Allgäu Krautspatzen

Description

Freshly made spaetzle layered hot with sauerkraut and crisp bacon and finished with a ladle of deep brown butter onions. Alongside the famous Kässpatzen, the Krautspatzen are the other everyday classic of the Allgäu - born from the habit of refining plain spaetzle with whatever the farm had to hand.

1. 1

   Beat the flour, eggs, milk and half a teaspoon of salt into a stiff batter and work it hard until it throws bubbles and tears off the spoon. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

   ⏱️ approx. 25 min
2. 2

   Drain the sauerkraut, rinse it briefly under running water and squeeze it out well - that takes off the sharp acidity while keeping it firm to the bite.

   ⏱️ approx. 5 min
3. 3

   Dice the bacon small. Warm a third of the butter in a pan and render the bacon in it - not too crisp, it should stay juicy. Add the sauerkraut and let it cook, covered, over mild heat for 10 minutes.

   ⏱️ approx. 14 min
4. 4

   Bring plenty of salted water to the boil. Push the batter through a spaetzle grater into the bubbling water in batches, stir with a wooden spoon so nothing sticks together and lift the Spatzen out with a slotted spoon as soon as they float to the surface.

   ⏱️ approx. 15 min
5. 5

   Have a warmed bowl or pan ready and layer the Spatzen and sauerkraut alternately, seasoning each layer lightly with salt and pepper. The top layer should be sauerkraut.

   ⏱️ approx. 5 min
6. 6

   Slice the onions into fine rings and melt them slowly in the remaining butter until golden brown. Pour the butter and onions over the Krautspatzen, scatter with chives and serve at once - with green salad and dark bread.

   ⏱️ approx. 10 min