Once again – no cake for you today! Instead of »Bake to the roots« we are doing a little »Back to basics«. Today I got a recipe for a classic German side dish. A recipe for Swabian pasta you can use for many German dishes. We call the pasta »Knöpfle« where I am coming from – a very popular variety of egg pasta in the south of Germany. If you never had them, you should definitely try them… so good!
Where I am coming from in the south this kind of pasta is pretty common. Here in Berlin you normally only get it in restaurants that specialize in German and southern German food in particular. Knöpfle (translated as »buttons«) are the smaller siblings of Spätzle – pretty sure you heard of them before. They are both basically made with the same batter, only the shape is slightly different. Knöpfle are shorter and more compact. This quick-to-make egg pasta is great as a side for many dishes but can also be the star of a meal. Depending on the region you are in southern Germany, cheese noodles (similar to Mac ‘n’ Cheese) aka. »Käsespätzle« are either made with Spätzle or with Knöpfle – if they are made with the Knöpfle, they are called Käseknöpfle, of course. *End of the little German lesson* :P
Spätzle and Knöpfle are sacred to many people in the south – naming the corresponding versions of the pasta wrong can lead to violent discussions. Berliners have a similar situation with their currywurst I guess. Here it’s all about whether the real currywurst should come with a casing made from intestines or without… I don’t really care about small details like that as long as the result tastes delicious. ;P
Well… true Knöpfle fans probably have a problem with my version since I am using spelt flour instead of regular wheat flour. That can bother you… or not. If it does bother you – get over it.
For the Knöpfle here I recommend a »Spätzlereibe«* to get the pasta into shape. It probably sounds a bit absurd to make Knöpfle with a »Spätzlereibe« when I just told you that people are arguing about the differences… But with this device, it simply works best.
There is a different technique, though, when using the Spätzlereibe to get Knöpfle instead of Spätzle. You need a slightly thicker batter and the strokes you do to press the batter through the holes have to be shorter – that results in thicker and more compact noodles. Pretty easy actually. Next time I am going to show you how »real Spätzle« are made… Another discussion you can have when talking about those noodles. Germans take their pasta sometimes a bit too seriously, I think. ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
(4 servings)
14 oz. (400g) spelt flour*
1 tsp. salt
4 medium eggs
7.4 fl. oz. (220ml) sparkling water
1-2 tbsp. butter
(4 Portionen)
400g Dinkelmehl (Type 630)*
1 TL Salz
4 Eier (M)
220ml Sprudelwasser
1-2 EL Butter
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Add the spelt flour and salt to a large bowl and mix. Add the eggs and sparkling water and mix until you get a very sticky and stretchy dough. The dough should develop bubbles when you mix it and run very slowly from a spoon when lifted. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
2. Add water with some salt to a large pot and bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl with cold water and place it next to the pot. As soon as the water is boiling place a spaetzle grater* on top of the pot and spread a small amount of dough on top of it. The dough will go through the small holes in the grater and drop into the boiling water. As soon as the noodles come up to the top again take them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the bowl with the cold water, then let them drain in a sieve. Repeat until all dough has been used.
3. Add the butter to a large pan and melt. Add the Knöpfle and heat up (do not fry them). They go well with stew or pot roast. You could also make cheese spaetzle with this recipe.
1. Dinkelmehl und Salz in eine große Schüssel geben und vermischen. Eier und Wasser dazugeben und alles zu einem zähen Teig verarbeiten – der Teig sollte Blasen werfen und langsam von einem Kochlöffel fließen. Für etwa 10 Minuten ruhen lassen.
2. Einen großen Topf mit Salzwasser zum Kochen bringen. Eine Schüssel mit kaltem Wasser bereitstellen. Sobald das Wasser kocht, eine Spätzlereibe* auf den Topf setzen und etwas Teig durchstreichen/reiben. Der Teig wird ins kochende Wasser tropfen und kurz auf den Boden sinken. Sobald die Knöpfle an die Oberfläche kommen, mit einer Schaumkelle abschöpfen und in die Schüssel mit dem kalten Wasser geben und kurz abschrecken, dann in ein Sieb geben, damit sie abtropfen können. Mit dem restlichen Teig wiederholen, bis alles aufgebraucht ist.
3. Die Butter in eine große Pfanne geben und schmelzen lassen. Die Knöpfle dazugeben und erwärmen (nicht anbraten!). Knöpfle schmecken prima zu Braten mit Soße oder dergleichen. Mit diesem Rezept kann man auch prima Käsespätzle machen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
Print
Swabian Knöpfle (Egg Noodles)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 00:30
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Pasta
- Method: -
- Cuisine: Germany
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Classic noodles from the south of Germany: Knöpfle made with spelt flour. The small, thick siblings of Spätzle aka. German egg noodles.
Ingredients
14 oz. (400g) spelt flour*
1 tsp. salt
4 medium eggs
7.4 fl. oz. (220ml) sparkling water
1-2 tbsp. butter
Instructions
1. Add the spelt flour and salt to a large bowl and mix. Add the eggs and sparkling water and mix until you get a very sticky and stretchy dough. The dough should develop bubbles when you mix it and run very slowly from a spoon when lifted. Let rest for about 10 minutes.
2. Add water with some salt to a large pot and bring to a boil. Prepare a bowl with cold water and place it next to the pot. As soon as the water is boiling place a spaetzle grater* on top of the pot and spread a small amount of dough on top of it. The dough will go through the small holes in the grater and drop into the boiling water. As soon as the noodles come up to the top again take them out with a slotted spoon and transfer them to the bowl with the cold water, then let them drain in a sieve. Repeat until all dough has been used.
3. Add the butter to a large pan and melt. Add the Knöpfle and heat up (do not fry them). They go well with stew or pot roast. You could also make cheese spaetzle with this recipe.
Notes
Enjoy cooking!
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