German Spaetzle Dumplings

The perfect side dish

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 2/3 to 1 cup milk
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ cup dry mustard
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Method

Step 1

1. In a large bowl, crack in and lightly beat the eggs
2. Mix in 2/3 cup of the milk with the beaten eggs (keep additional milk nearby if needed)
3. In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients thoroughly:
   1. All-purpose flour
   2. Semolina flour
   3. Kosher salt
   4. Black pepper
   5. Nutmeg
   6. Dry mustard
   7. Fresh parsley
4. With a spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet bowl with the eggs and milk mixture
5. Blend adding additional milk if the dough is too thick or dry to work
6. Rest dough for 15 minutes
7. The dough should be workable and slightly wet but not as loose as pancake mix

Step 2

8. Prepare a board to form the spaetzle (use a normal cutting board)
9. Moisten the board with cold water
10. Using a spatula, slowly turn out the dough onto the board creating a horizontal strip that looks like the shape of a long Italian bread about 1 inch
11. Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil
12. Use a straight edge knife or a dough cutter
13. Hold the short edge of the cutting board over the pot
14. Hold the knife or dough cutter perpendicular to the with the spaetzle strip
15. Using the knife / dough cutter, cut off a strip of dough about 1” long and ¼” wide, in the shape of a small pickle, and drop into the boiling water carefully so as not to splash your self with hot water
16. Alternatively, slice the small strip off onto a slotted spoon and slowly lower it into boiling water
17. Use an offset spatula to cut off small, thin strips of the batter and drop them into salted, boiling water
18. Do not cut the spaetzle too large as they will almost double in size as they cook
19. If the dough doesn’t want to release into the water, dip the spatula in water and try again
20. The spaetzle will float as it cooks
21. Taste to make sure the raw flour taste is gone
22. When ready, remove the spaetzle with a slotted spoon to an ice bath to stop cooking and then place on a plate to drain
23. The cooking time will differ depending on the size of your spaetzle
24. When ready to serve, melt some butter in a pan, toss in the spaetzle, and stir until warm and coated with butter
25. Serve immediately