Make It Yourself...Handgeschabt Spätzle

Spätzle are soft, batter-type noodles, very easy to make.  There is no rolling and drying involved.  I make hand scraped spätzle, which are literally scraped off a small cutting board or flat plate into the boiling water.  You can also use a spätzle maker, if you wish.  This, however, is an easy method I learned from our grandmother.   About 50¢ worth of ingredients for 4 servings, and you can prepare them in less than 20 minutes.     The nutmeg is authentic and makes them perfect!   Delicious with roasts with gravy.          
Handgeschabt Spätzle
  1             cup  flour, all-purpose
     2/3      teaspoon  salt
  2             dashes  ground nutmeg
  2             large  eggs -- lightly beaten
  2             tablespoons  milk -- or more if needed

  1. Heat a large pot of water, covered, until boiling.
  2. Combine the flour, nutmeg and salt in a mixing bowl.  Combine the egg and milk and add to the flour mixture.  Beat for several minutes until the batter is smooth and starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.  (You can't beat it too much.) Let rest 10 minutes and beat again.  The dough should be a lot thicker than pancake batter but not as much as bread dough, don’t add more milk or flour to adjust the thickness until the dough has rested, by then, it usually is just right.
  3. Scrape the batter onto a spätzle board or a flat plate that has been sprayed with non-stick spray or moistened with water.  Smooth the batter across the board to an even thickness.  Cut the noodles off in about 1/8-1/4" widths into the boiling water.  (You can dip your scraper in the water occasionally).  Stir the pot so the noodles don't stick to the bottom.  They will rise to the top.  Cook only enough noodles to cover surface of water. Do not over crowd. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes.  Remove with slotted spoon. Repeat until all dough is cooked. Drain well and set aside.
  4. Melt butter in a medium sized sauté pan. Sauté the spätzle until heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve immediately, or hold hot for service.
4 Servings
Tools Needed:  Large pot for water, lightweight cutting board, about 9x12” or a flat dinner plate, a long metal spatula or large dinner knife, bowl and mixing spoon for batter, small bowl and whisk for beating egg, colander for draining.
  

Per Serving: 156 Calories; 3g Fat (18.3% calories from fat); 7g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 107mg Cholesterol; 395mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat.

6 comments:

  1. I have heard of them but have never tasted them. So I am guessing this would be served instead of say mashed potatoes?

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    1. Yes, serve with gravy as a side dish...or combined with buttered crumbs. They can also be used in broth soups and even casseroles...
      I'll be having some of those recipes on the next few Wednesdays.
      These are absolutely the easiest homemade noodles...and can be pretty last-minute, which probably accounted for their popularity with Grandma!

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  2. Oh, yum!!! You make them exactly the way my Swiss grandmother made them! I have a spatzle maker that makes quick work of the job when making a large batch. I haven't made them in several years. Thanks for sharing and inspiring me!

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    1. Our grandmother was Swiss too...I don't make enough to have a spaetzle maker...but these are easy with minimal cleanup too.

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  3. Oh thank you for this recipe. I haven't made this in years and forgot about them. I can't wait to taste them again!

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  4. You can use a cheese grater and a spatula to force them through the holes, it works just fine, saw this on Cook's country the cooking show...I tried it and it worked great, I drained mine and sautéed them in some butter, yummmmmmmeeee with some homemade applesauce and a huge pork roast I was given, I made it for a food place where people work like the dikens and are starving, they feed their families and are starving, they cannot work tooo long like that, this wonderful minister feeds them and I cook there and enjoy it a lot, I buy the food and take it on a public bus and no one ever dislikes the menu of protein rich food..It is apple country here and I make home made applesauce tooooo, everyone loves it it is chunky and little sugar that with the spaetzle as I call it and spuds mashed and the pork it is a blessing for them for sure..We don't eat pork in our home my hubs is jewish and we eat just fine, but some friends get me the huge pork roasts and I am over the moon for food for the food place! God's blessings to you and your family, your recipes are a big help in my cooking for this food place, I can stretch a lot and it is healthy, god's blessings!~

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