Little Sparrows in Butter - Spaetzle

It's been a long time in coming.  I figured since I was going to all the trouble of making Sauerbraten, that the perfect side dish would be Spaetzle.  Since my braten is still sauer-ing in the refrigerator, this is the perfect opportunity to blog about these delectable little German sparrows.  For that is what Spaetzle means.... Little Sparrows.  Personally, I don't think they look anything like birds, but who am I to judge?

Spaeztle is a form of egg noodle flavored with nutmeg; at least in it's basic form.  So the ingredient list is fairly short - eggs, milk, flour, salt and nutmeg.  Now as far as how to form noodles?  Well, opinions abound as to how it should be done.

• You can smear the dough across a board and cut spaetzle into a pot of boiling water with a knife.  
• You can use a press (that looks like a potato ricer).  
• You can even go to a kitchen gadget store and purchase a "spaetzle grater" contraption.  

Honestly, though I am all for cool kitchen gadgets and stuff, I prefer to use what I already have lying around.  A rubber spatula and my steamer insert from one of my pots.  The holes in the bottom are JUST the right. (which happens to be 1/2 cm or about 1/4 inch in width) You can also make use of a colander as long as there are enough holes in the bottom and they are a little on the larger side. 

I simply hold the steamer insert over the boiling water and press the batter/dough through the holes with my spatula in a sweeping motion.  Simple, easy and no special gadgets need apply.

Afterwards, I like to saute them briefly in butter and sprinkle with a little German cheese such as Bergkase.  Noodle Nirvana!

Spaetzle

(with Bergkase)

2 large Eggs
59 ml (2 oz) (1/4 cup) Whole Milk
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper, ground
1/4 tsp Nutmeg, grated
127g (4.5oz) (1 cup) AP Flour
3 quarts Salted Boiling Water
2 TB Unsalted Butter
Bergkase, grated

First, combine the Eggs, Milk, Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Whisk everything together until well combined.

Add the Flour and stir (with a spatula, not a whisk - I forgot to remove it) until......

you have a soft, somewhat sticky, dough.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the gluten in the flour to relax a little.

Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and salt liberally (make it like the ocean)

Grab your steamer insert or a colander.....

(the holes should be at least 1/2 cm or a little less than 1/4 inch in diameter)

Place it over the boiling water and load it up with the  chilled dough.

Rub your spatula back and forth to force the batter through the holes.

Boil the spaetzle for about 4 minutes (or until they float)

Meanwhile, begin heating 2 TB Butter in a large skillet set over medium flame.

Remove the spaetzle from the water with a skimmer.

Add to the hot skillet and toss with the melted butter.

Remove from the heat when all glossy with buttery goodness.

Finish off with some grated Bergkase if you like.

MMMMMMM  and now for a totally gratuitous extreme close-up.....
 

Fütterung der Raubtiere!!

~~

For Folks With Yolks - Ye Olde Egg Noodles

In the wake of my latest Angel Food Cake marathon (Brown Sugar Angel Food Cake forthcoming, I promise) I have been left with a rather alarming quantity of yolks.  (sigh)

Over the years, because I LOVE Angel Food Cake, I have had to come up with ingenious ways to consume said yolks (10 to be exact).  Creme Brulee is always a winner, but tends to be a little much when one is in the middle of consuming a rather large 10-inch cake.  Lemon or Lime curd is always a great idea too, however the recipe only uses 3 yolks (as well as a couple of actual eggs) so one would have to make a triple batch and it doesn't freeze well.  But there is ONE thing that freezes very well, and is key to one of my favorite dishes.

Good olde Egg Noddles...  Which make an excellent base for Stroganov. (but that is tomorrow)

Thus armed with copious yolks, I decided to make an octuple batch of noodles to be packaged and stored in the freezer for whenever the mood for Chicken Noodle soup or afore mentioned Stroganov strikes.   The recipe below is not for the huge batch I made, but for a single batch that will produce 16 oz (1 lb) of noodles.

Egg Noodles

2 Cups (9 1/2 oz) (280 g) AP Flour
1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
2 large Egg Yolks
1/4 cup Water

Whisk Flour and Salt together in a large bowl.

Whisk Water and Egg yolks together in a small bowl.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the Yolk/Water mixture.

Begin mixing with your fingers (yep, get those hands dirty) until a stiff dough is formed; if the dough seems a little stiff, go ahead and add a little more water, 1 tsp at a time, until the dough is workable.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.

OK, normally, for a single batch, I would simply roll the dough out but since I am doing so much this time, I grab the kitchen aid attachments (both the roller and the fettuccine cutter)

After the dough has rested, cut it into manageable chunks (for a single batch, about 3 pieces)

Run it through your roller to level 4 (or roll to between 1/8th & 1/16th inch thick) then cut into 12 inch sections.

Cut noodles with a sharp knife to your favorite width or use a fettuccine cutter to cut your noodles.

Sprinkle liberally with flour to ensure they don't stick together and spread out on a baking sheet.

When all noodles have been cut, you are ready to go.

Now if you made a billion noodles (like I did) you need a few freezer bags sprinkled liberally with AP flour on the inside.

Measure out your chosen quantity of noodles.

Place them in the bag, then sprinkle more flour on top.

Once you have sealed the bag, go ahead and shake the bag gently to distribute the flour all over, then lay flat to freeze.

If boiling when fresh, they only take 3 minutes, if frozen they take about 10 minutes.

Tomorrow?  Stroganov!!!! 

Mangia!!
~~

FLASH!!! Chicken Crosses Road, and a Nation - 4 Step Chicken Coast to Coast

This is a post about 1 little jet set chicken... We will call him George... Just because. Anyway, George was in Hollywood doing a guest spot for Melissa of "The Next Food Network Star" dressed in his best Rustic Lemon & Onion attire, while Melissa explained, in plain English, the basics of Chicken cookery in 4 easy steps.... Way to go thesaurus!!! ;)

I use slightly different terms (See Italics), but the idea is basically the same...

1. Dredge and Saute - Browning
2. Add Aromatics - A Mirepoix, Sofrito, or Sofritto - Depending on Cuisines
3. Add Liquid - Deglazing
4. Finish Sauce - Via Enrichment, Reduction or Both (but not necessarily in that order)

She assured everyone that the recipe was infinitely modifiable (is that a word, it sounds funny?) So, a group of my "beeps" (BakeSpace Peeps) decided to take her chicken recipe and do the modifications, with a little help from George, and see what we all came up with... Thus was born the Coast to Coast 4 Step Chicken... BOO YAH!!

George paid me a visit and assisted me greatly with this recipe, seems his true talents were wasted on Cartoon Network's Cow and Chicken. ;)
I seem to be in a rich food phase again, which is a little out of sync with the season, but I guess it can't be helped...

So I present here, my interpretation of Melissa's 4 step process for chicken...

Chicken Stroganov

1 1/4 lb Boneless Chicken breast or Thighs, cut in pieces
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1/4 tsp White Pepper
1/4 cup AP Flour
4 TB Butter; Divided
1/2 cup Leeks, Chopped
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 cup Cremini or White button Mushrooms, Sliced
1/2 cup Pinot Grigio
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
3/4 tsp Tarragon
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
1/2 cup Sour Cream or Yogurt or Crème Fraîche, at room temperature
Egg Noodles, Cooked
Optional - Paprika or Tarragon for serving

Cut the chicken into even chunks

Season the flour with Salt and pepper,

then lightly coat the chicken with the flour;

reserve remaining seasoned flour for thickening the sauce later.

Heat 2 TB butter in skillet;

add chicken and brown on all sides. (Dredge and Sauté)

Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Melt the remaining butter and add Leeks, saute for 1 minute before adding the Garlic and Mushrooms; cook until almost tender. (Cook Aromatics)

Stir in reserved flour and toss to coat vegetables, continue to cook until a light nutty aroma signals that the flour is browned and not still “raw”, before adding Pinot Grigio and Chicken Stock, cooking until slightly thickened. (Add Liquid)

Return chicken pieces, cover and simmer until tender, about 12 minutes.

Add Sour Cream, Tarragon and Nutmeg to the skillet; heat but do not boil. (Finish Sauce)

Spoon over drained Egg noodles and serve.

Sprinkle with Paprika or more Tarragon if desired for a little color.

I also made 5 Minutes Individual Au Gratin Potatoes...
With a modified recipe of Melissa's as well. I was lucky enough to stumble across little individual cast iron au gratin pans a couple years ago, so instead of using a muffin tin, I used them. All I did was replace the Swiss cheese she used with Gorgonzola, and the Spring Onions with leeks.
Then, because I like crust (which is what "au Gratin" means) I sprinkled the top with Panko and a couple dots of butter.

George was sad to leave, but my friend Danielle was in need of his services back in the LA area. So from San Diego to Burbank he traveled where Danielle at "Cooking for my Piece of Mind" has created this 4 step chicken dish...

Dani's 4 Step Chicken and Individual Potato Gratins

Hopping a plane at LAX (cause everyone knows that chickens can't fly) George traveled to Pennsylvania where Spryte at "Spryte's Place" gave him a respite from cooking and fed him some delicious 5 Minute Individual Au Gratin Potatoes.... Again, using Melissa's Recipe...

Spryte's Individual Potato Gratins

And Finally, George made it to the eastern seaboard, where in New Jersey, Michele at "My Italian Grandmother" interpreted the dish in this way......

Michele's 4-Step-Chicken and Individual Potatoes

And so ends the journey of our, now, travel weary chicken. What will YOU do with these 4 easy steps?

Mangia!!
~~