Pumpkin seeds give earthy flavor and lovely color to this side dish. This recipe is part of New Austrian Cuisine, via Bon Appetit. The original recipe calls for pumpkin seed oil, but as it may be hard to find I have substituted sunflower seed oil. You will need a spaetale maker, ricer, or piping bag to make the spaetzle.
Making spaetzle is easy, with no fancy equipment needed: a coarse grater, colander, or wide perforated spoon or ladle with 1/4-inch holes will work well. From Bon Appetit.
I lived in western Austria for a good long while. This is a traditional dish that really needs to be made with the local cheeses. In this country I’ve found Appenzeller (a firm alpine cheese) at Murray’s in New York — and they have a mail order service. Use a spaetzle maker if you can locate one. It looks like an oblong piece of metal with holes the size of peas, with an attached funnel to hold the batter that slides back and forth to force the batter through. If not, you can force the batter through through any colander with larger holes, or simply use a spoon to push small chunks (no bigger than a piece of elbow macaroni) into the boiling water. The crisply fried onions are crucial to flavor and texture. Serve with a green or cucumber salad. Note the measurements are metric.
When traveling in Austria, you must try this oozy cheesy dish. Or, you can make it yourself. If you have a spaetzle maker, that’s great, but if you don’t, you can push the dough through a colander with large holes using a spreader. Inspired by a recipe from A Wanderer’s Lust.
Make and share this Spaetzle recipe from Food.com.
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