Friday, January 4, 2013

FFWD Herb-Speckled Spaetzle


The problem with getting behind in posting (and I guess procrastinating in general) is that it just keeps getting harder to get caught up.  I've actually made every recipe (except for one) over the past two months so there is a very long catch-up post in my future, but I've decided to just try to start posting on time again and write the catch-up post when I get to it.....So, spaetzle.  I've always wanted to try making spaetzle (Sara Moulton has an excellent-sounding recipe for it that I keep meaning to try) so I was glad when I saw the recipe schedule for this month.  One of my few problems with AMFT, is that Dorie always makes everything sound so easy.  The way she describes it you mix the batter, put it through something with holes in it, boil it, and then very soon dinner is ready.  I thought it sounded perfect for a weeknight dinner!  I was very wrong.  Maybe it would have gone better with a spaetzle maker--I'm very curious to see if anyone has one and how much easier it made things--but I spent an awful lot of time holding my hands over a pot of boiling water trying to push the thick, sticky dough through the holes of the largest disk of my food mill.  (I also tried a colander and big slotted spoon, but this seemed to be my best option.)  My mom happened to be over and offered to help, but after trying for about a minute she said it was impossible and gave up.  Luckily, my mom did come to the rescue when I noticed that I didn't have anything to finish the dish.  I skipped buying the mushrooms (still don't like them) and I couldn't find the onion half that I'd saved for this purpose.  I probably would have panicked but my mom--who's much better at substitutions and cooking with what's available than I am--suggested adding celery and garlic and it worked quite well.  Dinner was very late on Wednesday, but we definitely both enjoyed it.  I made the spaetzle with half all purpose flour and half of an ancient grains mix that I bought from KAF, and really liked the nutty flavor that the anxious grains added.  The only thing I wish is that the spaetzle had gotten crispier.  A few of mine browned nicely but most did not.  I think next time I'll use a bigger pan to fry them in, and also won't skimp so much on the butter and oil (I was trying to be healthy!).

11 comments:

  1. i have the maker, since it is quite common dish where i am coming from, and yes, with that device the making process quite speeds up :), one of the trick is also to keep the batter kind of runny
    h.

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  2. I have to admit, I'm kinda relieved I'm not the only one who had problems! Dorie really does make it sound easy, and I just kept getting frustrated with it. What we did have was good, so I guess that's a win! But I definitely wouldn't do this again without a gadget to help speed things up! Yours does look great though! :)

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  3. I used my flat grater and my hand to rub the dough across the grater. We really enjoyed the spaetzle. I think I’ll get the spaetzle maker for next time!! Love the addition of garlic and celery…bet it was delicious!

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  4. It looks delicious even if it was a pain to make. I did have a spaetzle maker (first time to make or eat spaetzle for me). It was quick to push the batter into the water, but it seemed to glob up at the end of each batch. Also, I didn't account for the time to boil each batch for 2 minutes. I think I pressed out at least 6 or 8 batches. I do think I'll make these again though, and play around with different sauces/toppings.

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  5. Yours does look delicious. No worries about catching up. I can no longer count the number of ffwD assignments I've skipped.

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  6. It was a bit of a pain (I used a grater and a spoon), but a tasty pain :-)
    The celery and garlic sound like great additions.

    Happy New Year!

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  7. Jora, making Spätzle can be a bit time consuming, especially without any of the specialty Spätzle making gadgets but I must say that your noodles look just wonderful - actually I like that you substituted some of the AP flour for some ancient grain mix, your Spätzle must have tasted just wonderful, I am sure.
    I hope that you and your family had a great start in the New Year!

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  8. Hmm. I used a food mill as well along with a silicone spatula. It worked out very well. Perhaps making the dough runnier would help? I thought it got easier as I went along and the food mill got warm and steamy. I am glad you enjoyed it in the end!

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  9. Your Mom's idea sounds delicious. I found the process a bit messy, too. I'm looking forward to your catch up when you get to it!

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  10. Your healthier version sounds so much better than the original! I'll keep that in mind for when I get around making this recipe. :)

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  11. It absolutely was a bit of a ache (I used a grater as well as a table spoon), nevertheless any tasty pain :-)
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