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This past Saturday my husband and I planned to spend our day hiking and running errands, which would be followed by a slow-cooked meal for two. We knew that we were expecting a snowstorm, so it seemed the perfect night to let short ribs braise in the oven while we enjoyed a glass of wine and the warmth of our fireplace.
As we had eaten a late lunch, we planned on having dinner around 8:00. Around 7:00 we noticed our lights begin to flicker, and I decided to start our side dishes, Rosemary Spaetzle and Balsamic Brussel Sprouts, a little earlier. That was a good choice. Less than ten minutes after all of the food was done cooking the power went out. . . and it didn’t return until yesterday afternoon. Of course, while we were enjoying our dinner on a blanket in front of the fire, we didn’t realize that the next four days would be spent without power, so a candlelit house had a romantic feel to it.
My choice of Rosemary Spaetzle was one of convenience. I had made spaetzle only once prior to this, but on this evening I realized I didn’t have all of the ingredients I needed to make polenta. Thinking of a simple replacement that had a more gourmet feel than rice, spaetzle came to mind. With the miniscule amount of ingredients needed and the simplicity of cooking, I am surprised that I haven’t made this dish more often.
I will admit that the technique I used to make the spaetzle is not proper form. Instead of running the dough over a colander to make the little pieces, I rolled the spaetzle into a thin log and cut it into smaller pieces. However, this difference in technique did not affect the taste or texture of the finished product and seemed much easier.
I look forward to trying more variations of this recipe in the near future.
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/2 tsp. salt + more for boiling
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 2 Tb. fresh rosemary, minced
- butter
- Fill a medium stock pot with water, season generously with salt, and bring to a full boil over high heat.
- In a large bowl combine flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add milk and egg, and stir well to combine.
- Continue to stir and add rosemary. Using a floured surface and hands, roll dough into a skinny log, about 1/2″ diameter. (Depending on the size of your workspace, you may need to divide the dough into 2 logs.)
- Cut the log into 1″ pieces. Place half of the spaetzle pieces into the pot at one time, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from pot with slotted spoon, and place in serving dish.
- Top with 1/2 tablespoon butter. Repeat with other half of dough.
