Spatzle
Gerry Nooney, Vice President of Culinary Operations, Sugarbush Resort
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup eggs, about 4 large eggs
1/2 cup milk or water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
6 turns of a pepper mill (white pepper, if you are lucky enough to have some)
1 tablespoon of whole grain mustard and 1 teaspoon of dry mustard (optional)
Preparation
First, get 10-12 cups of salted water into the roasting oven while you make the dough.
You will need a spätzle maker or a perforated pan in a pinch.
Fill a steel bowl with cold salted water and a few handfuls of ice. This where the cooked spatzle will be chilled.
In a large steel bowl, add all the dry ingredients and make a well in the center.
Mix the wet ingredients together and put in the center well. Using a fork. pull the dry into the wet. Mix thoroughly, but do not overwork. Let rest 10 minutes.
Bring pot of water out of roasting oven and onto the boil plate. You'll need to adjust the pan on the plate to keep it from boiling over.
Put into spatzle maker and pass the hopper over the boiling water. When the spatzle float, remove and put into the bowl of ice water. Repeat until finished.
Drain thoroughly and brown in a pan with a little butter. A sprinkle of parsley never hurt.
No spatzle maker, no problem. You can use a cutting board and a paring knife. Put the dough on the edge of the board and cut little finger-size dumplings and scrape into the water. These are a bit bigger and have a little more tooth to them. Make your dough a little stiffer if you try this method.
Clean-up time! Wash the bowl and spatzle maker in cold water first, then hot soapy water. This will remove any dough before it gets cooked on by the hot water.
Use good judgement, and make this dish your own.
What good is a goulash recipe without these delicious little dumplings? I've tried but not much luck figuring out how to abide by the 100/0 Rule. No worries let's not let that get in the way. These tender little dumplings help soak up all the sauce in a proper goulash or stew. Also makes the best, yes the best, mac and cheese.
