The Making of SPAETZLE

A couple of years ago, Dave and I went to Germany for the first time. While we were there, I was trying all kinds of foods that I had never tasted before. I liked everything I tried including the blood filled ravioli like thingys that were floating in a squash soup. The one dish that I have made at home since our visit is SPAETZLE. What a great pasta. Here is the recipe I use and I hope you will try it too. Very easy and it doesn't really take that long to make. You can always make the pasta up a day ahead and fry them up the night you want to add them to your menu.

• 1 cup all -purpose flour
  
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 pinch freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 gallon hot water
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  

DIRECTIONS Mix together flour, salt, white pepper, and nutmeg. Beat eggs well, and add alternately with the milk to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth. I drop small little dollops, the size of a jelly bean, of dough into boiling salted water. I usually try to get a couple of dozen of these dollops in the water and then watch them float to the top. When they float, they are done. It only takes a few minutes. Pick them out with a slotted spider spoons and place in a bowl. Put your next batch in the water and repeat until you have all the dough completed. Next have a large skillet hot with 1/4 cup of butter and a few cloves of crushed garlic slightly saut ready to add those cute little spaetzles. Fry until brown. Sprinkle those great chopped chives for garnish. Yummy.

MY FAMILY LOVES THESE and I usually make a double batch for the 4 of us. I serve them along with pork chops or a roasted chicken.