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Germany, Europe

Käsespätzle

Swabian and Allgäu comfort food: fresh egg spätzle layered with melting mountain cheese and crowned with sweet butter-fried onions.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time45 min
DifficultyMedium
About servingsWhen pressing over boiling water, keep your wrists and face out of the steam rising straight above the pot.

Method

  1. Put the flour, salt and nutmeg in a bowl, make a well in the middle and add the eggs and cold water. Beat hard with a wooden spoon for : the batter becomes smooth and bubbly, and when you lift the spoon it falls in thick ribbons that slowly tear. If it is too stiff, add water a spoonful at a time. Leave it to rest for .

    Add in this stepPlain flour 200 gFine salt (for the dough) ½ tspGround nutmeg 1 pinchEggs 2Cold water 55 ml

  2. Halve the onions and slice them into thin half-moons. Melt three-quarters of the butter in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat, add the onions and fry for 3 minutes, then turn down to medium-low heat and cook for , stirring now and then, until deep golden-brown and sweet. Turn off the heat.

    Add in this stepButter 23 gOnions (medium) 1

    medium heat→medium-low heat

  3. Bring the water and coarse salt to the boil in a large pot (20 cm across), covered, over high heat; it takes about . Plenty of water keeps the spätzle from sticking together.

    Add in this stepWater (for boiling) 2½ LCoarse salt (for the water) 1 tbsp

    high heat

  4. Heat the oven to 180 °C. Rub the inside of a 20×15 cm ovenproof dish with the remaining butter and keep it warm next to the oven.

    Add in this stepButter 7.5 g

  5. Once the water boils, turn it down to medium-high heat so it bubbles gently. Hold a spätzle press (or a colander with large holes) over the pot and press the batter through, one ladleful at a time. When the spätzle float, cook them more, lift them out with a slotted spoon, shake off the water and spread a layer in the dish. Scatter over a handful of cheese and a little pepper. Repeat spätzle, then cheese, until the batter is used up, finishing with cheese.

    Add in this stepGrated Emmental and Bergkäse (or Gruyère) 150 gBlack pepper to taste

    medium-high heat

  6. Heat in the oven at 180 °C for , until the cheese has fully melted and bubbles at the edges. Meanwhile warm the onions through in their pan. Pile the onions on top, sprinkle with chives and serve piping hot.

    Add in this stepChives, finely snipped 2 tbsp

    oven

Cook's tip

Beating the batter well is what makes spätzle springy: keep going until big bubbles pop on the surface. No press? Do it the traditional way: spread the batter thinly on a wet chopping board and scrape thin strips into the water with a wet knife. In Germany it comes with a crisp green salad or potato salad.

Cooking it at camp

A burner and a big pot are all you need. Instead of the oven, layer spätzle and cheese in a lidded cast-iron pot or pan, cover and leave on low heat for 5 minutes until the cheese melts. Fry the onions first; you can mix the batter at home and bring it in the cooler.