Daring Cooks Challenge July, 2011 - Käse Spätzle

(2 servings, as main course)

Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks' July hostess.  Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine.  She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with! 

I decided to make Spätzle, adapting the recipe we were given. 



Käse Spätzle
1 oz Bauernschinken or prosciutto, chopped or diced
1 yellow onion, sliced

2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
2-3 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
1 1/4 - 1/2 cups unbleached flour 

1/4 lb emmentaler cheese, grated
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

fresh parsley, chopped  

Add the Bauernschinken to a cold skillet and place over medium heat. When the schinken begins to sweat, add the onions. Saute for about 10 minutes or until the onions have browned taking care they don't burn. Set aside.

Combine the eggs, milk, salt, nutmeg and 1/2 cup of flour in a bowl. Stir until well combined, then keep adding the flour in small amounts (keep stirring) until you have a smooth elastic dough; it will be somewhere between pancake batter and conventional pasta dough. It doesn't need to be a precise consistency.. just runny enough so you can get it into the pot quickly.

Bring a pot of salted water to boil, then reduce the heat allowing the water to simmer. Place some of the dough onto a cutting board and using a knife quickly flick small amounts of the dough off the edge into the water.

 

Repeat with the remaining dough until you have used it all up. Cook the Spätzle 5-10 minutes (depending how thick you have made them) until all of them have risen to the top.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Drain the  Spätzle in a colander, then toss them with the onion and Bauernschinken mixture. Add the cheese, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, and place everything into an 8 inch square baking dish.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the Spätzle are hot and the cheese has melted.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with salad.