Noodles to you

Or dumplins or pasta. Wherever you live, it has a name.

The basic recipe for any pasta/noodle/dumplin is simple.

Flour, egg and a little water, maybe some oil.

Freshly made pasta is worlds away from the boxed stuff and such an adventure!

When my boys were younger their favorite was a German dumplin called spaetzle, preferably with lots of butter and maybe a little basil instead of the usual nutmeg.

The basil butter spaetzle is my personal favorite.

Having a spaetzle maker makes it easier, but if you don't have one (mine is in Kentucky somewhere) you can use a large spoon with holes in it, or a colander , to drop the batter into the boiling water.

Basic Spaetzle recipe:

2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but really good)
2 eggs
3/4 cup of milk

Boil 2 quarts of water with 1 teaspoon salt.

Combine flour, salt and nutmeg.
Beat the eggs and milk together and stir into the flour mixture.
Place the batter into a coarse-sieved colander with 1/4 inch holes or use a spoon with holes in it to drop the dumplins into the water.
Hold over kettle of boiling salted water.
Press the batter through the colander with back of a wooden spoon or spatula.
If dough is too thick, add a little milk.
Cook for 5 minutes; drain.
Keep warm until all the dumplins are cooked.
Stir 2 to 4 tablespoons of butter into the dumplins and serve hot.

Variation:

In place of the nutmeg, add 1/2 teaspoon basil to mixture.
Cook as above.
After stirring butter into the cooked dumplins sprinkle 1 teaspoon of basil over and stir in.

This goes well with any meat but roast chicken was the boys' favorite to have it with.


Next up: homemade spaghetti