Recipe for Spaetzle (Spätzle) (pareve)

Spaetzle is a German pasta-like side dish. It is particularly delicious under cuts of meat that have savory gravy. It can also be served as a dairy dish, with melted cheese and/or butter.

This is a large recipe. It makes enough for three meals. This recipe can be halved, but the ingredients aren't expensive, and it is easier to make this larger amount, stocking the freezer, and only cleaning the spaetzle maker once.

With a spaetzle maker, it's quick and easy to make.

If you don't have a spaetzle maker, this can be done using a dripping spoon, or by forcing the batter through a wide-screened sieve. If you choose to do this without a spaetzle maker, it'll be possible, but messy.

Ingredients:

• 6 cups flour
  
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• nutmeg to taste (I like about half a teaspoon)
  
• 2-3 cups water
  
• 8 eggs
  
• oil (for the destination pans)
  

Instructions:

1. Set a stock pot half-full with water to boil.
   
2. Set up stove top workspace with (for right-handed person) the spaetzle maker and a clean plate on the left hand side of the stock pot, and the strainer and destination containers on the right.
   
3. Place a tablespoon (or two) of oil in the destination dishes.
   
4. Place all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk them together.
   
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and add the eggs to the well.
   
6. Mix just until eggs are incorporated.
   
7. Add 2 cups of water and mix until the water is incorporated.
   
8. Continue to add water just until a wet, droopy batter is achieved. It should be cohesive enough to pull against the mixer beater, but wet enough to pull itself off of it.
   
9. Grease the spaetzle maker (optional, but aids clean-up).
   
10. Pour the batter into the spaetzle maker over the rapidly boiling water. Turn the crank, forming drippy glops of batter under the spaetzle maker. The glops will drop in the boiling water.
11. As the spaetzle rise to the top of the boiling water, use a strainer to collect them and place them in the destination dishes. Stir the spaetzle in the oil to keep them separate.
12. Serve the spaetzle hot/warm. They freeze and reheat well.
    

The batter goes together quickly, so it helps to get the water boiling and the straining-equipment set up before starting the batter.

Making a well in the dry ingredients avoids lumps of flour in the batter.

This is the eggs-and-dry-ingredients mixed, just before any of the water was added.

This is after all the water was added. Try not to add too much water: add the complete 2 cups, but after that, add in tablespoons at a time, until the batter reaches this consistency.

It should be a easily poured, but gloppy batter.

The batter should start to drain out of the bottom of the spaetzle maker, even before turning the crank.

In about two minutes, the cooked spaetzle rise to the top of the boiling water in the stockpot.

Using a strainer, collect the spaetzle. Drain them well, and then toss them with the oil in the waiting destination dishes.

It is best to make the spaetzle in batches, so that there is room for them to reach the top. With this recipe and a large spaetzle maker, I usually do them in 4 rounds.

Serve them any way you would serve a hearty pasta side dish. We often serve them under brisket or roast beef. For a dairy dish, we toss them with shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. We've been told it is the German take on Macaroni and Cheese.

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