note: Hadn rice is buckwheat)

 Carinthia is known for its so-called Alpine-Adria cuisine: how would you define this cuisine? What makes this cuisine particularly delicious?

The influences of the neighboring countries and the combination of the products of these three cultures simply harmonize wonderfully. The interaction is characterized by the lightness of Italian cuisine, the tradition of Slovenian cuisine and the passion for regionality of Carinthian and Austrian cuisine.

 What is your personal favorite Carinthian dish that you serve in the hotel?

Without a doubt the original Carinthian cheese noodles.

 What should a TennisTraveller definitely eat when visiting Carinthia (e.g. in a rustic alpine hut)?

Ritschert - the classic dish that Carinthian grandmothers used to serve in a large pot in 'family style' when everyone came together at one table in the evening. Beans from the garden, smoked meat, rolled barley, vegetables and all embedded in home-made soup.

The recipe from the tennis hotel Sonne Hotel & Spa: Carinthian Lax'n on white wine risotto with porcini mushrooms and bacon chips

White wine sauce:

• 2 shallots
• 1 clove of garlic
• 50g butter
• 200 ml white wine
• 100 ml whipped cream
• some beef soup
• salt and pepper

Garnish recommendation: cherry tomatoes and porcini mushrooms

preparation

• Salt and pepper the fish fillets and place them, skin side down, on a buttered piece of aluminum foil. Depending on your taste, the fish can be marinated with lemon, thyme and olive oil or other herbs that the garden provides and set aside. It is then gently fried in a pan with oil on the skin side.
  
  
• Finely chop the onion and sauté in a little butter. Add the rice and stir. Deglaze with a little wine and let it evaporate while stirring. Then add the vegetable broth again and again and simmer until the rice is al dente and the risotto has a creamy consistency. It is important to stir frequently to avoid burning. Finally, remove from the heat and finish with butter and parmesan - this makes the risotto even creamier.
  
  
• For the white wine sauce, peel the shallots and the garlic clove, cut them into small pieces and sauté them in a pot with some of the butter. Then deglaze with white wine, pour in soup and let it boil down a little. Then add the cream and season with a little salt and pepper and let it simmer further. Remove from heat, mix with a hand blender and strain if necessary. Finally, add the remaining butter and foam with a hand blender before serving.
  
  
• As a garnish, we recommend lightly fried slices of fresh porcini mushrooms, a sprig of thyme and one or two fresh cherry tomatoes per plate.
  
  

We wish you a bon appetite! 

Would you like even more tennis holiday inspiration in Carinthia?

You can find a lot of information about the tennis hotels in Carinthia at www.kaernten.at/tennis . You can find specific booking offers at: www.kaernten.at/tennis/urlaubsangebote 
Or of course directly here on the TennisTraveller on our Carinthian inspiration page - everything at a glance: Carinthian tennis hotels, camp offers and interesting things from the blog.

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