Käsespätzle

Käsespätzle is a specialty dish of Schwaben region in Germany. The dish is a German version of mac ‘n cheese. The noodles, however are a little more dense and the dish also has fried onions. Spätzle has a long history and it is not completely clear who the originators where. I believe Spätzle has been around for longer but evidence dates it back to at least 1725. The first Spätzle is said to be formed by hand or with a spoon to make small pieces of dough. There are at least two ideas on how Spätzle received its name. The first was that this early dough shape resembled a sparrow or Spatz and then the name adapted from there. The second idea comes from the Italians; the italian word for small pieces is “spezzato,” the germans could have then adapted this word into Spätzle.

While in Freiburg I was lucky enough to enjoy this dish a few time in restaurants, and I was even afforded the opportunity to cook it! The following post will briefly outline how exactly to cook this delectable dish.

Ingredients:

-Flower

-Eggs

-Milk

-Butter

-Onion

-Spätzle Cheese

-Le Gruyere Cheese

Take 3 eggs and beat with flower and milk until a desired consistency is reached; also one might want to add some pepper and salt. The consistency needed allows for the dough to hold shape yet be soft without being too watery. After the dough is made, pieces can be cut and placed into a pot of boiling water. The Spätzle is ready when the dough rises to the top. After all the dough is cooked it needs to be placed to the side to cool.

-It is important to note that this is not the only way of making the Spätzle! The classic way is spreading the dough across a cutting board and cutting the dough into thin strips and then into water (as done here). The next way is through different Spätzle Presses. With the device, the dough is basically shoved through holes that form the dough into long strips (this contraption looks like a larger version of a garlic press). The next device is the Spätzle Sieb which has a similar idea of pressing dough through holes. The sieb is a metal circle that fits over a pot and allows the dough to fall directly into the pot. The last tool that can be used is the Spätzle Hobel. The Hobel resembles a cheese grater and nearly works the same way.