Spaetzel
Spaetzel
I was fortunate to live and work in Germany for several years, and I love so much of the food. Spaetzel are freshly-made egg noodles. Read a bit about them below, then try a recipe.
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Notes on Spaetzle
German Egg Noodles
Ohhh! A foreign (German) word - Spaetzle or spätzle . Spaetzle can be name dropped to your friends and most won't realize that you are talking about simple, fresh egg noodles.
Spaetzle are easy to make and have very few ingredients: flour, eggs, salt, milk; cooked in boiling salted water until they rise to the top. The traditional spaetzle press is easily replace by a simple colander used to form the noodles.
Traditional and modern
German cooks have made this dish for centuries. These soft egg noodles were first mentioned in 1725, so they have been around for a while.
Traditional dishes include: "Kaese Spaetzle" - egg noodles with cheese and fried onions, spaetzle with venison and mushroom ragout, and apple spaetzle with clarified butter and cinnamon.
Modern recipes incorporate chestnut flour, almond flour and whole wheat flour ; to create distinctive flavors and dinners. In winter, using chestnut flour, brown butter sauce and sage to pair with traditional lentils creates a warm, satisfying meal. In early spring, traditional white flour spaetzle with smoked pork pieces, sweet onions and sour cream paired with apple cider glazed pork chops and a cool kale, beet and orange salad make a hearty, fresh, dinner to share with friends and family.
Preparation notes
Spaetzle should be eaten as soon as they are cooked - so all other elements for the meal need to be prepared prior to cooking the spaetzle.
Technique: you can always go to the cooking store and purchase or order a spaetzle press; however, you can get good results by using a colander - the colander needs to have fairly large holes for the dough to pass through.
Classic Spaetzle
Classic Spaetzel (Basic Recipe)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup water or milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
After spaetzle is cooked:
- 2 Tbsp butter, divided
Preparation:
- In a large bowl, mix flour and spices together. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs and water or milk together. Pour egg mixture into well in flour.
- Slowly combine all flour into the egg mixture. Make sure it is well combined. (Dough will be quite thick.)
- Rest 15 minutes.
- Boil salted water in a large pot. Reduce heat to simmer.
- You will cook this in three batches. Using a large-holed colander, a spaetzle press or spaetzle grater, wet the surface of the colander with water and add 1/3 of the dough into the colander. Place colander over pot of simmering water and push the dough through the holes using a spatula or damp wooden spoon.
- Cook until the spaetzle float to the surface of the water.
- Remove from water with slotted spoon and place into bowl with 1 Tbsp butter, stir until butter melts and spaetzle is coated. Cover and cook next batch. When all spaetzle are cooked, they are ready to serve.
These can be placed in a skillet and browned off then cheese melted over the top or served as a side dish.
Kaesespaetzle
Käsespätzle
This recipe is courtesy of one of my German friends, and I loved his notes on it. I've copied it here, verbatim, with his permission.
Where I’m from Ulm, Kasespatzle is a classic – a quintessential Swabian comfort food dish. Homemade Spätzle are layered with gobs of shredded Emmentaler and geröstete Zwiebeln (caramelized onions) and then baked in the oven. I guess you could say it’s Germany’s version of mac and cheese.
Please be aware, that this dish should not be included in your dietary program.
Historically these dishes had the purpose to feed hard working and hungry people, very often this was the only meal of the day. So enjoy! (not daily)
_________
Ingredients (scroll down for American equivalents):
For the Spätzle:
- 600g flour, 400g of which is strong white flour
- 6 eggs
- 1tbs semolina
- 1tbs water
- 1tbs salt and water
- 400g mixed cheese (Emmental, Gruyere etc.)
For the onions:
- 75g butter
- 2 mid-sized onions cut in rings
American Equivalent:
For the Spätzle:
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 6 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon semolina
- 1 tsp water
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 cups shredded mixed cheese (Emmental, Gruyere etc.)
For onions:
- 1/3 cup butter
- 2 mid sized onions cut into rings.
How to make them:
- Quickly work the flour, eggs, semolina, salt and water into a batter - you should still be able to see traces of flour in the mixture.
- Press the dough through a Spaetzle Maker or, if you don't have one, you can use a potato press, large holed sieve or metal grater, and carefully place them into boiling salt water. You can also spread the batter on a wooden board in batches (making sure the batter is not spread too wide or the Knöpfle end up being quite long) and scrape thin and oblong "noodles" directly into the water with a dough scraper or the back of a knife (this does take a bit of practice)
- Roast the onion rings in butter until they are golden-brown, and spread them over the plate.
- Bring the Spätzle to the boil - boiling salted water, and once they start to float, drain them and transfer them to a pre-warmed bowl and arrange them in layers with grated cheese and roasted onions on each layer and generously on the top.
- Bake the Spätzle uncovered at 400 degrees F for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the some of the edges have just started to get crispy.
Tastes delicious served alongside potato salad, green salad or even apple sauce.
This creamy, cheesy dish is topped with rings of butter-fried onions.
Buckwheat Spaetzel
Buckwheat Spaetzle (Gluten Free)
Note: Buckwheat is not related to wheat and is gluten free.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup buckwheat flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup water or milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
After spaetzle is cooked:
- 2 Tbsp butter, divided
Preparation:
- In a large bowl, mix flour and spices together. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs and water or milk together. Pour egg mixture into well in flour.
- Slowly combine all flour into the egg mixture. Make sure it is well combines. (Dough will be quite thick.)
- Rest 15 minutes.
- Boil salted water in a large pot. Reduce heat to simmer.
- You will cook this in three batches. Using a large-holed colander, a spaetzle press or spaetzle grater, wet the surface of the colander with water and add 1/3 of the dough into the colander. Place colander over pot of simmering water and push the dough through the holes using a spatula or damp wooden spoon.
- Cook until the spaetzle float to the surface of the water.
- Remove from water with slotted spoon and place into bowl with 1 Tbsp butter, stir until butter melts and spaetzle is coated. Cover and cook next batch. When all spaetzle are cooked, they are ready to serve.
These are great with cooked apples or pears or applesauce.
Try adding cooked pears, apples or applesauce to this version.
Sweet Almond Spaetzel
Sweet Almond Spaetzle
Ingredients:
- ½ cup flour
- ½ Almond Flour
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup water or milk
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbls Sugar
After spaetzle is cooked:
- 2 Tbls butter, divided
Preparation:
- In a large bowl, mix flour and spices together. Make a well in the middle of the flour.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs and water or milk together. Pour egg mixture into well in flour.
- Slowly combine all flour into the egg mixture. Make sure it is well combines. (Dough will be quite thick.)
- Rest 15 minutes.
- Boil salted water in a large pot. Reduce heat to simmer.
- You will cook this in three batches. Using a large holed colander, a spaetzle press or spaetzle grater, wet the surface of the colander with water and add 1/3 of the dough into the colander. Place colander over pot of simmering water and push the dough through the holes using a spatula or damp wooden spoon.
- Cook until the spaetzle float to the surface of the water.
- Remove from water with slotted spoon and place into bowl with 1 Tbsp butter, stir until butter melts and spaetzle is coated. Cover and cook next batch. When all spaetzle are cooked, they are ready to serve.
Serve with fried apples, or cream sauce, or your favorite berries.
For a gluten free version:
½ cup rice flour can be substituted for the flour.