Oct 9, 2008
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Spätzle (Garlic Dumplings with Emmentaler)

Spätzle means little sparrows in German.
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Spätzle (Garlic Dumplings with Emmentaler) Photo: André Baranowski

2 heads of garlic
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄4 cup finely chopped flat-leaf
   parsley leaves
1⁄4 cup finely chopped basil leaves
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
3 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
1 cup grated emmentaler
   cheese

1. Heat oven to 450°. Halve garlic crosswise with a knife and brush with olive oil; wrap with foil. Roast until soft, 1 hour. Let cool and squeeze roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a bowl; mash with a fork to a paste.

2. Melt 2 tbsp. of the butter and add to paste. Then add milk, parsley, basil, salt, and eggs; stir until smooth.

3. Put flour into a large bowl; form a well in center. Slowly pour in the garlic–milk mixture, stirring with a fork to form a smooth batter.

4. Bring a 5-qt. saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Set a perforated spätzle-making disk over the pot. Working in batches, scrape batter through holes into water. Cook until dumplings rise to surface, about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer dumplings to a baking sheet.

5. Heat remaining 4 tbsp. of butter in a 12" ovenproof skillet over high heat. Add dumplings; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 6–8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat broiler; put rack 5" from heating element. Sprinkle dumplings with cheese; broil until melted, about 2 minutes.

SERVES 4

Spätzle (Garlic Dumplings with Emmentaler)

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #115

Ratings & Reviews (4)

noAvatar
i have been a reader of saveur magazine since 1994. this is the first time i felt i had to write in response to a recipe: the article (saveur #115) that culminates in the recipe for garlic dumplings (käsespätzle) has so many
mistakes in it that i had to correct a few. the vinyards of the kaiserstuhl region in southwestern germany are located in baden.
noAvatar
this is by no means the place where homemede spätzle (egg and flour dumplings) are the preferred
comfort food (the locals would probably tar and feather you if you made this claim). schwaben a region adjacent but far enough away (at least a 2 hour drive) and the people there are proud to be the inventors of the before mentioned spätzle.
noAvatar
Also to add ... This more of a "version" of Späztle. Granted small tweaks are made in traditional foods throughout the world, switching and ingredient or two for another or omitting/adding. But as I knew this dish growing up and make it today for my family ... Caramelized onions and a mix of Emmenthaler and Gruyere Cheese were used. (But I'm Swiss and we call it Knofple (little buttons).
noAvatar
while this sounds delicious, i concur w/ lisa, this is a VERSION of spätzle. also, to my knowledge, the origin of the name is disputed, so it's not necessarily "little sparrow". last but not least, they were NOT "invented" in schwaben, but are known around the south of germany into the former austro-hungarian empire. consequently, different names exist for this dish, depending on the region, length and shape of this noodle.

i have made this dish for years, and coincidentally, i just posted something on my blog about it today at http://www.germanfoodie.com.
Spätzle (Garlic Dumplings with Emmentaler) 4 5 1 4

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