Making your own spaetzle requires a little more time than, say, pouring a box of pasta into boiling water, but of all home-made pastas, it happens to be one of the quickest and most satisfying. Spaetzle are soft and chewy little egg dumplings that you'll often find topped with onions and butter. Since we still have a lot of pickled beets, I added those to the dough, along with whole wheat flour and yogurt. Before serving, I swirled the spaetzle around in a pan with butter, goat cheese, and chard. You can make spaetzle to accompany pork or chicken or to go in a soup - it's a dumpling after all.Enjoy!
There is two ways you can make spaetzle. One is to use a spaetzle maker. The other way is to take a large-holed cheese grater and push the dough through with a spatula.
serves 4-6
Beet Spaetzle
• 2 cups whole wheat flour • 1/2 cup cooked or pickled beets, puréed in food processor • 3 eggs • 1 cup yogurt • 1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, and salt, until fluffy. Add the beets, mix well, and gradually add the flour. The dough should be loose. Over a large pot of boiling water, grate half the dough with either a spaetzler or a cheese grater. Cook for about 2 minutes, until they float to the surface. Take them out with a slotted spoon or sieve and drop them in cold water. Transfer them to a sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. At this point you can set aside what you need intend to eat right away and store the rest in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Beet Spaetzle with Chard and Goat Cheese
• 2-3 cups beet spaetzle • small bunch chard, chopped • 1/4 cup (about 75g) goat cheese • 4 tablespoons butter • few sprigs fresh dill • sea salt + ground black pepper
Heat the butter in a large skillet and add the spaetzle. Sauté them around for a few minutes, then stir in the chard and goat cheese. Cook for another minute, until the chard is just cooked, and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a few sprigs of dill.
