Making spaetzle...

Ready to eat - tossed in butter, sauteed garlic, onion, herbs and parmesan.
Step 7: Cooling cooked spaetzle in bowl of warm water...
Step 6: Spaetzle are floating and puffed - ready to remove...
Step 5: Spaetzle are beginning to rise to the surface...
Step 4: Pushing dough through spaetzle maker...
Step 3: Ready to poach dough
Step 2: Finished dough...
Step 1: Adding egg and water to flour...


Following up on my post about the Konstanz nachtmarkt, here's my meisterklasse for making spaetzle.

Ingredients [will make enough to feed 4]

500g flour

5-6 eggs [depending on size]

1 teaspoon of salt

100-200 ml of cold water

1. Mix flour and salt in a bowl

2. Add beaten eggs and some of the water [too much may make the dough too thin]

3. Stir or beat using an electric mixer [use dough hooks] until dough becomes smooth and has a light texture. It should not appear too thick or thin. To test, place a small amount of the dough into the spaetzle maker or colander - when the consistency is correct the dough will appear as little dough drops on the underside. If the dough runs through it's too thin. Adjust consistency with additional water or flour if needed.

4. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.

5. Rinse spaetzle maker or colander in cold water and place over the pot. Put a portion of dough into the maker/colander and push it through the holes using a scraping motion. A dough scraper is the perfect utensil for this.

6. The spaetzle are ready to remove when they have risen to the surface and are appear puffed. Remove using a slotted spoon or skimmer and place in a bowl of warm water for a short time and then into a colander to drain.

7. The spaetzle are now ready to finish and serve. There are many options to choose from, some more involved than others, but I prefer the simple approach as I like the spaetzle to be the star of the show. The spaetzle in this picture was tossed through onion, garlic and fresh herbs that had been sauteed in butter and finished with parmesan.

Some other delicious ideas are mushrooms; spinach; Gruyere topped with a fried egg; sauerkraut, speck and sausage. The possibilities are endless as the versatile spaetzle makes the perfect accompaniment for other dishes such as lentils, stews and meat courses.

I've been told that spaetzle freezes well but I've never had the chance to try it because we never seem to have any left over!