Skillet-Browned Spaetzle

Once upon a time in the Catskills, I ate spaetzle and sauerbraten on New Year’s Day. We’d taken a bus from the city, in a blizzard, to meet friends at a many-bedroomed house we rented for the weekend. A bus that stopped at country gas stations all the way up scenic Route 87 until we landed, later than expected, in a town without taxis. When our friends peeled into the parking lot in the old brown Mercedes, the party had been going on for hours. At midnight, we toasted in our red and yellow underpants, while counting our wishes, eating twelve grapes, a tradition we’d brought North with us from Mexico. The next day, we rose before noon to ride inner tubes down a snow-covered mountain. And that night, we crowded around a cozy fireplace in a chalet style Swiss-German restaurant, where we had Schnapps and fondue and various wursts. I knew the year ahead would be chaotic, dynamic, rowdy, silly and a little sad, if this January 1st had been any kind of augury.

It was chilly here today, colder than it’s been in months. I knew we needed comfort food and this is what I came up with. A pork roast I smeared with garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and cooked at 40o degrees for about an hour. Green beans sauteed in olive oil and shallots, steamed with vermouth. And spaetzle. Little dumplings that cook very quickly go nicely with lots of butter. While there is a special spaeztle tool, a plain old colander works just fine, I found. Be prepared to steam up the kitchen while you stand over a pot of boiling water. But on a brisk fall evening like this, it’s the very perfect thing to do. It’s also excellently fun to say.

Skillet-Browned Spaetzle
Adapted from a recipe on Epicurious

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 sage leaves
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Method:

In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, salt, pepper, nutmeg, eggs, and milk. Cover and chill batter in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Place a colander over a large pot of salted boiling water. Use a rubber spatula to press the batter through the holes and cook in batches, 2-3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked spaetzle to an ice water bath. Then drain in another colander. Finally, transfer to a bowl and coat the spaetzle with olive oil, so that the pieces don’t stick together. Can be made one day ahead. To finish, heat butter with sage leaves in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Toss the spaetzle in melting butter until lightly browned. Throw in a handful of parsley and serve.

Tagged as: butter, comfort, dumplings, fall, pork

About the Author: Jillian Bedell

Jillian grew up in Connecticut, went to university in Boston, college in New Haven, did some post-grad soul searching in New York, exiled herself to Mexico, married her longtime sweetheart, and lived in a house on the ocean. She suspected Maine might be the perfect place to raise a family, so she came back home to New England two years ago. Now a mom to Violet Maeve and living in Rockland, where she hopes to settle for a good, long while, Jillian reads, writes, walks, and practices Nia, when not watching Malcolm photograph sandwiches.