Spätzle

by Katherine

          So now that we've just about finished posting about our experiences in Germany, I thought we'd conclude with a recipe for my favorite German dish: spätzle! Turns out it's really easy to make, much, much easier than homemade gnocchi or pasta. 
          Only hard part is dripping the batter into the pot. I think it would be way easier if I had an actual 
spätzle maker, like here, where it actually sits on the pot and has more surface area. That would make it far less messy and much faster to drip into the pot.
          Our other problem was that the holes on the grater were too small. We would have preferred the spätzle dumplings to be larger and more defined, so that it was a little less mushy. But overall, it was really frickin delicious!!! And I will definitely make it again! We paired it with a German Riesling to make for a perfect evening!

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Spätzle
Adapted from Allrecipes

Makes: 4 bowls                           Prep Time: 5 min                         Cook Time: 20 min


2 c.          Flour
1/2 c.     Milk
4 eggs    Eggs
1 tsp       Garlic Powder
                 Salt, pepper to taste 

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1. Beat eggs and mix in flour, milk, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. It will be fairly  liquidy.
2. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil. Assuming you don't have a spätzle maker, use a flat cheese grater or something similar with large holes. Hold the grater over the pot and pour some of the batter on top so that it can drip through the holes. Using a fork, brush the batter back and forth to help it through the holes. Once the batter has dripped through, repeat.
3. Cook for about 5 min or until the spätzle is cooked through and drain.
4. Especially if it's your first time, you might take awhile to get the batter through the holes. So that all of the spätzle is cooked evenly, you should only do a couple of grater drips at a time. Once a batch is cooked, remove the spätzle with a slotted spoon and then add more as directed above. Alternatively, you could have multiple pots going at the same time.
5. You can use the spätzle as a side to meat, to make käsespätzle, or sautee in butter, spices, and any desired veggies. We sauteed 3 cloves of garlic, 12 oz. mushrooms, 4 tbsp butter, salt/pepper, and 1 c. caramelized onions with the spätzle.