Herb-Speckled Spaetzle
This Herb-Speckled Spaetzle is a hearty, herb-infused German pasta that’s delicious as a stand-alone side dish or as a vehicle to soak up marvelous juices from stews and roasts.
Herb-Speckled Spaetzle
I was excited to try this Herb-Speckled Spaetzle for French Fridays with Dorie this week. When we lived in Iowa, my in-laws would frequently visit (under the guise of taking us impoverished folk out to dinner, but the real draw was getting their hands on the grandchildren) and take us to the nearby Amana Colonies.
This quaint, former communal settlement had a number of restaurants where classic German cuisine was served, and my father-in-law was certain to order something with a side of spaetzle. Years later, when we belonged to a dinner club, our first gathering featured a German menu, and my assignment was spaetzle I made a simple noodle dough and squeezed it through a spaetzle press into boiling water.
These delicious threads of pasta were sauteed in butter, then used as a side dish for our sauerbraten. It was a snap to make.
Dorie’s Spaetzle
Dorie’s recipe adds herbs and a bit of nutmeg to the basic recipe of milk, eggs, and flour. She goes further and has us mix them with a melange of sauteed onions and sliced mushrooms.
I kept some of this herb-speckled spaetzle plain for the family and the jazzed-up version for me. I served ours with a hearty beef stew full of onions, garlic, carrots, rosemary, and thyme, simmered for hours covered with red wine and broth. It was the perfect topping for our spaetzle Hubby was not disappointed with this veer to the German side by Dorie. Neither was I.
I splurged on this German-made spaetzle press a few years ago. It works beautifully. If you don’t own this gadget, you can easily substitute a colander.
This delicious recipe can be found on Epicurious. And check out my post on How to Make Spaetzel for more tips.
44 Comments on “Herb-Speckled Spaetzle”
Since I grew up in Manchester, going to the Amana Colonies was A BIG TREAT. Oh, the food. I don’t remember spaetzle, in particular, (I was a kid) but I do have delicious memory of the entire experience. When both my brother and I got married, we received a dining room table and chairs made in the Amana Colonies from our parents. We waited a long time to receive all the chairs (made by hand, if you remember) but it gave me time to needlepoint seats for them all. My sister-in-law and brother, being a little more prosperous than us, ordered many side tables, etc. from the Colonies. Now my Melissa has my set and they are every bit as beautiful and strudy as the first day we received them. This is not so much a comment about food, Liz, but a real stroll down eastern-Iowa memory lane.
Lizzy, having grown up in the Amana’s with a German background, I feel I have a personal relationship with spaetzle. I will admit though, I have never seen your type of spaetzle press. For years I made them by hand, simply cutting off the dough with a knife as it dropped into water. I love the large “dumpling” size. Quite a few years ago, I did invest in a spaetzle “machine” and have not gone back to the old fashioned way since. http://www.wayfair.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-12-3-8-Spaetzle-Maker-49844-01-L832-K~WCS2266.html?refid=GX15983681100-WCS2266&gclid=CLa1wN6o1rQCFQHonAod1zsA4A
Lizzy,
I don’t know much about German food. This looks like German macaroni to me. I bet it’s delicious. I could use a colander to make it – what’s an Italian household without a colander!
Annamaria