The nest of the sun stork

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 250 g quark
• 2 packets of vanilla sugar
• 1 egg(s)
• 250g spaghetti
• 1 jar morello cherries
• 2 tbsp, heaped cornstarch
• 50 g blue poppy seeds, ground
• 2 tbsp, heaped butter
• 50 g flour
• 50 ml milk

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes

Spaghetti nests made from quark dough, served with cherry compote

To make the quark mixture, place the quark, egg, and vanilla sugar in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. Next, add the flour and mix thoroughly. Gradually add the milk and stir in as well. The mixture should be creamy and spreadable. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and set aside for about 30 minutes. Cook 250g of spaghetti according to the package instructions. During this time, preheat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the morello cherries and their juice (skim off about 4-5 tablespoons beforehand) into a medium-sized saucepan and heat gently. Pour the skimmed juice into a small bowl (cup) and mix with the cornstarch. A fork works well for this. Once the starch and juice are smooth, return the mixture to the pan, mix well, and bring to a boil briefly. Bring everything to a boil briefly, remove from the heat, and let cool. Once the mixture has cooled, stir in a packet of vanilla sugar. After the cooking time, drain the spaghetti in a colander and let it drain. For the nests, take some cooked spaghetti and place it in a flat pile on the baking sheet, allowing more piles to follow until all the spaghetti is used up. Now add a little of the quark mixture to each spaghetti pile, ensuring the spaghetti piles are completely covered. Individual noodles should be pressed into the quark mixture, otherwise they will harden and brown during baking. Now place the baking sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes. The nests should have a beautiful, yellow-gold color. While the nests are baking, melt the two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan and add the poppy seeds. Mix well, bring to a boil briefly, remove from the heat, and set aside. To serve, place 1-2 nests on a plate, drizzle with cherry compote and add poppy seeds. Note on the name of the dish: The legend of the so-called sun stork is widespread among our native birdlife. Long ago, it lived in the kingdom of birds and served as a mediator for better communication between humans and birds. But many envious people and animals made life on earth difficult for the sun stork. Now the sun stork has become very rare and lays its eggs in heaven. But on the day of the bird, Bardagumda Day, the sun stork appears and grants the birds’ long-held wishes. In its honor, the birds work diligently for days: they prepare nests from spaghetti-like undergrowth and hide them under poppy-like rocks. The clutch always consists of blood-red, cherry-sized eggs.