Feel free to substitute the herbs to your personal preferences. I love using snipped chives and parsley, but fresh tarragon, thyme, or rosemary would also be wonderful.Makes 5 cups spatezle.Inspired by "Spatzle," The Cooking of Germany (Time-Life Foods of the World)
¼cupunseasoned Panko breadcrumbs toasted in ½ tablespoon unsalted butter and a pinch of salt(optional)
kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Instructions
Make the spaetzle
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, table salt, and nutmeg. Stir together water and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in milk, water, and beaten eggs. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Batter will be very thick and elastic.
Let the batter rest while you bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil with a generous pinch of salt. Set a colander into a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Carefully drop batter into the boiling water using a spaetzle maker, or use a rubber spatula to press the batter a few tablespoons at a time through a colander with large holes.
Gently stir the spaetzle and boil until they float and are tender, 5-8 minutes. Drain the spatzele and transfer to the colander in the ice water. Repeat the process with remaining batter until all spaetzle are boiled.
Serve
Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet until light-golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain spaetzle well and gently toss in the skillet with the browned butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until spaetzle are heated through. Gently fold in caramelized onions and chopped herbs. Season to taste with salt (I usually add about ½ teaspoon Kosher) and freshly-ground pepper. Serve hot, with a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs, if desired.