Spätzle is a wonderfully interesting dish of German origin. It's made from a loose batter that is pressed directly into a pot of boiling water. In Germany, there are even special gadgets designed for making them — particularly for pressing the batter into the water. Essentially, spätzle are homemade egg noodles that taste a lot like small dumplings. You can serve them with just about anything, but I love pairing them with ham and cheese — it's absolutely delicious!
Ingredients:
- 200 g flour
- 100 ml milk
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp salt
- Also:
- 150 g cheese
- 150 g ham (or sausage, bacon, etc.)
- 5 tbsp heavy cream (any kind)
- 1 tbsp butter
How to cook spätzle with cheese and ham
Fill a large pot with water, salt it generously, and bring to a boil. Next, you'll need to press the batter through into the water. You can use the back (flat side) of a coarse box grater, a colander with round holes, or a steamer insert (that's what I used). Pour in a little batter at a time.
Using a spatula or scraper, push the batter through directly into the pot (small pieces of dough will drop into the hot water).
If you don't have any of those tools on hand, here's another method — and actually an easier one. Lightly grease a cutting board with butter and spread some batter on it. Then use a spatula or knife to scrape thin strips of batter off the board and into the water.
These cute little spätzle are what you get when you press the batter through round holes. But no matter which method you use, the taste will be equally wonderful. Cook the spätzle for a few minutes after they float to the surface.
Remove the cooked spätzle with a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl. Add a tablespoon of butter while they're still hot and toss to coat. If you like, you can stop right here and enjoy them as-is, with just butter and cheese. :-)
Coarsely grate the cheese and cut the ham into small oblong strips. Add the ham and half of the cheese to the spätzle.
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