All month we’ve been using out noodle! We’re ending our month with an oh so delicious Spaetzle recipe. Rhonda spent 4 1/2 years in Germany and got this recipe from some German co-workers. This is the real deal here. Light fluffy and delicious. Want to make it plain? leave out the parsley and chives. Want it quick? Skip the browning part and just serve as is, we promise it’s delicious!
There are several methods to form the spaetzle, all of them require a tool with holes where the dough is pressed through over a pot of simmering water. There’s the maker with a hopper (pictured below), a ‘lid’ with a scrapper that fits over the pot (pictured at the bottom), you could use a food mill with large holes or in a pinch a colander with large holes and a stiff spatula or spoon to push the dough through. We like to use a spider to fish out the noodles into our ice water till we’re ready for the next step.
Spaetzle maker with hopper. This spaetzle hasn’t been browned.
- 1 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
- 1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
- 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 3 Tbs. chopped fresh chives
- 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- In a large bowl, combine the milk, eggs, flour, the 2 tsp. salt, the 1/8 tsp. pepper, the nutmeg, and 1 Tbs.each of the parsley and chives. Whisk until smooth.
- Fill a large pot two-thirds full of lightly salted water and bring to a brisk simmer over medium-high heat. Set a large bowl of ice water near the stove.
- Put the batter in a spaetzle maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, slide the hopper and drop the spaetzle directly into the simmering water. Alternatively, hold a colander with large holes over the simmering water. Using a rubber spatula, push 1 cup of the batter through the holes directly into the water. Cook the noodles for 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon or a mesh strainer, transfer the noodles to the ice water. Repeat with the remaining batter. Drain the spaetzle well in a colander with small holes so the noodles do not slide through. The spaetzle may be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 hours.
- Just before serving, in a large nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the spaetzle and sauté, stirring frequently, until the noodles are golden brown and crispy, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and add the remaining 2 Tbs. each parsley and chives. Transfer to a warmed large serving bowl and serve immediately.
Spaetzle Maker
Kitchen Spider