Cornmeal Spaetzle Recipes

GERMAN SPAETZLE DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Mix together flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add alternately with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.
• Press dough through spaetzle maker, or a large holed sieve or metal grater.
• Drop a few at a time into simmering liquid. Cook 5 to 8 minutes. Drain well.
• Saute cooked spaetzle in butter or margarine. Sprinkle chopped fresh parsley on top, and serve.

CORNMEAL SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Whisk together flour, polenta, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk together eggs, milk, and fromage blanc with a mixer on medium speed. Reduce speed to low; whisk in flour mixture. Raise speed to medium-high; whisk until thick and gooey, about 2 minutes.
• Working in batches and using a rubber spatula, gradually press batter through a large-holed colander into boiling water. Boil until spaetzle float to top, about 1 minute; scoop out using a fine sieve. Rinse under cold water; drain.
• Heat butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add spaetzle; season with salt and pepper. Brown, tossing often, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat; toss in dill.

HERBED SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a bare simmer. Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, a pinch of pepper and the nutmeg in a large bowl. Whisk the sour cream, seltzer, eggs, herbs and mustard in another bowl, then stir into the flour mixture.
• Fill a large bowl with ice water. Working over the simmering water, place about 1 cup dough in a colander and push the dough through with a rubber spatula. Cook the spaetzle for 1 minute after they float to the surface, then remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water. Repeat with the remaining dough, letting the water return to a bare simmer between batches. Drain the spaetzle, spread out on a baking sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Increase the heat to high and add half of the spaetzle in an even layer. Cook, undisturbed, until golden brown on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Shake the pan and loosen the spaetzle with a spatula; continue cooking until heated through, about 1 more minute. Season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining butter, oil and spaetzle.

SKILLET CORN CAKE WITH STEWED CHERRIES

Steps:

• Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the cornmeal.
• In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolk, milk, olive oil, and lemon zest until frothy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar, and whisk to combine. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix just until the batter is smooth.
• Swirl the butter in the hot cast-iron skillet until it has melted, and then pour the batter into the skillet. Return the skillet to the oven and cook until the center is set, about 25 minutes.
• While the cake is baking, set a 10-inch skillet over high heat, and add the cherries, lemon juice, and remaining 3/4 cup sugar. Cook until the cherries have released most of their juice, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
• Allow the cake to cool in the skillet for 5 minutes. Then slice it into wedges and serve with the stewed cherries spooned over the top.

GERMAN DUMPLINGS (SPAETZLE OR KNIFFLES) FOR SOUP OR SAUTE

Steps:

• Mix these together until sticky.
• Drop into bubbling soup or stew, broth or water. (see below for ideas).
• Dumplings will rise to the surface as they cook; remove from liquid with a slotted spoon (if sautéing in another pan); set aside in a bowl (keep warm).
• MAKE THE DUMPLINGS #1: This method results in very small, stringy-ish dumplings and is great for soups or stews. Spoon several tablespoons of batter into a colander, then with the back of the spoon--press the batter through the holes into the bubbling liquid.
• METHOD #2: This method forms larger dumpling pieces (dime & quarter size) and is great for soups or stews, too -- but especially good if you want to saute the dumplings afterwards (more on that in a minute). Using a teaspoon and butter knife, scoop up a spoonful of batter, then use the knife to cut off little dibs and dabs, using the knife to also push the dibs into the hot liquid. If the knife or spoon gets messy, just dip into the hot liquid.
• SERVING IDEAS: We love these in chicken-dumpling soup (use your regular chicken soup recipe -- skip the egg noodles and make these dumplings instead). OR scoop out the larger dumplings (Method #2), and saute in butter or olive oil along with kielbasa or other sausage and LOTS of onion ring slices. OR saute some fresh veggies, then add the dumplings -- heaven!
• VARIATIONS: Add several pinches of your favorite herbs along with the flour to enhance the soup, stew or saute dish.
• Chef's Note: Altho' this is kind of putzy, it is well worth the effort and SO different from regular pasta-noodles.

HERBED SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Combine the milk and eggs in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on low speed until the egg yolks break up. Add the flour and 1 teaspoon salt and mix on low speed until a thick, pancake-like batter forms. Add the chives, parsley, rosemary and thyme, and mix until well incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the batter to a smaller bowl (to fit more easily in the fridge), cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the batter rest.
• Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and have nearby a rimmed baking sheet greased with olive oil. Working over the boiling water and using a rubber spatula, press the batter in batches through the holes of a perforated broiling pan insert, a colander or the large holes of a box grater. The dough will form small dumplings as it drops into the water. Allow the spaetzle to rise to the surface and float for about 30 seconds before transferring it to the baking sheet and continue cooking the rest of the batter. (If you are not using the cooked spaetzle right away, toss it with a little olive oil and refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.)
• Reheat the spaetzle by following the directions in the recipe calling for it. Or, for a delicious side dish, heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil and the butter. When the butter is melted, add the spaetzle and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Season to taste. Sprinkle with Parmesan, if using, and serve.

SPAETZLE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg and pepper. Add eggs and milk; stir to mix well (batter will be thick). In a Dutch oven or large kettle, bring chicken broth to a boil. Drop batter by 1/2 teaspoonfuls into boiling liquid. Boil until spaetzle rise to the surface; remove to ice water. Drain well. In a skillet, heat spaetzle in butter until lightly browned. Serve with schnitzel and gravy or with Parmesan cheese.