FFWD ~ Herb-Speckled Spaetzle

Herb-Speckled Spaetzle…true comfort food!

Happy New Year to all my fellow Doristas!! Our first recipe for 2013 is Herb-Speckled Spaetzle! The perfect cold weather recipe! Comfort food at it’s best, and so delicious!!
This one was a first for me. I had always wanted to make homemade noodles or spaetzle.  I remember as a young child, standing near the stove, watching my mother making what she called "Hungarian Noodles" or dumplings.  The recipe was one that my Hungarian grandmother made all the time.  My aunt wrote, and translated, many of my grandmothers recipes for my mom, who loved learning this new cuisine.  This was the food my father grew up on.  Having learned to make Chicken Paprikash, and Poppy Seed Rolls, I never attempted Hungarian dumplings aka noodles. I think of them  as a cousin to the German spaetzle, meaning “little sparrow”.  Spaetzle is a dish of tiny noodles or dumplings made with flour, eggs, water or milk, salt and sometimes nutmeg.  This dough was soft.  Once mixed, it is forced through, in my case a flat grater, or if you have one a spaetzel maker, into a pot of boiling water.  In Germany, it is served as a side dish, much like potatoes or rice.
Dories' recipe called for sautéing mushrooms and onions in butter and oil, then adding the spaetzle to the sautéed mushrooms. The Spaetzle was easy to make, and quicker then I thought.  I served mine with broiled lamb chops. I really enjoyed the dumpling texture, which is a bit chewy. I will definitely make these again. Maybe next time add them to a soup.  Happy Friday, Everyone!!

Dorie’s recipe can be found in her cookbook “Around My French Table” or  here on Epicurious. To see how the other Doristas did with their spaetzle, check it out here.

Rosemary, parsley and thyme chopped

Batter ready to be used

I used a flat grater to make my spaetzle

One batch boiling away

Cooked and ready to add to mushroom mixture

Sautéing the mushrooms

Spaetzle and chicken broth mixed into the mushroom sauté 

Dinner is served….yum!