Sluttishly Savoury: Spaetzle

Spaetzle, pronounced 'spetch-lay' is Germany's answer to Macaroni. These pasta-like noodles are made by pushing fresh dough through a colander, where it drops into boiling water, forming funny worm shaped dumplings, which are then fried in butter.

I first tried spaetzle six months ago at a street food stall in Berlin where they served it with fried onions and cheese. It was midwinter and I was in dire need of hot cheesy carbs. It was love at first bite. I'd even go so far as to say it's better than mac and cheese, it's kind of fresher and doughier. My affection for spätzle went further when I found out you only need 3 ingredients to make it. It's now my fall back recipe for when I cannot face Morrisons. Clever old Germans.

You can have it with literally anything. Drop a handful into chicken soup, or serve it with stews or meatballs. The recipe below uses peas, cheese and browned butter and is a bit like a warm pasta salad. And quite delicious it is.

Spaetzle with Peas and Brown Butter (serves one very hungry person as a main)
Preparation Time:15mins
Cooking Time: 15mins

You will need: 
For the spaetzle

• 140g plain flour
• 1 egg
• 180ml milk
• a good grating of nutmeg

For the brown butter peas:

• 50g unsalted butter
• a handful of frozen peas
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• a lot of Parmesan or pecorino 
• a smattering of chopped dill or parsley
• 1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

Make it!

1. Season the flour generously with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
2. Make a well in the centre, break the egg in and mix it into the flour, adding the milk little by little, beating it all so you get a smooth batter.
3. Hold your colander (preferably with large holes) over a pan of salty boiling water, and push the batter through with a spatula to help you, so it drops in the water. 
4. Cook the dumplings for no more than two minutes, then drain. 
5. Heat a pan with the butter and, stirring constantly, allow the butter to become a light brown colour. Transfer the browned butter to a heatproof dish and add another small nob of butter back to the pan. Throw in your spaetzle and fry until they have a bit of colour. 
6. Throw in the peas, chopped spring onion and lemon zest.
7. Season with salt and pepper before returning the browned butter to the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice. Remove from the heat and stir in the cheese and herbs.