Spätzle
Swabian egg noodles: a wet flour-egg-milk batter pressed through a perforated tool into boiling water, where the strands set into soft chewy noodles. Served buttered as a side, or made into Käsespätzle (cheese spätzle) as a main course.
Overview
A loose egg-rich batter rests briefly to relax the gluten. It presses through a spätzle press, colander, or grater into a pan of boiling salted water. The noodles cook in seconds, lift out, and toss with butter or build into other dishes.
Ingredients
- 300 g plain flour
- 4 eggs (large)
- 150 ml whole milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- A grating of nutmeg
- 50 g unsalted butter (for finishing)
Method
Stage 1 - Batter
- Whisk the flour, eggs, milk, salt and nutmeg in a bowl until smooth.
- The batter should be thick but pourable, like thick pancake batter.
- Beat for 1-2 minutes (this develops some structure; the batter goes glossy).
- Rest 10 minutes.
Stage 2 - Boil and press
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil.
- Hold a spätzle press (or perforated colander, or coarse grater) over the simmering water.
- Press the batter through; it falls into the water as small irregular strands.
- Once the spätzle float to the surface (10-20 seconds), lift out with a slotted spoon into a colander.
- Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Stage 3 - Finish
- Melt the butter in a wide pan.
- Toss the spätzle through; warm through 1-2 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
- No spätzle press? Improvise: A coarse box grater pressed against a colander works. A potato ricer with large holes also works. Even a wooden board with the batter scraped off the edge with a knife (the traditional way) works.
- Don't crowd the water: Press in batches; too many at once stick.
- Eat fresh or use as a base: Plain spätzle goes well with stews, schnitzel sauces, or builds into Käsespätzle.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days refrigerated. Re-warm in butter; refresh with a splash of water.
- Freeze 2 months tossed with a little oil to prevent clumping.
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