Spatzle Little German Noodle Dumplings Recipes

Steps:

• Mix together flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add alternately with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
• Press dough through spaetzle maker, or a large holed sieve or metal grater.
• Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Saute cooked spaetzle in butter or margarine. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top, and serve.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour with the eggs, salt, pepper, and warm water.
• Beat hard with a wooden spoon to form a thick, smooth batter.
• Continue beating for 5 minutes.
• This should be done rather energetically, by scraping the dough toward you with a regular rhythm, so as to incorporate as much air as possible.
• Let the dough rest, covered, for 15 minutes.
• Bring the salted water to a boil.
• If you are using a spaetzle mill, simply push the dough through it into the boiling salted water.
• If you do not have a mill, balance a colander (the largest you own) on the rim of the pot in which the water is boiling.
• Make sure that the water is at least 8 inches below the colander or the dough will simply congeal from the steam.
• Use a large wooden spoon to press the dough through the holes in the colander into the water.
• A third alternative is to add a little more flour to the dough (about 1/2 cup) to stiffen it.
• Remove the dough to a floured board and with a sharp knife slice it into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1/2 inch long.
• Boil the spaetzle for 4 minutes.
• Drain in a large colander, and rinse briefly under cold running water.
• Drain.
• *Melt the butter in an ovenproof skillet.
• Saute the spaetzle for 3 to 4 minutes, then place the skillet in a 350°F.
• oven and bake for 10 minutes.
• Serves 6 to 8.
• NOTES AND VARIATIONS:*You can make the spaetzle ahead up to this point.
• Spread them out on a kitchen towel and cover them with a damp towel.
• They will keep for several hours.
• The Dumpling Cookbook.

Steps:

• Mix eggs, flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper.
• Add milk or water (your choice).
• Batter will be thick.
• Heat water or broth of choice till boiling.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt.
• Press batter through colander (preferably one with large holes), a few tablespoons at a time, into boiling water.
• Stir once or twice while boiling to prevent sticking.
• Cook until dumplings rise to surface and are tender, about 5 minutes; drain.
• Pour butter over dumplings.
• NOTES: These free-form dumplings make an unusual side dish, sprinkled with grated cheese or toasted bread crumbs.
• They can be made in hot broth instead of water, and some recipes instruct forcing the Spatzle dough directly into a boiling soup to cook, just minutes before the soup is brought to the table.
• Spatzle is also delicious drained and then fried in a little butter or margarine.

Steps:

• Mix these together until sticky.
• Drop into bubbling soup or stew, broth or water. (see below for ideas).
• Dumplings will rise to the surface as they cook; remove from liquid with a slotted spoon (if sautéing in another pan); set aside in a bowl (keep warm).
• MAKE THE DUMPLINGS #1: This method results in very small, stringy-ish dumplings and is great for soups or stews. Spoon several tablespoons of batter into a colander, then with the back of the spoon--press the batter through the holes into the bubbling liquid.
• METHOD #2: This method forms larger dumpling pieces (dime & quarter size) and is great for soups or stews, too -- but especially good if you want to saute the dumplings afterwards (more on that in a minute). Using a teaspoon and butter knife, scoop up a spoonful of batter, then use the knife to cut off little dibs and dabs, using the knife to also push the dibs into the hot liquid. If the knife or spoon gets messy, just dip into the hot liquid.
• SERVING IDEAS: We love these in chicken-dumpling soup (use your regular chicken soup recipe -- skip the egg noodles and make these dumplings instead). OR scoop out the larger dumplings (Method #2), and saute in butter or olive oil along with kielbasa or other sausage and LOTS of onion ring slices. OR saute some fresh veggies, then add the dumplings -- heaven!
• VARIATIONS: Add several pinches of your favorite herbs along with the flour to enhance the soup, stew or saute dish.
• Chef's Note: Altho' this is kind of putzy, it is well worth the effort and SO different from regular pasta-noodles.