Tagliatelle with tafelspitz (boiled beef) and carrots (Photo Getty)
From a journey to Milan, Mozart's father Leopold writes to his wife, "We are in God's hands wherever we are. Wolfgang will not ruin his health by eating and drinking. He is fat and in good health, and is merry and cheerful all day long."
A typical dish of the time would have been Tafelspitz
Ingredients (Serves 6)
1 piece Approx1.5 kg beef
1 bunch Carrots
1 Leek
1 Large Onion
2 Bay Leaves
add Peppercorns
add Salt
add Soup Garnishes according to taste (such as semolina dumplings or "Frittaten" sliced pancakes)
add Chives (freshly chopped)
Slice the onion in half widthways and fry off
Put around 3 litres of water into a large saucepan. Add the root vegetables, leek, onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns and bring to a boil. Add the meatcook until softened in gently simmering water, which will take around 2 1⁄2 – 3 hours. Add more water as required and skim off any foam from the surface.
Season well with salt, but only after a good 2 hours.
Once the meat has softened, remove it from the pan and keep it warm in some of the liquid from the soup. Season the remainder of the soup again to taste, and strain it (optional). Serve with semolina dumplings or "Frittaten" (sliced pancakes - a traditional Austrian soup garnish) and freshly chopped chives as a starter. Afterwards, slice the boiled beef by cutting on the bias and arrange it on pre-heated plates, or serve in the hot soup in a decorative soup tureen.
Serve with roast potatoes, a bread and horseradish mix, green beans in a dill sauce, or creamed spinach and chive sauce. If the root vegetables are to be served at the same time, cook some of them separately to be served al dente.