1 large egg, beaten lightly
1/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
Salt and pepper to taste
Boiling broth or gravy (I used a quart of chicken broth)
Whisk eggs and milk together and stir in butter. Place flour, salt and pepper in bowl and make a well in center. Pour in milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Batter will be wet.
Two ways to make spaetzle by hand:
Sprinkle a small cutting board with flour. Dump dough on and smooth to about 1/4”. Sprinkle with a little flour. Take a knife and cut/scrape through dough into little pieces, dropping them into broth. You’ll get the hang of it after a few tries.
When they rise to the top, they’re cooked.
Or scoop up dough in a tablespoon and then take a knife or another spoon and drop little pieces of dough into broth.
To serve:
Scoop out and serve as a side dish like noodles, or serve as a soup in the broth. You can also add cooked chicken and/or fresh chopped greens to the broth. As a soup, it’s nourishing and filling for someone who feels a bit under the weather. I like to sprinkle fresh parsley on top.
You can also fry the cooked spaetzle in butter.
Tip from Rita’s kitchen
Spatezle -vs- Rivels
Rivel comes from the German word “reiben” which means to rub or grate. Usually made with egg, flour, water and seasonings. Rivels are sometimes rubbed between the fingers or hands and dropped into broth.