So for some cray reason I wanted to try to make spaetzle, so after waiting and thinking about it for a few days I went ahead and did it. I used a recipe I found online. I have never eaten it before, and obviously never made it before, so I had no idea what it would taste like, or what it should even look like really.
The recipe called for a ton of nutmeg, and that made me really leery, I grew up in a house that didn't use nutmeg even if we had it. It is a strong taste I am still trying to get used to, in small bits added to things like pan cakes and desserts. So I didn't add the whole 1/4 teaspoon it called for, but the amount I did use was too much. But other than that, I don't think I would have changed anything about the recipe itself.
Making it was an experience, I have a few tools in the kitchen, but I don't have everything, and there is no way I could justify buying a grater just to do spaetzle. So I used my over sized slotted spoon, but it happened to be the spoon I would have used to get them out of the water. So that was a slow process and caused them to possibly overcook, because they cooked really fast, so fast I wasn't able to rinse the batches off with cold water, so they might have been a touch overdone, but I have no idea if they were.
They had a pretty good texture, not too doughy, they tasted like a mix between pasta and rice. I wanted to keep it pretty plain when I "dressed" them, so I could truly taste them, since it was my first time. But I made a mistake, I added too much thyme. I placed them in a frying pan with butter, added some cream, parmesan cheese, and the thyme, it was too assertive with the nutmeg. I couldn't eat too much of it, but my toddler loved it, he took over eating my plate. Also the frying pan was too small, I couldn't get the spaetzle to brown enough first.
So next time I will be more prepared to cook the spaetzle, and have something better in place to remove it from the water faster, and have a bowl of cold water standing by to cool it off. I am sure that will make it lighter. And lastly, I think I will use just a very very small dash of nutmeg and skip the thyme all together. I think they would be good in a really creamy cheese sauce.
I grew up in a home where we did not eat a lot of pasta, so with anything close to a pasta texture, takes me a bit to get used to it. So a good way to get used to it is covering it with cheese, and maybe bacon, ooohhh bacon.
I am sure that some people would think that cooking something new isn't all that challenging, but it is too me. It opens up a whole new way for making things and adding to my over all knowledge. Cooking involves a lot of science, so it effects more than just my waist line. Cooking also has a lot of social aspects, why certain countries cook with certain food, and what the staples were, and how people survived on what they had. I can't imagine how someone even came up with cooking spaetzle the first time. I am sure it started with a desire to have smaller dumplings, and grew from there, making them smaller and smaller. If I am remembering correctly, Germany didn't eat a lot of potatoes in the middle ages, so I can understand why they have a lot of starchy meal without potatoes in them.
From this first time, I learned that it is a very bland starch that needs a lot of flavor added to them. But they are very delicate and need to be handle with a soft hand. Sorta like me. Hahahahaha.
I made it a second time and this time I did it differently.
ReplyDeleteFirst off I used way less nutmeg, and that really helped. I also dropped them in the water differently, I dripped them off a fork, sure they ended up different sizes, but that was alright, because they cook at their own speed, so they weren't either overcooked or undercooked.
I also had my second pan ready to go with butter, green onions, and mushrooms to drop the cooked spaetzle right in. After I finished them all off, I finished cooking them in a larger frying pan, added salt-n-pepper to taste. I turned off the heat, added sour cream and parmesan cheese.
This time they were much better, much better. More like a risotto, than the first time. It was creamy yummy goodness. I liked the texture and taste much better, less like a rice and more like a soft small dumpling, which I imagine they are supposed to taste like. I think I will try it a few more times, and get the hang of it.
Maybe I can convince my husband to take me out to a German restaurant so I can try them out by a professional. So I can find out if I am close or way off base. That is if I can find one around here. That maybe the true challenge. I don't live in a highly diverse neighborhood, sure tacos I can get, or burgers, but I need something else entirely. Don't get my wrong, I love burgers and tacos, but this calls for a whole different type of place. All though I am not too sure there is a great demand for German food as a whole, I mean compared to Steakhouses, chicken places and Italian food.
Either way, I liked the second round, without the thyme, and way less nutmeg. The mushrooms really added an earthy taste, these seem to pick up any flavors added to them. I like how easy they are to make, much easier than a handmade pasta, way more rustic also. But they seem to be a total side dish, you need something to go along side of, and from the recipes I have read it sounds like I need some pork. Whether it was a sausage or roast I think either would work. Once I get these perfected I think I will invite some people over for a nice dinner party.
pick us!!
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