Spaetzle

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Show: Food 911Episode: Mother-in-Law Dumplings

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (26)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(26)

Cook Time:
--
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

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Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Dump the spaetzle into a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with the chopped chives and season with salt and pepper before serving.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Spaetzle
Michele Brooksville, FL 02-06-2010
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Recipe can't be right??
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

After watching the episode and reading and trying the recipe, the batter was way too thick. The episode shows it is supposed... to run off of the spoon like pancake batter. It looked like he had about 1/2 cup of milk (not 1/4 cup). I tried it twice adding the extra milk the second time. It finally looked right. It didn't show him rinsing under cold water, either. He took it directly from the pot, to a platter with a napkin. Unfortunately, mine fell apart both times. I am determined to make this work and plan to check out other recipes to see the ratios. Good luck!Read more
recipe Spaetzle
Amber Tigard, OR 12-30-2009
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Delicious and eas
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I was making Guy Fieri's Jagerschnitzel (great recipe!) and wanted a drop spaetzle recipe like I had in Germany. This recipe... was great. The dough was perfect consistency to push through my colander and the spaetzle was light and fluffy and delicious. I did omit the nutmeg and tossed the finished noodles with parsley since thats what I had. I will be making these again tonight for my parents and am excited to try my ricer as suggested by some other users. I would also say that 6 servings from this recipe would be small servings. I would rate this recipe as 4 servings. Mmm mmm mmm!Read more
recipe Spaetzle
Megan Wooster, OH 12-28-2009
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Tastes great...incredibly sticky to handle!
Rated: 3 stars out of 5

I tried to make this for my family for dinner and ended up having to add twice as much flower as necessary in order to get it... to consistency that I could manage. It was so sticky that it wouldn't push through a colander or slotted spoon. Just stuck like a gooey mess. Anyway, after adding at least 1 1/2 more cups of flour, I got it to a consistency that I could handle and ended up just pulling off pieces by hand and tossing them into the boiling water. This rendered somewhat large spaetzel pieces, but the result was tasty! We ate it with sauerbraten w/gravy and it was wonderful!Read more
recipe Spaetzle
ELEANOR phoenixville, PA 11-23-2009
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Do you like runny mush?
Rated: 1 stars out of 5

I make spaetzle quite a bit. Tonight I was giving the dog a bath. I wanted my husband to get my recipe but I knew he would... get too frustrated if I asked him to look through my index file. I can never remember if it is with the PA Dutch Chicken Corn Soup recipe or with the Swedish Meatball Recipe. It was easier to just send him to the Internet. That way I could put it together as soon as I was done bathing the dog. I knew I was in trouble when I saw the egg to flour ratio. It should be one cup of flour to one egg. (Hey, my great grandmother was German. I know these things!) I didn't want to hurt hubby's feelings so I made the recipe. Even worse idea. This recipe is awful. I should have trusted my memory. For 2 cups of flour stir in 1 tsp of salt then 2 beaten eggs mixed with 3/4 cup of milk. NO BUTTER for goodness sakes! You can add a pinch of nutmeg. If you want to add herbs okay but realize that herbs would not be authentic in a day to day recipe for spaetzle. Ditto for the butter. I use a spaetzle maker but you can use the colander method. It works just fine. Just make sure the water is at a rolling boil before you put the spaetzle batter through. If you buy a spaetzle maker do not get one that has plastic. Try to get one that is 100% stainless steel. Read more
recipe Spaetzle
Kaitlin San Jose, CA 11-11-2009
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A great replacement when you can't get to Germany!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I've been wanting to make this ever since I visited family in Germany and tasted spaetzle for the first time. This recipe was... delicious! The flavor is understated and amazing. The dumplings turned out a bit large, but still cooked perfectly. After resting, my dough was still too runny so I added extra flour and set it in the fridge to harden up a bit. Also, I only used 1 Tb of butter which was more than plenty. I just used what I had around the house, so no chives. The fresh taste would be a great addition though. Read more
recipe Spaetzle
Darcy Walnut Creek, CA 10-21-2009
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Fantastic and Easy!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This was my first time both making and eating spaetzle. It was so easy it was almost alarming. My husband has had spaetzle... all over Germany and Austria, and he said this was top-notch. He couldn't stop eating it. The batter went together in seconds; the most 'time-consuming' parts of the recipe are (a) letting the batter rest for 10-15 minutes and (b) waiting for the water to boil. I must admit, I have a spaetzle maker; I can see how it could have been much more of a pain without it. So for all you foodies out there, spring for a $15 spaetzle maker! Treat yourself, and you will keep making this recipe over and over, and loving it!Read more