Spinach Spaetzle With Bacon And Sage Food

SPINACH SPAETZLE WITH BACON AND SAGE

Steps:

• Drop spinach leaves into boiling water to blanch, then transfer to a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain spinach and squeeze dry. Put cooked spinach in a blender or food processor with the eggs and yolks and blitz briefly to make a green purée. (Alternatively, finely chop the spinach and stir together with beaten eggs and yolks.)
• Put spinach in a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, the nutmeg and the pepper. Beat in flour and 3/4 cup cold water to make a wet, sticky batterlike dough. Beat for 5 minutes, until lump free. If the mixture seems too stiff, beat in a few more tablespoons cold water. (If using a spaetzle tool, thin the batter to a more runny consistency.) Leave batter to rest at room temperature, covered, for 15 minutes.
• Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a large wide pot of well-salted water to a boil. Stand close to the pot with the bowl of dough in one hand and a soup spoon in the other. With the edge of the spoon, grab thin slivers of dough approximately 1 inch long, dropping them one by one into the boiling water. (Cook a dozen or so at a time.) Let the spaetzle cook for 1 minute or so, until they rise to the surface. Remove with a skimmer and immediately cool in ice water. Continue until all batter is used. Drain cooked spaetzle and blot dry. (The recipe may be prepared up to this point several hours before serving.)
• Just before serving, set a large wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and let it render without browning much, about 2 minutes. Pour off fat and leave bacon in pan. Add butter and let it foam, then add sage leaves and let sizzle for 30 seconds. Add cooked spaetzle and sauté, stirring with a wooden spoon until heated through and lightly browned. Transfer to a warm serving bowl. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan.

SPINACH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Puree a 10-ounce package thawed frozen spinach (squeezed dry), 1/2 cup milk, 2 eggs, 3/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of nutmeg until smooth. Combine with 1 3/4 cups flour in a bowl. Transfer to a cutting board; use the back of a knife to scrape off small strips of dough. Boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and toss with butter, a splash of cooking water, salt and pepper.

SAUTEED SPINACH WITH BACON, GARLIC AND THYME

Steps:

• Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and some salt and pepper, and cook, tossing, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine. Serve hot or at room temperature.

SPAETZLE, SAUERKRAUT AND SAUSAGE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a metal colander.
• Whisk together the flour and salt in a bowl. Mix the eggs and water, and pour into the flour mixture. Stir to form a dough.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place the spaetzle dough into the oiled colander, and set the colander over the pot of water. Use a flexible spatula to push the dough into the boiling water through the holes in the colander. Stir the spaetzle as they boil. When they have floated to the top, they are done (about 5 minutes). Scoop the spaetzle out of the boiling water, and place into an ungreased 9x9-inch baking dish.
• Place the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, and cook, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp, about 8 minutes. Remove bacon, leaving drippings in pan, and set aside. Cook the onion in the same pan as the bacon until browned, about 10 minutes.
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat until foamy, and stir in the apple and brown sugar. Cook and stir until the apple is soft, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon, onions, and sauerkraut into the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Pour the sauerkraut mixture into the 9x9-inch baking dish on top of the spaetzle.
• Place the kielbasa pieces into a microwave-safe dish, and cook on full power in a microwave oven until the sausage is hot and has lost its pink color, 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the sausage to the baking dish.
• Bake in the preheated oven until bubbling, about 15 minutes.

BACON ONION SPAETZLE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and milk. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth; let stand for 30 minutes. Press the batter through a sieve into boiling salted water. Cook about 1 minute. Drop cooked spaetzle into ice water. Drain spaetzle and set aside.
• In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until golden, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 to 5 minutes. In a separate skillet, saute the cooked spaetzle in the oil until golden. Add the bacon mixture, season as needed with salt and pepper, and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

SPAETZLE IN SAGE BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Bring large pot of salted water to boil.
• Combine milk, eggs, and nutmeg in processor; blend until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add salt and flour pulsing until batter is just smooth, about 30 seconds (batter will be very thick and sticky).
• Working in batches, pour batter through slotted spoon or grater held above boiling water, pressing with spatula to form strands. Stir gently to prevent sticking. Simmer until spaetzle float to surface, then continue cooking 1 minute longer.
• Using slotted spoon, transfer spaetzle to large buttered baking dish. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.).
• Cook butter & sage in heavy large skillet over medium heat until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add spaetzle and toss until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide among plates.
• Garnish with fresh sage.
• Optional: Sauteed 1 small onion diced in the butter.

HERBED SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Bring a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot of salted water to a boil and keep at a bare simmer. Fill a large bowl with very cold water and set aside.
• Whisk together flour and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and crème fraîche in another bowl, then whisk into flour until batter is smooth.
• Working over barely simmering water, force half of batter through spaetzlemaker, food mill, or colander.
• As spaetzle float to surface (after about 1 minute), transfer to bowl of cold water with a mesh skimmer or sieve, then into a large sieve to drain. Repeat with remaining batter. Toss drained spaetzle with oil.
• Cut 1 stick butter into pieces, then heat in a deep 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides and add spaetzle. (Skillet will be full.) Sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden on the edges, 10 to 15 minutes. Cut remaining 1/2 stick butter into pieces and add to spaetzle along with parsley, chives, thyme, sage, nutmeg, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Gently stir to coat.

BUTTERMILK-SPINACH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Squeeze out as much liquid as possible from spinach. Place spinach in blender. Add buttermilk, oil, egg and yolk; blend well. Sift flour, salt and nutmeg into large bowl. Gradually add buttermilk mixture; stir until thick and sticky batter forms.
• Working in batches, drop batter by rounded 1/2 teaspoonfuls into large pot of boiling salted water, dipping teaspoon into boiling water between spoonfuls. Boil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer spaetzle to colander and drain well. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add spaetzle and stir until coated with butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to platter; serve.