Spätzle can be referred to as small egg dumplings but usually more as a pasta because of the ingredients and it’s boiled in water and not broth. This is a popular dish in many European countries including Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary. One of my favorite memories of spätzle was when Dave and I were in Vienna a few years ago. It was springtime, so spargel (white asparagus) was in season. At dinner one evening, I ordered spargel and spätzle with a hollandaise sauce. And that was a satisfying meal. I also like that this is so easy to make. You can pair this with any entrée and its common to have with pork or wiener schnitzel.
There are very few ingredients in this tasty side dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meantime, gather 2 large bowls and a hand mixer. In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients of flour, salt and nutmeg. In the other bowl, combine wet ingredients of eggs and milk. Using a hand mixer, blend the wet ingredients. Then in small batches, add the dry ingredients using the mixer on a high speed. You are looking for a batter with a thick consistency.
When the pot of water comes to a boil, place the maker over the top securing with the lip underneath. Spoon in the batter to the hopper.
At first, the batter will drop by gravity. As you add more batter, just slide the hopper back and forth until all the batter is in the boiling water. Remove hopper to the sink. Stir the spätzle with wooden spoon for a few minutes. The spätzle is done when it rises to the top of the pot. Drain the spätzle and place in a large dish. Add butter and parsley and stir. The spätzle can stay uncovered in a warm oven while you finish the rest of the meal. Just stir and add a little more butter before serving. If there are leftovers, it can be stored in the refrigerator to eat the following day or frozen in a large baggie as a single layer for future use. Just thaw at room temperature and warm with additional butter in a pan. Serves 4 as a side dish.
(Note: The maker allows you to make dozens of spätzle easily. And you can buy one at Bed, Bath and Beyond inexpensively. I don’t recommend using a colander and wooden spoon as it’s more labor intensive and usually the holes are not big enough. And the original way is to use a cutting board and knife which is also more work.)
Ingredients
Directions
There are very few ingredients in this tasty side dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meantime, gather 2 large bowls and a hand mixer. In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients of flour, salt and nutmeg. In the other bowl, combine wet ingredients of eggs and milk. Using a hand mixer, blend the wet ingredients. Then in small batches, add the dry ingredients using the mixer on a high speed. You are looking for a batter with a thick consistency.
When the pot of water comes to a boil, place the maker over the top securing with the lip underneath. Spoon in the batter to the hopper.
At first, the batter will drop by gravity. As you add more batter, just slide the hopper back and forth until all the batter is in the boiling water. Remove hopper to the sink. Stir the spätzle with wooden spoon for a few minutes. The spätzle is done when it rises to the top of the pot. Drain the spätzle and place in a large dish. Add butter and parsley and stir. The spätzle can stay uncovered in a warm oven while you finish the rest of the meal. Just stir and add a little more butter before serving. If there are leftovers, it can be stored in the refrigerator to eat the following day or frozen in a large baggie as a single layer for future use. Just thaw at room temperature and warm with additional butter in a pan. Serves 4 as a side dish.
(Note: The maker allows you to make dozens of spätzle easily. And you can buy one at Bed, Bath and Beyond inexpensively. I don’t recommend using a colander and wooden spoon as it’s more labor intensive and usually the holes are not big enough. And the original way is to use a cutting board and knife which is also more work.)