Käsespätzle (Swabian Noodles with Mountain Cheese and Caramelized Onions)

Spätzle are Germany’s most famous noodles. Swabia, a region in Germany’s prosperous southwest, has long laid claim to them, though they are made widely throughout southern Germany and neighboring Austria and Switzerland. In fact, there are paintings dating to the Middle Ages that depict people holding the board traditionally used to make Spätzle, though their provenance beyond that point is unknown.

Spätzle show up in a variety of different ways on German tables. ey are a frequent side dish to Germany’s many roasts, often swimming in a pool of rich brown gravy. One beloved Swabian dish pairs Spätzle with lentil stew and boiled sausages; another has them float in a savory beef broth with cubed potatoes and shreds of soup meat (Gaisburger Marsch). ey can be made verdant with the addition of boiled, pureed spinach or chopped fresh herbs to the batter. Spätzle can even show up as dessert or nursery food, lightly sweetened and served with confectioners’ sugar and ground poppyseeds or applesauce. But, arguably, their most beloved role is as the anchor of this popular dish in which freshly boiled Spätzle are layered with redolent heaps of grated mountain cheese, then topped with a panful of caramelized onions. Chewy, cheesy, savory, and endlessly comforting, Käsespätzle are Germany’s version of mac and cheese.

Spätzle batter is simple, made of just flour, eggs and milk or water, plain or sparkling, which issupposed to help achieve a light and chewy texture of the noodles.

Then the batter, which is quite sticky, is either smeared on a board and scraped into boiling water with a knife or bench scraper or poured or pressed through a special Spätzle press or sieve. Spätzle were traditionally made with spelt flour, but today many use wheat flour. ey’re quite robust and can be cooked in advance (if making in advance, rinse the just-cooked noodles with water, cool completely, then store in the refrigerator for a few days). This recipe serves four but is easily scaled up or down. e rule of thumb when making Spätzle is to calculate about ½ cup plus 2Tbsp / 100g of flour and one egg per person.

In German-speaking countries, the traditional cheese for Käsespätzle is Bergkäse, or mountain cheese, meaning it is either made in the Alps or from milk from Alpine cows. You can use Gruyère, Appenzeller, and Emmentaler, either on their own or mixed. If you have access to a good-quality cheese shop, you may be able to find Allgäuer Bergkäse, a raw milk mountain cheese from the Allgäu region.

SERVES 4

• 2½ cups / 400g all-purpose flour

  Classic German Cooking Luisa Weiss

• 3 tsp salt

• 4 eggs

• About 1 cup / 250ml club soda

• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus more for the serving dish

• 2 medium yellow onions, cut into thin half-moons

• 2.6 oz / 75g Alpine cheese, grated

1. First, make the Spätzle batter: Place the flour and 2tsp of salt in a large bowl. Crack in the eggs and beat briefly with a wooden spoon, then pour in half of the club soda. Stir vigorously, then add the remaining club soda a bit at a time, until the batter is smooth and falls o¨ the spoon in sheets. Cover the bowl and set aside for 30minutes.

1. Meanwhile, make the onions: Melt the butter in a medium sauté pan. Place the onions in the pan and sprinkle with the remaining 1tsp of salt. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are well-browned and fragrant, about 20 minutes. (Depending on your stove, this may take a little longer, up to 35minutes.) Set aside.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Butter the bottom of a serving dish or bowl and set aside.

1. Scrape a ladleful of batter onto a small wooden cutting board without a lip. Hold the cutting board at a slight angle over the pot of boiling water and, using a sharp bench scraper or a knife dipped in water, shave o¨ very thin ribbons (about Å inch / 3mm thick) of batter directly over the pot so that the noodles fall into the water. When they rise to the surface, which will only take a moment, scoop them out with a spider, letting the excess water drain off, and place them in the buttered dish. Top with a sprinkling of cheese. Repeat with the remaining batter and cheese, working in batches.

1. When the Spätzle are finished and topped with a final layer of cheese, add the browned onions to the Spätzle and toss until well-combined. Serve immediately.

“Classic German Cooking” Copyright © 2024 by Luisa Weiss. Photographs © 2024 by Elena Heatherwick. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Crown Publishing Group.”

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