Recipe for homemade spätzle (spaetzle) – Alsatian pastas
Anyone fancy a recipe for homemade spätzle (spaetzle)? Spätzle are a typical Alsatian pasta (or noodle). It's an unmissable Alsatian specialty that you'll find on the menus of traditional restaurants, either as a side dish or sometimes served au gratin with cheese.
Origins of Alsace spaetzle
The name “spätzle” means “angel’s pecker”... Who knows why? In any case, this type of pasta has been around for a very long time, as spätzle is mentioned as “wasser strieble” in the Kochbuch, the very first cookery book published in Alsace in 1507.
Shape and baking of spaetzle
Spaetzle have a special shape (or rather, no shape at all) because they’re made without the use of cookie cutters or other utensils. You can use a spaetzle grater, but you don’t need one either, as we’ll see in the recipe below. The principle is to drop filaments of dough into boiling water.
What to serve with fresh spaetzle?
Spätzle are delicious on their own, pan-fried with a bit of bacon, for example, but they’re usually a perfect accompaniment to dishes in sauce , such as Riesling chicken, kidneys, escalopes in cream sauce, or recipes with game. They are used as a side dish in many traditional Alsatian recipes!
How to store homemade spaetzle?
You can keep them in the fridge for a few days , or even freeze them – spaetzle are perfect for this!
What’s the difference between knepfle and spaetzle?
The difference between the two is simply size: knepfle are simply bigger than spaetzle. You’ll find knepfle much less often on restaurant menus, so who knows why spaetzle is more popular?
Our recipe
Homemade Spätzle - Alsatian pastas
Ingredients
- 500 gr flour
- 9 eggs
- 100 gr of butter
- Salt
- Nutmeg
Instructions
- Place the flour in a bowl. Add the eggs, salt and nutmeg.
- Work and aerate the dough until it comes away from the terrine and forms bubbles. The dough should be fairly thick but runny. If necessary, adjust the consistency by adding a little water.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Place a small amount of dough on a moistened wooden board. Using a wet palette knife (or tablespoon), cut strips of dough by dropping them directly into the boiling water.
- As soon as the spätzle rise to the surface, remove with a skimmer and place in a bowl of cold water. Repeat the operation until there is no more paste.
- Drain the spaetzle in a colander and sauté in a pan with a little butter, onions and parsley. They have to brown.
