Free travel by train from the South Tyrolean border!
Gourmet half-board…
…in the sunny village of Maranza
During your holiday at the Pension Sonnenhof you may look forward to our gourmet half-board in Maranza/South Tyrol. The combination of down-to-earth South Tyrolean home cooking and traditional Italian specialties will make your stay on the Maranza Plateau a holiday of pure culinary pleasure. A rich breakfast buffet with a variety of farm products from the region awaits you in our dining room in the morning. Fragrant bread rolls, homemade wholemeal bread, delicious cold cuts and cheese and fruity jams ensure a great start to the day. There is also South Tyrolean alpine butter, sweet natural honey, creamy yoghurt, and several types of cereal. Your hostess Ulrike serves you aromatic coffee, fresh milk, steaming tea or sparkling mineral water to accompany your morning meal.
South Tyrolean & Mediterranean…
…delights in the evening
A delicious 4-course dinner awaits you in the evening as part of the gourmet half-board in Maranza/South Tyrol. Chef Christian is a passionate cook and a master of his craft. He will enchant you with South Tyrolean delicacies and Mediterranean dishes from Italian cuisine. Traditional alpine soups, homemade pasta dishes, hearty dumplings and tender roasts are served in the evening in our dining room. You may accompany your meal with a fine wine from South Tyrolean wine-growing regions. The salad buffet offers tasty salads prepared using fresh seasonal vegetables. The delicious conclusion to the 3-course menu is made up of lovingly prepared desserts that delight the eyes and the palate.
Vegetarian cuisine
with fresh products from the region
There is an extra fee of € 30.00 per person and day for the preparation of vegan cuisine. This surcharge helps us to cover the additional work and higher costs for vegan products. We thank you for your understanding and support.
The kitchen at the Pension Sonnenhof is well equipped for guests who prefer a vegetarian diet. Chef Christian is a trained chef and prepares delicious vegetarian dishes with fresh, regional products. Sun-ripened fruit and vegetables from the Isarco Valley are used for our dishes. Fresh aromatic herbs give every meal a tasty note. Look forward to a vegetarian holiday in South Tyrol surrounded by a striking mountain panorama in Maranza.
The wellbeing of your children…
…is important to us
We will inform you about the evening menu already at breakfast, so you and your children can read through everything that Christian will prepare for you that evening.
If you or your children don’t like certain dishes, or if you are allergic to some of the ingredients, just let us know after breakfast and we will be happy to offer a suitable alternative or follow your needs and preferences.
Of course, we also have highchairs for children in the dining room!
Lactose and gluten
…no problem
Do you suffer from gluten intolerance, celiac disease or lactose intolerance and would like to eat gluten-free or lactose-free? No problem, because in our restaurant you can enjoy vegetarian, gluten-free and lactose-free menus upon request. If you are spending your holiday with us, please let us know already with your booking if you have an intolerance. This will help us prepare better!
Christian
Our kitchen chef
“For me, South Tyrolean cuisine means combining traditional recipes with new ones and always relying on local products from our farmers.”
Christian was born with a love of cooking. Already at an early age, Christian loved to help in his parents’ guesthouse in Maranza and delight guests with his culinary skills.
Compulsory school years
After completing his compulsory studies, Christian knew he was going to be a chef. He began his career at the Hotel Rosental with his uncle Erich, who was a master of his craft, and later continued his apprenticeship in the hotels of the Falkensteiner Family. He finally completed his apprenticeship with distinction in 1997 as the best apprentice chef in South Tyrol and then did an interesting internship at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg.
Head Chef
In 1998, Christian was brought back to the Hotel Rosental as head chef, where he spent another successful year.
Pension Sonnenhof
In the spring of 1999, the Pension Sonnenhof was qualitatively renovated and since then Christian has replaced his mother Amalia in the kitchen.
Hotels & gourmet restaurants
Apart from the summer and winter seasons, Christian worked in many 4- and 5-star hotels and gourmet restaurants and learned many new culinary and creative tips and tricks with which he continues to amaze his guests at our Pension Sonnenhof.
Christian's kitchen secret
Christian's kitchen secret is to combine good traditional South Tyrolean fare with modern cuisine and to always incorporate light, Italian, Mediterranean influences.
Our recipesto try out at home
Christmas Cookies ("Spitzbuben")
Ingredients for approx. 20 cookies
- 150 g soft butter
- 125 g sugar
- 300 g flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ vanilla sugar, ½ baking powder
- Grated peel of an organic lemon and a pinch of salt
For the filling:
Choose your favourite jam (apricots, strawberries ….)
Preparation:
Mix the flour with sugar and butter, then add the remaining ingredients and swiftly knead a smooth dough.
Cover the dough and let it rest in a cool place for half an hour.
Then roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of 5 mm and cut out half of the dough with a round cookie cutter to make cookies about 6-8 cm in size. Cut out the other half of the dough into round rings of the same size and then bake in the oven on the middle rack at 180°C for about 10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool and then spread jam on the bottom of the cookies.
First sprinkle the rings with icing sugar and then place them on the jam-covered cookies.
Place the “Spitzbuben” in a cookie tin – after two days, they will taste even better because in the tin they will unfold their flavour.
Suggestion:
You may also decorate the tops of the cookies with chocolate instead of icing sugar.
You could also brush the cookie rings with egg before baking and then sprinkle them with chopped nuts or almonds before baking.
Have fun baking your cookies,
Unterkircher Christian
South Tyrolean 'Bauerntirtlan' (fried farmer's dumplings filled with spinach)
Recipe for approx. 4 persons
For the dough:
- 250 g wheat flour
- 40 g melted butter
- 4 egg yolks
- Lukewarm milk and salt
For the filling:
- 200 g finely chopped spinach
- 50 g Ricotta (quark or curd)
- 50 g mashed potatoes
- 1 egg yolk
- 30 g grated Parmesan cheese
- a pinch of salt, grated nutmeg, and pepper
Preparation:
For the dough, mix all the ingredients except the lukewarm milk in a bowl. Then stir the lukewarm milk into the dough as needed until you get a smooth consistency.
Knead the dough carefully, cover it, and let it rest for about half an hour.
In the meantime, mix all the ingredients for the filling and don’t forget to season to taste!
Then roll out the dough as thinly as possible using either a pasta machine or a rolling pin.
Using a cookie cutter with a diameter of about 10-12 cm (you may also use a small bowl, glass or an empty can), cut out round pieces of dough.
For one “Tirtl” you need 2 rounds of dough (one on top, one on the bottom)
Then spread the filling with a tablespoon on the round, approx. 5mm high and 6 cm wide.
Brush the edges with water, place the second piece of dough on top and press the edges together well.
Then the “Bauerntirtlan” are fried in hot oil at about 180 degrees!
And then you can eat them when they’re still warm!
A little tip: you may also use sauerkraut as a filling or something sweet, like blackberry or cranberry jam!
Christian hopes you’ll enjoy trying out this traditional recipe.
Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi
Tomato & Mozzarella Gnocchi with parmesan shavings and rocket pesto
Ingredients for approx. 4 persons:
- 400 g stale white bread
- 400 g milk
- 4 eggs
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 100 g Mozzarella, finely chopped
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 40 g chives or parsley
Ingredients for the rocket pesto:
- 50 g olive oil
- 50 g rocket (arugula)
- 20 g pine nuts
- 20 g hard goat cheese
Additional ingredients for garnishing:
- 60 g Parmesan shavings
- 80 g butter to melt
Preparation of the Gnocchi:
Cut the stale bread into cubes and place them in a large bowl.
Mix the milk with the tomato paste and add to the bread.
Allow to soak for half an hour.
Then add the eggs and the other ingredients.
Then try to form gnocchi and if that doesn’t work, you can simply make round shapes.
Preparation of the rocket pesto:
Put the olive oil in a mixer (shaker) and turn it on full speed – then simply add the rocket and the remaining ingredients and mix for just a short time (otherwise the pesto will become very bitter)!
Cook the gnocchi in salted water for about 10-12 minutes, then place them on a plate, sprinkle with the Parmesan shavings, melt the butter until light brown, pour over the dumplings and garnish with the rocket pesto.
I hope you’ll appreciate this recipe.
Enjoy your gnocchi!
Unterkircher Christian
Potato ravioli with...
…fresh goat’s cheese filling, parmesan, and melted hazelnut butter
Approx. 4 portions:
Dough:
- 250 g cooked and mashed
- 1 egg yolk
- 60-80 g flour
- Salt and nutmeg
Filling:
- 50 g fresh goat’s cheese
- 10 g chives or parsley
- 30 g Parmesan
- 1 pinch of pepper
Garnish:
- 50 g melted butter
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 30 g chopped hazelnuts
- Chives or parsley, finely chopped
Preparation
Mix the cooled potatoes with the egg yolk, salt and nutmeg.
Add the flour and knead into a smooth dough.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of approx. 5 mm and use a cookie cutter to cut out circles of approx. 6 cm.
Mix the ingredients of the filling together and use a piping bag to pipe a hazelnut-sized portion into the centre of each potato dough circle.
Fold the dough and firmly press the edges together with your fingertips.
Cook the ravioli in salted water for about 3-4 minutes.
Arrange nicely on the plates, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, hazelnuts, chives or parsley and pour over the lightly browned clarified butter.
We hope you enjoy our recipe
Christian and the Unterkircher Family
Cottage cheese dumplings on strawberry puree
for 4-6 persons
- 300 g curd
- 60 g breadcrumbs
- 60 g melted butter
- 2 eggs
- 30 g sour cream
- 80 g durum wheat semolina
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- grated peel from one lemon
- 3 packets of vanilla sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 100 g milk chocolate cut into 1cm x 1cm squares
- 100 g breadcrumbs
- 50 g butter
- 10 g cinnamon
- 300 g strawberries
- 100 g sugar
- 50 g plain yogurt
- Icing sugar for sprinkling and mint leaves for garnishing
Preparation:
Mix the curd, breadcrumbs, melted butter, eggs, sour cream, durum wheat semolina, lemon juice, grated lemon peel and salt to form a smooth dough and chill for 2 hours.
Roast the breadcrumbs with butter in a pan and add cinnamon, then let cool on a plate.
Take the dumpling dough out of the fridge and take portions of dumpling mixture weighing about 50 g, flatten them on the palm of your hand, then place the piece of chocolate on top and form round dumplings. Boil the dumplings in salted water for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, puree the strawberries together with the sugar.
Spread the strawberry puree flat on the plates and garnish with plain yoghurt as desired.
Remove the dumplings from the water and toss them in the cinnamon breadcrumbs, place them on the plate and sprinkle with icing sugar.
Dark chocolate mousse
Dark chocolate mousse with marinated strawberries
For approx. 4 persons:
- 100 g melted dark chocolate
- 50 g sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 egg
- 250 g stiffly whipped cream
- 200 g fresh strawberries
- 40 g sugar and juice of half a lemon
- Fresh mint leaves
Preparation
Beat the yolk and egg with the sugar until fluffy, then quickly stir in the melted chocolate! You will probably end up with small lumps of chocolate or the mixture will become very thick and creamy. There’s a great trick you might want to try! Add a few tablespoons of hot water to the mixture until the chocolate lumps have melted.
Add the whipped cream to this chocolate mixture while stirring carefully, making sure that everything is mixed well without stirring for too long, otherwise the whipped cream may curdle. Then pour the mixture into a suitable mould and place it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Wash and quarter the strawberries and marinate them with sugar, lemon juice and finely chopped mint leaves (just before serving). Arrange on the plate as desired.
Christian hopes you’ll enjoy trying out this recipe!
Creamy terrine
Creamy terrine made from local buttermilk with warm rhubarb compote
Buttermilk terrine for approx. 4 portions:
- 250 g butter milk
- 250 g whipping cream
- 60 g icing sugar
- The juice and grated zest of a lemon or lime
- 2 sheets of gelatine soaked in chilly water for about 1 hour
Preparation
Whip the buttermilk, cream, and icing sugar with a mixer until stiff.
Then add the lemon zest and juice.
Melt the gelatine and stir it quickly into the mixture to avoid clumps.
Fill the mixture immediately into small moulds or a terrine form and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Rhubarb compote:
Cut the rhubarb into small pieces.
Then boil 200 g water with 80 g sugar and the rhubarb for about 3-4 minutes.
Strain the stock and thicken it slightly with corn starch. Then add the chopped rhubarb, bring everything to a short boil and set it aside to cool for about 15 minutes.
Cut the terrine into slices (about 2 cm thick) and pour the rhubarb compote over it.
Christian hopes you’ll enjoy trying out this recipe.
Crispy grilled steak
Crispy grilled steak from South Tyrolean farm pork with a crust of local apricot mustard and farmer’s bread with dried mountain flower leaves on a balsamic sauce
Ingredients for 4 persons:
- 4 steaks of approx. 200 g of pork loin from your trusted butcher
- Apricot mustard from the organic market or delicatessen store
- 1 South Tyrolean farmer’s bread finely diced
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon of dried mountain flowers from the organic store or flowers you’ve picked and dried at home
- 100 g balsamic vinegar
- 200 g ready-made gravy
Preparation:
Season the steaks with salt, pepper, and fresh herbs (sage, rosemary, and thyme) and roast them swiftly and crispy on both sides in a very hot pan.
Quickly remove the meat from the pan and place it on a baking tray, spread with apricot mustard and top with the finely diced farmer’s bread.
Then sprinkle the meat with approx. 5 mm of grated Parmesan.
In a pot, allow the balsamic vinegar to reduce almost completely, then pour in the gravy and simmer gently for 3 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (convection) and bake the meat on the middle rack for about 10 minutes, then let the meat rest out of the oven for another 2 minutes.
In the meantime, arrange the desired side dishes on the plates and pour the balsamic sauce onto the plate. Then place the steak on top of the sauce and sprinkle it with the dried mountain flowers.
Christian hopes you’ll enjoy this meal.
