Friday, January 4, 2013

French Fridays with Dorie - Herb-Speckled Spätzle


Today the recipe for the French Fridays with Dorie group is Herbed-Speckled Spätzle. European pasta in its various forms is usually associated with Italy. But in the south of Germany there is a local specialty called “Spätzle”. In keeping with traditional German cuisine, this kind of pasta or rather noodle is more substantial, more filling than the Italian version.




The difference between Spätzle and Italian pasta lies in the ingredients, the way they are prepared, cooked and the resulting shape. The uncooked Spätzle dough contains eggs and is therefore runnier and stickier than the Italian pasta dough which is traditionally made with only flour and water.




The resulting shape when cooked properly is a rough edged, curly noodle. The color is usually creamy white, tending towards a more pronounced yellow color if the proportion of eggs is increased. The rough surface improves the absorbency of the noodles, which is why they are served with plenty of sauce or gravy, forming an apt accompaniment for game, poultry, roasts or braised meat.




Different recipes for Spätzle can be found in the cuisines of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Alsace and South Tyrol. In Germany, Spätzle are largely considered a "Swabian speciality" and are generally associated with the German states of Baden-Wuerttemberg (“Baden-Württemberg”) and Bavaria (“Bayern”). The word “Spätzle” is the Swabian diminutive of “Spatz”, literally meaning "little sparrow”.




Basic Spätzle dough typically consists of very few ingredients namely, eggs, flour, and salt. Sometimes water or milk is added to produce a thinner dough. Traditionally, the Spätzle are made by scraping dough off a wooden chopping board ("Spätzlebrett") into boiling salted water where they are cooked until they rise to the surface. They are then skimmed and kept warm.




Since this traditional method requires quite some practice, a number of different devices were invented to facilitate the Spätzle making process. Some resemble a strainer/colander, or a potato ricer ("Spätzlepresse"), a food mill or a coarse grater ("Spätzlehobel"). Whichever method you choose, all of these devices still require you to drop the dough into steaming (no rolling boil but rather a soft boil) hot well-salted water.

Dorie´s  recipe calls for adding freshly chopped herbs to a basic Spätzle dough (I used chives and Italian parsley). But instead of adding the mushrooms and onions to the Spätzle and the chicken broth, I prepared them separately. It is very customary for Bavarians to sautée onions for a good thirty to sixty minutes until they turn a caramel color and then top the Spätzle with them (which is what I opted for). I pan-fried some thinly sliced baby portabella mushrooms and served them on top of the Spätzle as well. For serving the final dish, I opted for my my mini-casserole dishes and we enjoyed the Spätzle topped with caramelized onions and mushrooms with grilled pork tenderloin that I marinated in a paprika-garlic marinade for a few hours. The temperatures are so unusually mild around here that we actually took out the BBQ to grill the meat.




Spätzle are always, always a big hit at our house, whether I make the herbed version, the regular version, or any version whatsoever and today´s recipe was no exception.

When preparing any kind of Spätzle, just make sure to rinse off your cooking utensils immediately after cooking. First rinse with cold than with warm water, otherwise the remains of the batter “will turn into cement” as the dough becomes very sticky and difficult to remove.

When shopping for some fresh herbs, I found these wonderful organic eggs that I used for the Spätzle dough for the first time – what a delight to be using blue, green and dark brown colored eggs for making this wonderful and easy to work with soft noodle dough.




To see how delicious the Herbed-Speckled Spätzle made by the other members of the French Fridays with Dorie group turned out, please click here.





36 comments:

  1. I love that box of eggs! And your spaetzle looks wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tammy, thank you very much - that box of eggs really caught my attention at the store and the eggs are just wonderful, love those heirloom organic eggs.

      Delete
  2. I wish I read your post last night, Andrea…cleaning off the grater was quite difficult. I finally just soaked it! Of course, I knew you were going to ace this one!! Your bowls of spaetzle look wonderfully delicious!! Love the box of eggs…so cute! My grandmother used to scrape hers off of a board with a spoon. She was Hungarian and she called them dumplings, but they looked very similar to these…just a bit larger.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kathy, what a delightful comment - I am sure that your Hungarian grandmother made the most delicious Spätzle, her method of using a wooden board and a spoon sounds wonderful and very interesting and Hungarians are known to make amazing Spätzle.

      Delete
  3. The eggs you bought are gorgeous -- almost too pretty to eat. I actually had a spaetzlepresse that I had never used before. I'm not sure whether my spaetzle were the right shape and size. How thick should the batter be? It seemed like it oozed out of the press before I started to squeeze so I wasn't sure how much to fill it up, either. In any case, this a new favorite dish. I'd never tried before. I love how you served it in the mini-casseroles. Great idea for a lovely presentation, Andrea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Betsy, it does not matter that your dough was a bit runny, the noodles will still taste wonderful but if you find it hard to work with a rather runny dough, all you have to do is add some more flour, let the dough rest some and continue. That´s all!

      Delete
  4. I love your little single serves - they are so cute.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much - just nice to serve the Spätzle a little differently than the usual way, that is in one big bowl.

      Delete
  5. Spaetzle is such a great side for stews! I made them a lot but never with herbs, and they are much thinner, so unless they are eaten with so me hearty dish they are of no use by themselves. I love your little pots Andrea! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paula, well, they are often served as a main course with a quick side salad and are very popular that way in many parts of the world, especially in Austria and Bavaria. You will find them in on most menues in many, many restaurants there and especially kids go crazy over them if you add some wonderful cheese such as grated Emmenthal and some melted butter on top, no sauce, no stew.

      Delete
  6. Lovely spaetzle and great, informative post. Is that your spaetzle maker? The wooden board and scraper? I could see how that would take some practice! Have a great weekend!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, this is the wooden board and metal scraper that I use to make the long, thin variety of Spätzle. I use a so-called "Spätzlehobel" (looks like a carpentry tool) to make a shorter, plumper version - and yes, the wooden board takes some practice.

      Delete
  7. I always love your posts. I learn so much from you or see so many pretty pictures of things in your life. Always a treasure to visit your blog. Your spaetzle preparation is beautiful and looks so inviting. I can see that this is serious food for you and I appreciate all that you have shared. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Krissy, thank you so much for the lovely comment, I really appreciate your kind words! Hope I am not sounding "too serious" about these Spätzle - but since the kids love them so much and I have taught Spätzle making to quite a few avid students, I just am bound to be taking this noodle making business way too serious! Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  8. I saw a tool like the one you have at Gourmet Warehouse recently, so perhaps spaetzle is going to become a trend here. I love your presentation and I think the box of eggs is adorable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Teresa, so nice of you to mention that you actually saw the wooden Spätzle board and the metal scraper at a Gourmet Warehouse - I think it is wonderful and a bit surprising that you can find this kind of specialty equipment in the US. Maybe a really good "investment" that will pay off in tons of delicious Spätzle!

      Delete
  9. Great information about spaetzle, thank you. Yours turned out perfect and way you presented them in the casserole is
    so cute. Great job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nana: you are quite welcome! You know by now that I sometimes get a bit carried away when writing about certain foods but I do hope that is an informative post and that you enjoyed reading it. Have a great weekend!

      Delete
  10. Your dish reminded me of a dish I had for lunch while in a small town in Bavaria. I had a veal schnitzel with a mushroom cream sauce and the lightest spaetzel I have ever had. Does the lightness of the noodle depend on the flour and egg ratio? Karen (Back Road Journal)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Karen: what a nice comment and yes you are absolutely right, the lightness of the noodles depends on the flour/egg ration and the liquid (milk/water/melted butter) used for making the dough. The rule of thumb is one large egg per 100 grams (3.5 ounces) flour and 50 ml of liquid of your choice. And you should not forget to boil the noodles only for a very short period (until they float to the top of the lightly boiling water). Well, there is one more "open secret", the Bavarians use a special "Spätzle flour" and if you use that, you will get the most delightful Spätzle, light and delicous! I cannot even find that in stores around here and have to beg friends to buy it in Bavaria for me.

      Delete
    2. Thank you Andrea, for all the tips...I'm going to try this. I'm going to look for the flour the next time I travel to Bavaria as I have never had them as light as on our trip.

      Delete
    3. Karen, if you find this specailty Spätzle flour in Bavarian stores, you will be delighted with the results of using this very fine flour, I am sure. If I could I would send you a sample!

      Delete
  11. You are a spaetzle pro, Andrea!!! I'd love to see how you make these with your wooden board...I've never seen that method. Beautifully done...and those eggs are just gorgeous!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Liz: thanks for the great compliment - I certainly appreciate it and I was really happy to read that you were able to find a proper Spätzle maker too and your noodles looked absolutely perfect!

      Delete
  12. Oh, I wish I'd seen this post a week ago! Maybe I would've been better prepared. I had a feeling we'd see some awesome spaetzle from you, and it certainly does look terrific! I don't think I'm going to give up on this dish yet; I just need a little more practice. Lovely job with this one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sara, thanks so much for the wonderful comment! Since I grew up eating a lot of these Spätzle and eager to learn at a young age how to prepare them I had a bit of an unfair advantage as far as this recipe was concerned...but it was nice to be able to prepare an "easy" recipe at this (still busy) time of the year.

      Delete
  13. I knew that you would do a stellar job with this one.
    I enjoyed the history/ background and beautiful presentation.

    This was my first time with spaetzle, but it won't be my last. I bought a spaetzle press yesterday :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cher, this is wonderful - you bought a Spätzle press! You will certainly have fun with this handy gadget with which you will produce the most delicious soft noodles.

      Delete
  14. I was looking forward to reading your Post, Andrea, because I knew you would give us the total scoop on spaetzle. And, you did. I would have loved to watch you used the traditional scraper. I actually had tried the scraper/cutting board method with a pastry scraper that I had but I couldn't figure that out. Love your eggs. After you've bought eggs that fresh, it's going to be difficult to return to the grocery store! I learned the hard way about washing the utensils, pots, pans, and bowls after making spaetzle. Since I used so many different utensils and it took me so long to make it, the cleaning up took longer than the process. If nothing else, it was a hilarious experience for me (and those who were at my house). Freya is becoming quite the little artist and even has a fan club. Isn't it fun? For her. And, for you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mary, these recpe are pure fun - one of the reasons why I love cooking/baking so very much! It is the trying out of new recipes and techinques that keeps us on our toes. And I am sure that you did a marvelous job with your Spätzle, I would have loved to have a taste. And yes, Freya is drawing away as as write these replies.

      Delete
  15. One of my favorites, i wish my spätzle looked and tasted as good as I know your's does ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nicolas, I am sure that you make the most amazing Spätzle (hope you remember my recipe, HA!) - you had a good teacher!

      Delete
  16. I haven't made this yet, but am looking forward to it. Your spatzle looks perfect in the little casseroles! Thank you for the reminder about rinsing the vessel right away. I sometimes forget to do that and it is definitely not fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Elaine, I am sure that you and your family will adore this recipe - it is delicious and it is quite fun to make!

      Delete
  17. A great recipe for one of my favorite dishes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Frédéric - always nice to hear that you are one of the many fans of homemade Spätzle!

      Delete