Spätzle With A Spinach 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:

• Thaw spinach and press excess water out.
• Transfer spinach to a blender and add heavy whipping cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
• Mix until smooth and set aside.
• To a large bowl add flour and eggs and blend briefly.
• Add the spinach mixture and blend well.
• Add the water and mix the batter until smooth.
• Let batter rest for about 5-10 min.
• In the meantime, heat water in a large pot.
• Stir dough one more time.
• Add about 1 ½ tbsp. salt to the boiling water.
• Press about 1/3 of the batter through a spaetzle maker.
• Wait until spaetzle float to the top, then let them cook an additional 2 - 3 minutes.
• Now scoop spaetzle out with a slotted spoon into a strainer.
• Repeat until all batter is used.
• Toss them in melted butter directly before serving.

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.

SPINACH SPAETZLE

Steps:

• Wash the spinach and put it in a food processor. Blend the spinach until it's in finely chopped pieces. You can also use a knife to finely chop the spinach - but a processor is just faster and easier.
• Place the flour into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Make a small well in the middle of the flour.
• Add the eggs, salt, and nutmeg into the middle of the bowl. Stir the ingredients together using a wooden spoon or an electric mixer until loosely combined.
• Now add the chopped spinach into the bowl and continue to mix the content together.
• Once evenly mixed, add the water into the dough. We recommend adding the water in small amounts. Depending on the moisture content of the spinach, you may have to add a tiny bit more or less water. You may also have to mix a little longer than when making normal spaetzle. The spaetzle dough is ready when it has an elastic, lump-free consistency. The dough should stick to a wooden spoon when passed through and create air pockets as you fold the dough in the bowl.
• Grab a large pot, fill with water and a pinch of salt, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat once it bubbles so that the water holds an active simmer.
• Grab your Spaetzle maker/grater and spoon portions of the Spaetzle batter onto it. Use a scraper to scrape the batter through the grater into the boiling pot. The spinach spaetzle will float to the top of the pot when they are done cooking. Cooking time isn't long for small spaetzle - around 2-3 minutes.
• Remove the green spaetzle dumplings with a large straining spoon and toss them in another bowl. Repeat from step 7 until you have used all the spaetzle dough.

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.

HERBED SPAETZLE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, nutmeg, and herbs in a large bowl. In another bowl, beat the milk, eggs, and 5 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk into flour mixture until smooth.
• In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Fill a potato ricer fitted with a 1/4-inch-hole attachment with batter and push it through into the boiling water, or use a colander, pushing batter through with a rubber spatula. Cook spaetzle until it floats to the top, about 30 seconds. Drain spaetzle in colander.
• Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add spinach and saute until it starts to wilt. Add spaetzle, season with salt and pepper, and cook until hot. Serve immediately.