Spaetzle counts as pasta, right? I sure hope so, because this tasty comforting dinner is my entry to this week's Presto Pasta Night, hosted by the lovely Ruth!!
I had ripped this out of a Cooking Light magazine from 2004! I have been going through my stack of saved recipes and either making them or tossing them. I'm glad that this one made the cut!
I always enjoy spaetzle in restaurants, but I'd never made it at home. Wasn't too tricky, but boy, is it one sloppy process! I spilled the dough all over the place! I used a pasta insert in place of the colander, and it was a touch bigger than my pan, so yah, messy messy.
However, messy messy = tasty tasty! The dainty, soft spaetzle was so nice with the ham and cheese. The ham was cut into a fine dice, so it was really easy to get some ham, onion, and spaetzle with each spoonful. The gruyere was a great choice, it melted beautifully and bound it all together. I would maybe include a little extra cheese in the milk mixture, but only because I like it. :)
Pop on over to Ruth's blog, Once Upon A Feast Friday for the round-up!
Spaetzle Baked with Ham and Gruyere
c/o Cooking Light magazine, April 2004
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=604745
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk, divided
4 large eggs, divided
2 quarts water
Cooking spray
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup finely diced ham (about 4 ounces)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Gruyère cheese
Preheat oven to 375°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together 1 2/3 cups flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and baking powder. Combine 3/4 cup milk and 2 eggs, stirring with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until combined. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large saucepan. Hold a colander with large holes (about 1/4-inch in diameter) over boiling water; spoon about 1/2 cup dough into colander. Press the dough through holes with a rubber spatula (droplets will form spaetzle); set colander aside. Cook 3 minutes or until done (spaetzle will rise to surface). Remove with a slotted spoon; drain in a strainer (spaetzle will stick to a paper towel). Repeat procedure with remaining dough.
Heat a medium nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium heat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in ham. Combine spaetzle and onion mixture in a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray, tossing gently.
Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons flour, and pepper, stirring with a whisk. Pour milk mixture over spaetzle mixture. Sprinkle evenly with cheese. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.
Yield: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Nutritional info: cals 310, fat 9.6g, sat fat 4.4g, protein 18.8g, cholesterol 165mg, calcium 288mg, sodium 786mg, fiber 1.5g, iron 2.4mg, carbs 35.7g
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Spaetzle Baked with Ham and Gruyere
Monday, October 8, 2007
Pasta with Ham, Pine Nuts and Rosemary Sauce
I'm not sure what happened. The clock ticked Autumn, and all we've had to eat since is pasta. Pasta pasta pasta. Sure, it would be one thing if it were actually cold outside... but since we're setting temperature records... I have no good excuse. What's nice about it is that I get to participate in Ruth's weekly Presto Pasta Night more often! Woowoo!
In this instance, I'm going to blame the Washington Post Food Section. I've started grabbing it on my way out of work (it would end up in the trash anyway), and I look through it on the ride home (but only when Dave drives!). I clipped out this recipe as soon as I got home. The photo won me over. That, and its non-tomato-based sauce. I've been smitten with those lately.
What double-won me over was the aroma. Between the orange zest, chopped rosemary and garlic, and sautéed pine nuts, my nose was in heaven. I really enjoyed the mix of scents, and for me, it really added to the dish. I know, I know, I should feel that way all the time... because smell has such a strong influence over our enjoyment of a meal... but this one really stood out.
This took little time to prepare (I used packaged, fresh pasta sheets). I zested, chopped, and cooked away.. and ta-daa, dinner. We ended up splitting the 4-serving pot of pasta... it was that tasty. While I loved the super-wide ribbons of pasta, they weren't Dave's favorite. I'm not sure this dish would have worked as well with a different cut, though. I'll have to explore more pappardelle recipes to see if I can win him over.
Any suggestions??
c/o The Washington Post Food Section
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2007/09/26/pasta-ham-pine-nut-and-rosemary-sauce/
8 to 10 ounces pappardelle pasta, preferably fresh
1 small orange
1 sprig rosemary
1 ½ medium cloves garlic
8 ounces smoked ham
¼ cup olive oil
½ cup pine nuts
Freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat; cook the pappardelle according to package directions. If using fresh pasta, cook 3 to 4 minutes or until the pasta’s color has lightened and the noodles are slightly larger; be careful not to overcook.
Meanwhile, grate the orange zest from the orange (about 1 ½ teaspoons) and set aside; reserve the orange for another use. Finely chop the rosemary leaves (about 1 tablespoon total), mince the garlic (about 2 teaspoons total) and set aside; trim the ham of excess fat and cut the meat into ¼- to ½-inch dice. Set aside.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add the pine nuts and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, until they are fragrant and have picked up some golden color. Add the garlic, ham, orange zest and rosemary; cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is fragrant and the ham has darkened in color. Season with pepper to taste; remove the sauce from the heat or reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting if the pasta has not finished cooking.
When the pasta is done, drain and transfer to a large bowl; pour the sauce over and toss, then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and gently toss until well combined. Divide among individual plates and serve immediately, spooning equal amounts of the ham and pine nuts for each serving.
Nutrition per serving: 545 cals, 31 g fat, 4 g sat fat, 33 mg cholesterol, 822 mg sodium, 22 g protein, 45 g carbs, 2 g fiber
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