Spaetzle

The first time I had Spaetzle was eating a meal a German coworker made.  They were delicious!  The wonderful family I married into is very fond of German food as well.  I decided to be brave and make spaetzle from scratch - SO EASY!!  The hubs even thinks they're better than restaurant.  The picture above was made without a ricer/spaetzle maker.  I have since acquired a ricer and it's even easier.  If you don't know what a ricer is, check here.

Ingredients:
1 1/2  C. All Purpose Flour
1/2 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 C. Whole Milk
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg
3 Tablespoons butter (for sauteing) 

Combine the flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg together in a mixing bowl.  Scramble the milk and eggs together.  Add milk and egg mixture to flour mixture and mix until a dough ball forms.  Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Have a strainer/colander nearby set on a dish to collect water.  Once the 15 minutes are up and the water is boiling, scoop approx. 1 cup of dough into the ricer and press into the boiling water OR if not using a ricer, drop dough by small teaspoon fulls into water.  The dough is ready to be removed to the colander once it's floating at the top.  About 2-3 minutes depending on the size of the noodles.  Repeat until all the dough is cooked. 

Once the dough is all cooked, heat a skillet on medium and melt 3 Tablespoons butter.  Once butter is melted, saute the cooked spaetzle until golden brown all over.  About 5 minutes. 

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I sauteed half a chopped onion and 3 medium zucchini's diced up while boiling the spaetzle.  Then I mixed it all together.  Spaetzle is great as a side dish for Schnitzel as well.  I'll have a recipe for Chicken Schnitzel up soon ;)