How-To Tuesday! Spatzle

How-To Tuesday German Style! For those of you who have never even heard of spatzle....spatzle is basically a German egg noodle.  It's a short little noodle that is generally made of eggs and flour, it's very easy to make and very yummy to eat.  Another good reason to make your own?  Buying boxed spatzle is actually kind of pricey here in the U.S.

Quick and easy directions for the spatzle, then a great recipe to use it in to follow. :)

Spatzle, adapted from Gordon Ramsay (serves 2)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp grated nutmeg
2 eggs, one whole and one yolk beaten together
3 tablespoons of milk
3 tablespoons of water

Bring a large pan of water to boil.  While it is heating, combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl.  Make a well in the middle and pour in the eggs.  Mix together.  Now add the milk and water, stirring to make a thick batter.

To make the spatzle, spoon a small amount of the batter into a colander held over the pan of boiling water.  Use a rubber spatula to scrape over the batter pushing it through the holes in the colander and into the boiling water below.  Let the spatzle cook for about a minute then use a strainer or slotted spoon to scoop it out and into a bowl.

If you want you can make the spatzle early and then reheat it by sauteing it in some butter for a minute or two.

My favorite dish to make with spatzle uses sausage and a creamy mustard sauce.  Even making the spatzle from scratch, the dish only takes about 20 minutes.  A great warm dinner for a crisp fall night.  (Not that we are having any of those here in Vegas yet)  I prefer to use the spatzle recipe I listed above with Robert Irvine's sauce...his spatzle is ok, but we didn't think the extra ingredients really came through in the dish.  The mustard sauce though?  Outstanding.

Spatzle in Mustard Cream Sauce with Sausage, adapted from Robert Irvine
Spatzle, see above
1 lb sausage in casings (sweet or spicy both work!)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small shallot, minced
3 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
2 tablespoon Dijon Mustard (we used the Country Style Grey Poupon)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons grate Gruyere cheese

Prepare the spatzle as described in the recipe above and set it aside.  Cook your sausages either in a grill pan or in a pot of boiling water.  Once done, slice them into 1/2 inch rounds.

To make the sauce, heat a saucepan over medium.  Add the butter and shallots and cook until the shallots are a nice golden brown.  Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan, then add the cream, thyme, and mustard.  Taste and then season the sauce with salt and pepper.  Put the sauce on low and continue to cook until it has thickened, about 5 minutes.  Once the sauce is thick, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.

Pour about half of the sauce over the spatzle and toss to coat and reheat it.  Place the spatzle on plates then put the sausage over the spatzle and spoon over a bit more sauce.

Comfort food at its, German-style, finest!