Käesespäetzle – German cheesy pasta
We first ate käesespäetzle at a fabulous little restaurant in Munich. The staff were brusque and sternly instructed us what and how to eat the various Bavarian classics - it was great!
These cheesy little nuggets of dough are so more-ish and you can't stop at just one serving. The dish is usually eaten alone topped with fried onions, but it equally pairs just as well with steak or fish to create a main dish.
The späetzle are really fun to make. The batter is dropped into boiling water and takes mere seconds to cook. If you don't have a späetzle-maker to help drop the dough in the water you could use a colander and a wooden spoon to scrape the batter through the holes.
Make the späetzle in advance and then just as you are ready to eat fry them in butter, stir in the cheese and serve.
- 300 g plain flour
- 4 medium eggs
- 125 ml water
- salt to taste (approx 1 tsp)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion sliced
- 2 tbsp butter
- 100 g grated emmenthal cheese
Add all of the ingredients for the späetzle to a mixing bowl. Whisk the mixture until you achieve a smooth batter the consistency of pancake batter.
Put a pot of water on to boil. When the pot reaches a slow boil place the späetzle-maker (or colander) on top of the pan.
Add a ladle of batter to the späetzle-maker. Slowly move the scraper to push the batter through the holes.
If using a colander use a wooden spoon or spatula to push the batter through the holes
Remove the späetzle-maker and place to one side. Wait until the späetzle rise to the top of the pan and start to puff up a little.
Once the späetzle are puffed (about 30-45 seconds) remove from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in a colander. Run cold water over the späetzle to cool them down, then drain and place in a bowl.
At this stage the späetzle can be set aside until ready to eat.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat.
Add the sliced onions and fry until soft and caramelized. This will take about 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the onions do not burn.
Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
Turn the frying pan up to a medium low heat (you can use the same pan as the onions). Add 2 tbsp of butter.
As the butter starts to melt add the cooked späetzle. Keep stirring to make sure the späetzle is evenly coated in butter.
After 1 minute add the grated emmenthal and quickly stir to evenly distribute the cheese.
Once the cheese is melted (about 30 seconds) serve topped with the caramelized onions.