Spätzle

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 3 eggs, beaten until light before use
• 120 ml milk or water
• 1 tsp fine salt, for the batter
• For the pot
• 1 tbsp fine salt, water to be salted as aggressively as pasta water
• For finishing
• 30 g unsalted butter, for tossing freshly cooked Spätzle
• For Käsespätzle
• 200 g young Emmentaler or Bergkäse, grated; must retain moisture — avoid very aged examples
• 2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 40 g unsalted butter, for caramelising the onions

Method

1. 1
   Beat the eggs until light and aerated. Add the flour, salt, and milk or water. Mix until just combined — the batter should fall in thick ribbons from a spoon but must not be worked further. Over-mixing develops gluten and produces tough, elastic noodles. Rest the batter for 10 minutes uncovered; it is ready when it flows from the spoon in a slow, unbroken ribbon.
2. 2
   For Käsespätzle, melt 40 g butter in a wide pan over the lowest possible heat. Add the sliced onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes until they have collapsed to a deep amber, jammy mass. The sweetness of properly caramelised onions is the defining flavour of the dish against the sharp cheese and rich noodles; they are done when every strand is dark gold and the pan smells of caramel rather than raw allium.
3. 3
   Bring a large pot of water to a full rolling boil. Salt it aggressively — Spätzle cooked in unsalted water taste of nothing regardless of subsequent seasoning. Working in small batches, press the batter through a colander or Spätzlehobel held directly over the water; the resistance of the holes breaking the soft batter produces the characteristic irregular, ear-like pieces. Do not overload the pot: a crowded pot drops temperature and the noodles cook unevenly and stick.
4. 4
   This is where the dish lives or dies. Watch the surface of the water: each Spätzle is done the moment it bobs to the top. Remove it immediately with a slotted spoon — even thirty seconds beyond floating produces a gummy, overcooked centre. Transfer each batch directly into a warmed bowl and toss at once with a knob of butter; without fat, the noodles cool and fuse into a solid mass.
5. 5
   For Käsespätzle: while the noodles are still hot, layer them in a warmed gratin dish with the grated cheese, finishing with a cheese layer on top. The residual heat of the noodles must melt the cheese into the pasta — cold noodles produce uneven, clumpy distribution. Spoon the caramelised onions over the surface and serve at once.