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Joined: Mar 2005
I use the following recipe I found online:
3 c flour; unbleached
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs; large, beaten
1/2 c water, or more
1/4 c butter
Sift flour, salt and nutmeg together in a bowl. Pour eggs and 1/4 cup water into middle of flour mixture, beat with a wooden spoon. Add enough water to make the dough slightly sticky, yet keeping it elastic and stiff. Using a spaetzle machine or a colander with medium holes, press the noodles into a large pot full of boiling salted water. Cook noodles in the water about 5 minutes or until they rise to the surface. Lift noodles out and drain on paper towels. Brown noodles in melted butter over low heat.
I've found two types of spaetzle available commercially. One is more like an egg noodle about 1/8 inch thick that I get at our local German deli or at Safeway. The potato ricer ought to make spaetzle this size. I prefer a little thicker spaetzle that I can find at various grocery stores. I have a spaezle machine, but the last time I use a spaghetti pan insert that had 3/16 inch holes. I really liked the results. This size spaetzle is more similiar to the spaezle I've had in Germany, although the smaller size is imported from there.
The town I grew up in Missouri has a specialty called liver dumplings made from liver, onion, apple, flour, salt, pepper and parsley. The older generation made them by cutting the dumplings into broth or water by hand (and since I'm getting old I do it that way), but today many use a spaetzle machine. The result is very similar to the larger size spaetzle rather than a ball that most restaurants serve as a liver dumpling.
I did make spaetzle one time using self rising flour by mistake. Definitely doesn't work!