German Cheese Spaetzle (Käsespätzle) with Caramelized Onions
Serves 4 (I always make a double recipe since it’s a lengthier process and I’m already in the kitchen)
400 grams flour
4 eggs, beaten
Salt, to taste (start with 1-2 teaspoons)
1 cup water
200 grams cheese, grated (my preference is Comte, but I also like sharp gouda or cheddar);
1½ cups unsalted butter (you don’t need to hold back!)
1½ onions, halved and sliced lengthwise
Heat a very large pot of water over medium-high heat and let it boil. This can take 20-30 minutes. This is the pot that the noodles will fall in to cook. Because noodle making is a lengthier process and the pot won’t have a lid, I advise using a larger pot or else you’ll constantly need to add water back to the pot and get it back to boiling.
In a large bowl, add the flour, eggs, salt, and water. Using a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients until it forms a uniform batter. You’ll notice lumps in the batter, but it will become one homogenous lump. This can take 5-10 minutes.
Continue beating and whipping the batter, until the batter is smooth (i.e. no longer has clumps in it) and little air pockets/bubbles start to appear. This takes some time, so it can be another 10-15 minutes.
Once the batter is ready, the water is boiling, and the cheese is grated, place your Spaetzle maker over the boiling pot of water and add batter to the container. Slide the container back and forth, allowing the noodles to fall in the water.
Once the container is empty and the Spaetzle float to the surface, use a slotted spoon to fish the noodles out and place them in a colander to let them drain. Once drained, pour the finished noodles in backing pan.
For each new layer of Spaetzle in the baking pan, add a layer of cheese. So, depending on the shape of your pan, you’ll end up with a different number of layers.
Repeat these steps until all of the batter and cheese are used up.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Once melted, add the onions and mix it together with the butter. Reduce the heat to medium/medium-low and let it sit and stir occasionally, making sure the onions don’t stick to the pan. Continue cooking until the onions have turned a golden brown. This can take at least 30 minutes. Make sure you don’t cook the onions for too long as the onions will turn bitter and burn.
To serve, garnish the cheese Spaetzle with the caramelized onions.
Enjoy!
