Steph from Stephfood was our Daring Cooks‘ July hostess. Steph challenged us to make homemade noodles without the help of a motorized pasta machine. She provided us with recipes for Spätzle and Fresh Egg Pasta as well as a few delicious sauces to pair our noodles with!
My sister, Janet, is an excellent cook and she married in to a family of excellent cooks – they even have a family cookbook. The Niemann family is of German descent and one of their favorite meals is Spätzle with Rouladen. Janet’s mother-in-law even ordered Spätzle presses from Germany for her daughters and daughters-in-law.
When I told my sister Spätzle was the Daring Cook’s challenge for the month, she invited me to come and cook it with her in her beautiful kitchen. She lives in a small country town and it was a pleasure driving through our gorgeous mountains and spending time cooking with her.
Spätzle is an egg noodle, but it’s moister and softer than traditional pasta. You don’t need a press to make Spätzle, just cut thin strips of dough with a knife and scrape the strips into boiling salt water. Rouladen is thin sliced beef rolled up and filled with chopped onion and bacon. Many Rouladen recipes wrap a pickle inside with the onion and bacon, but Janet’s mother-in-law’s recipe doesn’t include a pickle.
Janet’s tips: Spätzle is best if cooked right before you’re ready to eat it. You can make the dough ahead of time, up to 3 hours, and keep the bowl covered with a damp towel. If you have to cook it ahead of time, toss it with a little olive oil so the noodles don’t clump together. Spätzle also freezes well.
Spätzle and Rouladen
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose or bread flour
- 1 ½ cups semolina flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 - 1 ½ cups water
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Rouladen
- 6 thin slices of lean beef I used a top round roast and had the butcher slice it in ¼ slices
- 6 tablespoons chopped onion
- 6 tablespoons chopped bacon I used Costco Hormel frozen fully cooked bacon
- 3 cups water
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- Spätzle
- Mix together all ingredients until smooth. Dough will form bubbles. Place dough in Spätzle press and press into boiling water. Simmer until noodles rise to the top of the water, then continue cooking 1 minute longer. (If necessary, scrap the bottom of the pan.)
- Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well. Place cooked noodles in a large bowl and repeat cooking process until all dough is cooked. Serve noodles with meat and gravy.
- Rouladen
- Pound beef to tenderize if necessary. (The top round was perfect without tenderizing.) Sprinkle each piece of meat with salt and pepper. Place 1 tablespoon chopped onion and 1 tablespoon chopped bacon on each piece of meat.
- Roll up and secure with a toothpick. Brown rolls in a heavy pot with a little oil or bacon grease.
- After the meat is browned, add water. Cook on low heat until meat is tender (2-3 hours). Thicken gravy with flour or cornstarch. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with Spätzle.
Notes
Visit the Daring Kitchen to see the all the creative pastas the Daring Cooks cooked up this month. Thanks Steph for a terrific challenge.
Louise
Ours is very similar. I put a thin layer of regular mustard on the rouladen before I add the bacon and onions, once the rouladen is filled, we brown it, then it is baked in a rich beef and bacon gravy. I make the Spaetzla noodles the same way yours are done, but we reheat ours in a pan with breadcrumbs and butter just before serving….so good
I was taught both by my german ex mother in law. She also makes Strudel noodles to die for
Barbara Schieving
Sounds delicious – thanks for sharing Louise!
Inez Simon
I was going to make spaetzle and chicken paprikash, but rouladen looks and sounds so much better! I love making pasta from scratch, and while I have used a machine once, I prefer rolling them out and shaping them by hand. Ah I have so many fond memories as an apprentice making spatzle.
Tammy
Is this cookbook available to purchase?
Jessi @ Quirky Cookery
Well huh. We always made rouladen with a much bigger piece of meat that was several servings for the whole family and then sliced to serve. This sent me googling, only to discover that everybody else’s rouladens are small rolls like this with more individual serving rolls. I’m going to have to try this route instead, I think.
Eliana
I have never made this before but it looks too good to miss out on.
Jenni
Wonderful job on your homemade pasta! Your spaetzle looks amazing!!! As much fun as I had shoving the dough through colander, your press turned out an amazing noodle! Great job!
sheila @ Elements
I want to try making those noodles. I love making pasta from scratch, and while I have used a machine once, I prefer rolling them out and shaping them by hand. Homemade egg noodles are my favorite but I’ll bookmark this recipe and try it. Looks so good! 🙂
Jamie
This is such a perfect meal! We love spatzle – yummy and fun! And rouladen, well there is a version in every European country and we love it! Janet’s recipe sounds and looks great! I’ll be trying this.
Joy
That is so cool you could make that.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella
How clever to do this without a machine! I’ve seen it done on shows and it looks like lots of fun 🙂 xxx
Anna Johnston
Ah I have so many fond memories as an apprentice making spatzle. Good times, haven’t done it since then, great to be inspired again by the traditional recipes. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. Your wonderful recipes with us.
Lisa
Every time I hear ‘rouladen’, I recall an intense convo with a friend who insisted rouladen was better than braciole, even though they’re essentially the same thing, just different filler (hers was similar to yours, but also contained diced gherkins) . Your spaetzle is gorgeous! I was going to make spaetzle and chicken paprikash, but rouladen looks and sounds so much better! That’s what’s going to accompany my next spaetzle endeavor 🙂
Barbara
My German grandmother used to make Spätzle all the time. We loved it! Haven’t thought about it for ages. Loved this post, Barbara. Your sister looks like you.
Megan
How fun to cook with your sister. She’s one pretty lady! And such an interesting dish. I know I would lick my plate clean.
Lauren from Lauren's Latest
I’m half German and have never had this! {I’ve had the Hungarian version of this called Nookedly.} I’m bookmarking this.
Angie's Recipes
My mother in-law would love to try your Spätzle and Rouladen! You really did a perfect job in creating this classic German dish. I also like the type Knöpfle shaped Spätzle (just like little buttons)…