Spätzle à l'alsacienne with browned butter and onions
Egg noodles with browned onions
Spätzle or knepfle, Alsace's soft egg noodles with crisp onions
In Alsace, spätzle (also called knepfle or spaetzle) are the side every winstub, the cosy wine taverns of Strasbourg and the wine route, puts next to a stew, and at home they make a quick supper in their own right. The batter is barely more than flour, eggs and milk, pushed through a spätzle press or a colander with big holes straight into boiling water, so the noodles come out short, soft and irregular. This version skips the cheese of the German käsespätzle: the noodles are tossed in nutty browned butter and topped with a heap of slowly crisped onions, with a green salad alongside. Chef's tip: beat the batter until it forms bubbles and slaps off the spoon in thick ribbons; that elasticity is what gives spätzle their bounce.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the spätzle
- 14 oz plain flour
- 4 eggs
- ¾ cup milkor water
- 1 tsp saltplus more for the water
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
For the onions and butter
- 3 onionshalved and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter
- ½ tsp black pepperfreshly ground
- 2 tbsp chives (optional)snipped
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Whisk 4 eggs, ¾ cup milk, 1 tsp salt and 1 pinch ground nutmeg in a bowl, then beat in 14 oz plain flour with a wooden spoon. Keep beating for 3–4 minutes until the batter is thick, smooth and full of bubbles and falls off the spoon in heavy ribbons. Rest it for 10 minutes.
14 minStep 2: Meanwhile, cook 3 onions in 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat for 15–20 minutes, stirring often, until deep golden and crisp at the edges. Lift onto kitchen paper.
20 minStep 3: Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Hold a spätzle press or a colander with large holes over the pan and push a third of the batter through with a spatula.
Step 4: Cook for 1–2 minutes after the noodles float to the surface, then lift them out with a slotted spoon into a warm bowl. Repeat with the rest. Common mistake: pushing all the batter in at once; the water stops boiling and the spätzle glue together into one lump.
6 minStep 5: Wipe out the onion pan, add 2 ⅛ oz unsalted butter and cook over a medium heat for 2–3 minutes, until it foams, smells of hazelnuts and the specks on the bottom turn brown.
3 minStep 6: Add the spätzle and toss for 2–3 minutes, until hot and catching golden in places. Season with ½ tsp black pepper.
3 minStep 7: Pile into a dish, heap the crisp onions on top and scatter with 2 tbsp chives. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 76 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spätzle à l'alsacienne with browned butter and onions take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Boiled pasta
The basic method for any dried pasta, from penne to spaghetti. A large pan of salted boiling water keeps the pasta from sticking, and you cook it only until just done, with a little bite left. Use it in salads, bakes or with any sauce.
Italian
Sandwich grecKebab baguette
In Paris, a "grec" is the late-night kebab sandwich named after the Greek-run shops that first sold it in the Latin Quarter. On rue de la Huchette and rue Saint-André-des-Arts near Saint-Michel, students queue after a night out for crusty bread or pitta stuffed with meat shaved from a turning spit, lettuce, tomato and onion, a garlicky white sauce, and, the Paris touch, a handful of fries pushed right inside. This home version marinates chicken thighs in spiced yoghurt, sears them hard and slices them thin, with oven fries. It contains milk, egg (in the mayonnaise) and wheat. Chef's tip: slice the meat thinly across the grain after resting; thick chunks don't feel like a grec.
Mint pistachio pesto
A fresh, fragrant pesto made with mint leaves and toasted pistachios. It is lovely tossed through hot pasta or spooned over roasted vegetables, and a spoonful lifts a plain vegetable soup.
