Spaetzle~

Spaetzle!

Lurv it and all of it's cousins right down to Southern dumplings, as in chicken and. I have never made Spaetzle specifically but I tried it the other night with kielbasa and sauerkraut. Somewhere along the line I had printed a recipe online and it was not a good one. They tasted good but didn't cooperate. Number one, I don't have a spaetzle maker and lots of folks online claim that you can substitute a colander but that didn't work. User error, bum instructions or this simply doesn't really work; not sure. Now of course I feel I must get a spaetzle maker. Bed, Beyond & Beyond maybe? Didn't see one at Target, and yes, I've already tried to find one!

The recipe I tried was very watery and being a genetic nokedli-maker, I knew how to fix it. The colander trick didn't work so ultimately I ended up with my typical version, what my grandmother would call peasant cooking. Her words. This means, my cooking is simple and rustic as opposed to finely chopped and beautifully presented.

Behold Hungarian peasant spaetzle.

Have you ever made spaetzle? Do you have a spaetzle maker? A great spaetzle recipe? Do share if you're so inclined!

Despite the peasant chef, dinner was delicious. Have you ever met a dumpling you didn't like? I haven't. Nor a kielbasa for that matter. You really can't go wrong with any kind of one bowl meal; if you are a peasant anyway.

If you haven't tried to make nokedli or dumplings or spaetzle it is about as easy a comfort food as you're likely to make. A little bit time consuming yes, but not complicated. And by time consuming I mean about 20 minutes to a half hour beginning to end. I decided to make it (them?) at 4:00 as I started dinner and everything was on the table by 5:00. I have made them ahead of time and put them in a gallon zip lock over night and I bet they'd freeze well too. They are the very foundation of chicken paprikash, chicken & dumplings and goulash. I've also put them in soup or served as a side where you'd serve any starch. My biggest challenge is usually Mac, who eats them cold, hot, from the pan, off the floor or your plate if you look away.

Share your recipe for whatever dumpling you love and if you haven't tried it...give it a go! You truly cannot mess them up. I know because I messed them up and they are still all gone.

Happy spaetzling!