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A homemade spaetzle recipe based on a Grandmother’s recipe that was handed down through two generations of children. It’s perfect for Chicken Paprikash!
John grew up eating Hungarian and German dishes. His Grandma Betty often cooked large family meals consisting of bean soup, chicken paprikash, stuffed cabbage, and of course, her own spaetzle recipe.
As an adult, he tried to recreate some of his favorites but never could make them the same.After I had become more skilled in the kitchen, I decided to try my luck at some of John’s favorites.
I remember looking through several recipes on the internet and comparing them with Grandma Betty’s notes and recipes. All in all, things were similar, but it seemed John was not following the directions properly.
He’s an efficient cook, but that can lead to mistakes. Over the last few years, he’s learned to slow down and all of recipes have improved as result.
Enough about all that, how about we get to the reason you’re here; the easy spaetzle recipe!
How to Make Spaetzle:
First, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. I like to add a tablespoon of salt to mine for flavor.
Next, while youwait for the water to boil, make the batter. In a medium bowl, combine flour, eggs, milk, salt, and nutmeg. The mixture will be very sticky.
How to Cook Spaetzle:
After that, place the spaetzle maker over the pot of boiling water. Carefully fill the open compartment on the top with a few spoons of batter, but don’t overfill the pot.
Then, slowly push the chamber back and forth across the grate to press the mixture into the holes.As the mixture falls into the boiling water, it will sink.
Once the batter floats to the top of the water, it is cooked. It will appear puffy and larger in size. This process takes less than 30 seconds.
Afterward, remove the spaetzle maker from the pot and using a slotted spoon, scoop the cooked spaetzle out of the water.
Last, place cooked spaetzle in a large bowl. Repeat the process until batter is gone. After all the spaetzle is cooked, toss with butter.
That’s it! You have a simple, easy to make, comfort food. It can be eaten alone, with chicken, beef, or even as a side for a hearty beer and brats dinner.
Chicken paprikash was the first recipe of Grandma Betty’s that I attempted to make.
To my amazement, John and Kale both loved it. It’s one of their favorite recipes using spaetzle noodles.
Homemade Spaetzle Tips:
If you don’t have a spaetzle maker, you can use the back side of a cheese grater and push the batter through with a wooden spoon. This method tends to take a little longer and is a bit messier but is still effective. That’s how John’s Grandmother made it for him.
I’ve since purchased a Danesco Stainless Steel Spaetzle Maker. Now I can make an entire batch of these awesome little dumplings in less than 15 minutes and with minimal mess.
You can toss the spaetzle with margarine or another butter replacement for that extra kick of flavor.
If you like this spaetzle recipe, please leave us a comment and rate the recipe card. You can also find us on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram searching for Berly’s Kitchen!
Spaetzle Recipe
4.9 from 8 votes
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Author: Kimberly
Prep Time: 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 15 minutesminutes
Total Time: 20 minutesminutes
Servings: 6Servings
Ingredients
2cupsall-purpose flour
4large eggs
⅓cupmilk
1 ½teaspoonskosher salt
¼teaspoonground nutmeg
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl until well combined. The batter will be very sticky.
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
⅓ cup milk
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Using a spaetzle maker, slowly drop batter into a pot of boiling water.
The mixture will initially sink to the bottom, but when it floats it is thoroughly cooked.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the cooked spaetzle from the pot.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the spaetzle to a colander and then plunge them in a bowl of very cold water. This firms them up to the desired consistency. Toss with olive oil or melted butter to keep from sticking.
Usually when you make pasta, you form a dense dough from flour and eggs, which you knead, rest, roll, and cut until your arms feel like they're on the verge of falling off. To make spaetzle, you just mix flour, egg, and a bit of milk into a pancake batter-like consistency.
Spätzle is a type of pasta or dumpling or noodles. Spätzle dough typically consists of few ingredients, principally eggs, flour, and salt. The Swabian rule of thumb is to use a number of eggs equal to the number of servings, plus one. Water is often added to produce a runnier dough.
The easiest way is to use a colander with holes (or in this case little strips). Hold it above the pot. Don't set it on the edges of the pot like a flat spaetzle maker – the bottom of the colander will reach down further in the pot and clog up with cooked dough.
Oil can also help keep cooked pasta you are storing for later from sticking. In this case, toss the plain, cooked noodles with a drizzle of oil or melted butter, then put them in a storage container for refrigerating.
Boil the spätzle in a single layer until they float to the top of the water, about 30 seconds to 3 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. Remove using a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice bath.
What kind of flour should or could I use for Spaetzle? Always Plain to start! Depending on your diet or adventurous spirit, you can try any flour or a combination of flours. Chick Pea flour gives it a lovely nutty taste but I would mix that with a wholemeal or plain flour to start.
Spaetzle—also spelled spätzle—originates from Swabia, a region of southwest Germany, and served with hearty dishes like schnitzel and goulash. You'll find spaetzle and spaetzle-type dumplings in the cuisines of southern Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Alsace, Moselle, and South Tyrol.
Can German Spaetzle Be Prepared Ahead of Time? Yes! It holds its shape wonderfully and if you shock the Spaetzle in cold water after cooking it won't stick together. You can easily make this side dish a day or two ahead and then simply reheat it in a pan with a little butter.
To Make Ahead: Cooked German Spaetzle reheats very well and will keep for several days, stored in a container in the refrigerator. To Freeze: Homemade spaetzle freezes well for 3 or 4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rewarming.
You can also use a späztle maker, metal colander, potato ricer, and more to form the spaetzle. See my tips above for using various kitchen tools to form spaetzle. Once the spaetzle are cooked, they will float; this will only take about a minute. Remove them using a slotted spoon or fine sieve.
There are several approaches to this. Some people like to make a thick dough and grate it through the holes of a cheese grater. But if you keep the spaetzle mix as runny as cake batter, you'll be able to push it through a spaetzle maker (or colander) into a pot of boiling water fairly quickly.
The difference lies in their shape. Whereas spaetzle noodles are usually longer and thinner, knoepfle means 'little knot/ button.' It refers to a shorter, rounder variety of the noodle, often made using a sliding spaetzle maker, which transfers 'droplets' of dough rather than long noodles into the boiling water.
It's kind of a no brainer, but stirring the pasta helps keep the noodles moving and breaks up sticky spots before they become full-on clumps. But you don't have to sit over the pot and stir constantly. Aim to stir the pasta fully within the first two minutes of cooking, then another time or two while the pasta cooks.
And the starch it releases makes the situation stickier. If there's not enough water for that starch to grow, it'll have no other choice than to make clumpy noodles. The recommendation is 3-4 quarts water for every pound of pasta and a pot big enough to handle the water and pasta without boiling over.
instead of draining the water from the vermicelli once they've softened, keep them submerged in water until you need to use them! The extra moisture on each noodle strand is what prevents them from clumping and sticking once they hit the hot pan. Also, don't stir fry for too long once the noodles are in the pan.
Because of the starch, gluten-free pasta noodles tend to cling together. Add a glug of olive oil to the water and make sure to run a spoon through it to redistribute every 30 seconds during the first few minutes of cooking. Once the pasta has begun to plump you don't have to worry about it as much.
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