The recipes in the Real German Cuisine Challenge are from the German recipe book Die echte deutsche Küche and will be translated by me over the next couple of years.
Käsespätzle (Cheese spaetzle)
Luxurious main course
Ingredients for 4 portions:
- 500 g (1.1 lbs or about 4 cups + 2.5 Tablespoons) flour
- salt
- 4 eggs
- 200 g (7 oz) Emmentaler cheese
- 2 onions
- 3 T butter
- freshly ground black pepper
Prep time: about 1 hour
Per portion: 810 calories
Directions:
- Place the flour in a bowl, add the eggs, 1 teaspoon salt and about 1/8 liter (a smidgen over 1/2 cup [actually, more water may be needed than this, dough should be only somewhat thicker than pancake batter] lukewarm water, and mix forcefully until the dough is bubbly. Let the dough rest for a few minutes.
- Grate the cheese. Peel the onions and cut into thin slices. Melt the butter in a pan, then add the onions and saute until golden brown. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- In a pot, bring 2 liters (2 quarts) salted water to a boil. Spread the dough in portions on a damp cutting board, smooth it out and with a knife, cut thin slices over the water so they drop in as you cut (here’s a video showing how this is done). (You can also press the dough by portions through a Spätzlepresse into the water.) As soon as the Spätzle float to the surface of the water, remove them with a slotted spoon, drain the water well, then place them in an oven-proof casserole dish. Sprinkle with pepper and a little of the cheese and place in the oven.
- Proceed with the preparation of the next portion, layer it on top of the portion in the oven, and add pepper and some cheese. Atop the final layer of Spätzle, distribute the onions and butter. Raise the temperature to 250°C (480°F) and bake the Spätzle for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with more pepper and the rest of the cheese.
Read about the challenge results on the Real German Cuisine: Käsespätzle post. Want more Real German Cuisine? Check out the full recipe list organized by German state. Do you have an alternative recipe for this dish or helpful hints? Please let us know in the comments!
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I made this today. My noodles fell off the cutting board in chunks, but I just used cooking scissors and chopped them up. I tried it and decided that it needed more onion (I used one very large one) so I sauteed another one, mixed up the noodles, added more cheese, and topped it off with the onion and pepper. Delicious! I’m glad I discovered your blog.
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