Dumplings or noodles? This is the question which runs through my head every time I make spaetzle. Truthfully, it's a bit of a combination of both.
This dish is most commonly associated with German cuisine (where, in one region, it has achieved PGI – protected geographic indication – status), but spaetzle is eaten and enjoyed throughout Eastern Europe and in the German border regions of France.
I have no personal connection to any of these areas, but I learned to make spaetzle in culinary school. We also served it quite frequently in one or two of the restaurants where I worked while living in Toronto.
How authentic is my version? Probably not very! Traditionally, spaetzle is served alongside meat and gravy and is often eaten plain, with butter (though you also see it with toppings at times). I was taught to finish spaetzle off in a frying pan with a bit of butter and caramelised onions.
"Why not just make some pasta?" I can hear people asking. Reader, believe me when I say that spaetzle and pasta are absolutely nothing alike. These gorgeous little boiled drops of batter are light, soft, eggy and so very comforting.
It can be a bit messy to make spaetzle, so I don't make it very often, but it is my husband's favourite side dish (and it was his birthday over the weekend). I haven't made it in a while and I forgot just how delicious it is.
There are special spaetzle makers you can purchase online (they're almost like a cheese grater, but for batter). The key to spaetzle (spatz in German means "little sparrow", considering the cut little shapes the batter makes as it boils) is to drop the batter into the pot of water through small holes. I use a metal colander for this, and push the batter through with a spatula. By working the batter to develop gluten, the batter will drop into its characteristic shape.
I always make my spaetzle with caramelised onion, baby spinach (for health) and creamy goat's cheese – the combination is indulgent and so very flavourful. I serve this with roasted chicken or pork, but you could also have it plain with a goulash or beef roulade.
For basic spaetzle, you need just four ingredients. If you boil and then finish in a pan with some butter, this is a really quick recipe. If, like me, you enjoy the spaetzle with caramelised onion, you can add an hour onto the cooking time to allow those onions to slow-cook until perfect.
Spaetzle with caramelised onion, baby spinach and goat's cheese
Serves six
Ingredients
For the spaetzle:
240g plain flour4 large, room temperature eggs2 tsp fine sea salt90-100ml milkFor the caramelised onions:
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced1 Tbsp butter1 Tbsp oilTo finish:
Roasted chicken or pork200g baby spinach100g creamy goat's cheese (or try with St Tola cream cheese)Directions
1 Start your caramelised onions: slice the onions as thinly as possible (you could do this in a food processor or use a mandolin). Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add in the onions. Cook on medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring frequently, then add the butter, turn the heat to medium-low and let cook slowly for 45 minutes to an hour, until deeply caramelised. Stir every so often to avoid burning.
2 Make the spaetzle batter: in a large bowl, add the eggs, flour and salt. Add half the milk and, using a whisk, start combining the batter. Add the remaining milk and beat with the whisk to develiop the gluten. This will take a bit of elbow grease! You could also do this in a stand mixer to save your energy. The resulting batter should be fairly thick, but still runny, like an overworked cake batter.
3 Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. While resting, bring a large pot of water on to boil. Season the boiling water with sea salt.
4 Take a metal collander (see the video) and add 1/4 of the batter to it. Holding it over the pot, use one hand to work the batter through the bottom holes with a spatula. This will take a few seconds, but the batter will start falling naturally through the bottom in small droplets.
5 As they drop into the water, it will only take a few seconds for them to cook. They are cooked when they float to the top of the pot. Use a slotted spoon to lift the cooked spaetzle out of the water. At this stage, you can add them to a bowl and drizzle a bit of oil over them to avoid them sticking together, or just do what I do and add them to the pan of caramelised onions.
6 Cook the spaetzle in batches until all of the batter has been used. When added to the pan with the onions, use a spatula to combine the spaetzle with the onions.
7 Sear some skin-on chicken breasts in a hot pan with some oil and then roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200°C.
8 While the chicken is roasting, add the baby spinach and goat's cheese to the spaetzle and cook on low until the spinach is wilted and the cheese has combined into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
9 Serve hot with the roasted chicken (or a protein of your choice) and enjoy. The leftover spaetzle will keep in the fridge for three days.
Read more
Looking for a cooking challenge? Try making this braised short rib lasagne
This isn't cottage pie - it's 'hot dish'
Dumplings or noodles? This is the question which runs through my head every time I make spaetzle. Truthfully, it's a bit of a combination of both.
This dish is most commonly associated with German cuisine (where, in one region, it has achieved PGI – protected geographic indication – status), but spaetzle is eaten and enjoyed throughout Eastern Europe and in the German border regions of France.
I have no personal connection to any of these areas, but I learned to make spaetzle in culinary school. We also served it quite frequently in one or two of the restaurants where I worked while living in Toronto.
How authentic is my version? Probably not very! Traditionally, spaetzle is served alongside meat and gravy and is often eaten plain, with butter (though you also see it with toppings at times). I was taught to finish spaetzle off in a frying pan with a bit of butter and caramelised onions.
"Why not just make some pasta?" I can hear people asking. Reader, believe me when I say that spaetzle and pasta are absolutely nothing alike. These gorgeous little boiled drops of batter are light, soft, eggy and so very comforting.
It can be a bit messy to make spaetzle, so I don't make it very often, but it is my husband's favourite side dish (and it was his birthday over the weekend). I haven't made it in a while and I forgot just how delicious it is.
There are special spaetzle makers you can purchase online (they're almost like a cheese grater, but for batter). The key to spaetzle (spatz in German means "little sparrow", considering the cut little shapes the batter makes as it boils) is to drop the batter into the pot of water through small holes. I use a metal colander for this, and push the batter through with a spatula. By working the batter to develop gluten, the batter will drop into its characteristic shape.
I always make my spaetzle with caramelised onion, baby spinach (for health) and creamy goat's cheese – the combination is indulgent and so very flavourful. I serve this with roasted chicken or pork, but you could also have it plain with a goulash or beef roulade.
For basic spaetzle, you need just four ingredients. If you boil and then finish in a pan with some butter, this is a really quick recipe. If, like me, you enjoy the spaetzle with caramelised onion, you can add an hour onto the cooking time to allow those onions to slow-cook until perfect.
Spaetzle with caramelised onion, baby spinach and goat's cheese
Serves six
Ingredients
For the spaetzle:
240g plain flour4 large, room temperature eggs2 tsp fine sea salt90-100ml milkFor the caramelised onions:
3 large yellow onions, thinly sliced1 Tbsp butter1 Tbsp oilTo finish:
Roasted chicken or pork200g baby spinach100g creamy goat's cheese (or try with St Tola cream cheese)Directions
1 Start your caramelised onions: slice the onions as thinly as possible (you could do this in a food processor or use a mandolin). Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pan and add in the onions. Cook on medium-high heat for five minutes, stirring frequently, then add the butter, turn the heat to medium-low and let cook slowly for 45 minutes to an hour, until deeply caramelised. Stir every so often to avoid burning.
2 Make the spaetzle batter: in a large bowl, add the eggs, flour and salt. Add half the milk and, using a whisk, start combining the batter. Add the remaining milk and beat with the whisk to develiop the gluten. This will take a bit of elbow grease! You could also do this in a stand mixer to save your energy. The resulting batter should be fairly thick, but still runny, like an overworked cake batter.
3 Let the batter rest for 15 minutes. While resting, bring a large pot of water on to boil. Season the boiling water with sea salt.
4 Take a metal collander (see the video) and add 1/4 of the batter to it. Holding it over the pot, use one hand to work the batter through the bottom holes with a spatula. This will take a few seconds, but the batter will start falling naturally through the bottom in small droplets.
5 As they drop into the water, it will only take a few seconds for them to cook. They are cooked when they float to the top of the pot. Use a slotted spoon to lift the cooked spaetzle out of the water. At this stage, you can add them to a bowl and drizzle a bit of oil over them to avoid them sticking together, or just do what I do and add them to the pan of caramelised onions.
6 Cook the spaetzle in batches until all of the batter has been used. When added to the pan with the onions, use a spatula to combine the spaetzle with the onions.
7 Sear some skin-on chicken breasts in a hot pan with some oil and then roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes at 200°C.
8 While the chicken is roasting, add the baby spinach and goat's cheese to the spaetzle and cook on low until the spinach is wilted and the cheese has combined into the mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
9 Serve hot with the roasted chicken (or a protein of your choice) and enjoy. The leftover spaetzle will keep in the fridge for three days.
Read more
Looking for a cooking challenge? Try making this braised short rib lasagne
This isn't cottage pie - it's 'hot dish'
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