Spaetzle

I first made spaetzle as part of a Daring Cooks' Challenge last summer.  And I liked it so much that I have made it several times since. But I hadn't made it in a while. So this week, when I wanted to make it again to go with some leftovers, I had to look up the recipe.

And I was shocked to see that I hadn't included the recipe in my challenge post last summer!

So I had to rectify that.

Spaetzle is pretty easy to make. The dough, made of eggs milk, spices and flour, is simply mixed up in one bowl...

Until it is a pretty sticky mess.

Yup - that's about right.

The trickiest part is shaping the spaetzle.

Well, it's not tricky if you have a spaetle maker in your kitchen.

But I don't. So I use two spoons. It's not hard, but it is a little time consuming. Well, maybe only if you're trying to photograph the process and entertain a couple of kids at the same time...

Anyway, while you are making your dough, set your pot of water on to boil. Once the dough is ready and the water is boiling, dip the tips of your spoons into the boiling water.

Using one spoon, scoop up some of the dough. Then, using the second spoon, scrape down little bits of the scoop of dough and drop them into the boiling water.

Yeah, you kind of need three hands to photograph that, or a second shooter or something... but you get the idea...

The pasta cooks up really quickly. Once it rises to the top of the water, simply scoop it out with a skimmer or slotted spoon and keep the process going.

This made a great pasta side to our BBQ pulled-pork sandwiches.

A bit of butter and a sprinkle of parmesan and we were good to go.  Little miss loves it and told me that I can make it every day.



Spaetzel
(challenge recipe from the Daring Cooks' Challenge, My Noodle Hands)

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk (I have used many varieties, including 1%, 2% and soy milk, and it hasn't affected the outcome)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
up to 1 tablespoon of assorted spices (I usually use garlic powder and dried, chopped parsley)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and any spices that you are using.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour, a little at a time, until the flour is completely incorporated. The dough should be elastic, smooth and hard to stir.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Shape your pasta, either using a spaetzle maker or using two spoons (dipping the spoons into the boiling water, scooping up some dough and using the second spoon to cut pieces of the dough into the boiling water) and allow it to boil. You can't really over-boil it, so don't worry. It should boil for a few minutes, at least.
Drain the spaetzle and serve with the sauce or topping of your choice.

Enjoy!