Cheese Spaetzle

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

I'm planning on making Spaetzle this weekend. I'm really in the mood for
it. I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com. I've called my fave store and
they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a spaetzle maker. If
this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker. It's a metric recipe. I
have yet to convert it. I like it though. Any suggestions appreciated. I
copied this directly from the website.

We used to make spaetzle by putting the dough on a plate and cutting off
pieces about 1/2-inch long and 1/4-inch wide and scraping them into a
pot of boiling water with a table knife. We tried that colander thing,
but the holes in all of ours are too small for it to work. We used a box
grater once (the side with the big holes) but it was a hassle. They're
done when they float. We always gave them an extra minute or so.

Appenzeller is a Swiss cheese with smaller holes than the sorts we're
most accustomed to. It's washed with fruit juices or wine while curing,
so the standard descriptions say that it has a fruity taste. I never
noticed it. Tasted pretty much like the "regular" Emmenthaler to me.

Now we're uptown and very cool because we bought a spaetzle maker. We've
used it about four times. Made them many more times before when we were
primitive. Maybe this weekend with the pork roast. Perfect.

Pastorio

Quoted message said:

Vorarlberg Cheese Spaetzle (Drop Noodles) Recipe #148589
I lived in western Austria for a good long while. This is a traditional
dish that really needs to be made with the local cheeses. In this country
I've found Appenzeller (a firm alpine cheese) at Murray's in New York --
and they have a mail order service. Use a spaetzle maker if you can locate
one. It looks like an oblong piece of metal with holes the size of peas,
with an attached funnel to hold the batter that slides back and forth to
force the batter through. If not, you can force the batter through through
any colander with larger holes, or simply use a spoon to push small chunks
(no bigger than a piece of elbow macaroni) into the boiling water. The
crisply fried onions are crucial to flavor and texture. Serve with a green
or cucumber salad. Note the measurements are metric.

Quoted message said:

400 g all-purpose flour

3 1/2 cups flour

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4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 liter whole milk

generous cup

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250 g cheese, grated (preferably Appenzeller)

1/2 pound cheese

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70 g butter

1/2 stick butter

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1 large onion, cut into very thin slices
pepper

Michael 'Dog3' Lonergan said:

I'm planning on making Spaetzle this weekend.

Good idea. We had them yesterday night again.

Quoted message said:

I'm really in the mood for it.

My girlfriend as well as my kids always are.

Quoted message said:

I've called my fave store and they can get me Appenzeller cheese.

I prefer a cheese with a more neutral taste like Emmentaler. This time,
I also mixed some Mozzarella that was left from some cooking earlier.

Quoted message said:

I do not have a spaetzle maker. If this is good, I might invest in a
spaetzle maker.

The real spaetzle are "scraped from the board" (vom Brett geschabt). You
put some dough flat on a cutting board and scrape thin stripes of it
directly into the boiling water with a chef knife. Takes some exercise
but it's the most authentic way :-)

The other option is to prepare the dough a little bit thinner and use
the colander technique mentiond in the recipe. A spaetzle maker is only
option #3, I'd say. Something more to take up space in the kitchen and
one kitchen item more to clean. I have one anyway :-)

Quoted message said:

It's a metric recipe.

Thank god it is.

Quoted message said:

I have yet to convert it.

Not for me, thank you :-)

Quoted message said:

I like it though. Any suggestions appreciated.

I wonder what they do with the milk. I don't put any milk in my
spaetzle dough. The cheese and onion would be not enough for me. For
our dinner for two yesterday, I used

250 g all-purpose flour
2 eggs
0.5 ts salt
150 ml water
250 g Emmentaler, grated
4 medium to large sized onions

I also prefer to put the fried onion rings on top of the cheese spaetzle
when serving. They make a nice decoration, will stay crispy and you can
mix them with the spaetzle fork by fork while eating. Some sliced
chives are a nice extra decoration and provide some color. Mixed in the
cheese spaetzle, I also like some slighly roasted diced smoked ham.

Jens

"Michael \"Dog3\" Lonergan" <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

I'm planning on making Spaetzle this weekend. I'm really in the mood
for it. I found this recipe on Recipezaar.com. I've called my fave
store and they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a
spaetzle maker. If this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker.
It's a metric recipe. I have yet to convert it. I like it though. Any
suggestions appreciated. I copied this directly from the website.

Michael

<Recipe snipped for brevity>

Michael,

Since you'll be making them in batches, you could get even more
creative...

Add some ground basil to a batch?

Add some cayenne to a batch?

For "golden" spaetzle add some turmeric to a batch?

Etc., etc.

Andy

Andy said:

For "golden" spaetzle add some turmeric to a batch?

I'd prefer saffron. Green spinach spaetzle (like "capunet" from the
Grisons) are pretty popular too ins some areas.

Jens

Jens Arne Maennig <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Andy said:

For "golden" spaetzle add some turmeric to a batch?

I'd prefer saffron. Green spinach spaetzle (like "capunet" from the
Grisons) are pretty popular too ins some areas.

Jens

Jens,

Who wouldn't prefer saffron!?!?!?

Andy

Andy said:

Who wouldn't prefer saffron!?!?!?

Let me guess: Any person who prefers McCormick yellow food color or
dislikes the taste of saffron? :-)

Jens

Jens Arne Maennig <[email hidden]> wrote in news:1m1cllpw6rdaa
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Andy said:

Who wouldn't prefer saffron!?!?!?

Let me guess: Any person who prefers McCormick yellow food color or
dislikes the taste of saffron? :-)

Jens

Jens,

Growing up, Mom's rice was always yellow and delicious! I have a
miniature air-tight "test-tube" of saffron. Has to be 20 years old. Maybe
200 strands in it.

Andy

Andy said:

Growing up, Mom's rice was always yellow and delicious! I have a
miniature air-tight "test-tube" of saffron. Has to be 20 years old.
Maybe 200 strands in it.

Two weeks ago, when I was cooking a quick soufflé for my mother (times
are a-changing) in her kitchen, I discoverd a medium sized jam jar full
of saffron strans on a shelf above the stove. I didn't hasitate to use
some for the soufflé.

Mom commented on it like "Oh good that finally somebody is using it. I
hardly find any occasion to use it."

The fact that saffron is actually cultivated in the Swiss village of
Mund (canton Valais, http://www.mund.ch/mundersafran/DerSafranvonMund/,
sorry, German only) makes it morally permissible to waste it on local
specialities like spaetzle :-)

Jens

Jens Arne Maennig <[email hidden]> wrote in news:aptk58p2wzye
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Andy said:

Growing up, Mom's rice was always yellow and delicious! I have a
miniature air-tight "test-tube" of saffron. Has to be 20 years old.
Maybe 200 strands in it.

Two weeks ago, when I was cooking a quick soufflé for my mother (times
are a-changing) in her kitchen, I discoverd a medium sized jam jar full
of saffron strans on a shelf above the stove. I didn't hasitate to use
some for the soufflé.

Mom commented on it like "Oh good that finally somebody is using it. I
hardly find any occasion to use it."

The fact that saffron is actually cultivated in the Swiss village of
Mund (canton Valais, http://www.mund.ch/mundersafran/DerSafranvonMund/,
sorry, German only) makes it morally permissible to waste it on local
specialities like spaetzle :-)

Jens

Jens,

Great story! Sorry I can't read from the URL you included. How old,
(guessing) is your jar of saffron?

Andy

Andy said:

How old, (guessing) is your jar of saffron?

My mother mentioned that it was a present of some visitors one or two
years ago. I would just love visitors that bring usefull stuff like
that.

BTW: Around here (Munich, Bavaria, Germany), you can get a 25 g (0.9 oz)
glass of saffron in a trustworthy store for around EUR 50 (USD 60), on
ebay you can also get 100 g (3.5 oz) for EUR 65 (USD 77). The ebay
stuff is Iranian, however, so it would probably be illegal to import it
to the US of A :-)

Jens

"Bob (this one)" <[email hidden]> hitched up their panties and posted
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

We used to make spaetzle by putting the dough on a plate and cutting
off pieces about 1/2-inch long and 1/4-inch wide and scraping them
into a pot of boiling water with a table knife. We tried that colander
thing, but the holes in all of ours are too small for it to work. We
used a box grater once (the side with the big holes) but it was a
hassle. They're done when they float. We always gave them an extra
minute or so.

Okay, this is a good tip.

Quoted message said:

Appenzeller is a Swiss cheese with smaller holes than the sorts we're
most accustomed to. It's washed with fruit juices or wine while
curing, so the standard descriptions say that it has a fruity taste. I
never noticed it. Tasted pretty much like the "regular" Emmenthaler to
me.

Maybe I'll use the Emmenthaler instead.

Quoted message said:

Now we're uptown and very cool because we bought a spaetzle maker.
We've used it about four times. Made them many more times before when
we were primitive. Maybe this weekend with the pork roast. Perfect.

Pastorio

Thanks to all who have responded. The saffron and tumeric suggestions were
really good as well. Technique is important and I like your suggestion of
using the plate. I think for now that is what I'll do.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

In article <[email hidden]>,
Jens Arne Maennig <[email hidden]> wrote:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

BTW: Around here (Munich, Bavaria, Germany), you can get a 25 g (0.9 oz)
glass of saffron in a trustworthy store for around EUR 50 (USD 60), on
ebay you can also get 100 g (3.5 oz) for EUR 65 (USD 77). The ebay
stuff is Iranian, however, so it would probably be illegal to import it
to the US of A :-)

Jens

I've never used saffron, though because it is expensive I suppose, I've
always wanted to try it. I checked ebay after reading Jens post and saw
an ounce of "pure Spanish saffron" that is currently at $17. and change.
The hammer falls in 6 hours or so .... (12:52 PST). I checked the
vendors earlier sales and saw an ounce of saffron that went in late
December for $23.00 including shipping.

Is it worth that? I wonder how the Spanish compares to the Iranian?

Regards,
Dave W.

--
Living in the Ozarks
For email, edu will do.

Regardless of what doesn't happen, there's always someone who knew it wouldn't.
R. Henry

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a spaetzle maker. If
this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker.
Michael

Dude - you can use the back side of a flat grater for pushing the batter
into the water. Check Target - should cost you less than $7. Spray
with PAM or olive oil first.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 2-11-2006, Sausage Roll Ups

Melba's Jammin' <[email hidden]> wrote in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a spaetzle maker. If
this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker.
Michael

Dude - you can use the back side of a flat grater for pushing the batter
into the water. Check Target - should cost you less than $7. Spray
with PAM or olive oil first.

I use the potato ricer with the 3/8" holes plate in it. A miracle utensil,
imho.

Andy

Melba's Jammin' <[email hidden]> hitched up their
panties and posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a spaetzle maker. If
this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker.
Michael

Dude - you can use the back side of a flat grater for pushing the batter
into the water. Check Target - should cost you less than $7. Spray
with PAM or olive oil first.

Thanks for the info Barb. I'll check Target and get one.

Michael

--
“It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun.”
_Ray Kroc, creator of the McDonald's franchise

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

Melba's Jammin' <[email hidden]> hitched up their
panties and posted news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Michael \'Dog3\' Lonergan said:

they can get me Appenzeller cheese. I do not have a spaetzle maker. If
this is good, I might invest in a spaetzle maker.
Michael

Dude - you can use the back side of a flat grater for pushing the batter
into the water. Check Target - should cost you less than $7. Spray
with PAM or olive oil first.

Thanks for the info Barb. I'll check Target and get one.

Michael

Here's a regulation Slovak struhadlo for making halushky - it is
ezzackly like the one my mom got for me when she went back to the
Motherland in 1964: http://www.slovakshop.com/index.html (the haluski
maker - I don't know where they got that spelling though)

Note there's even a pirohy maker gizmo, too -- makes triangular pirohy.
Imagine that, BUBBA!

And the goose-feather baster is called a maskailo.
--
http://www.jamlady.eboard.com, updated 2-11-2006, Sausage Roll Ups