Tiny Sparrows
Spätzle, officially tiny dumplings, but more like a pasta in texture and use is an extremely fun side dish that complements many main courses. Spätzle which apparently means “tiny sparrows” are made from a simple batter and formed over a pot of boiling water using a Spätzle Maker.
This unique kitchen tool is inexpensive and a heck of a conversation piece for dinner parties. Guest love to watch you make spätzle, and extra hands can be useful.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour


• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt teaspoon


• ½ teaspoon baking powder


• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg


• 2 large eggs


• ½ cup milk


• Large pot of salted boiling water

Garnish

• 2 tablespoons butter


• Several tablespoons of finely chopped parsley (to taste)

Method
Put the large pot of salted water on the stove and heat to a boil. In the meantime make the spätzle batter. Iin a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg, In a separate bowl, beat together the milk and eggs. Add the milk and eggs to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well until fluffy and slightly bubbly. The batter should be a little thicker than pancake batter, but not stiff. You want it to be able to drip from the spätzle in a controlled manner.


To form the spätzle, place the maker over the pot of boiling water. Pour the batter into the maker, sliding back and forth to create the spätzle by dropping little bits of batter into the water. Extra hands are useful here! Give the spätzle a good stir as they rise to the surface to keep them from clumping. Let all the spätzle rise to the surface and then cook briefly (a couple of minutes, but taste to get the consistency you like.) Don’t overcook or they will get starchy! Remove and drain the spätzle with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. You can toss with the butter and parsley and serve as is. But even better, toss with a little butter to prevent sticking, then heat the remaining butter in a sauté pan. When hot, add the spätzle and toast lightly. Sprinkle with parsley and serve!

Spätzle works well as a side dish and is an especially good accompaniment to dishes with rich sauces. As shown in the accompanying picture, I served it with a Hungarian Chicken Paprika. A perfect combo!