Spätzle à l'alsacienne with browned butter and 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
For the onions and butter
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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).
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