O'zapft!...Oktober Feast

We may not be in Germany, but that doesn't mean we can't feast on some beer and brats honor of our German friends. I especially have to honor my German Grammy Sonnhild (my violin teacher since age 4) who makes the best german food I have ever tasted and will likely be bringing platters full of kraut and german concoctions to my parents house this week.


We plan to celebrate by going to the local Oktoberfest celebration Friday evening in a local neighborhood village center with a bunch of our friends. Haile puts on a really fun celebration in the town center with live music and activities, and the streets are jam packed with families, children, dogs, and all the restaurants open their doors and serve beer and food on the streets.

In honor of Frau Sonnhild I'm going to make a little spaetzl, a traditional german dumpling noodle that is traditionally made by scraping the dough off a wooden chopping board ("Spätzlebrett") into boiling water. I'm no traditional German, so I'm using the colander method which is also a good alternative if you don't have a spaetzl maker (which I don't).

ingredients
1 C. all-purpose flour (maybe up to 2 cups to make batter thick)
1/4 C. milk
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 pinch freshly ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk eggs and milk in another mixing bowl. Add the egg-milk mixture, then gradually mix together in your kitchen aid, just to incorporate. The dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot, then reduce to a rolling simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. When it rises to the top, use a slotted spoon to remove to another colander & run cold water over them to stop the cooking, and so they don't stick. Set aside and once the cooking water has returned to a boil, repeat with the rest of the dough.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and saute onions for 5 minutes, then add the spaetzle; tossing to coat. Cook the spaetzle for 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles some color, and then sprinkle with parsley and season with salt and pepper before serving.
It is a great side dish to serve with bratwurst and cabbage salad or sauerkraut.


Another way I'm dying to try is Kasespaetzl, basically german mac and cheeze. It's spaetzle baked with grated cheese and caramelized onions (at 375 for 20-25 minutes). If you don't want to bake it, just mix the hot onions and hot spaetzle with the cheese till it melts.
Kasespaetzl 4 cheeses Swiss Emmenthaler, cheddar, gruyère and parmesan. (try gouda and brie instead of swiss and gruyere).


I'm drooling over this right now. This might accompany me to the pre-oktoberfest happy hour


Happy Oktoberfest! Now go out and drink a beer, eat a spaetzle dumpling or a great juicy bratwurst!