The knepflés, a meal my Mamema (means ‘grandma’ in Alsatian dialect) and my mom are experts at. It’s a type of pasta slightly larger than spaetzlés, but with more or less the same texture. (wikipédia link to translate for additionnal details on different cultures cooking it and the with different variants)
As our knepflés are made with flour, they are more specifically Mahlknepflés as we would say back home 🙂
Because of their size, they’re usually eaten as a main dish rather than as a side dish (like spaetzlés).
My unique version will be accompanied by tomato sauce (seasoned as desired) and then by applesauce (preferably homemade). I eat both at the same time, as I like to alternate between the savory and sweet aspects of the composition, as my Papepa (you can guess what this word means) used to do, it really hits the spot.
Ingredients
- 400g flour
- 4 eggs (preferably free-range)
- 200 ml water
- 2-3 pinches coarse salt
Instructions
Preparation :
Mix the ingredients one after the other (without making a mess unlike me...) to obtain a fairly thick but pourable dough. Pour the mixture onto a plate.
Cooking :
The technique consists of pouring little amounts of the dough into boiling salted water.
- Take the plate containing your mixture and hold it over the edge of your boiling water pan. Let the dough run over the plate and use a butter knife to stop it from pouring. It should roughly be in the shape of small sticks. You might need to moisten the knife after pouring a few times so the dough doesn’t stick to the knife.
Size can often vary, depending on how methodical (or chaotic) you are. When I make them, the size goes from simple to triple to half the initial size, depending on my concentration. But don’t worry, it'll still be good. - As the small sticks are thrown, you’ll notice the first ones will rise to the surface. BINGO, this means they're cooked. Remove them carefully from the boiling water with a sieve (or strainer).
- Place them in an ovenproof dish with a little melted butter and in the oven to keep the first rounds warm, while you finish cooking the rest. I would recommend setting your oven at 80°C, you just need to keep them warm.
- When all the Knepfle are cooked, plate them with tomato sauce and/or apple sauce. Enjoy my friends !
Tip: Prepare a large amount so you can have leftovers. They taste almost better the following day, when you brown them in a frying pan with some more butter (there’s never enough).
Regardless of how it’s cooked and the final visual result, don’t wait to fill up on this pasta before it cools down. They should be eaten piping hot, just short of burning your mouth for optimum enjoyment. Enjoy your meal!
Salü tsamma. Bis nächschtes mol ! (Bye everyone. Until next time ! in Alsatian)
