Anyway, I definitely saw an opportunity here to wheedle a little cooking lesson from K, and quickly decided on Spätzle, my favorite German side dish. I had made them once before with the guidance of one of my cousins after she gifted me a Spätzle press, but I had never attempted the dish since. Basically, Spätzle are just soft egg noodles, but once buttered, or topped with melted cheese or homemade cream sauce, they are excellent alongside any kind of meat or even as a meal in themselves.
So, one afternoon when we were all home, out came the Spätzle press:
The ingredients are simple: 6 eggs, 2 cups flour, a pinch of salt, and sparkling water. Very slowly add flour to the six beaten eggs with a mixer. When two people do it together it ensures smooth dough with no lumps:
My daughter learning to make Spätzle. |
As the dough thickens, occasionally add a teaspoon of water to the mix until you've reached the consistency of sticky pancake batter. In the meantime, boil a pot of water.
When the water in the pot is boiling, place the press on top of the pot. Drop Spätzle dough on to the press and quickly rub and squish the dough through the holes.
This is the fun part! |
The pressing must be done quickly because the dough-droppings (do you like that term I just made up?) should only boil in the water for one or two minutes before being removed. Remove them with a small sieve and keep warm while you add more dough to the press and begin again.
Spätzle in boiling water. |
When our Spätzle were done on this lovely cooking afternoon, we spread a layer of them into a casserole dish and topped them with a layer of grated Gouda cheese. We repeated the layers once more and baked the dish for 15 minutes in the oven.
Bake 15 minutes at 350°. |
K also whipped up some Rahmsoße, or cream sauce, with mushrooms. My son stepped in to help with this one:
A dinner enjoyed by everyone!
Looks fun and delicious.
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ReplyDeleteHi! Stopping by from the blog hop! I make a mean Hungarian String Bean Soup with homemade spoon noodles! (have the recipe posted on my Frugal New England Kitchen Blog)
ReplyDeleteHungarian Garden Fresh String Green Bean Soup with Spoon Noodles
Sounds delicious! Why don't I ever get house guests that can cook??
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed, I've never even attempted to make Spätzle, but this looks delicious.
ReplyDelete