Prettaly – Pretty Italy

I first got to know this absolutely delicious spread during a dinner of a very good Austrian friend of mine. She served this as an appetizer everyone adored it! It’s typical in the «Steiermark» region of Austria.

By the way – should you have any left, it’s a perfect addition to the breakfast or brunch table! Or just prepare half of the amount for a smaller portion, just for the family.

Find the easy recipe here:

Ingredients
Adapted from the Austrian Cookbook «Herdhelden»
100g pumpkin seeds
½ bunch of chives (chopped)
200g cream cheese (to make it lighter, just use light cream cheese)
3-4 tablespoons crème fraiche
3-4 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
1-2 garlic cloves
Salt & pepper

Directions
Heat the pumpkin seeds in a pan without oil. They will start jumping when they are ready. Be careful to stir continuously, as they like to burn really quickly. Then set aside to cool. Once cooled (approx. 10 minutes), chop in a food processor.

Mix cream, crème fraiche and pumpkin seed oil together. Peel garlic cloves, crush them and add to the cream cheese mix, together with the washed and chopped chives. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Serve either in a bowl with crackers or alternatively serve on darker pumpkin seed bread or baguette.