Spinach Spaetzle Recipes

SPINACH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Puree a 10-ounce package thawed frozen spinach (squeezed dry), 1/2 cup milk, 2 eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of nutmeg until smooth. Combine with 1 3/4 cups flour in a bowl. Transfer to a cutting board; use the back of a knife to scrape off small strips of dough. Boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with butter, a splash of cooking water, salt and pepper.

SPINACH SPAETZLE WITH BACON AND SAGE

Steps:

• Drop spinach leaves into boiling water to blanch, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain spinach and squeeze dry. Put cooked spinach in a blender or food processor with the eggs and yolks and blitz briefly to make a green purée. (Alternatively, finely chop the spinach and stir together with beaten eggs and yolks.)
• Put spinach in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and the pepper. Beat in flour and 3/4 cup cold water to make a wet, sticky batterlike dough. Beat for 5 minutes, until lump free. If the mixture seems too stiff, beat in a few more tablespoons cold water. (If using a spaetzle tool, thin the batter to a more runny consistency.) Leave batter to rest at room temperature, covered, for 15 minutes.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large wide pot of well-salted water to a boil. Stand close to the pot with the bowl of dough in one hand and a soup spoon in the other. With the edge of the spoon, grab thin slivers of dough approximately 1 inch long, dropping them one by one into the boiling water. (Cook a dozen or so at a time.) Let the spaetzle cook for 1 minute or so, until they rise to the surface. Remove with a skimmer and immediately cool in ice water. Continue until all batter is used. Drain cooked spaetzle and blot dry. (The recipe may be prepared up to this point several hours before serving.)
• Just before serving, set a large wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and let it render without browning much, about 2 minutes. Pour off fat and leave bacon in pan. Add butter and let it foam, then add sage leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add cooked spaetzle and sauté, stirring with a wooden spoon until heated through and lightly browned. Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan.

SPINACH SPAETZLE IN GAME-HEN BROTH

Steps:

• Broth: In a pot just large enough to hold hens snugly side-by-side, heat oil over medium. Add leeks, thyme, and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are soft but have not developed any color, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer mixture to a bowl. Season hens inside and out with salt and transfer to pot. Add enough water to just cover hens and bring to a boil, skimming any impurities from surface. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until hens are just cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Spaetzle: Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Cook spinach in a pot of generously salted boiling water until wilted and darkened slightly, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, remove spinach and plunge into ice-water bath; let stand until cold, about 1 minute. Set pot of water aside for later.
• Thoroughly drain and squeeze spinach dry by pressing in a ricer or wringing out in a clean kitchen towel. Transfer spinach to a food processor with eggs, oil, nutmeg, cheese, and 2 tablespoons water; season with salt and pepper and purée until smooth. Add flour and pulse until no dry flour remains (dough should have the consistency of thick pancake batter).
• Broth: Transfer hens to a cutting board; strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Return broth to pot along with leek mixture and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove skin and bones from hens and shred meat into bite-size pieces.
• Spaetzle: Return pot of water to a boil. Press dough through a ricer or colander directly into water. Cook until spaetzle float to the surface, swell slightly, and are tender, about 5 minutes; drain.
• Stir 2 cups shredded meat and lemon juice into pot with broth. Spoon spaetzle into serving bowls and ladle broth mixture over top. Garnish with dill, a drizzle of oil, and serve with lemon wedges.

BUTTERMILK-SPINACH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Squeeze out as much liquid as possible from spinach. Place spinach in blender. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and yolk; blend well. Sift flour, salt and nutmeg into large bowl. Gradually add buttermilk mixture; stir until thick and sticky batter forms.
• Working in batches, drop batter by rounded 1/2 teaspoonfuls into large pot of boiling salted water, dipping teaspoon into boiling water between spoonfuls. Boil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer spaetzle to colander and drain well. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add spaetzle and stir until coated with butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter; serve.

HERBED SPAETZLE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, nutmeg, and herbs in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the milk, eggs, and 5 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk into flour mixture until smooth.
• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Fill a potato ricer fitted with a 1/4-inch-hole attachment with batter and push it through into the boiling water, or use a colander, pushing batter through with a rubber spatula. Cook spaetzle until it floats to the top, about 30 seconds. Drain spaetzle in colander.
• Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add spinach and saute until it starts to wilt. Add spaetzle, season with salt and pepper, and cook until hot. Serve immediately.

SPINACH AND MUSHROOM SOUP WITH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, oregano, marjoram, parsley, chives, dill, and pepper together in a large bowl.
• Whisk milk, eggs, and mustard together in a small bowl. Gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat. Place a spaetzle maker over the boiling water and pour spaetzle dough into the slider basket. Run the basket back and forth until bits of dough fall into the boiling water. Boil spaetzle until firm, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain.
• Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, then onion. Sweat the onion for 3 to 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute until slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add spaetzle and stir to combine. Cook until spaetzle is heated through and crispy in spots, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.