German Spaetzle with Wild Garlic Pesto and Green Asparagus
Recipe From What's For Lunch, Honey?
By Meeta K. Wolff
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 60 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients
400g flour
4 eggs
40g butter
Salt and pepper
120g Pecorino cheese, grated
350ml extra virgin olive oil
50g almonds
50g pine nuts
200g wild garlic leaves, stems cut off, washed and dried
2 tablespoons almonds, toasted
Sea salt and ground black pepper
150g green asparagus, washed and cut into pieces
Drizzle of olive oil
Extra pecorino and pine nuts for the topping
Method
To make the spätzle mix together flour, eggs and 100g water in a large mixing bowl. Add a pinch of salt and using your hands or a wooden spoon work the mixture until the dough resembles a pasty, sticky cake batter. Continue to work the dough and once air bubbles begin to form set aside to rest for about 10 minutes.
Set a pot with cold water aside. Bring a large pot of salt water to a rolling boil. Press the dough through a spätzle press in portions into the water. Once the noodles begin to float to the top – approx. 2 minutes – remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into pot with cold water. Drain the noodles well. Follow this procedure until all the dough has been used up.
For the pesto place all the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add a little more oil if you prefer a looser consistency.
Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Transfer to clean jars and top with an extra drizzle of oil to create a seal. The jars will keep in the fridge for at least one week.
Sauté the asparagus in some olive oil until slightly tender.
In a heavy skillet rubbed with a dab of oil, gently brown the spätzle. Remove from heat, add a few tablespoons of the pesto, the asparagus mix then grate some Pecorino and sprinkle some toasted pine nuts over the top.
All photographs and written content on What's For Lunch, Honey? © 2006-2016 Meeta K. Wolff unless otherwise indicated. | All rights reserved | If you are interested in using my texts or photographs please contact me | You may not use my work for commercial purposes without my permission | You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work in any form | Please Ask First