Spatze Spatze Man!
I've got to be, a Spatze Man!

" /> Spatze Spatze Man! - It's All About the Food

It's All About the FoodChristmas Baking with SusieJ

Spatze Spatze Man!

I'll admit it — I make up song parodies for my toddler son. They are badly sung, badly rhymed, with a strong theme of "mommy's going crazy now, so listen to the nice song." But he enjoys them.

Tonight's Grammy-winner was inspired by leftover Käsespätzle and the Village People (to the tune of "Macho Man"):

Spatze Spatze Man!
I've got to be, a Spatze Man!

My husband assures me that being there makes it no funnier.

However, the Käsespätzle were delicious. People — well, chefs and food wanks, not people — claim Spätzle are Alsatian or Swiss to make them sound upscale, but I'm telling you, this is southwest German peasant food.

Käsespätzle (German cheese-noodle casserole)

  • 5 c flour (700g)
  • 5 eggs
  • 1 1/4 c water (275 ml)
  • nutmeg to taste
  • 8 ounces Emmental or Gruyere cheese, grated (225g)

Boil at least 5 quarts (5 liters) very heavily salted water. Butter a large casserole dish. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees (160 C).

While waiting for the water to boil, measure the flour and a bit of grated nutmeg into a large bowl, and make a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the center, and pour in the water. With a fork, mix the eggs and water together, then mix in the flour. You'll have a very stiff batter, but not a dough. If you have dough that you would like to put through a pasta maker, add a few tablespoons water. Mix until smoothish.

Spoon/plop a quarter of the batter into your Spätzle press, press into the rapidly boiling water, and boil until the noodles float. I prefer thinner noodles. If the noodles are thick, either add a tablespoon or two more water to the batter, or hold the press higher, so that gravity stretches the noodles more. My press is the kind that looks like a giant garlic press, not the kind that looks like a food grater with a sliding handle thing on it.

When the noodles float, fish them out with a large slotted spoon, or strainer, or pasta spoon, or whatever works. Spread noodles evenly on the bottom of the casserole, and sprinkle a quarter of the grated cheese over them. Pop the casserole into the oven.

Repeat the cooking of the noodles, and the sprinkling of the cheese three more times, until all the batter is cooked and all the cheese used. The cheese will melt nicely in the oven.

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