This is so difficult you may not even want to try.
Photography by Sam Armocido
The gift of a spaetzle-maker, originally intended for the giver's daughter - "Honestly, you're more likely to use it." - has plagued me for years. It sat in the cupboard leering, challenging me to finally take it from it's simple, clear plastic wrapping and make a batch of the quickly simmered soup dumplings.
For some reason, however, making doughs, an activity involving things like measuring and specific ingredients, always seems so foreboding, a challenge best left to classically trained pastry chefs and German grandmothers. Last week, the need to dress up my recipe for asparagus soup drove me to research spaetzle.
A garnish of custards felt fussy, and sautéed wild mushrooms just lazy. Mushroom spaetzle, though daunting, seemed the perfect solution. We carefully measured each ingredient only to discover that sweet, light Oyster mushrooms disappeared in the rich dough. We pressed on, sautéing hearty, bold Criminis for a second batch. They were delicious and we were in love.
So, was it worth the painstaking pain and suffering? Should spaetzle be left to the chefs? The answer is "no." Made with four ingredients, simmered and served, spaeetzle couldn't be simpler. Guten appetit!
Mushroom Spaetzle
Serves 6-8
These oh-so-simple-to-make tiny soup dumplings, closer in size to orzo than gnocchi, gain earthy flavor and just a bit of chew from the addition of earthy Crimini mushrooms. Use them to garnish asparagus soup or as a year-round side dish tossed with butter and fresh herbs from parsley to sage.
Ingredients:
Photography by Sam Armocido
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups chopped Crimini mushrooms
1/4 cup Madeira wine
1 tbs chopped chives
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
Photography by Sam Armocido
Directions:
Prep mushrooms: Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook until softened and golden on edges. Add wine to pan and scrape up any brown bits. Cook until liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Chop mushrooms and parsley together until finely minced.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Make batter: Meanwhile, whisk together flour and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and cooked mushrooms. Add to dry ingredients and stir until it forms into a smooth dough.
Cook spaetzle: Press dough through a colander, or a spaetzle-maker, over simmering water. Cook for 2-3 minutes and drain. Serve tossed with butter or over bowls of soup.
TIP: When not working batter through the colander or spaetzle maker so the dough doesn’t cook to it from the heat of the steam coming off the pot.
