|
| HOW
TO MAKE SPAETZLE |
RECIPE
BY TALLYRAND |
 |
Why
do birds suddenly appear . . . . .
 Following
on from last week's column for braised lamb shanks,
as promised, here is the recipe for spaetzle (which
means little or baby sparrows). They are in fact a German
wet noodle, that are made from a wet paste / batter.
They
are a particular favourite of mine, a dish I learnt
all about when an apprentice (or lehrling as
they call it in Germany). They are a speciality of the
southern areas of Germany, where they are often served
not just as a 'bilage' (accompaniment) to dishes
but as a dish unto themselves - try . . .
- tossing
them in butter with some freshly grated nutmeg
- tossing
them in a rich, tasty meat sauce/gravy
Or,
if you are like me, just use them like you would spaghetti,
fettuccine etc, served:
- tossed
with all your favourite pasta sauces
- seafoods
- maybe
a can of tuna
- or
maybe a little sautéed onion, garlic and smoked
bacon
Once
you mind is opened and your imagination kick-started
there is no end to the possibilities. Be adventurous:
add some chilli, use a touch of green ginger, a sprinkling
of fresh herbs and spices, open up your cupboard and
/ or fridge and think "now what have I got here
that will go well together?"
From
start to finish, from collecting the ingredients to
serving it up, you can make fresh spaetzlé in
under ten minutes! Do you like pasta but you don't like
spending hours trying to make pasta? Do you not have
the money to spend on a pasta rolling machine? Then
spaetzlé is for you.
Traditionally
spaetzlé is made by placing the batter on a board
and with the use of a palette knife, scraped into noodles
directly into salted, boiling water. But a quicker way
is to pushed it through a press - the same type of press
that you may have for mashing your potatoes? If you
don't know what I mean, it is just a larger version
of a garlic press. If you are looking to buy one, look
for one with the largest of holes possible.
From
the same paste a dish called knopfle can also
be made. Which is done by pushing the paste through
the holes of a colander; resulting in small round noodle
lumps.
Ingredients
for Spaetzle
| strong
flour |
400
|
gm |
| eggs |
4
|
pc |
| olive
oil |
1
|
tbs |
| water |
|
sq |
| salt |
|
sq |
How
to make Spaetzle
- Sieve
flour and salt in a bowl
- Add
eggs beaten together with oil
- Add
water while working with a wooden spoon until a thick,
wet, elastic batter is achieved. This should be a
thick a batter as one can get before it becomes a
dough.
Chef's
Tip for Spaetzle:
Other
ingredients that may be added to this basic mix: chopped
parsley, chopped herbs, cheese, spinach purée,
garlic, tomato paste.
Enjoy
your Spaetzle and bon appetit . . . . .
|
Chef's
terminology:
|
| |
lt |
=
|
litres |
|
tsp |
= |
teaspoon |
| |
ml |
=
|
millelitres |
|
tbs |
= |
tablespoon |
| |
kg |
=
|
kilograms |
|
sq |
= |
sufficient
quantity (add to taste) |
| |
gm |
=
|
grams |
|
pc |
= |
piece,
meaning a whole one of |
|
Recipe
from professional
Chef Tallyrand
Email
Hub-UK : info@hub-uk.com
|
